Why Study Compassion? (A Primer)
What observes your mind thinking?
Day Sixteen
My brother Kevin made a comment on my previous post that I wanted to address tonight. The last section of his dialogue is especially provocative to me. He basically poses the question: Why am I studying compassion? Why is this a useful endeavor? And what will I “do” after the 40 days?
All of these questions are great and while I’m a little too worn down to post my thoughts on the questions tonight, I think the following materials are great primers for where my mind’s at:
Interview with Sister Joan Chittister
Science tells us we are wired for fair play. Relgion tells us to stay true to the Golden Rule–treat others as you would be treated. Yet global and interpersonal violence persists. Have we lost our capacity for compassion? Sister Joan Chittister, an activist and author of Called to Question, is one of many scholars worldwide advocating for a return to the roots of caring and a commitment to do no harm. www.charterforcompassion.org “This is not a pious and pretty little topic,” says Sister Joan in this provocative interview. (20 minutes)
Speech to Google
By the way, Kevin, neuroscience research (by relatively smart people) is finding that it is actually in our biological make-up (yes, our true nature) to empathize with others. I’m not merely talking about spirituality here; this is brain mechanics, something even reason and scientific method can measure. This might suggest, as the woman in the audio file says above, that it is actually a refusal of our nature to disregard someone else’s pain as meaningless. A few interesting books you might pick up:
(thanks Obadiah!)
