The Compassionate Life (BK Life (Paperback))

About the Book

How can compassion, a trait hardwired into our nervous system and waiting to be awakened, transform our lives and the world at large? Marc Barasch provides up-to-the-minute research to timeless spiritual truths, and weaves a stirring, unforgettable story of the search for kindness in a world that clearly needs it. With unfailing curiosity, Barasch poses vital questions: What can we learn from exceptionally empathetic people? Can we increase our compassion quotient with practice? What if the great driving force of our evolution were actually "survival of the kindest?" He comes up with challenging, ultimately inspiring answers. With encounters as diverse as observations of compassion amongst bonobo chimpanzees, to the story of a man who forgives his daughter’s killer, to teenage Palestinian and Israeli girls trying to wage peace, Barasch blends hard science and popular culture with his own hip, engaging narrative style to create a smart, provocative argument that a simple shift in consciousness changes pretty much everything.

About the Author

Marc Ian Barasch is the author of the award-winning trilogy The Healing Path, Remarkable Recovery (with Caryle Hirshberg), and Healing Dreams. His have been acclaimed as landmarks in the quest for wholeness, and as intelligent guideposts to a soulful life. He is a former editor at Psychology Today and Natural Health.

Praise for The Compassionate Life

“If I had to pick one skill that was most important for a negotiator—

meaning everyone, every day—it would be the ability to put

yourself in the other side’s shoes. In this extraordinary book,

Marc Barasch helps us understand why and how.”

—William Ury, PhD, coauthor of Getting to Yes

“I have read the book twice—once from an intellectual perspective

and the second time from my heart—and I was doubly rewarded

by its wisdom. I heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to

understand why the compassionate life is the answer—and who

wants to learn how to live it.”

—Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles

"An argument for compassion that is balanced yet persuasive--and long overdue. This book ought to be a compulsory read for all."

--Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

"Marc Barasch shares with the best science writers an ability to make you feel the excitement of discovery. His book will interest anyone who struggles to be kinder in a not-so-kind world."

--Washington Post

"Barasch uses humor and fine reporting...Rather than a whifty compendium of spiritual musings, The Compassionate Life builds upon relevant observations from surprising sources."

--People

“Refreshingly real, beyond right or left, just straight to the center of the human heart. If you want to help save the world today then give someone—anyone—this startling, truthful, and compassionate book.” Arianna Huffington