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Book Reviews Blog - thebroadroom.net: Field Notes on the Compassionate Life by Mark Ian Barasch
Field Notes on the Compassionate Life by Mark Ian Barasch
posted by TheBroadroom.Net,
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
at 2:18 PM (Pacific)
Reviewed by: Raphaëlle
When I first saw this book, a wave of apprehension passed over me. I was afraid the author would start telling me I'm not good enough. I'm not kind enough, I don't give enough, I don't have enough empathy, compassion, sympathy... Now the thing is, I'm one of those people who already think it. I already feel guilty when I don't give money to each and every beggar I see. Even if I actually have no money. I don't need someone else reinforcing this thought pattern in me.
I started reading and discovered that this book wasn't about telling me what I should do. It's a man's journey to understand compassion. Where it comes from, how it works, what its effects are, socially, biologically, as well as psychologically. The scientific sections were fascinating, the anecdotes compelling. Mostly though, I saw myself in the author himself. I saw a student of compassion, someone who tries just as hard as I do but sometimes falls short. More than just a study of compassion in our world, I saw the journey of a man to not only understand it but also include it in his life. Mr. Barasch is much further along than me but his journey has given me a glimpse of what I can achieve. He's shown me there are other people like me. I'm not as weird as I’ve been told...
I highly recommend this book with one warning: put your cynicism aside for a moment. This book isn't preaching to you. It's just presenting another, kinder, way to view the world.
 
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