Global Cooling?

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Global Cooling?

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Labyrinth in Mendocino built by David Chamberlain, David Singer and Walter -July 24, 2005.

An introduction to Kindness by Piero Ferrucci by His Holiness the Dalai Lama -May 2004 "This is a book after my own heart. Piero Ferrucci has drawn on both his broad experience as a psychotherapist and what I think of as fundamental human values to write on the importance of kindness. What I particularly appreciate about his presentation is that he makes kindness the starting point, the fount from which flow so many other positive qualities, such as honesty, forgiveness, patience, and generosity. It is a compelling and encouraging approach.

I believe that if we stop to think, it is clear that our very survival, even today, depends upon the acts of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents; later in life, when facing the sufferings of disease and old age, we are again dependent on the kindness of others' kindness, why then in the middle, when we have the opportunity, should we not act kindly toward others?

Kindness and compassion are among the principle things that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, and thus, affection, honesty, truth, and justice toward everyone else, we ensure our own benefit. This is a matter of common sense. Consideration for others is worthwhile because our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. Similarly, if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. On the other hand, the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill will, the more miserable we become. Therefore, we cannot avoid the necessity of kindness and compassion.

On a simple, practical level, kindness creates a sense of warmth and openness that allows us to communicate much more easily with other people. We discover that all human beings are just like us, so we are able to relate to them more easily. That generates a spirit of friendship in which there is less need to hide what we feel or what we are doing. As a result, feelings of fear, self-doubt, and insecurity are automatically dispelled, while at the same time other people find it easier to trust us, too. What is more, there is increasing evidence that cultivating positive mental states like kindness and compassion definitely leads to better psychological health and happiness.

It is tremendously important that we try to make something positive of our lives. We were not born for the purpose of causing trouble and harming others. For our life to be of value, as Piero Ferrucci amply demonstrates here -and I am grateful to him for expressing it so clearly -we need to foster and nurture such basic good human qualities as warmth, kindness, and compassion. If we can do that, our lives will become meaningful, happier and more peaceful; we will make a positive contribution to the world around us."

A leading transpersonal psychologist reveals the unexpected secret to a happy life: behaving with kindness. Piero Ferrucci calls it "global cooling," a phenomenon of chilly human relations. Communications are hurried and impersonal. The drive for profit and wealth has become a cherished value. And warmth and genuine presence have all but dissolved into a sea of materialism and self-interest.

The Power of Kindness is a stirring examination of a simple but profound concept. Piero Ferrucci, one of the world's most respected transpersonal psychologists, explores the many surprising facets of kindness and argues that it is this trait, and this trait alone, which will lead not only to our own individual happiness and the happiness of those around us, but will guide us in a world that has become cold, anxious, difficult, and frightening.

Not an ordinary self-help book, The Power of Kindness is instead a blueprint. Being kind, Ferrucci argues, does not mean becoming a human doormat or a cloying hand servant. And "Heaven save us from the fakes," Ferrucci writes-self-interested politeness, calculated generosity, superficial etiquette, and even kindness against one's will.

Instead, kindness is composed of many elements, including qualities not immediately associated with it: flexibility, honesty, a sense of belonging, gratitude, attention, forgiveness, and more. In eighteen interlocking chapters, each devoted to a single aspect of kindness, Ferrucci moves seamlessly from tales of myth and legend to personal anecdotes to scientific research and philosophical treatises. He reveals that the kindest people are the most likely to thrive, to enable others to thrive, and to slowly but steadily turn our world away from violence, self-centeredness, and narcissism, and toward love. Writing with a rare combination of sensitivity and intellectual depth, Ferrucci shows that, ultimately, kindness is not a luxury in our world, but a necessity for us all.

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