Karen
Anderson, called “one of the most original thinkers on the role of religion in
the modern world,” observed that while all faiths stress compassion, it seems
to be sorely lacking in today’s societies. Even religious leaders seem to have
other more urgent axes to grind.
Yet it is hard to think of a time when the compassionate voice of
religion has been so sorely needed. Our world is dangerously polarized. ... And
yet at the same time we are bound together more closely than ever before
through the electronic media.
- Karen
Anderson, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
What can we do to bring more compassion to our world?
Anderson
decided that not practicing compassion was a habit that could be changed, and she realized that 12-step programs are familiar to Americans wanting to
change from bad habits to good. Becoming compassionate, she warns, is not
something we can accomplish overnight, but we can work toward compassion,
taking one step, making one change, at a time. This book is a gift to give oneself.
Twelve
Steps to a Compassionate Life
by
Karen Armstrong
Paper,
222pp with suggestions for further reading
$14.95
