A Call To Compassion

Covering doctrine and the lived experience of the world's religious practitioners, Call to Compassion is a collection of stirring and passionate essays on the place of animals within the philosophical, cultural, and everyday milieus of spiritual practices both ancient and modern. From Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, through the Abrahamic traditions, to contemporary Wiccan and Native American spirituality, Call to Compassion charts the complex ways we interact with the world around us.

Aura Glaser wrote this book to remedy a deficiency she discovered while engaged in psychological research–a nearly complete omission of the importance and cultivation of compassion. Other books exploring Buddhism and psychology have focused on what the Theravada school of Buddhism–which teaches personal liberation through enlightenment–can offer psychology. A Call to Compassion works with Mahayana Buddhism, in which practitioners commit to the liberation of all sentient beings, with compassion central to attaining that goal.In her fascinating and exceptionally clear and concise review of the work of Freud, Jung, and others, Glaser shows how psychology has been ambivalent about the subject of compassion and therefore has developed no methodology for helping individuals cultivate this essential quality in the service of helping others. Glaser introduces as a remedy the Buddhist practice of the lojong, expressed in the text of The Seven Points of Mind Training, for developing love and compassion. With modern-day life examples, she illustrates the four major points: compassion for self, compassion for others, exchanging self and others, and no self and no other–affirming that these points are indeed attainable. If we make the effort to contemplate, understand, and truly integrate these four essentials, we will have a sound basis for both psychological health and genuine transformation.“/DIV>

Jesus lived and breathed compassion. He was and is compassion itself. A Call to Compassion is your personal invitation to discover the joy of committing your life to a cause higher than your own personal desires and learn to be a reflection of God's steadfast love. Be inspired by the stories of these eleven great women: Catherine Booth, cofounder of the Salvation Army Nancy Ward, hero and "last beloved lady" of the Cherokee Nation Florence Nightingale, reformer and pioneer of health care and a well-trained nursing profession Gladys Aylward, missionary to the sick, orphans, and poor in China Mother Teresa, devoted servant to the poor in Calcutta, India, and the world Amy Carmichael, missionary in India, serving girls offered as temple prostitutes by their parents Catherine Drexel, nun who gave away millions of dollars to help Native Americans and African Americans Phoebe Palmer, mother of the Holiness Movement Hannah More, well-known writer who worked for the abolition of slavery Elizabeth Fry, prison reformer in England and Europe Heidi Baker, passionate missionary "compelled by love" to the poor in Mozambique, Africa, and the world God wants to express His heart through you in new and creative ways. Be a pioneer of compassion in your world today!

Jesus lived and breathed compassion. He was and is compassion itself. A Call to Compassion is your personal invitation to discover the joy of committing your life to a cause higher than your own personal desires and learn to be a reflection of God’s steadfast love. Be inspired by the stories of these eleven great women: Catherine Booth, cofounder of the Salvation ArmyNancy Ward, hero and “last beloved lady” of the Cherokee NationFlorence Nightingale, reformer and pioneer of health care and a well-trained nursing professionGladys Aylward, missionary to the sick, orphans, and poor in ChinaMother Teresa, devoted servant to the poor in Calcutta, India, and the worldAmy Carmichael, missionary in India, serving girls offered as temple prostitutes by their parentsCatherine Drexel, nun who gave away millions of dollars to help Native Americans and African AmericansPhoebe Palmer, mother of the Holiness MovementHannah More, well-known writer who worked for the abolition of slaveryElizabeth Fry, prison reformer in England and EuropeHeidi Baker, passionate missionary “compelled by love” to the poor in Mozambique, Africa, and the world God wants to express His heart through you in new and creative ways. Be a pioneer of compassion in your world today!

Jesus demonstrated compassion in everything He did and everyone He touched. He lived it, breathed it and is compassion itself. Rekindle the compassion within you in these lessons and compassionate examples.

Caring for our family members, friends, and others is a central part of a rewarding life. For those in healing and helping professions such as medicine, nursing, education, psychotherapy, social work, ministry, and the military, the potential for a meaningful way of being may even become more possible. But, compassion is not easy. At times, concern for others can be personally devastating when we don't possess the right attitude and approach. Reaching out (and reflectively within) without being pulled down requires the wisdom that only arises out of the right combination of humility and knowledge. Night Call offers the stories and principles gleaned over many years of writing and mentoring for those in the helping and healing professions. The stories are offered in ways that foster compassionate caring while encouraging initiative in those who seek to personally deepen and share their lives with others -- especially in times of significant need. With this in mind, Dr. Wicks presents information on: - being a healing presence - mining fruits of the failures all of us must experience at times - the need to enjoy the daily crumbs of alonetime - the importance of a spirit of unlearning - developing a simple realistic self-care program - valuing informal or formal mentoring - recognizing the 3 calls to which we must respond to as we psychologically develop - honoring life's most elusive psychological virtue (humility) Purposely brief, the chapters, as well as the sections in the personal resiliency retreat section at the end of the book, have as their goal a reconsideration of values, signature strengths, and simple approaches to living a resilient, rewarding life. Rather than presenting new breakthroughs, Night Call is designed to dust off what most of us already know, at some level, so we can freshly view the key approaches and techniques that provide increased psychological self-awareness and a potentially healthier sense of presence to others. The themes offered may have been forgotten, or become undervalued/set aside because of some of society's dysfunctional norms or unhelpful family influences. In response, this simple, countercultural book combines the value of essential self-compassion with caring for others in ways that provide the impetus for further exploration of a fuller narrative for both the readers of this work and unforeseen opportunities as well for those who are fortunate enough to cross their paths.

New technologies are transforming healthcare work and changing how patients interact with healthcare providers. As artificial intelligence systems, robotics, and data analytics become more sophisticated, some clinical tasks will become obsolete and others will be reconfigured. While it is not possible to predict these developments precisely, it is important to understand their inevitability and to prepare for the changes that lie ahead. Without Compassion, There Is No Healthcare argues that compassion must be upheld as the bedrock and guiding purpose of healthcare work. Emerging technologies have the potential to subvert this purpose but also to enable and expand it, creating new conduits for compassionate care. Cultivating these benefits and guarding against potential threats will require vigilance and determination from healthcare providers, educators, leaders, patients, and advocates. The contributors to this book show the way forward, bringing a diverse range of expertise to confront these challenges. Avoiding platitudes and simple dichotomies, they examine what compassion in healthcare means and how it can be practised, now and in the uncertain future. Without Compassion, There Is No Healthcare is a call to action. Drawing together a decade of evidence and insight generated by a community of leading scholars and practitioners committed to promoting compassionate care, it offers steady principles and practices to steer the way through times of technological change.