Empathy

Positive Psychology: Raising Happy, Kind Children Evolutionarily Adaptive

In contrast to "every man for himself" interpretations of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychologist and author of "Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life," and his fellow social scientists are building the case that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, altruistic and compassionate traits. Christine Carter writes "Raising Happiness" (Yasmin Anwar, AlterNet, March 4, 2010)

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HARD-WIRED FOR COLLABORATION: PHYSICAL TOUCH INCREASES PERFORMANCE

Physical touch stengthens creative problem solving and performance. In Born To Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life (Norton, 2009), Dacher Keltner cites research indicating that simply giving a reassuring physical touch (a high-five, a chest bump, a shoulder pat) can increase performance on the basketball court, in intimate relationship, in the classroom, everywhere! Humans are wired to seek collaborative effort to "share the load" of problem solving.

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BOTTOM-UP EMPOWERMENT: PENNY HARVEST ENGAGES SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SERVICE-LEARNING

Apathy is avoided when each person in an organization is engaged at their own passionate, individual Creative Edge. Empowerment Organization motivates people "from the bottom up" by finding "One Small Thing" as a first step toward engagement. The Penny Harvest fund-raiser used in elementary schools nationwide is used as an example of using "The One Small Thing" method to motivate children and communities to learn about giving and helping others, life-long philanthropy.

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CREATIVE EDGE LISTENING: ACTIVE, EMPATHIC, FOCUSED LISTENING ALLOWS CREATIVITY TO EMERGE

Creativity comes from inside, from articulation of The Creative Edge, the "something-more-than-words" experienced as intuitions, gut instincts, the vague, blurry "feel" of "the whole thing." Creative Edge Listening and Creative Edge Focusing are self-help skills that facilitate exploration of the "not-yet-known. Applications at home and work, alone, for interpersonal conflict and for creative problem solving in organizations.

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“WHY CRY?” PART 5: BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON TEARS, CRYING, BEING TOUCHED AND BEING MOVED, INNER CHILD HEALING, ACTIVE GRIEVING, TRANSFORMATION

Many books and articles lead to acceptance of tears as transformative and spiritually meaningful, including Frey, Crying, Gaylin, Feelings: Our Vital Signs, Ross, The Fountain and The Furnace, and Chodrin's The Way of Compassion. Dr. McGuire also lists her own many articles on tears, inner child healing, afect in Experiential Focusing Therapy, "being touched and being moved," and Active Grieving.

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“WHY CRY?” PART 4: CRYING FOR A VISION, OPENING OUR EYES TO TRUTH

David Michael Levin's book, The Opening of Vision, and particularly the Chapter "Crying For A Vision," is discussed as pointing to the importance of crying in allowing us to experience truth, to be touched and moved, to experience care and compassion, to "see" what must be seen and to act accordingly.

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WWW.CHANGE.ORG: VOTE FOR TOP TEN AGENDAS FOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING DEPARTMENT OF PEACE, EMPATHY INITIATIVE, SUSTAINABILITY, ETC.

Easy way to vote for your top ten agendas to be delivered to Obama on inauguration day, especially the Empathy/Non-Violent Communication Initiative and the Department of Peace.

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INTUITIVE FOCUSING: “FELT SENSE’ OF A SITUATION DISCLOSES LIFE MEANING AND DIRECTION

Using Intuitive Focusing to pay attention to a strong positive emotional experience of "being touched" in a situation can lead to finding words and images for core spiritual and life-directing meanings, leading to a clear action path ahead.

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