Compassion - The essential orientation

We humans engage in a wide range of behaviours, driven by many different motives. Unfortunately, many aspects of modern society tap into and stimulate our threat sensitive, competitive, self-focused and tribal impulses (Gilbert, 2018). You don’t have to look very far to see this – just look at recent political campaigns in the UK and the US. 

‘Compassionate motivation’ on the other hand – endorsed by most religions for centuries – can help to counter the destructive effects of our more basic urges, and help redress many of the world’s current problems (Ricard, 2015). But for humanity to fully unlock the power of compassion, we must first gain clarity about its nature. Where does it come from, and can we deliberately cultivate compassion?

‍