Nurturing Compassion

Publisher Marketing: The act of compassion is one of the nobler qualities of the human race. It is defined as the ability to feel and respond sensitively to the suffering of another. When we show or receive compassion, we experience a sense of the interdependence of humanity. We see it demonstrated daily in many guises: in the volunteers who operate food banks or work in hospices, the doctors and nurses who work in dangerous conditions in war-ravaged areas, simple gestures of comfort for someone bereaved... However, showing compassion to others is only half the story: self-compassion. frequently in short supply and usually harder to practise, is also necessary. Yet, noticing when we feel hurt, appreciating when we are finding life difficult, being kind, self-soothing and attentive to ourselves is so often brushed aside in the misguided belief that we are being selfish. The reality is though that if we are able to be compassionate to ourselves, the compassion we are able to offer others will be even greater. This book contains quotations from a wide cross-section of people past and present, on the theme of this most precious of human attributes. Reading them will help you to understand the true nature of compassion and, undoubtedly, help to confirm or restore your faith in human nature. Contributor Bio:  Fielding, Polly Polly Fielding is the author of several non-fiction books (in English) on a variety of subjects of which she has a great deal of personal experience. They include - The 5:2 Diet, Mental Health, Paris and Haemophilia. Many of her books are written in the present tense which gives them a striking immediacy. Over a span of thirty years she has had numerous articles published in national magazines and newspapers. She is also an artist, using both pastel and gouache. 'Poppymania' is evident in her vibrantly colourful pictures as is her passion for the beauty and warmth of summer scenes both in the UK and abroad. Polly has a unusual mixture of professional qualifications being a certified Voice Over Artist and Swedish Body Masseuse. And in a former life she was a teacher in the UK, Canada, Gibraltar and Iran. She had a brief spell as a nanny to two small children in Paris when she was twenty-three. It was during this six- months period that she fell in love with this magnificent city, its culture, cuisine and people. She is married(she met her husband in Gibraltar), has five children and currently divides her time between Lincoln, Paris and Venice. She speaks English, French and German. To find out more about Polly, her books, her art and her most recently published articles, please visit her website: www.pollyfielding.com