Huff Post: by Arianna Huffington.
Philosophers have known this for centuries. “No one can live happily who has regard for himself alone and transforms everything into a question of his own utility,” wrote the first-century Stoic philosopher Seneca in his Moral Letters to Lucilius. And in practically every religious tradition and practice, giving of oneself is a key step on the path to spiritual fulfillment. Or, as Einstein put it, “only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
Last week a few HuffPost editors and I were treated to a visit by Bill Drayton and Mary Gordon. Bill Drayton is the founder of Ashoka and a longtime champion of social entrepreneurship, a term that he coined and that has now spread across the world. Mary Gordon is a former kindergarten teacher who founded Roots of Empathy, an organization dedicated to teaching emotional literacy and promoting empathy in children. She was also one of the first Ashoka fellows. Our visit started with talk of the newborn recently welcomed by one of our editors, Gregory Beyer, whereupon Mary presented him with a onesie with “Empathy Teacher” emblazoned on the front. But as Mary — a great empathy teacher herself — told us, it’s a two-way street, and empathy is best nurtured by example. “Love grows brains,” she told us. “We need to show children a picture of love as we raise them.”
Categories: Americas, Belief, Life, Spirituality