Compassion for Life

By Philip W Mason

During life, everyone experiences difficult struggles and pain. The relief from this pain can come when either we recognize that we are only human and make an appropriate change for the better or when another person helps us recognize it and encourages us to make that change. These two phenomena are called self compassion and compassion and are great powers that people possess to make life better. They are the first steps to take towards a healing process that results in one being able to enjoy and share all the wondrous experiences that life has to offer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9780228826712

Philip W Mason

A Little About MeGrew up on small family farm in rural Gorham, Maine in the 1970's. Farm life instilled in me a strong sense of values, including resilience, responsibility, and the necessity of team-work.When I graduated high school, I attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, starting off in mechanical engineering before switching to physics, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1991. From there, I went to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, earning my masters and finally a PhD in physics in 1998 with my dissertation "An Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Study of Point Defects in Wide Band-gap Semiconductors."I have, over the course of my career, put those degrees to good use at various high-tech companies including a five-year stint at the Bell Labs Division of Lucent Technologies.And, for many of the last fifteen years, I have suffered with serious mental health issues.I have had numerous in-patient and out-patient treatment sessions and have learned about human frailty and gained a better understanding of the human condition. This has taught me to have more compassion for the world. I have also come to learn that my mental illness is not my fault, for there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I have come to accept it, have received medical care for it, and am now going through the process of healing from it. It is a very emotional recovery at times, and I now have hope for a much brighter future.I am now able to love who I am and want to share that sense of hope and love with the rest of the world.

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Copyright © 2020 by Philip W Mason

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-2672-9 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-2673-6 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-2671-2 (eBook)

978-0-2288-5503-3 (Audiobook)

For Caroline and Kaitlin.

Table of Contents

A Little About Me

Introduction

1. Emotions of Compassion and Self-compassion

2. Mental and Physical Pain

3. Mental Pain in Detail

4. Having and Sharing Compassion and Self-compassion

5. Emotions of Love

6. An Example of Having and Sharing Love

7. Compassion and Religion

8. World Figures Showing Compassion and Love (All taken from Wikipedia)

9. Sharing Compassion Encourages Idea Sharing

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

A Little About Me

I grew up in the seventies on a small family farm in rural Gorham, Maine, a background which instilled in me a strong sense of values, including resilience, responsibility, and the necessity of teamwork.

When I graduated high school, I attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, starting off in mechanical engineering before switching to physics, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1991. From there, I went to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, earning my masters and finally a PhD in physics in 1998 with my dissertation An Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Study of Point Defects in Wide Band-gap Semiconductors.

I have, over the course of my career, put those degrees to good use at various high-tech companies including a five-year stint at the Bell Labs Division of Lucent Technologies.

You see things; and you say, Why?

But I dream things that never were; and I say, Why not?

—George Bernard Shaw

(1856–1950)

Introduction

I try to explain concepts and ideas to myself in the simplest terms possible, and then I enjoy telling others, even very young people, about what I have learned. At five years old, my niece asked my mother, When I want to do something bad, does the idea come from me, or is God giving me the idea?

This question is about the existence of free will, one of the most fundamental questions one can ask oneself. With this in mind, I have attempted to make many of the concepts and ideas in this book understandable for readers of all ages. I encourage readers to share their interpretations of the ideas with others. Perhaps people may even wish to discuss many of the topics and ideas with children.

My hope is to provide individuals with a starting point for further enquiries so that they may better understand themselves and generate their own ideas. These questions and ideas could continue an exploration of personal beliefs and opinions and might encourage one to think about new ideas for personal growth.

The main purpose of this book is to encourage people to ask—as I have—deep probing questions of themselves as a starting point for discovering the source(s) of their physical and/or mental pain. This book is also intended as a roadmap towards reducing one’s suffering from the pain. Having the emotions of compassion and self-compassion is a road that leads towards healing and becoming a happier person.

Along the way, this book encourages people to have more compassion for themselves, each other, and the world. At many key points in our lives, we need help from others