Book Description: The world's religions affirm it to be so and recent research across a number of disciplines tell us that "Helping others not only benefits those we assist but is good for us as well." The recent and astonishingly generous outpouring of help and donations in response to the earthquake in Haiti is a clear demonstration of this phenomenon, but what if we could be convinced to make helping others a way of life, even when times are hard?
* Post is author of the widely praised Why Good Things Happen to Good People
* Filled with inspirational anecdotes about the transformative power of doing good
* The author is a leader in the study of altruism, compassion, and love as well as the President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love
* Beautiful packaging, ideal for gift giving
The Hidden Gifts of Helping Others will leave you with the unshakable feeling that the world is an essentially good place.
My Review: Stephen G. Post is professor of preventive medicine and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. He is president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, established in 2001 with support of the philanthropist John Templeton and the Templeton Foundation. Post is the author of several books including Why Good Things Happen to Good People.
Mr. Post uses his family's move from one state to another as a way of illustrating the many ways in which transition, change, and helping others can signal a breakthrough to new possibilities.
AFter living in one area for 20 years the author finds the transition challenging , at best. Finding it hard to adjust to new faces and new places, he finds that over time family togetherness, good neighbors and love are the true meanings of life. He then decides that helping others is what life is truly about. So, he discovers that people reap many rewards from doing good including greater longevity, lower rates of heart disease, improved mental and emotional health, and relief of stress and negative emotions. Volunteers who regularly serve others talk of a "helper's high" that comes with moving beyond self and putting others first.
I found this a moving read! Putting Post's concepts of helping others to use by discovering my hidden gift and then putting it to good use by helping those who can use it the most. Whether it's teaching children at Sunday School, fixing meals for those with limited physical abilities, reading to patients who can't read for themselves or simply being a listening ear to one in distress. I, too, am going to try and put Mr. Post's words to good use and find my hidden gift that will "get us through hard times."
A great five star read that will encourage you!
*This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group*
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