Synopses & Reviews
Praise for The Hidden Gifts of Helping"Stephen Post has written a deeply moving and comforting book about the pain and the healing of being uprooted. In the face of the deeply troubling post-2008 world, Post has written a courageous and honest book about his own experience of being a 'castaway' and reaching shore safely by trying to rescue others, not himself. It is wise and profoundly healing."
—George E. Vaillant, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; senior fellow, Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania; and author, Aging Well
"I hereby add my voice to the much deserved praise of Stephen G. Post's book on the healing power of love. It is a lasting contribution to the humanities in medicine."
—Richard Selzer, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine
"In this inspiring book, Stephen Post convincingly shows how helping others leads to win-win situations: not only does benevolence enhance others' well-being but, as a bonus, it also contributes significantly to our own physical and mental well-being."
—Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk, humanitarian, scientist, and author, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
"Stephen Post's new book is an engaging, spiritually wise reflection on the challenge of moving from one place and one job to another. He draws on his expertise in the scientific research on helping, loving, religion, and altruism as he constructs a moving personal narrative with a universal message."
—Sydney Callahan, Ph.D., nationally syndicated columnist for Commonweal magazine; licensed psychologist; and author, Created for Joy: A Christian View of Suffering
"America needs this timely, persuasive, and morally refreshing call to help our neighbors. Once again, Stephen Post offers us the gift of good news that volunteerism, altruism, and philanthropy are forms of therapy for our own souls."
—Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin, president, Morehouse College
Review
"Post (When Good Things Happen to Good People), president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, pens a hopeful text for hopeless times. His own job loss forced him and his family to relocate in 2008, and he writes poignantly of what he's personally lived through. No stranger to the emotional and spiritual difficulties that accompany any major life change, the author shares intimately how he put into practice the biblical principle of "giving unto others" as he worked through his own grief, sorrow, and loss during the transition that uprooted his family. The lessons Post learned make up this practical resource that urges purposeful giving, even while feeling the stings of disappointment and hardship. Post's work is more than a feel-good read. It's today's handbook for survival." (
Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2011
“This inspirational, motivational, and feel good book will leave you bursting with an overflowing bucket list of things you will want to do.”
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Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
"Everyone stumbles on hard times. After all, no one gets out of life alive. Today, even those who had considered themselves protected from hardship are being touched and their lives changed by volatile economic markets, job uncertainty, and the increasing isolation and loneliness of modern life."
—From the Introduction
Research has revealed that when we show concern for others—empathizing with a friend who has lost a loved one, mowing the lawn for an elderly neighbor, or volunteering to mentor a school-aged child—we improve our own health and well-being and embrace and give voice to our deeper identity and dignity as human beings.
In this moving book, Stephen G. Post helps us discover how we can make "helping" a lifetime activity. The Hidden Gifts of Helping explores the very personal story of Post and his family's difficult move and their experience with the healing power of helping others, as well as his passion about how this simple activity—expressed in an infinite number of small or large ways—can help you survive and thrive despite the expected and unexpected challenges life presents.
Post's story is intertwined with supporting scientific research and spiritual understanding. This book can become your companion and guide to the power of giving, forgiving, and compassion in hard times.
The Hidden Gifts of Helping will leave you with the unshakable feeling that the world can be a good place, if we act to make it so.
About the Author
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 a leader in the study of altruism, compassion, and love and president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love. Post is the author (with Jill Neimark) of the widely praised Why Good Things Happen to Good People.
Table of Contents
Introduction: On the Move.
1 Learning to Travel on Life's Mysterious Journey.
2 The Gift of the “Giver's Glow”.
3 The Gift of Connecting with the Neediest.
4 The Gift of Deep Happiness.
5 The Gift of Compassion and Unlimited Love.
6 The Gift of Hope.
Epilogue: Always Coming Home.
Notes.
Acknowledgments.
The Author.
Index.