Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life Book

Karen Armstrong is a fabulous researcher and she knows her world religions. She uses the major world religions and teachings to come up with 12 steps to becoming a more compassionate person. This is a lifelong process and you can't just read the book and be compassionate. This is a daily practice.

I am glad I read this book. The truths she reveals have the power to open your mind and they can be very helpful. The problem is that this was oh so dry. I mean it was crisp like the cracked desert floor. It was all mental and intellectual. I know you can put this into practice, but the delivery is super dry. For me, this book isn't going to convince me to do this, it is going to have to come from within.

Still, I think it's an important work and there are some other books by Karen that I do want to read. I mean she knows her religious histories. She understands each faith and what is at the heart of them. She said to really understand someone else's religion, you have to practice it. Spend a week saying their prayers and thinking about their culture and what they did. Even take a look at your own and look at the good and bad things your own culture does. I thought those were insightful ideas.

I did get a lot of of this book. I'm not sure it sparked me. I don't have a burning desire to do this after reading it. I do want to hear more about what she knows about history and where and how they all fit in together. That was pretty fascinating.