INSPIRATION
HEALTH
REVIEW
The Power of Kindness
The Unexpected Benefits of
Leading A Compassionate Life
W
By Piero Ferrucci
hat if I said you have
the power to transform your life and the
lives of others, and it
doesn’t cost a cent?
What if I said the heart
has its own concept of
time, that you are “rich in hours and days,” as psychotherapist Piero Ferrucci states, and have more
freedom and space to breathe than you think? And
what if I said the key to all of the above is kindness?
Setting aside the health benefits of being kind to
ourselves, others, and the planet, kindness is a
problem-solver, a way to unite people, a reason humans thrive, and something we were designed to
do. So why read a book about it? Because for many,
the vulnerability of being kind is difficult. Because
we live in an “Ice Age of the heart,” as Ferucci puts
it, less in touch than we were before cell phones,
email, 60-hour work weeks, and the fragmentation
of families. Because many are lonely, anxious, or
depressed. Because we need to remember, in spite
of what the media leads us to believe, there is more
good in the world than not.
When The Power of Kindness first appeared in 2006,
the rep from the publishing company raved about
it, encouraging me to order several copies. I did,
and it sold well, but I never got around to reading
the book. I’m already kind, I thought, and didn’t
need the information.
With the release of the 10th anniversary edition, I
felt compelled to crack the spine. “In this exciting
but dangerous moment of human history,” Ferruc-
12 | New Consciousness Review
cci says, “kindness is not a luxury, it is a necessity.” As I read the nineteen facets that make up this
necessity, such as honesty, warmth, and a sense
of belonging, my heart relaxed. Here is a book of
hope, of wisdom, of healing. The author uses personal anecdotes, spiritual stories, and philosophical ideas to illustrate the power of kindness. This
edition includes a new chapter, introduction, and
selection of exercises. Tarcher Perigee, 2016
Reviewed by Diane Holcomb, East West Bookshop