Nonfiction

Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World

Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World

  • Downloads：5869
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-04 06:21:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sharon Salzberg
  • ISBN：1250310598
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

From one of most prominent figures in the field of meditation comes a guidebook for how to use mindfulness to build our inner strength， find balance， and help create a better world。

In today’s fractured world， we’re constantly flooded with breaking news that causes anger， grief， and pain。 People are feeling more stressed out than ever， and in the face of this fear and anxiety they can feel so burnt out and overwhelmed that they end up frozen in their tracks and unable to do anything。 In Real Change， Sharon Salzberg， a leading expert in lovingkindness meditation， shares sage advice and indispensable techniques to help free ourselves from these negative feelings and actions。 She teaches us that meditation is not a replacement for action， but rather a way to practice generosity with ourselves and summon the courage to break through boundaries， reconnect to a movement that’s bigger than ourselves， and have the energy to stay active。

Consulting with veteran activists and social-change agents in a variety of fields， Salzberg collects and shares their wisdom and offers the best practical advice to foster transformation in both ourselves and in society。 To help tame our inner landscape or chaos， Salzberg offers mindfulness practices that will help readers cultivate a sense of agency and stay engaged in the long-term struggle for social change。

Whether you’re resolving conflicts with a crotchety neighbor or combating global warming， Real Change will provide the fundamental principles and mindfulness practices to help guide you to the clarity and confidence to lift a foot and take the next step into a better world。

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Reviews

Vince ，

Short， thoughtful， clearly written treatise on how mindfulness meditation can support and fortify activists and people fighting for social change。

Cheryl Olseth ，

Full of wonderful techniques to calmly navigate， what feels like a very angry world。

Myranda ，

I enjoyed this book！ I have learned quite a lot from Salzberg's wisdom。 I enjoyed this book！ I have learned quite a lot from Salzberg's wisdom。 。。。more

Michele Block ，

One of Sharon’s best books yet。 So many lessons， so much wisdom。 A must read！

Jung ，

The world can often feel like a harsh place that’s only getting worse。 Yet， many people still find the strength to fight for a better future。 Mindfulness and meditation can provide excellent tools to keep up the struggle even in the face of adversity。 Bolster your own activist spirit by acknowledging negative emotions， creating space for self-care and joy， and always approaching difficult feelings with a sense of equanimity and an eye on the long-term。Actionable advice: Remember that your emotio The world can often feel like a harsh place that’s only getting worse。 Yet， many people still find the strength to fight for a better future。 Mindfulness and meditation can provide excellent tools to keep up the struggle even in the face of adversity。 Bolster your own activist spirit by acknowledging negative emotions， creating space for self-care and joy， and always approaching difficult feelings with a sense of equanimity and an eye on the long-term。Actionable advice: Remember that your emotions are temporary。Even the most grounded individual will sometimes experience difficult emotions like anger or hatred。 When this happens， remind yourself that these unpleasant moments are just fleeting。 A session of mindfulness meditation will help reveal the calmer bedrock of feeling that lies underneath。---Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work。Imagine a dedicated human rights activist。 Each day， she tirelessly advocates for the issues she cares about – issues like gender equality， fairer wages， and better access to healthcare。Now， suppose that one day， this activist forgets her lunch。 By noon， she’s hungry; by afternoon， she’s starving。 But， the only food in the office is a bunch of bananas。 Unfortunately， each time she glances at the fruit， she faces a moral dilemma: she’s worried about the exploitative conditions in banana fields and the environmental cost of banana production。The activist wants to keep working， yet she’s feeling faint。 What should she do？ Obviously， she should just eat the banana already！The key message here is: Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work。Activism， care work， and other service-oriented callings require a phenomenal degree of passion and dedication。 But， even the most determined and steadfast people can’t give 100 percent of themselves， 100 percent of the time。 In fact， attempting to do so is a recipe for breakdown and burnout。 So， when it comes to managing your time and effort， it’s crucial to build in space for rest， recovery， and recuperation。 Making a habit of taking care of yourself both mentally and physically will leave you better able to work toward your goals in the long run。 Sometimes， this practice is called self-care or building a coping bank。Self-care comes in many forms。 For instance， Myles Horton， founder of the Highlander Folk School， combated burnout by taking time to rest and reflect in the natural world around his workplace。 Shantel Walker， an organizer in the Fight for 15 minimum wage movement， blows off steam by going on long， leisurely bike rides。 In both cases， taking a break from the stress of work makes each person more effective when they return to their tasks。But， self-care can also take place on the job。 All too often， we assume that serious work must be accompanied by a serious demeanor。 But， the opposite is true。 It’s entirely possible to find joy in your labor。 During the 1960s protest marches， participants didn’t cry and mourn。 Instead， they joined their voices together and sang joyful tunes。 Buddhists call this practice gladdening the mind and it can make even the most difficult struggles more manageable。---Eliminate cognitive bias through deep， introspective thinking。Here’s a simple riddle for you: A man and his son are involved in a horrible car accident。 Tragically， the man dies and the boy is rushed to the hospital。 On arriving， the chief surgeon is aghast， declaring， “I can’t operate on this child， he’s my son！”So， here’s the question – who is the surgeon？ The answer often stumps even the most astute minds。 After all， the father died， so he can’t be the attending physician。 But， take a moment to think and the answer is obvious: the doctor is the boy’s mother。Oddly， people overlook this solution nearly 80 percent of the time。 It’s a powerful demonstration of how easily old biases can cloud our perception of reality。The key message here is: Eliminate cognitive bias through deep， introspective thinking。Our minds don’t perceive the world with perfect accuracy。 In fact， in order to process reality efficiently， our brains constantly take mental shortcuts， leaps of logic， and make unconscious adjustments to how we understand what’s happening around us。 In some cases， these cognitive biases help us navigate life more smoothly， but just as often they cloud our judgment。One common cognitive bias is the fundamental attribution error。 This is the tendency to understand human behaviors differently based on group affiliation。 For instance， if a close friend is curt and rude， you’ll chalk up their behavior as no big deal – you’ll think “She’s just having a bad day。” But， if a stranger from an outside group is acting gruffly， you may unconsciously think， “Well， people like that are just inherently impolite。”Such biases are dangerous because they stop us from seeing others as truly complex individuals。 And habitually succumbing to these types of bias can warp our understanding of reality so deeply， that we may foster racist， sexist， or discriminatory beliefs。 According to the author， despite usually being very socially aware， doctors often prescribe Black patients fewer painkillers than white patients because of outmoded ideas about racial differences。You can begin grappling with your own unconscious bias with awareness meditation。 This form of meditation encourages you to investigate your identity and background and how they may influence your view of the world。 To practice， simply enter a calm， meditative state， and consider your own experiences and thought processes – you may be surprised at the hidden biases lurking in your psyche。 。。。more

Kristen-Marie Freeman ，

Meditation at 1:00 （around 5 minutes）

Beth Meyers ，

I didn't come away with any new insights。 I didn't come away with any new insights。 。。。more

Karen Nelson ，

Expect this will always be relevant wisdom; seems even more so now as so many reassess their lives post the immediate shock of the pandemic。 We've all been reminded that life is finite， change is inevitable and bad things are not magically solved - but how can we exercise our hope for a better world？I found the preface to be especially worthwhile - written after the rest of the material， shortly before the book's publication in response to COVID。 Its honesty - "instead of feeling inspired by ded Expect this will always be relevant wisdom; seems even more so now as so many reassess their lives post the immediate shock of the pandemic。 We've all been reminded that life is finite， change is inevitable and bad things are not magically solved - but how can we exercise our hope for a better world？I found the preface to be especially worthwhile - written after the rest of the material， shortly before the book's publication in response to COVID。 Its honesty - "instead of feeling inspired by dedicating the mediation， I just felt burdened" beckoned me in and the further wisdom kept me engaged。 Throughout the book， Salzberg intersperses her teaching with anecdotes and examples from other change agents。 This helps ground the book - although I most love hearing about her experiences as an avenue to better understand meditation and Buddhist teaching。A bit difficult to practice the meditation techniques with a book but there are plenty of other resources for more specific practices online or in the audio version of the book。 。。。more

Gary Crossey ，

Not quite sure what the objective of this book is。 Name dropping and quoting others （it is）。 Expanding - not so much。 There are a few （almost hidden） exercises in the book that are short and easy。 Nothing new， but a good reminder。

Autumn ，

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Mark Valentine ，

Salzberg's book reads more like a symposium of healing strategies。 She has collected many authorities on healing and mindfulness and quotes freely。 In one way， I felt at home with this， especially since many of the authors I am already familiar with （Dahr Jamail， Rebecca Solnit， Dalai Lama， James Baldwin）。 But after a while， it began to reek of namedropping。Still， the book is useful and grounding， and beneficial。 I liked her chapter on grief transforming into resilience the best。 Salzberg's book reads more like a symposium of healing strategies。 She has collected many authorities on healing and mindfulness and quotes freely。 In one way， I felt at home with this， especially since many of the authors I am already familiar with （Dahr Jamail， Rebecca Solnit， Dalai Lama， James Baldwin）。 But after a while， it began to reek of namedropping。Still， the book is useful and grounding， and beneficial。 I liked her chapter on grief transforming into resilience the best。 。。。more

Joyce ，

Soothing

Lisa ，

I will listen to anything she writes on the topic of improving our outlook。

Dana ，

Really needed that！

Deborah ，

Meditation has been the gift of my life and Sharon my most beloved and influential teacher。 I benefited from the wisdom provided in this text of applying meditation to the work that I do for and with others。 The individual examples housed within these pages are instructive and inspiring。

Vange ，

imagine taking some breaths before deciding that people/places/subjects are unsafe

Natalie ，

I absolutely love Sharon Salzburg for all of her teachings， especially on Loving Kindness， aka Metta。 In this book， she offers her amazing insights into anger， grief and resilience， interconnectedness， and equanimity。 Her teachings empower the reader to take action with their daily life in such a way to combat stress and feeling overwhelmed。 At the end of each chapter， Sharon offers a meditation specific for the topic discussed。 This book offers so many lessons that I immediately re-read some of I absolutely love Sharon Salzburg for all of her teachings， especially on Loving Kindness， aka Metta。 In this book， she offers her amazing insights into anger， grief and resilience， interconnectedness， and equanimity。 Her teachings empower the reader to take action with their daily life in such a way to combat stress and feeling overwhelmed。 At the end of each chapter， Sharon offers a meditation specific for the topic discussed。 This book offers so many lessons that I immediately re-read some of the chapters that resonated the most to me。 The chapter on equanimity was the most helpful， personally。 Being employed in the helping profession， Sharon offers excellent reminders for preventing burnout。 If Goodreads had a ½ star scale， I would give this book a strong 4。5 stars。 。。。more

Joyce J。 Michelson ，

wonderful information for living a politically active and spiritual life。

Irene ，

This book is for folks that volunteer and overextend themselves in the service of others。 Excellent help on managing anger at the injustices of the world， taking care of yourself to prevent burnout， and applying equanimity to prevent overwhelmed distress。 Simple easy meditation exercises at the end of each chapter help you learn to practice each technique。

Julia Benkhina ，

DNF at 100 pages， and I NEVER abandon books。 If she name-drops the Dalai Lama one more time。。。

Brittney Kristina ，

3。5*This book is what I would consider。。。 a mindful， delicate hug。 While it did offer interesting insight and encouraged me to dive back into mindfulness and meditation， and shared gentle advice that reshaped my perspectives， but nothing I haven’t heard before。 However， that’s all it really was; a hug， a reminder。 The majority of the book， too， was quotes from other people， and politics。 While I enjoyed most of the stories， it’d occasionally throw me off。 As some other reviews said， I’m not sure 3。5*This book is what I would consider。。。 a mindful， delicate hug。 While it did offer interesting insight and encouraged me to dive back into mindfulness and meditation， and shared gentle advice that reshaped my perspectives， but nothing I haven’t heard before。 However， that’s all it really was; a hug， a reminder。 The majority of the book， too， was quotes from other people， and politics。 While I enjoyed most of the stories， it’d occasionally throw me off。 As some other reviews said， I’m not sure the author had any clear goal with this book。 It wasn’t completely clear， and some sections I found unnecessary。 In theory， the message that I found was: meditate， meditate， meditate， be present， allow， and be self-compassionate to yourself in others。It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend/say is a must-read。 But， for those wanting some comfort in this time as well as gentle nudges and reminders， I’d say to check this one out if you’d like！ 。。。more

Ana ，

Overall， good message， although I agree with other reviewers that noted that the writing can be choppy at times。 It frequently felt like transitions were missing between paragraphs or that the book had been hastily edited。 But her message and lessons are worthwhile。

Smitha Murthy ，

This was my first book from Sharon Salzberg。 I don’t know how I missed reading her earlier works。 This is more of a book that activists need to read， but it doesn’t mean that even those who are ‘ordinary’ shouldn’t。 There were some beautiful stories I loved and some inspiring people。 There would be other books from Salzberg that are probably more ‘personal。’ I look forward to reading those。

Elbrackeen Brackeen ，

We read this daily。 Every morning， section by section over the last six months。 It was a nice way to start each day。

Sharaya ，

4。75

Carole ，

I have read all of Sharon Salzberg's books。 This one is my least favorite。 Too many references to other people。 It reads like a research paper。 I have read all of Sharon Salzberg's books。 This one is my least favorite。 Too many references to other people。 It reads like a research paper。 。。。more

Molly Blank ，

I will be re-reading this book。 As someone who grew up competitive， idealistic， and immensely hard on themselves， this book holds tremendous insight for how you will be a more focused and productive human in society if you can learn to meaningfully hold compassion for yourself and others。 I have heard Sharon Salzberg teach courses and conduct interviews on loving kindness meditation， but I can't say that her practices and worldview clicked until I read this。 I would recommend this to pretty much I will be re-reading this book。 As someone who grew up competitive， idealistic， and immensely hard on themselves， this book holds tremendous insight for how you will be a more focused and productive human in society if you can learn to meaningfully hold compassion for yourself and others。 I have heard Sharon Salzberg teach courses and conduct interviews on loving kindness meditation， but I can't say that her practices and worldview clicked until I read this。 I would recommend this to pretty much anyone on the street， and we'd all certainly be better off if they'd take the recommendation。 。。。more

Becky ，

Audiobook。 Some very interesting insights and perspectives

Gwynne ，

Short practices are especially useful in audiobook format

Kristen Iworsky ，

I think this book would be more impactful if I had read little bits at a time。 But alas， it was overdue at the library with no renewals allowed。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0