Compassion, Empathy,

and Optimism

__________________________________
Prof. V. N. Giri
Dept. of Humanities & Social Sciences
IIT Kharagpur
email: vng@hss.iitkgp.ernet.in
 Compassion
 The basic meaning of compassion is sympathetic
pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes
of others.

 Compassion motivates people to go out of their way

to help physical, spiritual, or emotional hurts or
pains of others. Compassion is often regarded as
having an emotional aspect to it.

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 Empathy

 Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel

what another person is experiencing from
within.
 It means capacity to place oneself in another's
position. Empathy is seeing with the eyes of
another, listening with the ears of another and
feelings with the heart of another.

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 Optimism

 Optimism refers to hopefulness and confidence

about the future or the success of something.

 Optimism is a mental attitude. A common idiom

used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is
a glass with water at the halfway point, where
the optimist is said to see the glass as half full
and the pessimist sees the glass as half empty.
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 What is imperfect life?
Anger

Hatred

Jealousy

Criticism

Hopelessness

Laziness

Negativity

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What is perfect life?
Joy

Peace

Love

Honesty

Hope

Understanding

Enthusiasm

Mercy

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 …Some
Technologically
Hidden
Advanced
Modern
FactsSociety
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ALWAYS ON RISE

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Are we really
advancing
in the right
direction ?
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 How can we expect
compassion, empathy and
optimism in a society of
people with disturbed
minds ? 10
 Uncontrolled Mind: What It
Can Do To Us

We become slaves to our whimsical

thoughts and desires. 11
Uncontrolled Mind: What It Can Do To Us

HYPERTENSION

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 How to Control the Uncontrolled Mind?

For the Solution...

let’s understand the nature of mind. 13
 Nature of the MIND

IF CONTROLLED IF UNCONTROLLED

IT WILL BE YOUR
IT IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
GREATEST ENEMY 14
 “For him who has conquered
the mind, the mind is the best
of friends; but for one who
has failed to do so, his mind
will remain the greatest
enemy.” (BG, 6:6)
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 Can The Mind Be Controlled?
MIND IS COMPARED TO A KNIFE.

Is The Knife Controlled or Not ?

In A Surgeon’s In A Miscreant’s
Hand : It Can Save Hand: He Can Kill
Life ! With It !!
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 The Mind Mechanism

THE SENSES
Intelligence
EYES
The Decision
Maker NOSE

TONGUE
Mind
EARS
Storehouse of Thoughts,
Unfulfilled Desires,
Previous Experiences SKIN

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 Solution to the Uncontrolled Mind

1. Conventional solutions

2. Vedic Alternatives
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 Conventional solutions

1. Breathing
2. Self-suggestion
3. Massage
4. Mental Imagery
5. Music
6. Stretching Exercises
7. Enough Sleep
8. Interpersonal Skills
a. Being Assertive
b. Listening
c. Stress resistant Thinking
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 Vedic Alternatives: Work-Life Balance

Intellectual IQ Social, Emotional EQ

THE ZEAL
WITHIN

Physical PQ Spiritual SQ

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 Regulation is the “Real Key”

He who is regulated in his

habits of eating, sleeping,
recreation and work can
mitigate all material pains
by practicing the yoga
system.
[BG 6.17]

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Nourishing the Intellect

We should understand
the true purpose of life
by reading thought
provoking books.

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Driver should know the True
Destination 23
 CHARIOT OF THE BODY

INTELLIGENCE I
MIND

5 SENSES

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 We Are Not the Body,
We Are the Driver of Body

Mouth To Speak Horn To Sound

Eyes To See Headlights To See
Heart To Pump Blood Radiator To Supply Water
Hands & Legs to move Four Wheels To Move

Car Cannot Budge One Inch Without The Driver;

The Body Cannot Do Any Function WITHOUT THE
DRIVER i.e., the Soul 25
Benefits of Controlled Mind
Cool Mind
Peace
Clear Intelligence
Purified Senses
Better Concentration & Memory
More Efficiency

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 Law of Attraction
 It is the Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind
to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materializes
them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into
things eventually.

 If we focus on negative doom and gloom we will remain

under that cloud. If we focus on positive thoughts and have
goals that we aim to achieve we will find a way to achieve
them with massive action.
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 Law of Attraction

 Science has confirmed that every thought is made up of

energy and has its own unique frequency.

 It has long been known that matter, or physical objects, are

also just packets of energy at the sub-microscopic, quantum
level. And so, as our thought radiates out, it attracts the
energy and frequencies of like thoughts, like objects, and
even like people, and draws those things back to us.

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The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton

He is a medical school professor and research scientist

His research has changed our understanding of life. It
shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology, but
instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell,
including the energetic messages emanating from our
positive and negative thoughts.

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 Conclusion

 It can be concluded that if we have a

controlled mind by developing proper
intelligence, we can lead a successful
and meaningful life and can develop
compassion and empathy for all the
living entities and live without fear for
future and will remain always
optimistic in all our endeavors.
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