HONO 2057 The Scholar: The Power of Compassion & Forgiveness
The ultimate objective of this course is that you recognize the power of compassion and forgiveness as power. Researchers are examining the spiritual, psychological, and physical effects of compassion and forgiveness on individuals and within relationships under an amazingly wide variety of conditions, ranging from petty insults to horrific assaults. The course materials highlight the magnitude of the powerful consequences of compassion and forgiveness, consequences that include personal and spiritual transformation. Throughout our discussions we will become aware of the complexities of human responses to daily frustrations, hurts, and injustices. Through film and text, we will engage with a wide variety of people and historical events around the world. Our cross-cultural investigation will include diverse religious teachings; the work of Karen Armstrong, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, among others. Historical events of inquiry will include, but are not limited to, the Holocaust, Ground Zero, Northern Ireland, and the Amish School Shooting. Ultimately, we will come to see that compassion and forgiveness nurture an ache in the human heart. As we nurture that ache we further the fullness of our scholarly quest for the open heart enhances the life of the mind.