What are the practical implications of truly caring about yourself and others, of approaching each day with an open mind, an open heart, and a desire to reduce the suffering of all living beings? Can we learn compassion as a way of life, as an antidote to violence and cruelty? In The Seven Virtues of Highly Compassionate People, social scientists Nancy Guerra and Kirk R. Williams provide easy-to-follow steps to help you understand the what, the why, and the how of compassion. They bring together cutting-edge research, inspiring spiritual teachings, and their own life experiences to help you bring compassion front and center in your life. Not only is compassion good for you and those around you, but it is the key to a more peaceful and just world.

"The Open Access version of this book, available at http: //www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license. Funded by The Living Peace Foundation."

Nancy Guerra holds a doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard University. She has designed and implemented interventions to promote social-emotional learning and prevent violence with children and youth.

Kirk R. Williams has a PhD in sociology from the University of Arizona. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. He studies the causes and prevention of youth violence and adult intimate partner violence with an emphasis on domestic violence risk assessment.