Angels in America –

Jan. 30, 2020 – The focus on compassion comes more than a decade after the explosion in the U.S. of “mindfulness” — practices focused on attention, awareness and breathing. Health experts say compassion is the next phase, kind of mindfulness 2.0.

Stanford University neurosurgery professor James Doty, whose 2016 best-selling memoir about compassion became the subject of a hit Korean pop song, said the compassion center he runs was the only one of its kind when it opened 12 years ago. Now, he said he has research collaborations worldwide. “Millions of dollars are being given to support this research,” he said. “Compassion is no longer a ‘soft’ science.”

No one is saying the country or the world is getting more compassionate. In fact, some widely cited research says young Americans are becoming less empathetic. But a compassion industry is rising in opposition.

@WashingtonPost