Teachers Need To Be Comfortable Talking About

The Emotional Brain Responds To An Event More Quickly Than The Thinking Brain.

Self-absorption In All Its Forms Kills Empathy, Let Alone Compassion. When We Focus On Ourselves, Our World Contracts As Our Problems And Preoccupations Loom Large. But When We Focus On Others, Our World Expands. Our Own Problems Drift To The Periphery Of The Mind And So Seem Smaller, And We Increase Our Capacity For Connection - Or Compassionate Action.

Our Genetic Heritage Endows Each Of Us With A Series Of Emotional Set-points That Determines Our Temperament. But The Brain Circuitry Involved Is Extraordinarily Malleable; Temperament Is Not Destiny.

One Way To Boost Our Will Power And Focus Is To Manage Our Distractions Instead Of Letting Them Manage Us.

Evolutionary Theory Holds That Our Ability To Sense When We Should Be Suspicious Has Been Every Bit As Essential For Human Survival As Our Capacity For Trust And Cooperation.