May 7, 2019 14:56
5 yrs ago
10 viewers *
English term

caring for and about others and ourselves

English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Dear colleagues,
may I ask how you understand “caring for and about others and ourselves" in the passage below (at the end of the passage)?
I think the author probably wants to convey two nuances of meaning: a feeling of love and affection as well as the act of taking care/looking after...
Thank you in advance for your help!

*******************

One way that we can develop more presence in our lives, how we can become more mindful in our day-to-day living so that we are aware of what is happening as it is happening, as well as cultivating kind regard within that open awareness, is to do a regular practice that trains the mind in these three interrelated ways. That training of the mind is sometimes called meditation. When we learn to strengthen focused attention, we are essentially harnessing the power of our spoke to direct attention toward different points along our rim. We learn to direct, sustain, and detect deviations in our focus, and then to redirect attention. With open awareness we learn to strengthen our access to the hub, distinguishing the knowing of awareness from the knowns on the rim. With this open monitoring we can achieve emotional equilibrium by knowing when we get swept up into the rim, and then harness the ability to return to the equanimity of the hub. And with the training of kind intention, we develop the foundations of empathy and compassion, ** the caring for and about others and ourselves **.

Discussion

haribert (asker) May 7, 2019:
Hi, thank you so much for your contribution! Charlotte, maybe you can post an answer, so I can give you points!
eski May 7, 2019:
Follow your instinct on this one. I second Charlotte's opinion. :)
Charlotte Fleming May 7, 2019:
I think your instinct is correct.

Responses

+3
21 mins
Selected

Provides for the needs of and to have a strong feeling of love or affection for someone

It's according to what you have mentioned. I agree with you.
Note from asker:
Thank you so much, Vinicius, for your help!
Peer comment(s):

agree Tony M : 'care about' = "love" / 'care for' = 'take care of'
11 mins
Thank you, Tony!
agree Robert Forstag
18 mins
Thank you, Robert!
agree philgoddard
37 mins
Thank you, philgoddard!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you so much, Vinicius, for your valuable help! Sincere thanks also to Amel for his interesting contribution and to all other participants, as well."
+1
11 hrs

Caring in the "emotional" sense

As a speaker of US English, I don't feel very much that it has to do with "the act of taking care/looking after" someone in the physical/practical sense. For me, this would be more about emotions and feelings. If I care "for" someone, it means, I have love and affection for them. If I care "about" someone, it means I care what happens to them, how they feel, etc. Just thought I'd offer you this different perspective since I think that "care for" may have slightly different connotations in the UK.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Amel, for your very interesting contribution! The author, though, provides the following definition of compassion, which seems to include also taking care in a more physical sense: Compassion can be defined as the way we sense the suffering of another, imagine ways of decreasing that suffering, and then make attempts to help another reduce their suffering
maybe, "physical" is not the right term, sorry... Maybe, taking care in an "active" way.. in another book by the same author, he says: * A term with several meanings including "feeling with" another person, sensing another's pain, and even the ** enacting of behaviors ** to help reduce the suffering of others (as in an act of compassion).
Peer comment(s):

agree Yvonne Gallagher : closer to the mark for me. It's EMPATHY and COMPASSION (and nothing to do with any UK/US divide here)//I'm quoting the text!
6 hrs
Yes, empathy and compassion. That is a good way to put it.//Indeed. I neglected to look at it again when responding to you.
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