Spreading Compassion: An Open Letter to Jo
My name is Lilei. In 2002, I graduated summa cum laude with distinction from Boston University and secured an above-average paying job in an IT job by the Fall despite the economy. That Christmas, my first away from my family, I swallowed a bunch of sleeping pills and downed a bottle of vodka. My best friend found me. I cannot say that I was grateful. I had been on Prozac and in therapy for a while, but nothing seemed to work because I just couldn't believe that my life would get better. No one could understand why I was depressed because my life seemed to be going just fine. I had been a vegan for about six months.
Then I picked up a copy of your book "Compassionate Living" and that became my new model of living. I cannot begin to tell you how that has helped me heal and to bring new meaning to life. Not only has that allowed to let go off a painful childhood where low self-esteem and sexual abuse were things I never got a chance to address, but more importantly, I am no longer plagued by the "martyr-complex" that affects so many people who are actively involved in community and social work but do not truly understand the spirit of true selfless giving.
In late May I decided to take sabbatical from my job in Boston to travel home to Malaysia to be with my family and to try and heal some of the wounds that have estranged us for so long. Your wisdom has enabled me to see my home and all the beauty that surrounds me through a fresh set of lenses. I cannot thank you enough. I would like very much to be an activist here, to start something of my own as the concept of compassionate living has not really reached this part of the world yet, and it is my personal belief that the newly-emerging economies in East Asia are in danger of losing sight of what's really important in life. I also believe that there is room for the model of engaged compassion to be developed in the field of international relations, which was my major in school, and which is something I plan to look into doing my PhD in in the future.
Thank you so much for producing such a wonderful piece of work.
Lilei Chow
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
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