Welcome to “Healing From Within.” I am your host Sheryl Glick, author of the newest book in a trilogy A New Life Awaits Spirit Guided Insights to Global Awakening which shares the notion that our challenges personally nationally and worldwide are not economic, political or societal but a disconnect from our true being or soul wisdom. I am delighted to welcome Thad Cummings, author of Radical Compassion which shares Thad desire to serve the greatest good and visits third world nations where he learns about poverty empathy and the joys of living with love and purpose ending his thoughts that poverty has little to do with the materialist world.As listeners of Healing From Within well know, Sheryl and her insightful guests share intimate views into the metaphysical world of energy and science, as they share the truth of Who we are? and why we are experiencing a duality of life as both physical and spiritual beings learning to merge both aspects of our totality in order to live our best lives and reach our true potential as we find life is a balance between the mysteries of an ever evolving Universe.In today’s episode of Healing From Within Thad Cummings will share thoughts on “ Can compassion change the world? And if so, why hasn’t it happened already?”When Thad is asked to think back and remember a person place or event that may have shown them the lifestyle work and interests they might pursue and value he tells of the return of his friend Chris from a mission to help others in third world countries and what seems to have been an inspiration for you to write Radical Compassion.Thad tells us Chris’s story and writes, “It wasn’t what I expected.” There was a tension in his voice, an unexpected fusion of pain and remorse as his eyes returned to the rocky path ahead of us. He went on to explain that this was a mission trip to serve the “poor,” to try and help in one of the most impoverished areas in the world. After speaking for several minutes, Chris lifted his gaze again, but this time, with a hint of shame in his eyes. “I went there to have empathy for the poor, but the poor had empathy for me, for my lack of joy amongst all my riches. I thought I was going there to help save them, but they were the ones saving me…” The crisp, spring morning suddenly felt heavy.The crisp, spring morning suddenly felt heavy and the chorus of singing birds faded from my ears. How is it that humans in one of the world’s poorest villages, ravaged with famine, crime, drugs, no access to clean water or medical supplies, filled with diseases and infections, without electricity and hardly any shelter, were the ones having empathy for my friend? My friend, who lives in luxury with all modern conveniences never worrying where the next meal will come from. “The sense of community they had, the joy they shared with me, they had hardly any food but tried to feed me before themselves; the gratitude was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed,” “They were the ones taking care of me, not the other way around.” One question was left suspended in the air between us – “What if it is me who is actually poor?”Poor (adjective): lacking material possess; small in worth. – Merriam Webster DictionaryWhat does it mean to be poor?What does it really mean to be “poor”? Is it just a matter of material possessions? Throughout this book, Chris would like to expand the definition of “poor” from a statement about economics and wealth and evolve it into many aspects of life. To begin with, he would split the definition into four main categories: financially poor, poor in health, poor in education and resources, and poor in life and spirituality. These categories can then be further broken down. For example, those who are poor in life or spirit may feel: relationally poor, poor of passion, poor of love, poor in purpose, poor in faith, etc. Now Chris is not going to treat this like a textbook to cover each of the four categories with definitive examples in a succinct pattern; life d...