Authorwifelife turned to Reddit to inquire if he were being an asshole by not reading a book written by his wife because it was not in the genre he prefers. My reaction to Authorwifelife was not so much concerning his boorish behavior toward his wife but on how he/we are personally diminished if we don’t read outside our preferred “genre.”

In my current research on the pedagogy of compassion, I don’t limit myself to reading Buddhist texts. I read in the fields of education, anthropology, pedagogical practices, diversity/equity/inclusion, evolution, religious studies, history, neuroscience, philosophy, literature, mental health, human resources, current trends in education, and more. My research informs my research and teaching as well as my personal life. Therefore, when I read the Dalai Lama’s The Compassionate Life, I did three things. (1) I added the text to my research database and wrote down notes in my journal and on index cards. (2) I considered how the Dalai Lama’s advice could be translated into my work as a professor. (3) I applied the Dalai Lama’s understanding of Tibetan Buddhism to my Theravada Buddhist practice.

It is fairly self evident that reading books by Buddhist authors about Buddhism will strengthen my Buddhist practice. It is not so self evident that the same concept applies when I read Elliot N. Dorff’s The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam) and Frank J. Rogers, Jr.’s Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus or when I attended Meir Bargeron’s presentation on “Compassion in Judaism.” Obviously, I added these texts to my database and took notes on them. It is also obvious that I will consider how I can apply the concepts of compassion to my classroom. But how does exposure to Dorff, Bargeron, and Rogers apply to my Buddhist practice? Let me turn to Rogers to answer the question.

Using the stories from other traditions to strengthen our own worldview is recognized by Rogers when he makes the decision to tell the story of Azim Khamisa to exemplify “The Pulse of Compassion.” The subject of Roger’s book is to help his Christian readers better incorporate Jesus’ compassion into their lives. Yet he begins this chapter with the story of a devote Muslim who “struggled with the Islamic invitation to resist being consumed by hatred and to find a way to forgive even the unforgivable [murder of his son]. (p. 28)” Rogers recognizes that he and his Christian readers will be better Christians if they can follow Khamisa’s example. And this Theravada Buddhist reader likewise will have a better practice if he can incorporate the example of a devout Muslim cited in a Christian text into his life.

In my classes, I teach students the need for broad based reading so that they can anticipate the arguments of the opposition. But Dorff, Bargeron, Rogers, and Khamisa are not the opposition. They are individuals who agree with me that compassion is important. In terms of salvation and the afterlife, we have very different worldviews. Yet they have much to teach me about improving my Buddhist practice if I am willing to listen to them while reading outside my preferred genre. And Dorff, Bargeron, Rogers, and Khamisa are better Christians, Jews, and Muslims because they read outside their preferred genres.

By not reading outside his own genre, Authorwifelife limits his potential for growth. Had he read his wife’s novel, he likely would have been exposed to concepts that could have helped him become a better husband and more well-rounded human being. In addition to the commonly cited reasons for broad based reading as exemplified in Singer and Kitchens, because I am interested is spiritual growth as well as my life as an academic, I will continue to read outside my preferred genre.

Steven L. Berg, PhD

authorwifelife. “AITA for Not Reading My Wife’s Upcoming Novel before It Releases Because I Just… Don’t Want to?” R/AmItheAsshole, 12 Feb. 2022.

Bargeron, Meir. “Compassion in Judaism.” 9 Feb. 2022. Congregation Achduth Vesholom, Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Dorff. Elliot N. The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam). Jewish Lights, 2008.

Kitchens, Brent, et al. “Understanding Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles: The Impact of Social Media on Diversification and Partisan Shifts in News Consumption.” MIS Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1619-1649. D OI: 10.25300/MISQ/2020/16371.

Rogers Jr., Frank Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus. Upper Room Books, 2016.

Singer, Steven. “The Absurdity of PROTECTING Kids from the Holocaust Narrative Maus.” 13 Feb. 2022. Badass Teachers Association.

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