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Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listeningx$10.50
 (10 reviews)
Best Price: $17.95 $10.50
In the nearly 30 years since the accident that made radio personality and columnist Dan Gottlieb a quadriplegic, he developed a finely-tuned quality of awareness that most people never achieve: he became an outsider among us—”like a foreign correspondent,” as he puts it. From that vantage point, he has acutely observed the way people act, think, feel, and live—in short, he studied and learned exactly what it means to be human. Here, Dan shares his insights, written with humor, honesty, a gift for storytelling, and breathtaking compassion.
Learning from the Heart looks at what divides as well as unites us, including the problems of family life; difficulties confronting today’s parents; challenges faced by the disabled and the aging; and issues of injustice that affect the way we understand the world and our lives.
Although Dan is now speaking directly to the reader, rather than to his own family, you’ll recognize the distinctive voice and format that caused an outpouring of e-mail from fans of Letters to Sam: short anecdotal chapters rich in wisdom, generously revealing and deeply personal, and resonating with universal truths.
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Customer Reviews
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What Does it Mean to be Human?
By ALUJ15UFI1422 on 2008-04-22
Daniel Gottlieb is one of the most compassionate souls I have ever "met." A trained psychologist, Gottlieb was in an accident in 1979 when he was 33 years old and was rendered a quadriplegic. Shortly following his accident, he "began to wonder what it really meant to be human."
What follows are stories and what he learns about himself, friends, family and patients.
Gottlieb began to study how humans (and pets) acted and reacted; their emotions, thoughts and feelings. He discovered that emotions are contagious.
He writes that we ask ourselves: "Who am I?" "Who am I supposed to be?" "Who should I be?"
"How do we find our identity in a world that insists your identity is defined by your achievements, by your beauty, by your power, by your youth?"
Gottlieb implores us to slow down and actually hear and see others and ourselves. He believes as we do more, we hear less--less of what other people are saying and our own voice.
The love Gottlieb feels for humanity is palpable in "Loving from the Heart." He explains that his body, almost 30 years after the accident, is starting to disease and that death could come at any time. But, he is without pity. Instead, his compassion for the human race is so strong and true that I found myself sobbing several times throughout the book.
He talks about our "national anxiety disorder" and offers advice for finding relief.
I loved this: "We are not important as individuals. And everything we say and do counts." Meditate on that one!
This book is a treasure.
By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.
Lessons in Being Where You Are
By A2Y8FNMWA9A1R on 2008-05-15
This is an enlightening book by a talented writer who touched my heart in his story about what it means to be human.
Like all people this author has suffered, but through his many roles, experiences, losses, and observation of the human condition he has discovered truth and is able to communicate his message in a clear and concise manner. The book discusses living in the moment, accepting what we are experiencing and how we are feeling because life after all is temporary. He tells us about his daughter's 3 legged dog and the lessons we can learn from it. The dog does not consider itself as having special needs. It just behaves like a dog and lives with the assets it has. Acceptance of ourselves just as we are will make us "feel more alive, loving, and compassionate...without categorizing our life events as good or bad, easy or difficult."
In this story Daniel Gottlieb tells us about his experiences as a Therapist, divorcee, quadriplegic, husband of a young cancer victim and father of children dealing with parental medical catastrophes. He coped with the death of his ex-wife and his parents and communicating with his autistic grandchild, as well as, his clients. He learned that what he really wanted was to stop wanting to be of have something that was not possible for him. In spite of his experiences he found peace in his life and helped countless others do the same.
I am impressed with this this author, his book and the fact that he is donating all of his royalties from it to children's health organizations and charities. Reading this book I felt the range of human emotions and have a much better understanding of what it really means to be human from a person with a much different perspective than I have experienced.
I recommend this book to people of all ages and walks of life. You will be glad you read it and will gain a new perspective of life.
Clone this man
By A1E4MU49TDX3Q3 on 2008-04-06
Mr. Gottlieb writes what we feel but can't always express...his honesty about himself and his humanness are to be commended and his solutions to lifes injustices are wise and insightful!!! Clone this man and then spread him around the world...
Check it out
By A1HBRMWP9NWIKQ on 2008-04-12
This man is so incredible and inspring [...].
I can't say it any better than that. I want my bookshelf filled with more books like this from people who have overcome adversity and are thriving. Daniel certainly inspired me.
You will find many inspiring stories like Daniel's at Daryn Kagan's website, who by the way wrote at book "What's Possible" with 50 more inspiring stories. Daniel certainly inspired me.
Dan Gottlieb is an Incredible Man
By A2EOMCWOT7BFPO on 2008-05-21
In Learning from the Heart, Dan Gottlieb shares some of his life with us. His story is sad, joyful, and tragic. And despite all of the trauma in his life, he continues to live with the knowledge that life is precious and that compassion is the truest way to connect with one another. The central question in this book is "What does it mean to be human?" Gottlieb explores this idea using his unique life as an example.
For example, he discusses what it's like be afraid of death, yet still being able to appreciate each moment of life. He explains that much of what causes suffering in our lives are not so much the external circumstances, but with our internal reactions to those circumstances. He explores the fear of death, and how anxiety keeps us from living fully. He uses his own example of how a terrible tragedy like quadriplegia can be used to further one's own spiritual growth.
Dan Gottlieb is truly an amazing man, and we can all learn a lot from him. He's an inspiration to all of us. His words will stay with me for the rest of my life.
If you like this book, I recommend Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
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