Marc’s at last returned from his travels, after nearly six months (!) on the road. Everything from colloquies with theologians at Grace Cathedral to community circles at Zen Center of Los Angeles to talks in synagogues and churches in some 20 cities. (In five of those cities, Dragonfly Media was the sponsor.) There were reviews and excerpts in mainstream publications like People, O, and Readers Digest, and in Psychology Today, Utne Reader, Shambhala Sun, and many others. The book was reviewed in the L.A. Times (where it made the bestseller list) and the Washington Post.

Most striking was the extraordinary enthusiasm of people who showed up to hear the talks and discuss the idea of a “compassionate life.” This enthusiasm has led to the creation of a new interactive website, www.compassionatelife.net which Marc will announce the week of August 3rd during his appearance on the public radio show Etown. The site will be powered by Civic Space software based on meetup-com. When it is fully functional, it will allow people to chat, share information, access (and create) events calendars, gather virtually (or actually) to explore what a compassionate life might look like in the world–even to collaborate on projects.

This is Marc’s response to Lee Pope’s post on March 19:

This is, I think, one of the best books I came across on the subject of forgiveness. I very nearly cited it in the book, but decided in the end it had been so well portrayed that I wouldn’t be adding anything to this astonishing story of true moral courage. Not only was the Klansman/Neo-Nazi a dangerous character involved with explosives; not only did the Cantor catalyze a profound change in his “enemy,” to the point that this former racist became a public advocate for, not to be too treacly, love and harmony; but the Cantor and his family took the man into their home when he had cancer and nursed him through is dying. It illustrates what is considered the highest form of forgiveness–one which leads not only to a metanoia, a change of heart–but also gives an unwarranted gift to the wrongdoer (think of the famous story of the silver candlestick holder in Les Miserables.

I’ll be keeping a sort of “tour diary” here, starting on March 22, when I give my first talk in Minneapolis, sponsored by the Utne Reader. The idea, as I currently conceive it (this is all being done on the fly), is to not just go out and “flog a book” (as they say, a little sadistically, in publishing), but catalyze the doing of good. I have a lot of thoughts on this subject that I’ll be sharing, and I will welcome your contributions. (If you’re curious, there are excerpts in the current Utne Reader, Psychology Today, and O magazine.)