Dacher Keltner has a great book, titled: Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. Honestly, I have just started this book. I thought it would provide good motivation to keep this project going (which it has).
Early on in the book, Keltner speaks about Jen, which comes from Confucius. Jen refers to a complex mixture of kindness, humanity, and respect that transpires between people. A person of jen "brings the good things of others to completion and does not bring the bad things of others to completion." Jen is felt in that deeply satisfying moment when you bring out the goodness in others.
Keltner speaks about the jen ratio, which captures the balance of jen in life. In the top part of the ratio, are all actions in which you or other people have brought the good in others to completion — a kind hand on your back in a crowded bus, the young child who compliments the elderly woman on her bathing suit as she nervously dips her toe in a swimming pool, the woman who laughs as a stranger accidentally steps on her foot. In the bottom of the ratio, list the occasions in which you or others have done the opposite, bringing the bad in others to completion — the aggressive driver who flips you off as he roars past, the disdainful diner in a pricey restaurant who sneers at less well-heeled passersby. Higher scores translate to greater jen in life. And scientific studies are finding that higher jen ratios make for more satisfying romantic partnerships, children who handle stress better and form deeper networks of friendships, individuals who resist the body's inevitable demise and live longer, and communities and cultures that are more trusting and that enjoy greater social and economic well-being.
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