This may sound ambitious, yet it's a very definite step towards action
for a better world. TED award winner Karen Armstrong, author of the
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, has been successfully promoting
compassion as the missing element in our violent world.**Why Twelve
Steps? Because, I heard Armstrong explain this Morning on CBC radio,
violence is an addiction. We love our prejudices, and with each new
reason to hate further poison ourselves. Religion fails to teach
compassion, yet within the top three religions in which Fundamentalism
is strongest, Christian, Judaic, and Muslim faiths, the root of the
movement is based in fear of annihilation. Compassion is something that
must be taught. Love in 'year one', Armstrong says, was a legal
technical term more akin to something like mutual respect. This is not
about Kumbaya, but a practical application of The Golden Rule.
Natalia
http://charterforcompassion.org/learn/news/
*
Charter For Compassion:*
*The principle of compassion* lies at the heart of all religious,
ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others
as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work
tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to
dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there,
and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being,
treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and
respect.
*It is also necessary* in both public and private life to refrain
consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak
violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish,
exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by
denigrating others---even our enemies---is a denial of our common
humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and
that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of
religion.
*We therefore call upon all men and women* ~ to restore compassion to
the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle
that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or
disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and
respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~
to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity
~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human
beings---even those regarded as enemies.
*We urgently need* to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic
force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to
transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic,
ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence,
compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled
humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the
creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
*Seattle: 1st City to Affirm Charter for Compassion*
by noemie maxwell <http://noemie-maxwell.dailykos.com>
Mon Apr 26, 2010 at 01:40:34 PM PST
Compassionate Action Network <http://compassionateactionnetwork.com>,
Fetzer Institute <http://www.fetzer.org/loveandforgive>, Seeds of
Compassion <http://www.seedsofcompassion.org/>, and Dalai Lama Center
for Peace and Education <http://dalailamacenter.org/> hosted a
celebration and symposium on compassion on April 24 at The Center for
Spiritual Living.
The day began with a ceremony honoring the affirmation by Seattle's
Mayor and City Council of the Charter for Compassion and their
declaration that Seattle is a participant in the Ten Year Campaign for
Compassionate Cities
<http://dalailamacenter.org/blog-post/do-you-want-your-city-become-city-compassion>.
Seattle is the first city to adopt the Charter, which appears below the
fold with additional photos.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/98956852@N00/4553489248/>
Parliament focuses on Charter for Compassion
Dec. 09, 2009
By Edmund Chia
* Global <http://ncronline.org/taxonomy/term/156>
/snip/
"We must, in the words of the theme of the Parliament, make a world of
difference, we need to be bridge builders and move beyond toleration to
truly enjoying our religious differences," declared Karen Armstrong by
video telecast to the delegates of the Parliament of the World's
Religions who are convening in Melbourne from 3-9 Dec 2009.
The highly acclaimed British author of bestsellers such as A History of
God, The Battle for God, and the recently released book A Case for God
called upon all people to draw up a "Charter for Compassion" which would
apply shared moral priorities to foster greater global understanding,
reconciliation, and peace. "At a time when religions are at loggerheads
with one another we need to bring them together to promote this aspect
of religion, which is compassion," Armstrong continued.
She then introduced the Charter for Compassion project
<http://charterforcompassion.org/>, which is a "grassroots movement of
people interested and involved in religion" so that "the voice of
extremism can be drowned out by compassionate voices." Armstrong hopes
that "if all the world's religious people can come together on this we
could turn the world around."
The Charter is by no means a creed or a belief or a mere statement, but
"a summons to action." "The world," she warned, "is so dangerously
polarized" that we have little choice but "to work together to bring the
Charter into reality." This is "the Jihad, the struggle, the effort, the
endeavor, for all of us, which is to make the Charter the center of our
world's agenda" she concluded.
Malaysian political scientist Chandra Muzaffar then clarified that
compassion "is a shared ethic that transcends religious traditions." It
is also "not just a question of attitude but must go beyond," he argued.
More importantly, Muzaffar proposed, "we cannot just go around preaching
compassion if we don't deal with the challenges of structures, the root
causes of suffering, and especially the issue of wealth and power."
Muzaffar, who is president of the International Movement for a Just
World, acknowledged that this "is going to be a long and hard struggle
and will require education, the cooperation of the schools, the media,
and the religious institutions." "They must be mobilized to the hilt,"
Muzaffar adjoined, "and at a time when technology is bringing people
together, can compassion also bring us together?"
The Swiss-born Arab Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan weighed in on the
discussion by suggesting that this Charter for Compassion is "not only a
personal commitment but a collective one" as well. In actualizing the
Charter, Ramadan insists, "we cannot act as if no judgment needs to be
made; instead, we must pronounce judgment upon certain situations,
especially to condemn power and wealth where they are used against
compassion."
For example, Ramadan suggested, "if 50% of the people in America endorse
torture, then that needs to be condemned." However, he cautions against
"reducing people to the judgments we make against their behaviors."
"Their acts may not be acceptable," Ramadan counsels, "but we cannot
dismiss them and their traditions." Compassion, in short, is love
expressed with justice.
/snip/
_______________________________________________
Futurework mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
