[Reader-list] The Charter of Compassion

[Chandni Parekh]

Excerpts:

The Charter of Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only
compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the
centre of religious, moral and political life. Compassion is the principled
determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the
heart of all religious and ethical systems.

One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global
community where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live
together in peace. Religion, which should be making a major contribution to
this endeavour, is often seen as part of the problem. All too often, the
voices of extremism drown out those of kindness, forbearance and mutual
respect.

Today, our world has become dangerously polarised and many of our
policies—political, economic, financial and environmental—are no longer
sustainable. We are all bound together—socially, economically and
politically—as never before.

The Charter for Compassion will be launched on 12 November.

In addition to participating in one of the many launch events, we invite
each individual to adopt the charter as their own, to make a lifelong
commitment to live with compassion.

We cannot afford to be paralysed by global suffering. We have the power to
work together energetically for the wellbeing of humanity, and counter the
despairing extremism of our time. Many of us have experienced the power of
compassion in our own lives; we know how a single act of kindness and
empathy can turn a life around. History also shows that the action of just a
few individuals can make a difference. In a world that seems to be spinning
out of control, we need such action now.

*Karen Armstrong is winner of the TED Prize in 2008 and the 2009 Common
Ground Award for Compassion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a South African
activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.*
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jaya


http://khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2009/October/opinion_October113.xml

A link from Khaleej Times. The world could do with a lot more compassion and
empathy. Its important to believe that each one of us is equally worthy: to
make another person feel valued is I think the best form of 'giving'.

jaya