CONSIDER THIS..

In 2008 Karen Armstrong was granted a TED award.   At the awards ceremony she asked TED to help her “create, launch, and propagate a Charter for Compassion that would be written by leading thinkers from a variety of major faiths and would restore compassion to the heart of religious and moral life. “  After a year of seriously considering contributions from people of many languages all over the world, a Council of Conscience, a group of individuals from six faith traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism), met in Switzerland in 2009 to draft the following Charter: 

A 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 center of our world and put another there, and to honor 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 center 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.

A PROPOSAL:  Between now and the November elections, present the Charter of Compassion to every individual running for any city, county, district, state or federal office and ask for a simple but firm assent to the principles of the charter. Ask for the assent in writing to be signed with permission to release to media.