Today, a worldwide group of thinkers released a potentially powerful document, the Charter for Compassion. Here is the Charter in its entirety:
"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."
To learn more about the Charter for Compassion, visit www.charterforcompassion.org.
Kenneth,thanks for posting this. I was directed to it by Dave Coulter at Osage Orange, but probably would have meandered over eventually when my grading for the quarter was finished. Were folks to adopt this charter, a great deal of what I find myself ranting about on the Farm would be instantly ameliorated, and I could then simply reflect on more pleasant topics.
Alas, its success is about as probable as the implementation of my utopia. But it's nice to know that others of like mind are around.
Posted by: owlfarmer | 15 December 2009 at 21:45