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Its message “to restore compassion to the centre of morality” and “to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.”
These traditions,” she writes, “agree that compassion is natural to human beings, that it is the fulfillment of human nature, and that, in calling us to set ego aside in a consistently empathic consideration of others, it can introduce us to a dimension of existence that transcends our normal self-bound state.” Jill Suttie
A couple of years ago the TED Conference awarded a prize to popular religious historian Karen Armstrong. In addition to giving her a handsome cash award, the TED people offered to fulfill a wish of hers for a better world. And so they helped her to organize a "Charter for Compassion." Suggestions were solicited across the Internet for how we can restore compassion to the center of moral life. This trove of deep thoughts was culled "by leading thinkers from a variety of major faiths" and condensed into a manifesto in favor of empathy, the golden rule and "a principled determination to transcend selfishness."
Canadians For Compassion is the vision and aspiration of Jannet Ann Nordemann, a self-proclaimed compassionista, student of several of the world faith and spiritual traditions for over 30 years, lawyer and social entrepreneur. Jannet was inspired to share the Charter For Compassion after hearing Karen Armstrong at the TED.com event in 2008 where she was awarded the TED Prize. In November 2009, an event to celebrate the launch of the Charter For Compassion was held in London, Ontario, with representatives of many faiths and ethnic backgrounds attending. The response to the Charter was so positive that Jannet decided to set-aside her legal practice in order to dedicate her energies to becoming an “Ambassador” of the Charter
Canadians For Compassion is the vision and aspiration of Jannet Ann Nordemann, a self-proclaimed compassionista, student of several of the world faith and spiritual traditions for over 30 years, lawyer and social entrepreneur. Jannet was inspired to share the Charter For Compassion after hearing Karen Armstrong at the TED.com event in 2008 where she was awarded the TED Prize.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors approved and presented a proclamation on Tuesday that includes a call to county residents for renewed respect and compassion. Supervisor Denise Rushing, who asked for the board to consider the proclamation in support of the Lake County Charter for Compassion, presented it on Tuesday on behalf of the board.
The local charter is part of a larger, worldwide effort that noted religious scholar Karen Armstrong launched. At its center is a document – now translated into more than 30 languages – that organizers say “transcends religious, ideological and national difference,” and is supported by many leading thinkers from many traditions.
The Charter brings together the voices of people from all religions. It seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world..
Religious historian and former nun Karen Armstrong, gave a talk at London’s Purcell Room last Wednesday on her project to return compassion to the heart of religious discourse.
This initiative, whose central ideas are elaborated on in her latest book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, came about in 2008 when she was awarded $100,000 from Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) which promotes “ideas worth spreading”. Frustrated that, she felt, religion is not making a contribution to building a global community founded upon respect – “one of the chief tasks of our time”, she asked TED to help her to create a charter for compassion that would restore the golden rule to the centre of moral and religious life. This charter was then drawn up by leading activists and thinkers representing six of the major world faiths.
From Confucius to Oprah, people have preached compassion for centuries. But how often is it put into practice? In Twelve Steps To A Compassionate Life, religion expert Karen Armstrong describes ways to add kindness to daily routines.
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This week, religious scholar and 2008 TED Prize winner Karen Armstrong released 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life, a practical guide to the understanding and practice of compassion. On Christmas eve, the TED Blog had a chat with Karen about the ways people around the world are embracing the Charter for Compassion — the result of her TED Prize wish –- a year from its launch, the importance of kindness in discourse, and the perennial human struggle to put others first.
Karen Armstrong usually writes big books about big subjects. Her previous one, The Case for God, roamed in depth through the history of religion around the world, finding common ground in a mystical approach to its subject.
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life is a much briefer book. Its emphasis on the practical, rather than the theoretical, side of spirituality makes it easy to dip into, but even with its brevity, the book doesn't oversimplify the many religious traditions from which it draws.
Religious historian and former nun Karen Armstrong, gave a talk at London’s Purcell Room last Wednesday on her project to return compassion to the heart of religious discourse.
This initiative, whose central ideas are elaborated on in her latest book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, came about in 2008 when she was awarded $100,000 from Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) which promotes “ideas worth spreading”. Frustrated that, she felt, religion is not making a contribution to building a global community founded upon respect – “one of the chief tasks of our time”, she asked TED to help her to create a charter for compassion that would restore the golden rule to the centre of moral and religious life. This charter was then drawn up by leading activists and thinkers representing six of the major world faiths.
Ms. Armstrong describes how Islam, Judaism and Christianity have been diverted from a shared moral purpose. She now is working with the TED community to build a Charter for Compassion.
As she accepts her 2008 TED Prize, author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. But Armstrong has seen a yearning to change this fact. People want to be religious, she says; we should act to help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help her build a Charter for Compassion -- to help restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.
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.
The charter for compassion is unveiled in Washington and around the world on the 12th of November 2009. Featuring an interview with TED prize winner Karen Armstrong about the charter.
The Charter for Compassion is a document that transcends religious, ideological, and national difference. Supported by leading thinkers from many traditions, the Charter activates the Golden Rule around the world. Read the Charter
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