The Charter for Compassion

A new organization and movement have been founded with the goal "to build a peaceful and harmonious global community".

Utilizing the minds of some of the greatest religious thinkers of our time---including
Archbishop Desmond Tutu---The Charter for Compassion "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."

The following video clearly illustrates the goals of this burgeoning global movement, and simply and coherently verbalizes the widely accepted need for a universal propagation of compassionate tolerance.



The Charter for Compassion will be collaboratively created using input from people from every corner of the globe via new innovative software that enhances a collective decision-making process.

The previously mentioned group of religious elders, dubbed "The Council of Sages", will work together to distill the thoughts and input of thousands of contributors into a concrete document that "will not only speak to the core ideas of compassion but will also address the actions all segments of society can take to bring these ideas into the world more fully. The Charter for Compassion will then be signed by religious leaders of all faiths at a large launch event, followed by a series of other events to publicize and promote the Charter around the world".

First, collaborative suggestions regarding the preamble of the Charter are being sought at this very moment.

Starting on November 20th, input will be sought regarding the "eight core elements of compassion":

• Compassion as empathy not pity.
• Compassion as concrete action.
• Compassion as a lens for scripture.
• Compassion’s role as a spiritual tool and its relation to be
• Compassion as fundamental to all faiths.
• Compassion as an urgent global need.
• Compassion as concern for everybody.
• Compassion and the Golden Rule.

Then, beginning on November 27th, there will be specific calls to action for different groups:

• Educators
• Scholars
• Congregants
• Religious leaders
• Media
• Youth

Subsequently, beginning December 4th, a summary of the Charter's declarations will be created, reflecting on how the Charter will actually bring about change in the world.

If you would like to submit your own story as a part of this growing conversation, click here to visit the segment of the site devoted to contributors' personal testimonies.

The Charter for Compassion may be the exciting birth of a new expression of how compassion, tolerance and global cooperation can change the world and alter humanity's very way of thinking. Please consider visiting the site and perhaps even sharing a story of how you feel compassion can be generated, propagated, and disseminated throughout the world.

One Hundred Years of Laughter

Today I had the pleasure of witnessing a joyous birthday celebration.

Held at the inner-city senior center where my wife is the director, the party was held outdoors under a threat of rain that was controlled through Caribbean rituals used to ward off foul weather. Despite low-lying clouds almost bursting with moisture, no rain came. The women preparing the festivities had taken time for ritual, drawing crosses of salt on the ground and filling a cup with water, covering the cup with a plate, and then turning the cup and plate upside down and setting it on the table with the food. As we spread plastic table-cloths and stacked plates and napkins, one woman looked at me and said with confidence, "It no rain now."

The man of the hour---a dignified and jovial Hispanic man known for his infectious laughter and almost constant smile---was marking his 100th birthday. As the hectic preparations came to a close, he emerged from the center at the end of a long line of family members---not unlike a wedding procession. With straw fedora atop his balding head, his smiling countenance greeted his loving community as we burst into applause and Spanish songs. At that moment, the sun streamed down upon him like a spotlight and the cheers erupted further still.

It was a very happy occasion, and well-wishers filed by his table to shake his hand in hopes of receiving some intangible essence that might confer longevity and robust health. Salsa and merengue streamed from a homemade car that is daily driven around the neighborhood like a roving sound system. At the appropriate time, the music was quieted as blessings and spontaneous old Latino songs were belted out by smiling guests, some dancing together between the tables. Even the stalwart cook, a handsome sixty-year-old who always stations himself at the grill, let the hot dogs and hamburgers cook on their own as he gracefully danced with the ladies who approached him.

As an outsider with an insider's view of this very festive occasion, I was struck how certain ethnic communities work so hard to maintain their culture, their songs, their folkways and practices, even in the midst of America. I felt pleased for my friends and acquaintances, and so very pleased that this elderly gentleman's distant family who could not be present will see hundreds of photographs of the festivities, the miles of land and ocean bridged to some extent by the record made of a momentous event.

As I turn 44 this week, I can only hope that I would be surrounded and celebrated so vibrantly if I were lucky enough to complete my very own century. I was so very happy to be a part of this special day, and feel blessed to have been welcomed to experience such a moving celebration. After one hundred years of love and laughter, may the man we celebrated today be blessed with the knowledge of being so dearly and unconditionally loved.