Charter for Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is a document which urges the peoples and religions of the world to embrace the core value of compassion. The charter is currently available in thirty languages, and is being translated into more.^[1]

History

On February 28, 2008, Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize and made a wish: for help creating, launching and propagating a Charter for Compassion.^[2][3] On November 12, 2009, the Charter was unveiled to the world.^[1]

Amongst those who have already given the charter their backing are Richard Branson, Musician Peter Gabriel, Sir Ken Robinson and the Dalai Lama and, as of December 2010, over 60,000 other people from around the world have affirmed the charter. On April 26, 2010, Seattle became the first city in the world to affirm the charter.^[4]

Text of the Charter

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.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Chapman, Glenn (2009.11.12). "Online call for religions to embrace compassion". Agence France-Presse. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gMy_pmwt7MKtU1RzSn_AfrhUFZJg. Retrieved 2009-11-12. 
2. ^ "The History". http://charterforcompassion.org/learn/history/. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
3. ^ Armstrong, Karen (February 2008). "Karen Armstrong makes her TED Prize wish: the Charter for Compassion" (Video). TED. http://www.ted.com/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion.html. Retrieved 2009-11-12. 
4. ^ "News of the Charter". http://charterforcompassion.org/learn/news/. 
5. ^ "The Charter for Compassion" (Website). November 12, 2009. http://charterforcompassion.org/. Retrieved 2009-11-12. 

External links

• Charter for Compassion, website
• Charter for Compassion You Tube channel
• Karen Armstrong's TED Talk calling for the creation of the Charter, Feb. 2008 TED