The Charter for Compassion is the result of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish, made possible by the generous support of the Fetzer Institute. It will be unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.
You may wonder what Charter for Compassion is all about. Their Golden Rule is to put themselves in the shoes of others. How do you want others to act toward you? Do the same for them. Harmlessness. This is a group of multi-faith, multi-national council of thinkers and leaders. Charter for Compassion seeks to change the conversation around compassion, so it becomes a key word in public and private discourse, bringing clarity that any ideology breeding hatred or contempt, be it religious or secular, has failed the test of our time. To show that in our divided world, compassion finds a common voice. May we all Live in Courage and Compassion.
The wonderful video below is of Karen Armstrong as she accepts her 2008 TED Prize and asks the TED community to help her build a Charter for Compassion — to help restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.
Karen Armstrong’s book “The Case For God” is a tour de force. A brilliantly written and passionate book about God. Karen is one of the most interesting religion writers of her day. We all have many names for God, to fit our comfort levels. Karen Armstrong explores those names, and our deep inner beliefs about God, in a way that opens up our minds to expand, not contract.
I view Karen Armstrong as a most courageous woman, who explores a very sensitive subject with great sensitivity.
Here are some editorial reviews from Amazon:
“Karen Armstrong’s book is simply superb. Wide-ranging, detailed, well researched meticulously argued and beautifully written, it is a definitive analysis of the role of religious belief and transcendence in our history and our life.”
—Dr Robert Buckman, author of Can We Be Good without God?
“Karen Armstrong, in writing The Case for God, provides the reader with one of the very best theological works of our time. It brings a new understanding to the complex relationship between human existence and the transcendent nature of God. This is a book that is so well researched and so deep with insight and soaring scholarship that only Karen Armstrong could have written it. The Case for God should be required reading for anyone who claims to be a believer, an agnostic or an atheist.”
—The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, D.D., Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, D.C.
“No one is better qualified or more needed than Karen Armstrong to enter the hot public debate between believers and non–believers over the existence of God. Her latest book, eagerly awaited and received, rings out with the qualities she brings to all of her work—The Case for God is lucid, learned, provocative, and illuminating. Indeed, Armstrong once again does what she always does best by shining a clear light on the deepest mysteries of the religious imagination.”
—Jonathan Kirsch, author of The Harlot by the Side of the Road
A Global Climate Wake Up Call went out on Monday, Sept 21 2009. Members of Avaaz and TckTckTck Campaign sent out a wake-up call to world leaders. Courageous people gathered together in 134 countries. There were over 2,600 events from Australia to Europe which reached heads of state and cabinet ministers. The amount of phone calls to government officials, crashed many phone lines. For photos and maps of the event, go to the Avaaz link above, and view “The World in Action.”
On Monday, September 21, Avaaz members and TckTckTck Campaign partners sent a deafening wake-up call on climate change to world leaders–with 2632 events in 134 countries, tens of thousands of phon…
This video will give you an idea of how large this event was, as well as the courage and creativity of the people involved. What a way to get the governments attention! Gotta love it.
The universe says YES to you, always. That’s it. To anything you set your mind upon, it says yes, yes, yes. Think negative, feel defeated, limited, old, undeserving – yes is the answer every time. This is not rocket science! Universal principles are simple, yet we complicate them to no end daily. Living in courage is saying yes to life. For example, you decide what you want, the universe says a big fat yes, then you have thoughts or feelings of limitation, perhaps doubt or fear pop up. Well, guess what the answer is – YES. Without holding a crystal clear concise thought or feeling, we will only manifest less than a desirous outcome. Our consciousness cannot act on a mixed thought, feeling or message. We manage to get in our own way so much, we experience a yo-yo effect. Can you get out of the way of your own good? I am working on this daily because it is an important principle to live by. Is it easy? No. Will I give up? NO! Old habits can be tough to change, but change they must, if they do not come from a place of love and joy.
I am writing about this during my own journey exploring these principles. It seems we spend so much time chasing our tails in search of abundance, love, peace, youth, joy and a life well lived. Frustration sets in when things don’t work out the way we “thought” they would. Well, how can they, with mixed signals coming in? We need to learn to be clear and concise. It is essential to getting what we want out of life. You may say, why does a criminal or despicable human get what they want? Why do greedy or nasty people have money or harm good people? All these questions pop up in our minds. Think about it – these people have a single minded purpose, a clear concise thought and feeling. Even though it is negative or evil, the universe says yes. The universe always says yes. Are you getting the picture?
Allow yourself a space to practice this. Pick something small to work on, then, work your way up the ladder. Not because the process does not work! Because the human mind gets in the way. Remember that altered ego? It is the small, and very loud voice in your head, that talks incessantly to you. Re-train you altered ego to be a positive force in your life. In that way you will have great assistance. If you think you can manifest something bigger, while remaining unwavering in your conviction of purpose, by all means, go for it.
I challenge you to try it and get back to me with your results. Can you do it? Let’s work on this together, for there is not one of us that does not need more encouragement and courage in our lives.
In crystal clear, concise thoughts and feelings of love, I surround you with love and abundance this beautiful day.
All we need is love. Love is courage, loving is living in courage. It seems we are not very adept at loving our fellow men, women and children who walk this journey with us. We have all become so caught up in fear and doubt throughout our lifetime because of a great many factors. I love to say “I command and I demand my freedom from all fear and doubt, and I ask that it be replaced with love.” The more we step away from fear and into a place of love, our lives will generate new energy and light.
A simple question you can ask yourself in any situation is “What would love do now?” That is powerful and is a courageous statement to make.
Have a wonderful day and I send you love from my heart to yours.
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