Wanted: A Charter for Compassion

When Karen Armstrong was granted "one wish to change the world," she chose a Charter for Compassion.

It began in 1984 when TED was born. TED, an acronym for technology, entertainment and design, began as a conference that brought together people from those three disciplines to interface and exchange ideas and concepts.

Over time, TED has evolved and expanded. Their annual conference brings together the global thinkers, movers and shakers, who are given 18 minutes to give "the talk of their lives." In fact, you can find some of the powerhouse presentations and their world-changing ideas, at no charge, on www.ted.com.

There is also a TED prize which is awarded to three outstanding individuals annually. The winners are awarded $100,000, but better than the money is the granting, yes, I said granting, of "one wish to change the world." The whole point of the TED prize is to focus the talent, energies, resources and far-reaching wherewithal of the TED community in creating a collaborative platform to make the wishes a reality.

In 2008, Karen Armstrong was named one of the winners, which meant she had a few months to ponder, cogitate, prepare and decide her wish. Then, at the annual conference, Armstrong, along with her fellow winners, made her 18-minute presentation. You can watch her presentation at www.tedprize.org. Armstrong makes a compelling, multi-layered, educated talk.

And this was her wish: "I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect."

Karen Armstrong is a scholar who has written more than 20 books. She is considered "one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world."

Here is a quote by Armstrong that I find uplifting and full of possibilities and, most certainly, not my usual experience or history with religion:

"I say that religion isn´t about believing things. It´s ethical alchemy. It´s about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness."

Armstrong is also "a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford. In 1982, she wrote a book about her seven years in the convent, Through the Narrow Gate, that angered and challenged Catholics worldwide; her recent book, The Spiral Staircase discusses her subsequent spiritual awakening after leaving the convent, when she began to develop her iconoclastic take on the great monotheistic religions."

As a result of Armstrong´s talk and the TED community´s collaborative efforts, there is a fabulously, sleek and well-organized website with interactive writing, video clips and information that details their plea to help them create a Charter for Compassion.

The premise of this charter is Armstrong´s ethical alchemy and that concept has been translated into the Golden Rule, a common thread in all world religions. We know the Golden rule as "do unto others as you would do unto you" or "love your neighbor as yourself."

Armstrong and her multi-national, multi-cultural and interfaith Council of Sages have invited everyone -- of all faiths and backgrounds – to contribute their thoughts (www.charterforcompassion.com) on compassion and to aid and abet the creation of the charter. You can real world-wide comments, watch videos describing compassion and sign-on to support the effort. The clock is ticking; the charter will be completed in 2009.

The general idea is to remove the divisiveness and separation from religions and to re-inspire people to think differently about religion.

Personally, I consider myself more spiritual than religious these days. That said, Armstrong´s ideas are resonant. I find her thoughts to be bridge-building and peace-making. I find compassion to be a connective tissue of human life. It is the divine leveler and, equally, a grace-filled healer.

I like this wish. I support this wish and invite you to take a virtual spin to see a collaborative – on so many levels, starting with the TED community and open to the world at large – interactive exchange of ideas, words and experiences to create a better world.

This all makes me smile -- smart people getting together and finding ways to heal the divides and create connections, and the Internet, our global town square, making this grassroots movement available to everyone.

Thank you, TED folks. I like your style. Thank you, Karen Armstrong. You´re a good wisher.

Copyright 2008 by Adele Ryan McDowell