The idea of the Charter is for all of us to commit ourselves to trying to live more compassionately. That compassion is a wonderful quality no one would deny (I hope) but I think what the Charter is trying to say is that it is missing in much of the political and even personal discourse of our day.
You can see Armstrong speaking about it at TED's website or on You tube. I think the essence is twofold: 1) Compassion is not about pity as many of us think but about trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Doing this helps us to broaden our thinking beyond ourselves and leads to bridging gaps of hostility and fear that exist between us. 2) This is closely related of course and it is a version of the Golden Rule which all religions believe in. It says: Do not do to others what you would not want done to you.
If we really think about and renew our efforts to try to live both of these they could surely be transforming for our world. They could bring back a sense of community and care that I hope we do not want to lose. It could begin to relieve the isolation that many feel these days. You can read more about the Charter at http://charterforcompassion.org/share/the-charter/.
A second thought that has been floating around my head (does that imply lots of empty space there?) is about meaning. What do you feel gives your life meaning? What is your life all about? Can you share that ?
And here is a photo to cheer up a February day.
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