At TED every year, extraordinary individuals are invited to express their wish for the betterment of life on Earth. Called the TED Prize, winners receive $100,000 plus "One Wish to Change the World." and TED attendees' commitment to work toward the fulfillment of said wish.
Karen Armstrong was awarded a TED Prize in 2008 and here is how she described 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.”
From the TED.com website:
"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."
Karen Armstrong is one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong is 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 Staircaseher iconoclastic take on the great monotheistic religions. discusses her subsequent spiritual awakening after leaving the convent, when she began to develop
She has written more than 20 books around the ideas of what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and around their effect on world events, including the magisterial A History of God and Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World. Her latest book is The Bible: A Biography. Her meditations on personal faith and religion (she calls herself a freelance monotheist) spark discussion -- especially her take on fundamentalism, which she sees in a historical context, as an outgrowth of modern culture.
In the post-9/11 world, she is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
The Charter was announced a few days ago. Here it is:
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.
You will find the Charter site here. I affirmed my support because I believe compassion is the single greatest force for good in the world because it does not subscribe to any particular vision or ideology, but is merely care and empathy, directed outward.
Check it out and you may decide to do the same.

Recent Comments