Partnership in Compassion
Last week Karen Armstrong was in New York City for a series of meetings with interfaith organizations, religious leaders, and technology development companies. Each meeting was a new opportunity to discuss Karen’s thoughts on compassion, to see the power of the work of interfaith work, and to prepare a broad network to participate in the creation of the Charter. TED wants to bring a spotlight to the great work currently being done to bring more compassion to the world. If you know of any organization around the world working in the interreligious or ecumenical world that will be a good partner, please contact us.
In addition to creating partnerships, Jesse Dylan and his team at FORM flew to New York for a day to film a video with Karen and other individuals on the role of compassion in their lives. The stories were joyful, powerful, humorous, and emotional. This video, to be placed on websites around the internet, will raise awareness of the Charter before it launches. We are looking for as many media placements as possible in order to build a wide presence around the world. Please contact us if you have online media ad space that could host our video. We would love to hear from you.
I find this a wonderful idea and a strong step int he right direction. I would love to give practical support but, even though I am someone who has given this topic a lot of thought, I find myself outside the door as a non-Jew/Christian/Muslim. Surely the view of this initiative as western-oriented will be encouraged by its treatment in only considering what we westerners see as the ‘fault lines’. In other parts of the world the fault lines lay elsewhere e.g. Muslim/Hindu ‘line’ in India. Also, are you not losing out by excluding those who, though not one of you, can see you from a different perspective. When the UN want to broker peace between two enemies, they usually find someone from outside the disagreeing factions (often a norwegian!).
I understand the charter will be about how to interpret the semitic scriptures which are connected in certain ways but let’s be inclusive and at least have some people who are not of these religions to help with the solution.
However you try it, I wish you good luck!
Thanks for your comment Robert. We have spent a lot of time thinking about how the Charter will be created and who will participate, particularly related to the issue of just including leaders from the three monotheistic faiths. As we will announce in more detail soon, the Charter will actually be written by the world, by people of all faiths and from all nations. Using an innovative internet tool, we will be able to allow everyone to participate in their own language so as to ensure the voice is global and not just Western.
I certainly hope you will join us in writing and supporting the Charter.
I’ll be happy to post the video at http://www.globalcompassion.com (just send a link).
I would like to congratulate Karen Armstrong and her team on doing such great work when it is most needed. I do not know if you have already approached this organization, but please do visit http://www.artofliving.org/Home/SecularisingReligion/tabid/280/Default.aspx It is one of the largest non profit organizations and the message that they want to spread is one world one family. They are also involved in a lot of welfare projects with the UN. I wish you good luck and i am ready to be of help in any way possible. I am the president of the student body of Art of Living at the National University of Singapore. So if there is any way in which i could be of help i am willing to do it.
It surprises me that you have excluded one other ‘Abrahamic’ Faith whose adherents, the Baha’is, have a history of persecution, especially in the land of its birth, Iran.
And although yours is a laudable initiative, I don’t see how you can reconcile the differences between the members of the three Faiths you mention given their seeming inability to disentangle themselves emotionally from their possessive embrace of their faiths - which is basically why there are so many problems resulting from belief in religion.
My grandfather always said, “Don’t watch your money; watch your health.” So one day while I was watching my health, someone stole my money. It was my grandfather. (Jackie Mason)
Wow! what an idea ! What a concept ! Beautiful .. Amazing
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