If we are willing to begin to commit to make a difference
R E F L E C T I O N
Reports from latest Speaker Series Talks: January 25 with Dr. James Doty and February 1 with Karin Miller.
Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain & the Secrets of the Heart
Dr. James Doty is interviewed by Jon Ramer of the Compassion Games International and Reed Price of the Charter for Compassion International. Dr. Doty talks about his new book, Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart. Full report on the Charter website, including recording.
Global Values: A new paradigm for a new world
Karin founded Our New Evolution (ONE) to connect and empower people and projects that are aligned with Global Values—the heart of Karin’s new book, "Global Values: A New Paradigm for a New World." Full report on the Charter website, including recording.
Notes for both calls provided by Dr. Lesa Walker, Compassionate Austin
A C T I O N
Last week Imam Abdul Malik led a conference call regarding the #FlintWaterCrisis. The question arose “How can our Community of Compassion support the people of Flint, Michigan?”
First, Abdul Malik suggests we arm our selves with information. Did you know that
Flint residents were forced to drink lead-laden water for two years.
Those levels of lead, according to EPA standards, are considered toxic waste.
No medicine can treat the irreversible brain damage inflicted upon every single child in Flint. (According to the most recent census this amounts to over 8,600 children.)
The bottled water solution will require 20 million bottles of water per day for the next 1-2 years. This will create an environmental hazard.
Is there a simple or an easy solution? No. But, a long term, more cost effective 3-point solution is suggested:
Require that the State of Michigan replace all lead pipes in the City of Flint.
Ask President Obama to declare Flint, Michigan a disaster zone. (Currently, the crisis in Flint is considered an Emergency. Designating it a Disaster would allow for long term federal assistance.
Require the State of Michigan to deliver two 55-gallon drums to every home in Flint. Each day, these drums will be replenished with fresh, clean water from Lake Huron. (This would solve the problem of the environmental hazard created by plastic bottles.)
How can you be a part of a Community of Compassionate Action?
Make two phone calls:
Call Gov. Snyder 517-373-3400 to #ChangePipes
Call President Obama 202-456-1111 to #DeclareFlintDisaster zone
Talk with others about what is happening in Flint, Michigan.
Thanks to the Muslim community in Flint who model compassion by helping their neighbors. Their community invites us to join their voices as they say, “What is needed is political pressure not just water bottles.” Call now and call every day. Support #FlintCoalition
Written by Vanessa Hurst, author of Engaging Compassion Through Intent and Action and part of the Compassionate Louisville Team
Join us for three more World Interfaith Harmony Week Speaker Series
Wed., Feb. 3, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT: Marie Roker-Jones, Louisa Hext, Aleasa Word. Marie Roker-Jones and Louisa Hext are cofounders of #CompassionConvos: a compassion movement challenging our own bias. It's a call to action bringing people together to create individual and systemic change. Roker-Jones is also the founder of http://raisinggreatmen.com/, an effort to raise boys to be men of character. Hext is the North American representative of The Forgiveness Project, and can be reached though http://consultantshext.com/.
Aleasa Word is an internationally certified professional life coach, editor at the Good Men Project, small business consultant and author specializing in helping people develop the second chapter of their lives professionally and personally. Details on her site Chapter 2 Living. REGISTER NOW
Thur., Feb. 4, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT: John Esposito. John Esposito is American professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Esposito is Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service.Previously, he was Loyola Professor of Middle East Studies, College of the Holy Cross. He is the author of over 45 books. Esposito's interviews and articles with newspapers, magazines, and the media in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Guardian, The Times of London, CNN, ABC Nightline, CBS, NBC, and the BBC. John is a major contributor to the Charter's Islamophobia Guide Book. REGISTER NOW
Friday, Feb 5, 7 am PT; Desperate Times Call for Compassionate Action. Join Reham Hamoui and others who are working with refugees arriving in Europe and America. Rehab is Syrian-born American currently residing in Seattle, WA. She has worked on humanitarian issues for 5 years in several capacities including the coordination of medical missions, political advocacy, and community outreach. She is now the Director of Communications for Salaam Cultural Museum, a NGO focused on providing humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees within the MENA region and Greece. REGISTER NOW
E D U C A T I O N
Oral history has the potential to transform public dialogue and thinking about the most important issues of our time—race, police violence, income inequality, gentrification, gender violence, the crisis of democracy—by surfacing and amplifying diverse voices in the public sphere, providing new perspectives, nuance and historical context.
Join Charter partner Groundswell in a six-session, online learning opportunity. In it you will learn from members of the Groundswell Network about how to design and implement an oral history project that addresses individual, community and social justice issues. You will meet others from around the country who are interested in learning how oral history can strengthen their work to build a more just world and you will learn more about Groundswell and other oral history resources that can support your ongoing work.
Contact: www.oralhistoryforsocialchange.org/classes/
G I V I N G
When you make a difference with what you have, it expands. This context opens the possibility of generating a new set of assumptions based in the principle of sufficiency for the 21st century. If we are willing to begin to commit to make a difference with what we have rather than putting all of our energy into getting more, then...what we have will naturally and organically expand. Lynne Twist, Charter for Compassion Global Council Member
Please become a member of the Charter for Compassion. Step forward to support the compassion movement materially -- with your money, your time, your connections, your special areas of expertise, and your high expectations. Consider giving to the Charter.
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