Welcome to 2023! Here at the Charter for Compassion we are putting compassion into action, and we want to challenge you to do the same. Back in 2011, NPR's (National Public Radio in the USA) Neal Conan interviewed the Charter for Compassion's founder, Karen Armstrong. Six minutes into their chat, he had an epiphany. "This all seems a little harder than sharing your sandwich at lunch," he said. Karen agreed. "It requires a constant effort of imagination."
But it could start with a sandwich.
We know that there are millions of people in the world who are prepared to engage with others now to co-create the world that our hearts desire. And there is a great need for everybody's engagement. If we're going to achieve a world governed by GoldenRuleism, it's going to take a lot of us doing little things each and every day. It's time to build our muscle for bigger, better and best compassionate practices. Share a sandwich or a smile as a starter. Perhaps move on to being friendly to a lonely neighbor, bringing a book to a little library so another can enjoy it, or practicing good listening. What about engaging a group of friends to form a compassionate community?
Starting this weekend, we begin a 40-Day of Peace Campaign in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a time for us to celebrate the extraordinary grassroots, national and global challenges that MLK charged us to follow. It is also a time for us to refresh our convictions to being a peaceful people, creating a peaceful world. Check out what is happening at the Charter over the upcoming days. Bring along a friend and a sandwich, virtual or real, to share as you participate in one of the offerings. Prove that one person can make a difference! And tell the world that compassion is a movement. After all, we are most definitely interconnected, and we work best when we work together.
With warm regards,
Marilyn Turkovich
