This article originally appeared here: https://www.barmhartigheid.nl/interview-monica-neomagis-en-gerthe-lamers-15-jaar-compassie-wereldwijd/ on Dec. 20, 2024.
This is the translated version to English, as the text is originally in the Dutch language.
INTERVIEW MONICA NEOMAGUS AND GERTHE LAMERS
15 years of compassion worldwide
December 20, 2024 - In 2008, the British Karen Armstrong gave a lecture at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam. “That's where it started,” says Monica Neomagus, one of the founders of what later became the Charter for Compassion NL. “I was a theology student and, of course, I went to that lecture. Karen had won an international award for her vision on compassion. With the accompanying amount of money she was able to realize her wish to create a worldwide movement that would advocate more compassion between people. She touched many people with her message, including me.”
~By: Hetty Remmers, communications advisor Sisters of Charity SCMM
A year later, the international Charter for Compassion was a fact, drawn up by thinkers from different philosophies of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp participated on behalf of the Netherlands. Karen had managed to bring them all together and drafted an international text with them.
Charter for Compassion
It has now been 15 years since this charter was launched. Millions of people worldwide have signed it and hundreds of organizations have joined the movement. They see compassion as 'indispensable for realizing a fair economy and a harmonious world community that lives in peace with each other.’ Or in the loosely translated words of Armstrong herself: “Compassion is not a choice. It is the key to our survival.”
Inspiration
“In the Netherlands, the Charter was embraced and signed en masse,” Monica continues. “I was working in the Moses and Aaron Church in Amsterdam at the time and suggested that the Charter also be announced in the Netherlands. Together with Rabbi Soetendorp, we organized a manifestation with around 400 interested parties on the Day of Respect in November 2009. It was a great success.”
“And I came to that manifestation,” says Gerthe Lamers, then a student of religious studies and now a board member of the Beweging van Barmhartigheid/Movement of Mercy to which the Sisters of Charity have also made a major contribution. “From the moment Soetendorp first announced the Charter on Dutch soil, I was sold. It was a transformative experience, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I got the feeling right then and there that new seeds were being planted on the earth that day. Not only in the Netherlands, but at that moment in 30 world cities at the same time. Yes, I felt like a new movement, an inspiration that came over us. A point of reference that people from all religions could fall back on.”
Monica agrees. “You didn't have to convince anyone, everyone around me had the same feeling about the Charter. Even then, the message of compassion was desperately needed and it really suited the Moses and Aaron Church, which had been busy connecting church and city for years, connecting with other religions and groups. It is not without reason that it is also called the Church of Mercy.”
The Golden Rule
The Charter is based on the Golden Rule: 'Treat others as you would like to be treated by them.’ Also known as: 'What you do not want to happen to you, do not do to others.’ The Charter is intended to encourage people and groups worldwide to live together peacefully and humanely. Humanity differs in countless ways, but the principle of compassion underlies all religious, ethical, and spiritual traditions.
Wherever you were born or what you believe; the Golden Rule connects us all. Compassion calls on us to treat others, including your enemies, as you would like to be treated. Compassion makes people work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of their fellow human beings.
“…to step back from the center of our world and place another in the spotlight, and to do justice to the inviolable sanctity of every human being and to treat everyone, without exception, with absolute dignity, fairness and respect. This also includes the task to be careful not to cause any form of suffering in both public and private life.” Quote from the Charter of Compassion
Click/Tap here to learn more about Golden Rule Day.
Compassion is action
Back to the Netherlands. Monica and Gerthe founded the Dutch branch there, in order to spread the call for compassion in our country. “I find it difficult to say what we have achieved in all these years,” says Gerthe. “It has undeniably raised awareness and inspired many people to work with compassion. Because compassion is action, you have to do it.”
Monica adds: “You may wonder what many movements actually do, but there are also some that have brought about enormous turning points in history. Think of the abolition of slavery or the civil rights movement. Great things have emerged from these movements. This can also be done with compassion. It's like a common thread. You can fall back on it no matter what happens and no matter how divided we become. This still often happens in a small circle, but it is there. And almost everyone understands it.”
Click/Tap here to learn ways to get involved
Compassionate Cities
Gerthe continues: “There are many cities around the world that call themselves 'compassionate cities' and act accordingly. In the Netherlands, Rotterdam, Zoetermeer, Groningen, Leiden and Nijmegen participate. Leiden was the first city in the world to sign the charter, although Seattle in the United States thinks differently. But both cities deal with this with compassion,” she laughs. “And we have been awarding the Compassion Prize every year since 2010. In doing so, we put compassion on the national map and hope to encourage others to live and work from compassion. Through concrete projects and examples, we show that compassion is not a vague concept. It is very concrete and has not disappeared despite everything that was going on then and now.”
Click/Tap here to learn more about Compassionate Cities/Communities.
Seeing Each Other
“When I see what the world and our country look like now,” Monica muses, “the hardening in people's hearts, how people interact with each other, socially and politically, then I think that compassion should be taught in every school. It is not without reason that writer David van Reybrouck wrote the book 'You Can Learn Peace' together with a psychologist friend.
He quotes the Charter extensively and states that it is strange that we humans invest so much in our physical development (exercise, healthy eating, etc.) and that psychological development receives so little attention. Also in schools. And he talks about empathy and compassion and what they do to your brain. They are essential to achieving peace in the world.
How do I Keep my Heart Soft?
Compassion as a concept is more established today than when we started. Even then it was desperately needed, but now it seems to be becoming even clearer what it is actually about. Filmmaker and columnist Natascha van Weezel has written the booklet: ‘How do I keep my heart soft?’ That's also about compassion. What happens when you go one way and what happens when you go the other way? With everything that happens in society, you quickly take sides. That is also allowed.” said Monica. “You can choose a direction, but we must continue to be careful not to dehumanize the other. Just put yourself in the other person's shoes and take the trouble to make that move.”
Gerthe says that the Dalai Lama has also signed the Charter for Compassion. And that his movement makes scientific research possible at Stanford University; research into what compassion does to the brain. In the Netherlands, prof.dr. Ernst Bolmeijer wrote about compassion as the key to happiness. Monica: “I once saw an impressive film in which a woman in a notorious prison managed to realize compassion between inmates. They were moved to tears. Especially in an environment where there is hardly any compassion.”
From and For Everyone
“Compassion is about seeing each other,” Gerthe clarifies. “That still happens a lot. I think of the Salvation Army, of the Food Bank, of Refugee Work, of all the volunteer work that is done, of the nurses who continued to work during COVID times at the risk of their lives, of all the people who provide help in war zones.
What I find interesting about the Charter is that it is interfaith or interspiritual. You get people from all kinds of directions who join, people who are not religious, people who have no interest in the church. This makes the Charter so strong that it can be binding in all directions. Everyone can do something with it, in their own life, at work or anywhere else. People can't frame it, can't say 'it's ours.’ Compassion is not something static, it is something you have to work with, even struggle with. It is always a conversation with yourself, a touchstone.”
After several independent years, the Dutch foundation of the Charter for Compassion was merged into the Beweging van Barmhartigheid/Movement of Mercy. “We both promote the same values,” Gerthe explains. To conclude with a wish. “How wonderful it would be if congregations and orders also signed the Charter for Compassion. In this way you will join forces and strengthen the message of compassion and mercy. The more people carry this message in their hearts, the more powerful it becomes. That would be fantastic.”
