Joint Proclamation of the Charter for Compassion, Compassionate San Antonio, Compassion Houston and Sister Cities International
A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE, REFLECTION AND RE-ENVISIONING OUR WORLD:
A Call to Compassion, Peace and Community
Dedicated to Our Children and Our Children’s Children
WHEREAS, Mass shooting rates continue rise in countries all around the world, killing innocent people and eroding any collective sense of safety and shared humanity,
WHEREAS, In the United States alone there have been 2,180 mass shootings, killing over 2,400 people and wounding 9,125, since Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012,
WHEREAS, Recent attacks stretching from Texas to Afghanistan, from rifling within stores and bars to car bombings near police stations, our senses of safety has been undermined, fueling fear on a global scale,
and WHEREAS, Research reveals that empathy is found in human DNA and that the practice of compassion is the path to peace and the antidote to fear and insecurity, violence and suffering, isolation and pain, the fracturing of community and the polarization of society;
and WHEREAS, Compassion increases and strengthens the sense of community and our common humanity through the ethic of reciprocity, the treating of others in ways we wish to be treated ourselves and likewise to not treat others in ways we do not wish to be treated;
and WHEREAS, End results of peace will never be achieved by guns and wars as the means must meet the end;
and WHEREAS, Children live what they learn through the actions of adults, media, life context, experiences and encounters – for better and for worse;
and WHEREAS, The mission of Sister Cities International is to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time;
and WHEREAS, The Charter for Compassion International believes that a compassionate world is a peaceful world and possible when every man, woman and child treats others as they wish to be treated – with dignity, equity and respect;
and WHEREAS, There are 471 Sister Cities and 440 Compassionate Cities around the world who are committed to compassion and peace, connecting globally as a web of community in order to thrive locally as a vibrant humanity;
and WHEREAS, All Compassionate Cities and all Sister Cities will be gathering at 12 noon on the 12th of August in a virtual 24-hour global community as support to each other, in agreement that peace is the only way, and in solidarity that compassion is the only means to end the violence and suffering on this one and only precious earth.
THEREFORE be it, RESOLVED, That the Charter for Compassion International and Sister Cities International fervently and globally proclaim on this International Youth Day, August 12, 2019,
A Day of Remembrance for lives that have been lost innocently in violent shootings and attacks,
A Day of Reflection in quiet silence or careful conversation to begin thinking more clearly about the past in order to see the future more clearly,
A Day of Re-Envisioning Our World for who we are as a people and a planet, how we can see our common humanity in every person, and what actions we can take for each and all of us, to become what our children and our children’s children will need to thrive.
