My letter to the NYTimes RE Mr. Netanyahu’s Lost Opportunities

Palestinian Springtime 1 by Ismail Shammout 1930-2006.

 This "famous Palestinian artist [Ismail Shammout] was born on 2.3.1930 in the town of Lydda in Palestine. At the age of 18 he was among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that witnessed the tragedy of being forced out of their homes and towns by Jewish forces in order to create Israel... This dramatic experience was reflected in many of his paintings and influenced his entire career. His hopes and dreams to return one day to his beloved Palestine tied him to the struggle and fight of the Palestinians for their just cause; their own State."

RE: Mr. Netanyahu’s Lost Opportunities
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/opinion/mr-netanyahus-lost-opportunities.html?ref=international

Dear Editor,

Netanyahu's lost opportunities are merely the most recent in a long list that includes many different people and many different policies. The ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict is not best summed up as today's Netanyahu VS Abbas, or even Jews VS Arabs: It is Israel VS The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

There have been lost opportunities and dangerous obfuscations since 1948 when newly sovereign Israel elected to refuse to respect the Palestinian refugees inalienable legal and natural right to return to their original homes and lands.

There have been lost opportunities and dangerous obfuscations plus a plethora of poisonous propaganda playing people everywhere away from doing all they can to help empower a just and lasting peace to end the angst of Israelis and the very real plight and suffering of the native non-Jewish population of what many call The Holy Land.

I hope Obama makes it a priority to do all he can to calmly and intelligently help end the Israel-Palestine conflict before he leaves office. 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Take note of the beautiful and inspiring voices that don't go viral on the internet, but do help make this world a better more compassionate place, such as the video interviews clipped from "Yann Arthus-Bertrand's new feature movie: a sensitive and loved portrait of the Earth and its people. Follow #WhatMakesUsHUMAN "  In french with subtitles, the lovely and bright Francine Christophe, tells of her childhood in a Nazi concentration camp, taking a terrible time and weaving a beautiful story of human dignity and decency.  She asks  "If the survivors of concentration camps had had counseling in 1947 what would have happened?"  https://www.facebook.com/humanthemovie/videos/474883142683549/?pnref=story

Take note that this week this year's Global Teacher Prize went to Hanan Al Hroub, a Palestinian refugee who "went into primary education after her children were left deeply traumatised by a shooting incident they witnessed on their way home from school. Her experiences in meetings and consultations to discuss her children’s behaviour, development and academic performance in the years that followed led Hanan to try to help others who, having grown up in similar circumstances, require special handling at school."... Hanan "encourages her students to work together, pays close attention to individual needs and rewards positive behaviour. Her approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where this is usually a frequent occurrence; she has inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach, their classroom management strategies and the sanctions they use."   http://www.globalteacherprize.org/winner-2016

Take note of the Charter for Compassion network: "In February 2008 the TED prize was awarded to Karen Armstrong for her wish to create, launch, and propagate a global compassion movement based on the Golden Rule." .... "Thanks to the efforts of a broad range of people in all walks of life and on every continent, compassion has touched the lives of thousands of people in countries, cities, schools, business and other organizations, and faith communities around the world. "  http://www.charterforcompassion.org/index.php/about1

Take note of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative "Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the  conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties" http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/mar/28/israel7

Take note of 1948's Universal Declaration of Human Rights "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world" http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

Change the World ... #PeaceDay

Charter for Compassion

 

 

 

“The only thing missing from any given situation is that which you have yet to bring to it” Mahatma Gandhi

Mass Collaboration for Compassionate Action
"What does the world need you to do at this time? How can you turn your passion into an act of compassion?" MORE...http://compassiongames.org/compassion-games/mass-collaboration-for-compassionate-action/

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. ... FINDING alternatives to conflict and revenge: The Forgiveness Project

"Forgiveness" by Carl Vilhelm Meyer

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Charter for Compassion International News, April 2014 - "Compassion  is an Attitude"

Forgiveness is definitely a theme that is happening all around us, from the Tutu Global Forgiveness Challenge that begins May 4th, to the tour of an important documentary; "Beyond Forgiving," to the international Forgiveness Project; "The F Word Forgiveness Exhibition."

Mission
To open up a dialogue about forgiveness and promote understanding through awareness, education and transformation.

Aims
Awareness – raise the debate about forgiveness by collecting and sharing personal stories.

Education – encourage and empower people to explore the nature of forgiveness and alternatives to conflict and revenge

Transformation – engage civil society, as well as transform hearts and minds

The F Word: Images of Forgiveness Exhibition is a thought provoking collection of arresting images and personal narratives exploring forgiveness in the face of atrocity. First launched in London in 2004, it has since been displayed in over 300 venues worldwide.

Drawing together voices from South Africa, America, Israel, Palestine, Northern Ireland and England, the exhibition examines forgiveness as a healing process, a journey out of victimhood and, ultimately, a journey of hope.

The exhibition is available for hire in the USA and Canada and the rest of the world through The Forgiveness Project in the UK. In addition, the speakers bureau and programming is also available and developed around individual requirements. Visit the F Word's partner page to review an inventory of the stories depicted within the exhibit.

***

“Without forgiveness, we remain tethered to the person who harmed us... Until we can forgive the person who harmed us, they will hold the keys to our happiness, they will be our jailor.”

Desmond & Mpho Tutu, The Book of Forgiving

“With each act of forgiveness, whether small or great, we move toward wholeness.”

Desmond & Mpho Tutu, The Book of Forgiving

***

What is the Charter for Compassion?

Archbishop Tutu, along with his great friend Nelson Mandela, set the perfect example for forgiveness, both through their own experiences and by setting up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which forgave people who had committed atrocities and allowed them to apologise to their victims.

The Tutus have spent their lives working with victims and perpetrators of wrongs, which has shown them how the act of forgiveness can profoundly transform individuals and our world. Now, Arch and his daughter the Reverend Mpho Tutu are issuing a Global Forgiveness Challenge to people all over the world.

 

"There is nothing that cannot be forgiven, and there is no one undeserving of forgiveness.” - Desmond Tutu.  One of the most important lessons I have ever learned is the power of forgiveness.  

As Arch said: “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

Charter for Compassion ... life is riddled with imperfections

Charter for Compassion

Peace Cracks
"On my desk I keep a mug with this saying: 'Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.' The first time I poured coffee into the mug, it seeped out through a hairline crack in the bottom and spilled all over the countertop. Now I use it to hold pens and pencils and remind myself that my life is riddled with imperfections. The imperfections are funny, and my attempts at perfection are even funnier."
~Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Simply Imperfect Revisiting the Wabi-Sabi House

 

About

The Charter is a call to restore the Golden Rule to the center of religious, moral and civic life. The path to a just economy and a peaceful world requires listening, understanding and treating all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

 

Mission

 

The Charter for Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more important, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life. Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the heart of all religious and ethical systems.

One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace. In our globalized world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity.

The Charter for Compassion is not simply a statement of principle; it is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.

We invite each of you to adopt the charter as your own, to make a lifelong commitment to live with compassion.

The Charter for Compassion is a document that transcends religious, ideological, and national differences.

Supported by leading thinkers from many traditions, the Charter activates the Golden Rule around the world.

SIGN THE CHARTER

"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future." Neslon Mandela

Charter for Compassion

Liked · 12 hours ago

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.

Nelson Mandela

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 https://www.facebook.com/CharterforCompassion

The Charter of Compassion is a call to restore the Golden Rule to the center of religious, moral and civic life. The path to a just economy and a peaceful world requires listening, understanding and treating all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

The Year of Reading Dangerously ...Charter for Compassion calls for stories

Charter for Compassion: What are the keys to a successful Reading Group or Book Club? Has such a group had an impact on you or your community? Congrats to the Seattle Reading Group that finished "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" by Karen Armstrong this week! They shared this short but intriguing homemade video with us. Please send your own stories to contact@charterforcompassion.org. Thanks!

The Year of Reading Dangerously from FiatLuxMedia on Vimeo.

A Seattle Reading Group meets once a month to explore the book "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" by Karen Armstrong. This video offers a quick sneak peak into one meeting to hear the discussion, find out how the members take action, and learn how the experience has changed the participants.

Compassion is not a lightweight topic. It can feel a bit dangerous to share deep personal experiences and discuss important questions, such as "how do we talk with people who seem very different from us?"

The paperback version of "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" is now available in the U.S. and Canada. The hard cover version is available around the world. You're welcome to download a free "Reading Group Guide" at charterforcompassion.org/learn/readinggroups.

This homemade video was created by a Seattle Reading Group member.
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

To Uplift.... Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921)

Charter for Compassion
"May you become as the waves of one sea, stars of the same heaven, fruits adorning the same tree, roses of one garden in order that through you the oneness of humanity may establish its temple in the world of mankind, for you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause of unity among the nations of the earth." -`Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921)

Thanksgiving 2011

Charter for Compassion

To our friends in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving. We're also grateful to the global Charter community for your commitment to activating the Golden Rule around the world!

In our globalized world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity.

The Charter for Compassion is not simply a statement of principle; it is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.

Each additional name makes the compassionate voice a more potent force in the world. Let us make the silent majority a challenge to extremism and hate. Become a part and affirm the Charter »

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

A call to bring the world together…

Golden Rule Song

Charter for Compassion

Golden Rule Day may have been a week ago, but the spirit of the day is still going strong! This Golden Rule song was written and performed by a Canadian Teenager. Thanks to our friends at Visionary Media for sharing this!