09 Jun We’re Lucky to Have People Like You Around Us
Evelyn Gladu, a therapist in Arlington, MA sent out a note today on compassion. I loved that she’s taking this stance and asked her if it would be okay to reprint her note on the blog. I’m grateful she’s suggesting this action, inviting more compassion into our world. If after reading it you feel moved to make a comment I’ll make sure she gets your thoughts. Here’s her note:
I’ve been reflecting lately on how much our world needs respect and compassion. I”m hearing and seeing lots of speech and behavior that is rude, hateful, vicious and divisive in print, on radio/TV, in people on the street and in shops. Sometimes it feels too big to do anything about, and I have parts of me that feel helpless. I heard about and followed up exploring something called THe Charter for Compassion, which formulates a document that can be adopted by individuals, organizations, corporations, cities and towns, etc. It originated with a woman named Karen Armstrong (you may or may not know of her) but I have been impressed with her writings and talks. She is really a great thinker, comes from a religious base, but transcends the limits of religion in her views.
I have signed on to The Charter and invite you to investigate it as well. You can find it at www.charterforcompassion.org. While a document cannot change the way people behave, it can serve as a base for commitment, thought, conversations, and teaching. I notice that Seattle is the first city in the world that has adopted it – how about getting other cities to do that, too?
Peace,
Evelyn