Charter for Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is the result of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish and made possible by the generous support of the Fetzer Institute.

The Charter of Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, 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, crafted by people all over the world and drafted by a multi-fath, multi-national council of thinkers and leaders, seeks to change the conversation so that compassion becomes a key word in public and private discourse, making it clear that any ideology that breeds hatred or contempt ~ be it religious or secular ~ has failed the test of our time. It 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 invites people to ‘restore not only compassionate thinking but compassionate action’ too. Explore the stories of compassion or add your stories and experiences of compassion. A few examples of acts of compassion:

“My junior school showed great compassion for a man named Roy who was severely mentally handicapped. He had Down’s syndrome, wore a leg brace and rode a motorless scooter. The school allowed him to visit classrooms and play his harmonica for us. This gave him obvious pleasure and we cheered him on” – John Pugh

As we close a decade marked by war, help us usher in a decade focused on compassion. The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict. Add your name today. Share the Charter with your networks.

Over 21,000+ people have affirmed the charter already. Read more about the Charter for Compassion and join the movement!