Charter for Compassion Blog

Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes. ~Theodore DreiserToday's blog was written by Cheryl Rice, coach, and the author of Where Have I Been All My Life? Her company, Your Voice Your Vision partners with women striving to be leaders in thei...

Only in the darkness can you see the stars. ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Whether you are up to date on global news, or just absorbing the energy of the people on this planet, you know that there is a lot of suffering happening right now. Don't we just wish that we could just stop the world and catch our breath? Too often we are prone to hearing abou...

You don't read Apeirogon so much as feel it—the particular tragedies are lived out in an ever-present moment of loss… Apeirogon is the kind of book that comes along only once in a generation. ~The Guardian When I read the opening chapters of Apeirogon, there are 1001 in the book, reminiscent of the "ruse for life in the face of death," I reali...

Let's talk about laughter. How does it fit with compassion? I consider that laughter relates to self-compassion. It can certainly relax the body, it triggers the release of endorphin chemicals that relieve stress, boasts the immune system, and while it may take a lot of active laughing, it could help us burn off a few calories. Norman Cousins, in h...

Today's guest author is Donna Mills, she co-coordinates, together with Sara Jamil, the Gender Partnerships sector of the Charter for Compassion. Donna has taken on a topic that is central to the wellbeing of each of us--personal safety, and security. I remember a study done decades ago asking individuals who were displaced by war what they wished f...

Our guest author today, Pattie Williams is co-coordinator of the Social Justice Sector for the Charter for Compassion. She is also one of the original members of Compassionate Fayetteville, AR, USA, and continues to be involved in racial and social justice issues and dialogues associated with the local compassionate initiative. Belay and Shinita Ki...

Today I'd like to share with you what can happen when one person zeroes in on a need. In this story, the person is Anjali Sharma, a member of our Compassionate India team. A year ago, Anjali contacted me about a project to help young girls continue their education during, and hopefully beyond, the pandemic. She thought we should join forces with Sa...

Whether we are in the company of other people or not makes a great difference to the quality of experience. We are biologically programmed to find other human beings the most important objects in the world. Because they can make life either very interesting and fulfilling or utterly miserable, how we manage relationships with them makes an enormous...

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." ~Harriet Tubman The Charter for Compassion has lost some incredible team members this year. Each one of them dreamers, committed to doing something to make this world a more welcomin...

The Charter for Compassion and Compassionate California lost a caring soul of compassion. Joan Marie passed June 22, 2021. She was beloved by countless groups, individuals, and organizations around the world. She leaves a legacy of peacebuilding, beloved community, and compassionate activism. Joan was dedicated to alleviating the suffering of other...

Today's message is written by Inez Aponte from Crazy Beautiful World (CBW), reminding us that intergenerational collaboration is crucial to our work. We believe CBW is the perfect companion to the Youth Compassion Collaborative (YCC), the Charter's newest youth and youth led initiative fomenting self-compassion and growth opport...

If you lived on planet Earth this past year, your life probably was affected by COVID-19. Am I right? We, at the Charter for Compassion were not exempt from this of course and thus, had to adapt. How could we share the Charter's mission and its many programs while not going to conferences, meetings with cities, governments and partners, as physical...

What you allow will continue.~Katherine Fugate Today, I appeared on a podcast sponsored by Voices for a Nuclear Free World, and was asked about the issue of nuclear weapons, their proliferation and what we--as global citizens, can do to end this madness and eliminate the 3720 deployed warheads, and 9680 stored and reserved warheads, housed by 9 cou...

What Changes My father's hopes travel with meyears after he died. Somedaywe will learn how to live. All of ussurviving without violencenever stop dreaming how to cure it.What changes? Crossing a small streetin Doha Souk, nut shops shuttered,a handkerchief lies crumpled in the street,maroon and white, like one my father had,from Jordan. Perfectly pl...

June is PRIDE month, and it is a reminder that it as a compassionate people we give our voices to stop the global violence and expressions of inequality, torture and even executions towards people because of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Today's message is written by Felipe Zurita reminding us that stories are the best lessons for ...

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tantoMe dio dos luceros que cuando los abroPerfecto distingo, lo negro del blancoY en el alto cielo su fondo estrelladoY en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo Thanks to life, which has given me so much.It gave me two stars, which when I open them,Perfectly distinguish black from whiteAnd in the tall sky its starry...

We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, but we must also bridge the great disparities of wealth and opportunity among the peoples of the world, the vast majority of whom live in poverty without hope, opportunity, or choices in life. These conditions are a breeding ground for division that can cause a desperate people to resort to nuc...

I come from there and I have memories  Born as mortals are, I have a mother  And a house with many windows,  I have brothers, friends,  And a prison cell with a cold window.  Mine is the wave, snatched by seagulls,  I have my own view,  And an extra blade of grass.  Min...

Given the subject line of this newsletter, I could have easily put up a picture of what is happening in India with the exhausting figures of Covid deaths each day. I couldn't bear to do that. Instead, I selected this sublime picture by British artist, Phil Greenwood. It offers a sense of calmness, some relief, a hint of lightness, and through the a...

Why do some families have conversations with each other that really matter, while other families have trouble talking without fighting, arguing, or experiencing distance?  Why do some families meet together and feel close, supported, and accepted unconditionally, while other families struggle to find the time, or they feel like they have to fa...

The Director's Note is written today by Donna Mills, co-coordinator of the Charter for Compassion's Women and Girls Sector. She and her co-lead, Sara Jamil, have been involved in extensive conversations to expand their work to embrace Gender Partnerships. You'll be learning more about this newly titled sector soon. Below Donna addressed the origins...

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~Anne Frank Cristina Gonzalez, Chair of the Charter for Compassion's Board of Trustees, and I were on a webinar last week with one of our Charter partners, Peaceful Tomorrows. Some of you may recall this group as the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. It was formed when a small group of family mem...

It's official, Earth Day is April 22. Having one day to symbolize cleaning up the rubbish in our parks, roadways, and beaches, and planting trees and pulling out evasive plants to help native plants flourish is a bit silly. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful to see all this concern and activity for one day, but isn't this something we should be do...

I think I'm going to do something crazy here. We've been working on a script that we will be using in a video about the Charter for Compassion. We've been tweeting words, removing sentences and even whole paragraphs. I think we've been to the "drawing table" four times and changed focus a few times. Below is our latest version. The video is to help...

Let your spiritual nature illuminate and brighten each day. Pay attention! Brushing over details can create gray and stagnant areas. This observation was listed as a monthly theme on the Findhorn website. Located in Scotland, Findhorn, an eco-village of liked minded people, has for a long time been a bucket list item for many folks around the ...