I am convinced that the majority of us are people of hope. If we didn’t have hope we would find it difficult to get up in the morning or put one foot in front of the other as we struggled to get through ordinary and even difficult days. However, I believe it is important to know there is a place for anger to be embedded in hope and to spur us to release compassionate action.

What are you angry about? The continued war in Syria and large scale global conflict? Food and water security? Poverty and homelessness? Climate change and destruction of nature? Lack of equal education? Treatment of global refugees?

Change the Story, Change the Future

David Korten tell us in his book Change the Story, Change the Future we can be in control. We do not have to settle for war as an answer to conflict, or elected officials taking the lead on legislation or law enforcement protecting our streets. Collectively we are capable of using our anger to motivate our positive energies to face and break down barriers. Personal and group anger, in order to be legitimate, needs to be coupled with compassionate action. Anger can take the form of Parkland, FL, students, affected by the massacre in their school, taking to traveling the U.S. in order to get people to register to vote to confront gun laws and violence; or Médecins Sans Frontières work through their anger as healers of victims of war, and as witnesses to those who suffer as victims of war. There are thousands of organizations who act out of the positive side of anger. The Charter is one such organization.

Anger is a strong sign that injustice needs to be acted upon. Let your anger and concern show. Join us at the Charter for Compassion in solving problems. Join a compassionate city movement or join another humanitarian movement. Change the story.

Statement of Purpose of the Charter for Compassion

In a universal manner, The Charter for Compassion is an international movement that asks us to: look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.”

In a practical manner, The Charter for Compassion works with cities, its citizens and local government to identify areas of concern (i.e., issues of improved education, services to the elderly, elimination of homelessness and hunger, improvement of healthcare and social services, etc.) and to work collectively to create sustainable action plans.

The Charter for Compassion calls upon all peoples to change the way we regard the future. In the words of the Charter: It is…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.

The Charter is a non-sectarian organization that is not aligned with any religious or political group. Rather the Charter works with people from all cultures, all over the world, to work towards creating peace. Visit the Charter for Compassion website here.

~ Marilyn Turkovich