Breaking the Trance, Changing the Stance
In a compassionate civilization, empathy, altruism and kindness will be preeminent values and expressions. Whole societies will greatly admire these qualities and the individuals and groups that manifest them. Greed will be seen as a base desire. Selfishness and harming others will be understood as tragic character flaws. Humility, sharing, cooperation and collaboration will be celebrated as highly evolved traits.
It will be commonly understood that happiness is a way of being not a goal to be sought. Happiness will not be experienced in the acquisition of things but through helping others and being alive to daily relationships, observations, reflections, learning, creativity and communication.
Entire societies of a compassionate civilization will exalt the common good and will ensure that both the natural and built commons are sustained and sustainable while celebrating the unique contributions of individuals, communities, organizations, cultures and bio-regions. Societies will continually refine themselves to ensure that optimal conditions are in place for the development and sharing of the full potential of each living being.
In a compassionate civilization humanity has awakened from the trance of ever increasing consumption-production and has evolved to never ending learning-caring.
Three resources that you may find useful can be found at the following links.
Website of the profound Charter for Compassion movement launched by Karen Armstrong:
Charter for Compassion
Youtube video of youth speaking the inspiring words of the Charter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wktlwCPDd94
Book - the ground breaking, The Empathic Civilization by Jeremy Rifkin:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Empathic-Civilization-Global-Consciousness/dp/1585427659
Soon in this blog space, continuing to use a process developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, we will begin to analyze the obstacles that could block the realization of a vision of a compassionate civilization (of which there are many). Then we will identify the strategies that will deal with those blocks and move us towards our vision. Next we will create the tactical systems that will help achieve these strategies. We will then create actions and implementation plans and broad timelines. Finally, we will explore some of the effective methodologies and tools that we can learn and use.
Again, welcome to this inaugural week's blog participants from the USA, Canada, Serbia, Russia, France, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Thailand, Tunisia and Kenya.
May we each realize happiness, peace, understanding and compassion!