Toward a compassionate civilization

Compassion is not to pity but to suffer with, to understand, to empathize, to feel, to be with and for. I am on your side. I am you. You are me. We are one. We both suffer. We both desire happiness and the relief of suffering. I vow to help relieve your suffering. Compassion.

Civilization is civil, civility, about the citizen, the one who belongs. It has many dimensions – cultural, social, political, economic and environmental. What if everyone were to belong to this emerging civilization, all people and all life forms? An Earth Community, the biosphere, the layer of life enveloping our planet, human society as part of great nature?

A compassionate civilization is emerging. We have come thus far over these billions, millions, thousands, hundreds of years. Will we yet go further, further than ever before? Will we, you and I, embrace all, everyone, as a sister and fellow citizen of Earth Society? Will we suffer together? Relieve our suffering together? Laugh together? Be happy together? Realize our full potential together? It is possible, you know. And it has become utterly necessary. Will we make it together or not make it at all?

Is this not utopian, you ask. My reply is yes, that we either move toward utopia or we will be left with an endless dystopia of environmental degradation and social misery. The choice is ours. Would we not rather angle toward a compassionate civilization? Let’s go together.

How would we design such a civilization? How would we construct it? How would we embody it in our minds, behavior, culture and systems?

Let’s explore together. In fact, many are already at work on this great work, this noble task. Many individuals of good will and their organizations, networks and movements are hard at work around the planet. Let’s recognize each other, thank each other, encourage each other, and move forward together. Some are at work on climate chaos mitigation and adaptation, renewable energy and sustainable environment, others are promoting gender equality and still others are working for social and economic justice, cultural and religious tolerance and participatory and transparent governance. 

Yes, of course there is resistance. There are powerful forces saying that it is impossible to construct a compassionate civilization. They will resist, block and fight. They will say that human beings are weak and selfish and must be controlled and punished. The powerful will say that they deserve their power and they will try to maintain a civilization of inequality, injustice, unsustainability, nonparticipation and intolerance. They will use force to get their way.  But the seven billion of us humans and countless billions of other life forms will move forward like an unstoppable tidal wave, droplet by gentle droplet. The stakes are too high not to press on.

Okay, let’s go.