Compassion

     Compassion.
     Compassion gets a bad wrap.  Weak.  Idealistic.  Hopeless.  Unrealistic.
     I am not among those bad rappers.  I believe in compassion.  I believe in its ideal.  I live by its hope.
     Never before this week have a found a haven of individuals willing to admit--to affirm--their commitment to act with compassion--to live with and by compassion.
     We live in a world of instant gratification.  Impatience.  Deadlines.  As unsavory as those realities may be, these are facts of life.
     So, how do we counteract those societal pressures--those necessities of a working world--a healthy economy?  Some may say that there is no way to achieve those objectives.  We live in the world of Facebook, Twitter.  So, what hope is there to affirm--to advocate for--compassion?
     Compassion.  Achievable.  If so committed--if so wiling--you do have opportunities.  You do have options.
     PeaceNext.  Charter for Compassion.  Two opportunities.
     PeaceNext.  Social media need not be frivolous.  Peace Next.  The Facebook of Compassion.  Global.  Ecumenical.  Faith-filled.  Committed.
      I am new in my understanding of Peace Next.  Yet, I am committed to following my instincts.  As a lifelong pacifist, I am more than willing to open myself to this venue of hope.
      Interreligious dialogue.  Ecumenism.  A Parliament of World Religions its aspiration.
      In developing the World Wide Web--the human exchange of information and knowledge--within the architectural structure of the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee wrote of the opportunities for free, global communication, which are offered by such forums as PeaceNext.
      Given a forum, concrete actions are the next steps necessary to give Compassion a firm foundation.  So, what actions?  Where do I give my voice to compassion???
      The Charter for Compassion offers a wellspring of opportunity.
      The Charter is distinct from PeaceNext.  The Charter for Compassion sets forth commonsense principles to commit yourself to--to make yourself accountable to others.  The Charter for Compassion offers the space, where you may commit yourself to intentions of compassion not listed.
     In my humble opinion PeaceNext, and  The Charter for Compassion are the World Wide Web at its very best.
     Commit yourself to Compassion.