Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

"... one small act of kindness can turn a life around."

Karen Armstrong examines the Golden Rule in the major world religions and how that might lead us to becoming more compassionate to others and to ourselves.

"... we fail sometimes to recognise the signs of poverty, loneliness, grief, fear and desolation in our own city, our own village, or our own family. So look at your world anew...."

"A truly compassionate person touches a chord in us that resonates with some of our deepest yearnings. People flock to such people, because they seem to offer a haven of peace in a violent, angry world. This is the ideal to which we aspire and it is not beyond our capacity. But even if we achieve only a fraction of this enlightenment and leave the world marginally better because we have lived in it, our lives will have been worthwhile. "

In 2007, she received a grant from the TED foundation, which she used to launch an inter-faith "Charter for Compassion" (2009) with over 150 partner organisations.

The charter can be found at: https://charterforcompassion.org/