A group of our "society heavyweights" have awarded a well meaning person a wish...and that wish is to start a website, and hopefully a world wide movement to do away with hatred and war through following the "golden rule" of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you...

The Charter for Compassion project...springs from a "wish" granted this year to religious scholar Karen Armstrong at a premier Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in California.

"Tedizens" include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin along with other Internet icons as well as celebrities such as Forest Whittaker and Cameron Diaz.

Wishes granted at TED envision ways to better the world and come with a promise that Tedizens will lend their clout and capabilities to making them come true.

Armstrong's wish is to combine universal principles of respect and compassion into a charter based on a "golden rule" she believes is at the core of every major religion.

The Golden Rule essentially calls on people to do unto others as they would have done unto them.

"The chief task of our time is to build a global society where people of all persuasions can live together in peace and harmony," Armstrong said....

article

...so some reflections on this and other such efforts...

Help us create a Charter for Compassion

People of all nations, all faiths, all backgrounds, are invited to contribute.

By recognizing that the Golden Rule is fundamental to all world religions, the Charter for Compassion can inspire people to think differently about religion. This Charter is being created in a collaborative project by people from all over the world. It will be completed in 2009. Use this site to offer language you'd like to see included. Or inspire others by sharing your own story of compassion.

Charter for Compassion home page

The late John Lennon thought the way to peace was to do away with all religion...and nations...and possessions...

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

Yoko Ono has a peace pleading web site that by far predates this current effort by our media elite.

Yoko's site

It is pretty normal for humans to desire peace and tranquility...but some humans are simply sick psychopaths bent on mayhem...and there are, unfortunately, a great number of humans who just can't figure this out.

Before God does whatever God is going to do to wrap this thing up...there is going to remain the sword. One can try to "imagine" it away...or one can attempt to "charter/legislate" it away...and what one will always end up with is a lot of deflated hopes and disappointed expectations.

One cannot imagine away, nor charter away hatred.

The only real hope for the world is Jesus because only Jesus can transform the human heart.

Take a glimpse at all the rage and hatred...then take it to the foot of the cross...and ourselves also...then take a deep breath and stand up against tyranny...regardless the cost.

Tyranny knows no boundary nor appeasement nor solace...but...must bow in the face of free men and women willing to pay all for their freedom...this is the legacy left us by Christ.

The rest is just talk.

xtnyoda, shalomed