Seattle: A City For Compassion

The Charter for Compassion has come a long way since Karen Armstrong was first awarded the TED prize in 2008. Since the official unveiling in November 2009, over 46,000 people worldwide have already affirmed the Charter, which aims to bring compassion back to the forefront of morality and humanity. Despite the continued growth and success of the Charter, possibly the most exciting development in its short existence came last month. On Saturday, April 24 2010, Seattle became the first city in the world to sign the Charter for Compassion.

To mark this historic event, the city of Seattle, alongside the Fetzer Institute, Seeds of Compassion, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and the Compassionate Action Network (CAN), organized a day long event titled Compassionate Seattle: It’s Up to Us! The event showcased multiple ways of living and sharing our compassion, and was followed by an evening celebration headlined by Karen Armstrong. The evening celebration included art exhibits, performances by singers, poets and dancers, speeches by politicians, and reflections on Seattle’s history in the compassion movement by Karen Armstrong.
Other highlights from the event included a panel discussion on personal and inter-generational compassion with Ruby Love, Isa D’Arleans, Andy Himes, Deb Grover and Ron Hertel, and opening prayers and meditations led by Interfaith Amigos Sheikh Jamal Rahman, Pastor Don Mackenzie, and Rabbi Ted Falcon.

The event took place at the Center for Spiritual Living in Seattle and was open to the public to attend. Ticket prices ranged from $10-25 for an evening pass or a full day pass with a $10 optional brown bag lunch. For those who were not in the Seattle area for the event, a live webcast was available through the event’s official website.
As part of its affirmation of the Charter, Seattle committed to the 10 Year Campaign for Compassionate Cities. The mayor of Seattle and nine other city council members signed an official proclamation of the campaign’s goals. The proclamation established April and October as compassionate action months in Seattle in which its citizens, government and institutions will work together to apply compassionate solutions and meet the needs of the community.

The city of Seattle is no stranger to promoting compassionate living. In April 2008, Seattle held the Seeds of Compassion gathering. The event gathered tens of thousands of people to explore the relationships, programs and tools that build compassionate communities. The Seeds of Compassion gathering even attracted the Dalai Lama, who gave an inspiring address about how to bring compassion into our lives and communities.

Website: www.seedsofcompassion.org/event/compassionate_seattle.asp

Photos by: Ari Cowan