The world stands in dire need of compassion: Karen Armstrong

In all countries where the Charter of Compassion is being implemented, Pakistan is among the top ones.

This was disclosed by former nun Sister Karen Armstrong, the originator of the Charter of Compassion, while delivering a lecture titled, ‘The need for compassion in a fractured world’, at the Aga Khan University Medical College auditorium on Monday afternoon.

As part of this implementation, she said, university students would be coming to teach children from underprivileged backgrounds and helping them tide over their problems in Karachi. In her highly profound and thought-provoking talk, she said, “Compassion is all about equality. It implies feeling with the other. It means putting yourself in the other’s shoes. Do not impose on others what you desire.”

As A prime example of the lack of compassion, she cited the overly authoritarian policies of US President Donald Trump towards other countries or the renewed Pakistan-India tensions. She also cited violence that was occurring in various corners of the world, especially Palestine.

Armstrong, a former Roman Catholic nun, said that she grew very critical of religion till she realised that compassion was the hallmark of faith. “God, the Omnipotent, cannot be confined to any one creed,” she said, adding that all rivers flow into one single sea. Similarly all different religions lead to the one and only God, the only supreme deity. She said all religions led one to the same source, God Almighty.

To stress the indispensable importance of compassion, she quoted a biblical verse from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” The Charter of Compassion, she said, contained elements of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Again, quoting Jesus Christ, she said, “Jesus said, ‘love another’.” She said Christ meant, be loyal to one another; come to the aid of the troubled. “Go forth and heal the pain of the world. We should see pain as a window of opportunity, for that would bring out the noble aspect of human nature and make the world a more beautiful place,” she said.

She said, “We are all addicted to our hate and passions. Hence all the more need for compassion.” Today, she said, we were inextricably linked through innovations and inventions like the worldwide web. This, she said, provided us a golden opportunity to spread compassion.

Earlier, Amin Hashwani, while welcoming Sister Armstrong, said that today compassion was a far cry what with the inequitable globalisation, international bickering, global economic inequality and the yawning rich-poor gap.

Sister Armstrong’s touching and thought-provoking talk was followed by an animated question-answer session, reflective of the keen participation of the audience and the profound effect it had on them.