Becoming a "Compassionate City"

The Compassionate Action Network (CAN) is a network of self-organizing groups who share a common vision for a compassionate world. The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education and CAN were both partner organizations of the Charter for Compassion.

Seattle may soon become the first city in the world declared a “City of Compassion.”

The 10 Year Campaign for Compassionate Cities, a new project led by the Compassionate Action Network (CAN), is encouraging mayors across the globe to affirm the Charter for Compassion.

The Charter for Compassion is a call to bring together the voices from all cultures and spiritual/faith communities to remind the world that we all share the core principle of compassion. It's a return to the golden rule of 'do unto others as you would have them do to you'. Karen Armstrong presented the Charter at last September's Vancouver Peace Summit, organized by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.

Mayors are one of the most influential change agents in the world as they define and announce the agenda for their cities, have resources to invest, and connect the local grassroots with the national and global levels.

Leading off the Compassionate Cities campaign in the Pacific Northwest, CAN has asked Seattle’s Mayor Michael McGinn to affirm the Charter for Compassion if 1,000 residents join the campaign by March 15.

Seattle would become the first Compassionate City in the world and would “recognize compassion as an ethical imperative in its policies affecting human services” and “deepen the quality and the extent to which its citizens embrace compassionate action in caring for its own neighbors.”

To help Seattle embrace compassion, you can join the campaign at The Point. If you’re already on Facebook, joining the campaign is simply a matter of signing into your Facebook account on The Point web site.

Stay tuned for more information about developments in Vancouver and how you can participate!