Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.
Karen Armstrong
Look Into Your Own Heart
Topic: Virtue, Morality, & Ethics
Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.
Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator primarily known for her works on comparative religion. Born in 1944 in Worcestershire, England, she initially joined a Roman Catholic religious order and spent seven years as a nun. This early chapter of her life provided a foundation for her enduring quest to understand spirituality, but it was only after leaving the convent and attending Oxford University that she began to explore the religious traditions of the world. Her experience both within and outside the convent shaped her conviction that faith is deeply intertwined with human history and psychology.
Armstrong has written more than 20 books, including bestsellers like "A History of God" and "The Battle for God." Her writing seeks to illuminate the common threads that run through the world’s major religions, emphasizing the importance of compassion, ethics, and the interconnectedness of all human experience. Armstrong has the rare ability to distill complex religious and historical concepts into language that is both accessible and resonant, making her a sought-after speaker and advisor on matters of faith and interfaith dialogue.
Her impact extends beyond academia and the written word; she is also the creator of the Charter for Compassion, a cooperative effort to restore compassionate thinking and action to the center of moral and religious life. The Charter has received international recognition and serves as a testament to Armstrong’s commitment to bringing a nuanced understanding of faith into everyday life. Through her writings and initiatives, she contributes to the ongoing dialogue about what it means to be a compassionate human being in a diverse and often divisive world.
Charter for Compassion
Turkovich, Marilyn, and Karen Armstrong. “The Charter for Compassion.” Charter for Compassion, charterforcompassion.org/charter. [Karen Armstrong, Charter For Compassion].
Karen Armstrong
Resources
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Karen Armstrong’s Definition of the Golden Rule
But compassion can’t be enacted without first grasping its essence in a way that reclaims it from the realm of abstraction and makes it an actionable quality. Armstrong offers a necessary definition:
“Compassion is aptly summed up in the Golden Rule, which asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else. Compassion can be defined, therefore, as an attitude of principled, consistent altruism….”
–Karen Armstrong [Turkovich, Marilyn, and Karen Armstrong, “The Charter for Compassion”].
The Principle of Compassion
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect. It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others — even our enemies — is a denial of our common humanity….
–The Charter for Compassion [launched in November of 2009].
Additional Karen Armstrong quotes:
“One of the chief tasks of our time must surely be to build a global community in which all peoples can live together in mutual respect; yet religion, which should be making a major contribution, is seen as part of the problem. All faiths insist that compassion is the test of true spirituality and that it brings us into relation with the transcendence we call God, Brahman, Nirvana, or Tao. Each has formulated its own version of what is sometimes called the Golden Rule, “Do not treat others as you would not like them to treat you,” or in its positive form, “Always treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself.” Further, they all insist that you cannot confine your benevolence to your own group; you must have concern for everybody — even your enemies.”
–Karen Armstrong [The Charter for Compassion].