“That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Law.
The rest is commentary. Now go and learn.”
—Rabbi Hillel—

The election season turns a bright light on a tarnished process. Reasoned discourse?  Recognize differences and seek a place we can agree? Respect the opponent? Respect the opponent’s followers? Compassion?

Religious writer Karen Armstrong said in an interview with Bill Moyers,

“It is not enough for us in the western democratic tradition simply to seek the truth. We also have to defeat and humiliate our opponents. And that happens in politics. It happens in the law courts. It happens in religious discourse. It happens in the media. It happens in academia. Very different from Socrates, the founder of the rationalist tradition, who when you had dialogues with Socrates, you came thinking that you knew what you were talking about.  Half an hour later, with Socrates, you realized you didn’t know anything at all. And at that moment, says Socrates, your– quest can begin.”

That was 2009.  Not sure we have made progress on “questioning the Buddha.”

With the help of TED organization, Armstrong spearheaded a movement to put the Golden Rule into action worldwide. The Charter for Compassion starts with a reminder

“…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….”

Most of us may not be able to start a worldwide movement, but like a retired couple in Atlantic Beach, Florida, we may be able to start a local ripple for compassion.

We must go beyond words, though. If we say, “love reigns here,” do we live those words. Or do we just love those with whom we agree?  Are we inclusive or exclusive with our compassion?

Tough. And. Worthy.

Video Recommendation of the Week:

For more about community building and sustainability,
look for my new book due out the beginning of 2019. More information to come.

Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

For information about and to order my most-recent book, Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, click here. A few colleges and one state-wide agency have adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.

The paperback price on Amazon is now $14.99 and the Kindle version stands at $5.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts: The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).

My programs and webinars: website (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/what-i-do) and (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/webinars).

Pearson Education publishes my student textbooks for life success—Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? (3^rd edition).

(c) 2018. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.