A Wondrous Quartet

Women’s International League, May 1, 1922. In the public domain.*

I have often preached on the indispensability of empathy in cooperative human relationships—e.g., here and here and here. But to “make the world a better place,” as so many of us want to do, empathy is not enough. It is also essential to sympathize with individuals and groups treated inhumanely, to feel compassion for the sufferings and misfortunes of others, and to accompany those who are struggling against violence and injustice.

If we ask people with which sex they are most likely to associate these characteristics, my guess is that most of them would say “women.”

Not coincidentally, all four of the indispensables are reflected in the mission statement of the Women’s March on Washington, which led the protest movement against the Trump agenda in January. For example:

“In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore… We practice empathy with the intent to learn about the intersecting identities of each other….[Nonviolence] is a positive force confronting the forces of injustice and utilizes the righteous indignation and spiritual, emotional, and intellectual capabilities of people as the vital force for change and reconciliation…. ”

Wednesday, March 8, is International Women’s Day.  The theme this year is #BeBoldForChange. The organizers of the Women’s March on Washington are staging another series of events for Wednesday—a Day without a Woman action. Please read about the plans for that campaign, and think about how you can express empathy, sympathy, and compassion, and also accompany the protestors in words and spirit even if you will not be actively protesting, as they strive for social justice, human rights, and peace.

To read some suggestions for participation in Wednesday’s events, read this.

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Action Agenda for Recovery of Citizenship and Civility

Protest: Stop Militarism
Protesters hold banner showing support for the St. Petersburg (Florida) for Peace at the March 20, 2010, anti-war protest in Washington, DC. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Rrenner.

by Civility Pilgrim

You ask what we can do beyond the screams, sarcasm, threats, and tears:

  1. I say: Hold mock constitutional conventions in each State to increase awareness of our constitution and the abuses to its inherent virtues and rights. People know nothing about our rights and governance.

Educate! Circulate copies of the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR).  Create community dialogs to inform, inspire, and increase awareness of the rights, responsibilities, and requirements of citizenship.

2. I say: Teach non-violent protest.

3. I say: Remind people of the perilous state of life on Earth in our Anthropocene Era.  Catastrophes are imminent. Extinctions of life, pollution of air, water, and earth are omnipresent.

4.  I say: Preach peace! Educate people about the sources and consequences of war and conflict. There must be a relentless education of the public to stop their romanticist notions of the economic satisfaction, benefits, and comforts from war!

5. I say: Do what you can when you can to communicate empathy, compassion, and courage.

6. I say: Discuss and critique the serious pathology of the USA popular culture: Materialism, consumerism, exploitive capitalism, celebritization, endless competition and violence infatuation.

7. I say: Teach peace and nonviolence as an educational requirement in schools, colleges, and workplaces.  Re-designate schools, colleges, and universities as peace institutions. Require each student to take a course or minor concentration in peace and justice.

8. I say: Elect political leaders who are not beholden to special commercial, professional, and personal interests.

These suggestions are insufficient in isolation, but as a group, as a wave across the land, they can channel energies, inspire ideals, and bring purpose and meaning to life and lives.