But perhaps we would be best served by actually going back to the definitions of the words themselves. So...
Compassion (from Latin: "co-suffering") is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.
Highest principles - big claim I know! But actually the key phrase there is '...cornerstone of greater social interconnection...'
Humans are, at heart, a social species. That social instinct may manifest in either competitive or cooperative forms (or sometimes both, just for added confusion). But it is always there. So it should be clear to us that compassion - the empathy and sympathy for others is amongst the most fundamental parts of who we are.
Now sympathy is all well and good as a part of the human condition but, in political terms, it doesn't serve all that much purpose to be honest. Empathy on the hand, is absolutely vital. The ability to understand the needs and feelings of others is central to political life and action.
Reform:
Fairly self explanatory really. So how do we tie the two together.
Put simply we must improve the form of the system and remove its faults - but we must do so without ever forgetting that the system exists by the creation of and for the purposes of humans, with all their attendant faults.
We must strive to understand the needs of the people. Where the DRP does something new here, is that it does this by taking the radical step of actually listening to the people and including them in it! This is true throughout the party but it is perhaps especially true within the CR group.
The people we would look to represent and help have the most need. They need society to help them and it is our moral duty to listen and to act to do so. By including them in this group - along with appropriate experts, advocates and policy makers - we empower them to control their own lives and help each other. Along the way there is benefit to society and so everybody wins!
1 a : to put or change into an improved form or condition
b : to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses
Fairly self explanatory really. So how do we tie the two together.
Put simply we must improve the form of the system and remove its faults - but we must do so without ever forgetting that the system exists by the creation of and for the purposes of humans, with all their attendant faults.
We must strive to understand the needs of the people. Where the DRP does something new here, is that it does this by taking the radical step of actually listening to the people and including them in it! This is true throughout the party but it is perhaps especially true within the CR group.
The people we would look to represent and help have the most need. They need society to help them and it is our moral duty to listen and to act to do so. By including them in this group - along with appropriate experts, advocates and policy makers - we empower them to control their own lives and help each other. Along the way there is benefit to society and so everybody wins!
Simple really isn't it? So why is the DRP the only party doing it?!
Join us, and be a part of the reform.
Well spoken. I'd also add animals too as I think a crucial part of any empathetic action must take account of the rights of animals. Those with the ability to feel emotion can feel pain, so why do we hurt them, or allow them to be hurt? Cameron speaking of happiness and fairness is all very well, but from a party whose actions actually speak of order, wealth and efficiency it's a little hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteI just posted this on the Labour fbook page:
"I don't want to sound overly negative because I like to think that Labour has the makings of a strong, viable alternative. But at present Labour seems to be very much lacking in substance. They're a 'no party', who criticise the Coalition but don't put forward any alternatives; and a party who consistently say "we've got to change", rather than saying "this is how we are changing". Rather than attacking Labour's past performance for allowing benefit fraud, and thus implicitly approving of the Coalition's uncompassionate targeting of the most vulnerable in our society, he [I was referring to Ed Miliband's speech] should do what the Democratic Reform Party is doing and highlight how even right wing Conservatives accept that there's no more than 1% of benefit claimants who act fraudulently, meaning that what can be reclaimed from benefit fraudsters amounts to only 1.25% of what could be claimed from those who avoid and evade tax."
By talking about benefit fraud constantly, and failing to refute the claims of right wing tabloids all the old parties are helping to create scapegoats, and increase hate crimes against those with disabilities, who are increasingly seen as "scroungers" and "benefit cheats" alone.
Robert