A while ago I tentatively broached the subject of what I saw as the link between terrorism and our materialistic lifestyle. What prompted this was my fascination with the simple phrase “Live more simply, so that others may simply live.” So, I suggested in the article that maybe living and working in a way that was more sustainable might be some kind of antidote to terrorism – a way to even out the balance between rich and poor and the tension and resentments that are fuelled by the widening gap between those who have those who have not.
In this inspiring and challenging talk, Karen Armstrong, a writer and commentator on religion, explains her wish for a Charter for Compassion.
There is the possibility, as she sees it, for religion to become a force for harmony, through the widespread re-adoption of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is a teaching that is central to all religions – do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you. The Golden Rule is fundamentally about compassion – our ability to feel with the other, to “de-throne ourselves and put someone else at the centre of our lives” as she expresses it. Compassion, not conflict, she explains, is a route to happiness and harmony.
For me, “living more simply so that others may simply live” is a way to modify our behaviour every day in the recognition that there are others in the world who desperately need us to do so, just to survive.
This site seeks to explore the heart and soul of downshifting to a more sustainable, ethical and holistic way of living and working, in keeping with the needs of the planet, humanity as a whole and ourselves as individuals. 
I’m a huge fan of Karen Armstrong. If you haven’t already, you should read her autobiography The Spiral Staircase. What an interesting woman.
I wasn’t aware of her autobiography, Tess. Will look out for that.