Children understand more than they articulate

“We underestimate our kids all the time, about what they hear and what they understand, based on what they can articulate.” At Mama Be Good, Brenda Rothman shares her child Jack’s understanding of a woman forced to give up her seat on a plane because the gate agent and a flight attendant insisted that her wheelchair “wouldn’t fit.”

‘Platinum Rule’ requires perspective-taking

I’ve been thinking about the “Platinum Rule,” ever since a religious educator wrote about it on her blog.

‘Platinum Rule’ and measuring stick for ‘normal’

Among links shared with readers as Religious Explorations administrative coordinator for a Unitarian Universalist church, here’s a thought-provoking post from DRESara at The Children’s Chalice. She identifies a flaw in the Golden Rule, that it “presumes that I can use myself as the measuring stick for ‘normal.’” DRESara suggests that instead, people observe the “Platinum Rule,” to “Treat others the way they would like to be treated.”

‘Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life’ by Karen Armstrong

In Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, Karen Armstrong relates how she asked the nonprofit group Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) to help her create a Charter for Compassion that would be written by leading thinkers from a variety of faiths.

“Thousands of people from all over the world contributed to a draft charter on a multilingual website in Hebrew, Arabic, Urdu, Spanish, and English; their comments were presented to the Council of Conscience, a group of notable individuals from six faith traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism) who met in Switzerland in February 2009 to compose the final version.”

Fiction enhances readers’ empathy

Scientists have demonstrated the short-term effects of reading on people’s social abilities. As reported on NPR: people did better on a test of social perception, “Reading the Mind in the Eyes,” after reading from literary fiction than people who were assigned to read from non-fiction or popular fiction books.

Armstrong’s ‘Twelve Steps’ is timely read

What moment can be more exciting to an aspiring librarian than the arrival of an order of books, particularly when a title in the selection has direct bearing on contemporary happenings.

Upon learning about the Charter for Compassion, I was determined to secure Karen Armstrong’s book, “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life,” for my small church lending library. Its emphasis upon the Golden Rule made it a valuable resource for nearly every religious faith and local interest in a Lake County charter gave it special timeliness and relevance.

Armstrong, a religious scholar, is author of many books including “A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam” and “The Case for God.”

All ‘needs’ are not equal

My husband and I spent this Sunday at a workshop on “Nonviolent Communication,” a technique that was developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg.