360DigitalInfluence

Can a concept with nothing new about it - doing unto others as you would have them do to you - be shareworthy?  Can we make the pursuit of understanding “the other” and acting with that knowledge an idea that spreads from person to person?  We know social media is amazing for brief, instant flares of information, but what role can it play in something as fundamental and long-term as behaving compassionately?  These are some of the questions that have been occupying Ogilvy teams around the world as we approach the November 12 launch of the TED Prize project granting Karen Armstrong’s wish to change the world: the Charter For Compassion.

Based in study of the persistence of the Golden Rule across all religions and moral codes, the idea for the charter was born – a document to put compassion back at the center of religious and political life. The way it charter itself has come to be was on the back of social technology – soliciting input from around the globe using Kluster decision technology. The submissions from more than 100 countries were then reviewed by spiritual leaders from around the globe, and they then finalized the Charter.

The 360 Digital Influence team’s role in the project has been designing a way that this brief, but powerful co-created document will make its way around the world and inspire not just nodding approval, but serve as a call to affirm its contents and act compassionately. While we have been carefully planning to make the most of our network and tools (rolling out in the next 10 days on the site and Facebook group), we continue to be amazed by the creative efforts of those who have created their own ways to spark others to action.  It is some of these developments that make us think that Compassion may indeed be viral.  Check out the sample events on the site inspired by the Charter release or this video - created by Saravanan Sahadevan in Malaysia on the topic.

Charter For Compassion - Malaysian Chapter from Saravanan Sahadevan on Vimeo.

So, can compassion “go viral”?  In small ways, it already may be doing so.  The challenge will lie in effecting change in the long term.  A video of a skateboarding dog requires a few seconds of your time, to live compassionately and pursue understanding of those around you is a constant pursuit.  It is our hope that we’ll see social media being a powerful tool to both spread understanding and serve as a persistent reminder of the decision to travel a compassionate road.

<as referred to in this post, the TED Prize project the Charter for Compassion is an Ogilvy client>