200 Gather In the Name Of 'Compassion' At Discussion Series

About 200 people came together Sunday in the name of compassion for the first of a three-part Trialogue series on compassion at the Islamic Center.

The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice has organized similar events for the past 30 years but this year the need to have more compassion stood out even more. 

The "The Struggle For Compassion" series includes presentations by religious and community leaders. 

For about two hours, people sat to listen and take notes about how they could as individuals be more compassionate.

The series helped participants pinpoint how their religious or cultural backgrounds impact their abilities to be compassionate or accepting of other people's differences.

The next two events will center on having a compassionate dialogue and finally being able to take compassionate action.

The OCCJ started organizing the event about a year ago right at the beginning of the presidential campaign.

Organizers said considering what's going on nationally, it's even more significant now.

"It's been really wonderful, it's great to see how much the city has put into encouraging compassion throughout the city and to see all the people from different religious communities coming together, and demonstrating what we have in common instead of what keeps us apart," said attendee Charles Beard. 

The second part of the series is scheduled for Sunday, February 12. It's open to the public. For more information, visit the OCCJ's website or Facebook page.