Talking compassion

While a younger man, the congregation to which I'd been appointed had embarked on a capital campaign to renovate a historic structure on our church campus and to build a visitors center.

My role, as senior pastor, was to be chief cheerleader and fundraiser for the two-pronged project.

I approached a parishioner close in age to mine and asked for his support.

His reply was memorable.

"I want to know what 'the old heads' of the congregation think before making up my mind," he said.

"They've seen everything. If they're for this, then likely I will be as well," he said.

Rev. Mel West fits the bill of an "old head."

West is a retired pastor living in Columbia, Missouri. He's 99. It goes without saying a man of his years has seen a lot.

West was already in his 30s when two words, "under God," were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.

Today, the almost-centenarian wants to add a single word to the 31 words of the well-known declaration which has been unchanged since the Eisenhower administration.

Here's the amended pledge West is advocating.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, justice and compassion for all.

West's argument for the change, as told to umnews.org, a publishing organ of the United Methodist Church, is presented below. It is offered to you, dear reader, without any commentary from me.

I encourage you to respond below as this newspaper has long invited responses from its subscribers.

West's words are excerpted and gently paraphrased for reasons of space.

"In my 99 years of living, I have never seen our country so completely splintered and so downright mean in its discourse. The growth of social media has added tinder to a fire already burning. The two major forces of politics and religion are both embedded in the problem. Families sometimes hesitate to hold a family gathering, and some school boards have asked armed police to be present at their meetings for safety and security. My lifelong denomination, the United Methodist Church, is in worldwide disarray and confusion over LGBTQ issues.

"I suggest adding the word compassion to our flag pledge would implant a spirit, an attitude and an action into the hearts and minds of all who recite it. Millions of schoolchildren would recite the prayer each morning as I did 90 years and more ago. Teachers would begin to explain the new word and relate it to classroom and playground issues. Parents would become learners with their children. Service clubs and others would weekly ponder the added word and how it might relate to daily life.

"The Dalai Lama has written, 'Our basic nature is compassionate. The problem is children go to schools where they are not taught to nurture these deeper human values, so their basic human potential becomes dormant. When we relate to others from a place of compassion, it goes to the first level, the human level, not the secondary level of difference. Then you can even have compassion for an enemy.'

"Author Karen Armstrong said the Golden Rule teaches compassion (and) Methodist founder John Wesley wrote of the necessity to show compassion if we wish to experience God's compassion.

"Imagine a community, a nation, a world, where compassion in both creed and deed is the norm of living. Let's officially insert 'compassion' in our flag pledge."