Courageous Civility Keynote

At a time when hostility feels like strength, I shared this civility keynote message with global changemakers at the 2025 Compassionate Action Conference: real strength is courageous civility—compassion in action. 🎥 WATCH (15 min).

And let’s be clear—civility isn’t a luxury for better times. It’s the muscle of democracy. When it atrophies, governance collapses.

During this conference organized by the the Charter for Compassion and attended by thousands from around the world, I shared lessons from history—from Socrates and the Athenian oath, to King and Mandela—leaders who showed us that compassion isn’t weakness; it’s the fiercest kind of strength. They remind us that even when we are hurt, angry, or afraid, we don’t have to become what we oppose.

For civic leaders and citizens alike, here’s the takeaway:

If we want to renew democracy, we have to rebuild civic culture.

That starts with how we treat each other—not just in theory, but in council chambers, boardrooms, classrooms, and neighborhood disputes.

We don’t need more contempt. We need more light, more courage, more outspokenness, more understanding, more cooperation, more dignity and more justice.

🎥Watch the keynote.

➡️Share it with your local Council and/or Board.

➡️Use it to start a conversation in your community.

➡️ Join the Cultivating Civility Masterclass for Civic Leaders.

Because civility won’t save us on its own—but without it, we’re lost.

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To learn more about the Charter for Compassion, visit https://charterforcompassion.org/

Join hundreds of Compassionate Communities around the world here.