Last week, the El Paso City Council unanimously endorsed Compassion 2020 and the Compassion Contract. During the meeting, a high school student leader from Burges High in El Paso spoke on behalf of the Item. Because there is so much worry out in the world, we wanted to share his message and offer hope that our next generation of leaders will lead with compassion.
Hello El Paso Mayor and City Council. My name is Christian Torres from Burges High School. I am currently serving as the district president student representative, representing student leaders in the Texas Association of Student Council’s District IX, which presides over the counties of El Paso, Presidio, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, and Culberson. As a collective, we are for Citizen Discourse’s Compassion 2020 Campaign. Compassion 2020 offers a social contract based on the simple value of compassion. But what does it mean to have compassion? To be compassionate is to empathize with someone who is suffering and to feel the need to reduce this suffering. It is no secret that our country is in a division, and the simple human feeling of empathy and compassion lay the foundations for a respectful society. A society that not only stands up for dignity and respect, but stands up for those who may be put down. In District IX student councils and the city of El Paso, the fundamentals of Compassion 2020 may be a new initiative, but not a new concept. When our city was struck with a vicious act of hatred on August 3rd, we all were compassionate to each other. Although this horrible act was meant to divide us, we all grew respect for one another and grew as one community. Students are the next leaders of our world, and in our student council conferences and gatherings I have seen how the simple acts of empathizing with others’ stories and respecting one’s ideas, and being able to separate ideas from the person help to create a harmonious relationship between students in our city, once again creating a sense of unity. As young leaders, we have seen acts meant to hurt and divide have the opposite effect by bringing people together and fueling our interest in political activism. We have seen the way things are decided and being done and want to make a positive change, and with the Compassion 2020 Campaign we can voice our ideas in a peaceful and unifying manner. By having an initiative set in place in our city, we can make a positive change for respect across our world that creates bridges between ages, genders, and races. This resolution activates empathy across all levels of leadership and can help create a more respectful world for our future. With the Compassion 2020 campaign we can instill values that fuel unity, peace, and respectfulness because compassion for others starts with one and grows to many. Thank you all for your time.
