Is it a call to action?

Does the Companion Flag stand for a specific issue, belief, or cause? Is it a call to action (or inaction)?

No. This is very important. The success of the Companion Flag, in terms of its adoption and use, will depend upon universal acceptance and recognition of this most important characteristic.

The Companion Flag does not stand for anything that is not done, held, known, or experienced in common by human beings. Thus, it does not represent any specific issue, belief, or cause. This is true no matter how critical the particular issue, belief, or cause may seem, or how heartfelt the convictions of those who embrace, or oppose, it are.

A particular political viewpoint, for example (as opposed to the fact that all human beings live under, and are affected by, various political viewpoints); a particular religious or spiritual belief (as opposed to the fact that most human beings live under, and are affected by, a variety of religious and spiritual beliefs); a particular world view; a particular "answer" to a moral or ethical dilemma; a particular social or economic philosophy; a particular belief as to the justification for war, or the need for peace -- these are not beliefs held in common by human beings throughout the world. As important as they may be -- indeed, some people would say they are among the most important of all considerations -- they are still part of what separates us. They do not come within the definition of what is represented by the Companion Flag

The Companion Flag can never be seen to represent one side or another in an on-going conflict, controversy, or debate; it does not show the way when human differences collide. That which is not done, held, known, or experienced in common by human beings, notwithstanding their differences, is simply beyond its scope.

The experience of being male, for example, like the experience of being female, is not shared by all human beings. Neither sex is represented by the Companion Flag to the exclusion of the other. What is represented is the experience of being male or female in the larger context of humanity -- and all of the shared experiences of human being, regardless of sexual form, are represented.

The decision whether to resort to war or violence is another example. This is one of the most troubling of all human dilemmas.

Questions What is it? What does it stand for? Why would we want it? What are some examples? Is it a call to action? How is it displayed? Why is it white?	Is it a call to action?
	Does the Companion Flag stand for a specific issue, belief, or cause? Is it a call to action (or inaction)? No. This is very important. The success of the Companion Flag, in terms of its adoption and use, will depend upon universal acceptance and recognition of this most important characteristic. The Companion Flag does not stand for anything that is not done, held, known, or experienced in common by human beings. Thus, it does not represent any specific issue, belief, or cause. This is true no matter how critical the particular issue, belief, or cause may seem, or how heartfelt the convictions of those who embrace, or oppose, it are. A particular political viewpoint, for example (as opposed to the fact that all human beings live under, and are affected by, various political viewpoints); a particular religious or spiritual belief (as opposed to the fact that most human beings live under, and are affected by, a variety of religious and spiritual beliefs); a particular world view; a particular "answer" to a moral or ethical dilemma; a particular social or economic philosophy; a particular belief as to the justification for war, or the need for peace -- these are not beliefs held in common by human beings throughout the world. As important as they may be -- indeed, some people would say they are among the most important of all considerations -- they are still part of what separates us. They do not come within the definition of what is represented by the Companion Flag The Companion Flag can never be seen to represent one side or another in an on-going conflict, controversy, or debate; it does not show the way when human differences collide. That which is not done, held, known, or experienced in common by human beings, notwithstanding their differences, is simply beyond its scope. The experience of being male, for example, like the experience of being female, is not shared by all human beings. Neither sex is represented by the Companion Flag to the exclusion of the other. What is represented is the experience of being male or female in the larger context of humanity -- and all of the shared experiences of human being, regardless of sexual form, are represented. The decision whether to resort to war or violence is another example. This is one of the most troubling of all human dilemmas.	Philosophers, religious leaders, educators, judges, and politicians of every stripe have weighed in on the issue since time immemorial. It would be false of this writer to conceal his hope that the Companion Flag -- once adopted -- will make the world a more peaceful, more compassionate place; but, if this were to occur, it would result, not from people being told what to do, or think, but from a heightened and enlivened sense of their common humanity. The Companion Flag is not a peace flag, or an anti-war flag. Pacifism is not a belief held in common by human beings, no more than ardent militarism is. By the same token, it should be obvious that the Companion Flag is not a war flag either -- although, if adopted, it would be carried into war by each side as a companion to the flags which mark their differences and separation. There is no philosophy of sameness; there is only the fact of sameness, and its inevitable effect on our minds and hearts: compassion, and a tendency towards greater understanding. The idea behind the Companion Flag is that the fact of our common humanity, by itself, is a matter of sufficient importance to justify a permanent and conspicuous symbol -- something tangible to confirm and remind us all, and especially our children, and all the world’s future generations, that, in addition to our very visible and sometimes problematic differences, we, as human beings, are informed by a vast matrix of shared feelings, behaviors, experiences, and knowledge. To symbolize that bond, we have chosen a simple, white flag, with a single band of color across the top -- an unpretentious banner to join and balance-out (without diminishing) those symbols which we have used for centuries to proclaim and celebrate our affiliations and allegiances, our differences and separation. To that end, the Companion Flag stands for the idea that, indeed, our common humanity is important, and is something worth recognizing. But, beyond that, it does not stand for any issue or cause, and it is not a call to action (or inaction). Remember always, the Companion Flag stands for everything that is done, held, known, or experienced in common by human beings, notwithstanding their differences. That there are, have been, and always will be important differences among human beings throughout the world, and even in the same cities, towns, and villages, is beyond question. The Companion Flag does not speak to those differences. It is not meant to down-play or diminish them, nor dampen the pride or satisfaction which any person, or any group of people (be it a nation, a race, or any other affiliated group), might justly feel on account of their uniqueness and difference from others.
		How is it displayed?