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The response to the challenges of the 21st century of societal disintegration is not to be found in inter-civilizational “dialogues” but in the operationalisation of the development of a universally shared culture in all societies based on common values and behavioural patterns providing human dignity, freedom from marginalisation and exclusion, humiliation, hatred and consequent intra-societal violence.
Development should make our life more fully human. It should offer us new freedoms, not only more needs. Globalization most fundamentally offers a spiritual and moral opportunity for a broader love. In other words, what is at stake is not just the free circulation of commodities but the horizontal road map: the opportunity offered to all people to live for their family, for their nation, for the world, and for heaven, without restrictions.
At a time when the concentration of world population is reinforcing itself, when relations between men are becoming increasingly narrow, that distances separating countries are diminishing thanks to the technological miracle, it is natural that the question of peaceful coming together of thoughts, in the framework of mutual respect, is of crucial importance. Reason must win over fanaticism among the leaders and cultural actors of the different religions.
During the Cold War, security meant being “against” certain countries. However, the concept of security now should be “with” every nation /state that is a part of each region. This means that we must make efforts to establish trustworthy relations among countries so that peace and stability can be established in the each region on the globe. We must also recognize that security is increasingly complex and multifaceted.
Theme: World Interfaith Harmony Week 2012 Observance at the United Nations
The Council of Europe stated on October 31, 2008: “Diversity should not be perceived as a threat but as a source of enrichment, but can only succeed if based on social cohesion and human rights.”
Today, with the exception of the war in the Balkans in the 1990s which dismembered the former Yugoslavia and created eight new states all aspiring to become EU-member states or having been granted membership status already, it is safe to say that Europe in its 2,000-year history of armed conflicts and wars has never known 65 years of continuous peace as it is enjoying today. In Europe this is a major feat by any standard.
When we look back to where it all began, we see that our own future depends primarily on ourselves. The message is simple and sustainable. The family could not be replaced by any organizational form or community because no one except the family can replace itself. So the question of multiculturalism and how people will live together has a lot to do with the development of the family. Beyond biological and sociological conditions the family always has offered orientation, value and sense of life. It has always been the core of society. Nothing has changed this fact, neither industrialization, nor globalization, nor secularization.
We are confronted more and more by manifestations of a kind of ethno-cultural expansion that could serve a cause for interethnic tension and conflicts. We witness it now in European nations, in Russia and other parts of the world.
To promote sustainable social and economic development in Afghanistan, dialogue needs to take place among opposing factions and commercial and economic ties with neighboring nations need to be established.
To achieve unity in diversity, Europe needs Russia, Russia needs Europe. Russia is an indispensable part of Europe. Russia’s culture has enriched European culture; European culture always had its impact on Russian culture.
Religion remains an effective political tool due to two major reasons. First, the interpretation of religion is subject to innovation and change, which allows it to be accommodated to almost any political, social, or private need. Any scholar of religion also knows that religious traditions transform and change; it is the presumption that religions are ultimate and unchangeable that often makes them useful tools in conflicts between social groups.