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UPF-Germany Biennial Gathering Addresses Societal Challenges
Written by Fritz Piepenburg, UPF-Germany
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Stuttgart, Germany - The cost-effectiveness of various types of conferences was one of the issues addressed at UPF-Germany’s biennial gathering. As Secretary General Karl-Christian Hausmann started the meeting with an overview of the past two years’ activities, he recalled a European Leadership Conference of November 2012 at which all the papers delivered were published in book form. However, this type of conference incurs a great deal of expense. Because UPF-Germany is financed solely by membership fees and donations, Mr. Hausmann suggested that only one-day conferences be organized in the future, possibly in cooperation with the UPF chapters of other German-speaking nations.
Other issues brought up at the meeting, which took place in Stuttgart on July 6, 2013, were:
1. The challenges posed by the increasing secularization of society
Combined with a progressive loss of values, this is one of the biggest challenges faced by society. Although communism may have lost power on the state level, its ideas live on, subtly inducing an anti-religious sentiment. It is hard to talk about God, not only in public but also in private. Judging from the mass media, religion is seen as more of a problem than a solution to societal challenges.
The “Five Principles of Peace” postulated by UPF start with putting God at the center. However, this needs much more elaboration. Certainly UPF does not advocate any form of theocracy. Possibly the teachings of CAUSA International, a UPF sister organization, could be used to formulate a concept of governance based on belief in God.
2. The challenge of integration
There is a much echoed demand for the integration of foreigners into German society: “Unity in diversity.” However, what is the meaning of “German culture”? Where is the foundation for unity? Without a common base, integration is hardly possible.
3. The role of the family in society
In Germany and other industrialized countries the role of the family has changed. Spouses are no longer financially dependent on each other and can easily split. However, for children, especially young ones, divorce has many negative effects. Furthermore the family, as the basic unit of society, is directly connected to the well-being of society at large. These contributions need to be analyzed in order to give the family the value it deserves.
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