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SPIRITUALITY
AND GLOBALISATION
Visions
of a different type of social organisation
by
Wolfgang Fischer
(download
pdf.file)
(german
) ( spanish)
Photographs of space
travel present our planet as a brillant jewel in the nightly
black darkness of the universe. Some of the international
astronauts admitted a deeply felt love and affection in
respect to that precious and fragile seeming, bright blue
globe in the midst of the infinite black cold and silence.
Their pictures, impressions and feelings helped us to
understand earth as the living organism GAIA.
Political conceptions,
which still are based on out-dated patriarchal education, in
consideration of all the dangers for us and future
generations which cannot be put aside any longer do call for
a global eco-management. The notion of spaceship earth with
„systems" which have to be maintained and looked after
in order to continue the flight, proves a still deeply
rooted conception of humans being actors and adjusters, not
perceiving themselves as being immanent part of the
spaceship itself, but as somebody, who has to regulate and
control nature. A consciousness for regarding mankind itself
as being the great disturber on this planet, is not yet
present in major parts of the civilized world. Indigenous
peoples are fully aware about their complete dependence on
nature, anyhow they often do live accordingly. They know and
always knew that nature is perfectly providing for itself.
Nature for these humans has the divine dimension of
perfection and abundance.
If we want to overcome
incompleteness, illness and scarcity, for us - who are
living in the centers of the metropoles - this means we have
to learn to disturb nature as little as possible and, where
this is unevitable, have to provide for recompensation. That
presupposes that we became acquainted with the
interconnectedness and all-round dependence of nature and
also understand that we are part of this nature.
A responsible policy
causes coherency in a complex and multi-level world. Such a
policy could focus on three principles (1):
regeneration, uni-lateral self-restraint and intercultural
dialogue. »Regeneration would be (quotation from Sachs,
p. 158ff) the appropriate reaction to understanding that
there is no more common ideal of progress and that the
king's path of the development has no goal any more. Instead
we should refer to the different conceptions of ideal
communities which each culture has outlined. Uni-lateral
self-restraint could replace the ideal of growth in mutual
dependence: Each country should regulate its affairs in such
way that economic and ecological problems are not shifted
and prevent other communities from proceeding their own way.
And finally a dialogue between the cultures is demanded. A
peaceful and lasting coexistence will only be possible, if a
readiness for critical self questioning is present in each
culture. Only by a process of constant dialogue and finding
of agreement coherency can develop, without prevailing
uniformity. The utopian strength of universalism is
exhausted, however also new localism again and again has to
focus on world public.« Wolfgang Sachs obviously
recognized the necessity to relate to the global-whole and
concomitantly recognized the necessity for a proportional
complementarity as follow-up of an outdated universalism,
which proved to be too one-sided and therefore not leading
any further, donating coherency.
If we now agree with the
present social condition being unacceptable and if we
respect the fact that our different paths and theories
should at least be focussed on banning violence and
promoting eco-social justice, and if in addition we assume
that a new and future society draft can only evolve by
gathering many facets or mosaic particles of different
origin, and if we finally agree that all past and future
social prescriptions are to be examined concerning their
compatibility referring to actual implementation of
world-wide eco-social welfare, then I do hope, we are also
ready and open for a mental dimension, which accepts a
relation between politics and spirituality. And only if this
mental link is established, a qualitatively different way of
action will make possible peace as well as general
well-being.
Genesis and
politics
In order to regain ability
of politics to act beyond the bare reaction to disasters
which even is presented to us as being without any
alternatives, in order to make possible an actually creative
policy, the notion ‚genesis' related to politics may no
longer appear strange to politically engaged people. It is
not to revive the Biblical story of creation literally, not
at all, yet I would like to draw the attention to a
‚development within a meaningful context'. Neither
Biblical genesis, nor other myths of creation talk about
such an unprofessional patchwork or such a dishonesty, as we
experience it today from our political
participants.
Looking at new physics, at
the same time also at ever-known cosmic conceptions, will
make us attentive to crucial relations, which may no longer
remain unconsidered by daily politics.
Physics - via the theory
of relativity and quantum mechanics with the theory of
superstringers and its resonance patterns, which always
occur in pairs - as well as -, since long has developed a
world view which is coherent to the age-old eastern
conception of dynamic and reciprocal proportionality of
counter-parts like Yin and Yang, which at the same time also
supplement complementary to the whole. In the west, the
region of the Andes, the indigenous population - which was
almost wiped out by colonial forces later on - likewise had
discovered a similar vision of cosmos the union / unity (the
word entity would suggest an immobility which is not) of
complementary contrasts which dynamically complete
themselves to a whole. Quotation (2
, §29, §30, self-translation): »Within these
cosmovision everything rises from a binary equality, in
which there are in principle two different elements, whose
characteristics among others are those of (reciprocal)
proportionality and complementarity. The reality between
actors is always interactive and mutually relating, it is
emotional and dependent on consciousnes. Such a reality is
the opposite of the obscenity of partiality.« Easily to
recognize is the compatibility on principle of this world
view which is delivered from the Inkas and their ancestors
with today's understandings of physics. And just as clearly
it leaps out that a monopolizing and splitting conception of
‚good' here and ‚evil' there is completely
outdated and never was correlated to reality.
Since these age-old
world-conceptions and its relations of life meanwhile are
confirmed by modern science still not at all have been
integrated yet by politics and mainstream understanding,
these still are able to split and terrorize mankind with
their completely groundless categories of ‚good and
evil', of ‚friend and enemy', of either or'. The
revival of fundalmentalism even within those world-cultures,
which have already been touched by enlightenment, requires
further illumination and clarification. Politics need to be
defined by the well-being of the global whole! World economy
cannot develop any longer on the back of the poorest of the
poor and nature! The system-dependent relation between
economics and destruction has to terminate, it has no
future.
If politics further on is
failing to transcend existing borders by starting to examine
and analyze its own historically grown structures and
messages in respect to effects concerning public survival we
will experience a terrible ending. Only by taking back, by
rolling-back all those laws and institutions, which oppose
common good, we can open doors for a social development,
which finally may be called sustainable, because it does no
longer destroy and consume fundations of the future, but on
the contrary maintains and multiplies them: Genesis instead
of nominal growth!
Spirituality now receives
a new quality. A quality beyond traditional saint. A quality
amidst life, amidst daily politics, amidst human relations.
The new dimension of this quality is that neither the old
national borders nor mental borders are limiting factors.
New spirituality receives information not alone from
thinking or from the defaults of historically frozen
developments, the dogmata of church, state or science. This
kind of spirituality scoops from the depths of being, from
the ever-lasting relations of life, from the cosmic essence.
But it is everything but metaphysical - it is
straight real. And it interferes. It does not serve any
institution, no church, no party, no elitist group. It
serves alone understanding and togetherness of all creature
on earth and it does it in equal terms.
Wisdom and Sociocracy
(3)
We turn to the practical
side of spirituality, its political function. We all know
about the erroneous trends and weak points of present
parliamentary systems. Regarding this problem closely, we
can recognize a reason for malfunction of parliamentary
systems until today in the variability of different
situations of interest. Different interests may be regional,
national, financial, dedicated to gain spheres of influence
etc., all of them bear the risk that one interest stands
against the other, one fights the other, one tries to bribe
the other etc. We are used to perceive the contest of
different ideas as being democracy. But this kind of
democratic practice never guarantees correctness or
generally beneficial quality of its decisions. At best it
guarantees the vote for majority's desire, in the worst case
the dictatorship of a 51% majority. Democracies are mostly
based on ‚constitutions'. A kind of Basic Law serves to
be a framework for decisions. This is to prevent that once
gained social or cultural achievements will be abondoned in
situations of special risks or elitist interests.
Nevertheless, despite of
common moral principles and ethics we still suffer from war,
exploitation, racism and other symptoms of social illness.
Related to the war against Iraq democratically elected
governments e.g. in Spain, England and the USA act blatantly
against the intentions of predominant majorities. Obviously
completely autocratical and to a certain extent by
totalitarian means of lie and manipulation the interests of
war-mongers are to be implemented at the expense of world
peace. Related to the debt question the interests of money
still override public interest. How else do we explain
destruction of social prospects of the majority of mankind
while at the same time welfare cuts within the rich world
are being experienced? Where is all the money going to? The
compound interests enslave on broadest front, whereby this
fact is hardly brought up for open discussion. Rather
fundamental social necessities which historically have been
fought for are sacrificed, than alimentation of capital by
compound interest or existence of
military-industrial-complexes are closely scrutinized. These
facts prove the necessity to dare reaching for something new
beyond old conceptions.
We already mentioned the
new dimension, which is to be accomplished. I thereby rely
on all those, who are aware that individual luck and
well-being only can dwell on social luck and well-being,
which again in itself are completely dependent on the
foundations of nature. Such humans overcame since long
patriarchally justified insanity (or they had never been
infected by them), and they never shared the obsession to
shape nature and everything else in accordance with goals
which finally destroy life. These people know we all are one
big global family and we have to maintain global cycles by
mutual and simultaneous service to the ecological context.
The mental condition of these people, their inner
convictions are coherent to the cosmic basic law already
specified.
Knowing about consequences
of their actions for themselves as well as for future
generations these people are not corruptible. At any time in
history such humans existed and some of these courageous
people we know by their names. I have the feeling that
currently the number of such people rises rapidly. When they
communicate, their way of communicating is different to the
normal. They neither want to convince nor override, nor in
any way fight their partners. They communicate themselves
completely open and full of curiosity. Being fully aware
about their common goal and their common origin they are
interested to complete and share their knowledge. They try
to facilitate a broader understanding of world-wide
inter-dependence, they feel responsible.
Contrary to habitual
argumentation with intention of each side to present more
proof of scientific correctness thus forgetting everyday
reality and its needs future argumentation will no longer be
fed and poisened by opposing interests which only are
dedicated to obtain larger influence and greater power on a
global level. Future argumention is not about power or
money. It is not about advantages for one side at the
expense of disadvantages for the other side. Future
argumention only cares for best solutions, solutions, which
unfortunately are not at all yet considered, only because
such solutions do not appear to be appropriate to the
present positions of dominance.
In history such kind of
people, who incorruptibly always focussed on a higher
well-being, often were called wise women or men. Could we
imagine today committees or commissions of wisdom on
different social levels, which concentrate on discussion and
answers to open questions? Committees, which look for best
solutions for global requirements by means of latest
scientific understanding and conscious about a global
responsibility? There could be regional committees, where
people still know each other personally. In addition
continental committees are conceivable, staffed with
well-known personalities of highest integrity. And there
also should be a global council of wisdom, to which
warm-hearted and generally acknowledged women and men are
sent to (see: World
Future Council Initiative
(WFC) ).
What I dream about is a
direct participatory democracy everywhere in the world.
Local decisions are examined by regional councils of wisdom,
to which also open questions can be submitted for discussion
and further evaluation. If these regional committees regard
a necessity for further examination and investigation, such
problems can be submitted to committees on the next higher
level. From this does not result hierarchical structures of
delegation. Decisions for daily life are made on a directly
participatory base where they occur. The councils of wisdom
are interlaced instruments of control of social function and
they always pay attention to ecological integrity in full
consciousness of their responsibility also for future
generations.
To whom the model of
wisdom councils seems too utopian, too fairy-tale alike, the
soziocratic model is recommended (3).
Soziocracy creates‚win - win' situations, decision
finding without winners or losers! In small circles of
consent applies: one participant - one argument, in contrast
to the old-fashioned: one participant - one vote. Within
circles of consent the vote does not occupy the center of
discussion, but arguments, alternatives and free and open
exchange of ideas. The consent of the missing dissenting
vote is reached exclusive by arguments, whereby no argument
is suppressed. Such way an overall higher creativity of
consent rounds is constituated in relation to the mere
voting of regular parliaments. The socially beneficial
quality of consent democracy overcomes the social
stand-still of bare majority democracies with their
disgusting dealing for majorities in the service of mere
domination.
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Sociocratic forms
of organization understand themselves to be organic
structures. Sociocracy regards itself to be an
organism, which manages guidance, action and
evaluation in favour of its individual integrity as
well as its relations and outward dependences
towards the social and ecological range. Up to the
global administration nowhere monomaniac elements
show up such as centralism or hierarchies which
only serve their own interests. Eight different
management levels are sufficient, in order to
arrive from the local range over neighbourhood,
municipality, city, region, nation, continent at a
global level. Each individual should belong at
least to one of those groups. Groups should not be
larger than 30 people, in order to ensure a
personal contact. One leading person is elected,
while the respective superordinate level determines
one person from its circle to be a ‚downward'
connection.
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Such kind of organization
leads to structures of decision-making, which consist of
circles, which are interrelated by double connections. The
consent principle in open rounds of argumentation is the
criterion for a decision. Mystery-mongering and exclusion of
the public have end. Manipulation is senseless. Force or
violence are obsolet. Ideas and decisions serve all
involved. Mutual interdependences are just as naturally
considered as the conditions of nature and environment. Life
overcomes alienation caused by wrong prophets of power and
money. Service at the social whole retains a natural
authenticity and harvests solidarity and peace.
Strengthening Love and
Feeling -
Love, a yardstick of political order?
Let us go back to the
feelings of love, of which even astronauts can be affected
as human cogs in a highly complex technical machinery.
Striking of children we
finally placed under punishment, since we learned that
struck children become again flogging parents. However what
about striking of other nations? When finally do we
consequently outlaw war and violence? Let us denounce the
demon of national-security-guidelines, which pretend to
defend national interests on foreign territories by military
means! Let us stop those who break constitutional law, who
did not learn yet that fruitful relations develop on
confidence and justice and never will grow on threat,
punishment, revenge and injury.
That applies to human
relations as well as to international relations. Why are
weapon dealers judged and pursued not exactly the same way
as criminal drug-dealers? Victims of weapons are still more
defenseless than those of drugs! They are literally torn
from life, while drug users are aware of their risk. Why do
only a few people speak about conversion of weapon industry
to an industry of products, which are helpful to us?
Let us stop to permit
others to play fast and loose with our feelings! Abuse of
public opinion by practice of politicians and mass media in
favor of bellicose goals of capital is not related to
freedom of speech or opinion, such a practice is criminal,
it is to be outlawed as incitement and has to be placed
under punishment! Reminded is here exemplarily to the order
video from Iraqi armed forces who allegedly pulled out
babies from incubators in Kuwait, just to get public at that
time in the proper mood for war.
Where is the difference to
parents, who instigate their children mentally, to tear each
other apart exactly like it is done with combat dogs or
cocks? Which applies to parents as inconceivable, on the
other hand is world-wide reality of animal agitation and
agitation of people. Instead of exclusivlely striving for
creation of peace and confidence-building measures, on
dialogue, instead of looking together for solutions on all
the threats we are facing, today we are more than ever
confronted with elitist efforts of the west, to coerce by
violent force a totalitarian policy on the rest of the
world.
I call upon all humans, to
whom culture, ethics and human values are close to their
hearts, to unite their intellectual forces! Act now! Stop
the mentality of arrogance and mere insanity!
Even the Pope is mistaken
and his thoughts are too superficial as expressed in his
easterly address 2003, if he denounces hate between humans
to be the cause of war. Not hate is the cause of war and
destruction, but it is the insatiable greed of those, who
stoke up hate! It is their chiefly economic interests!
Capitalism in its final
dimension is suicidal! Nobody can eat money! Materialism
does not feed the needs of our life. Machines never can
replace life. The poisoned planet even for the billionaire
and his grandchild is no longer a safe habitat. Escaping to
the stars does not help, there it is ice cold and deadly
quiet.
We recognize the threats
by permanent war to be logical consequences of our economic
system and we place solidarity over greed, co-operation over
controlling and tolerance over being unscrupulous. Let us
share our ideas for a fruitful and alive union of world
peoples and let us stand up peacefully and consistently for
our vision!
Let us co-operate
world-wide, in order to obtain results, which serve us
better than what is offered to us by present policy. Let us
help mutually, internationally as well as interpersonally,
on all levels!
Movements critical towards
corporate globalization already today face our common
challenge and started inventing and trying new forms of
social administration. If they try by means of wise,
sociocratic consent to find the instantly correct decision
in order to realize the best solution, then we all can find
to that kind of hope, which the present policy tending
towards the totalitarian is not capable to offer.
Salvation comes with
constructive coexistence of cultures and an orientation
which is committed on life and public
welfare.
1)
Wolfgang Sachs, Nach uns die Zukunft, der globale
Konflikt um Gerechtigkeit und Ökologie, Brandes
& Apsel, 2002
2) Javier Lajo, Qhápaq Kuna ....
mas alla de la civilización,
unveröffentlichtes Manuskript, Peru 2002
[http://emanzipationhumanum.de/downloads/Capac-Cuna.pdf]
3) Sociocracy:
http://www.sociocracy.biz
see also:
Navigating
towards the Destiny of Human Life - Basics of a Safe
Orientation System,
by Wolfgang Fischer (01.06)
Marianne
Williamson speaking at the National Cathedral, at the
2005 Sacred Circles - Women's Spirituality Conference in
Washington DC. It's a brilliant, powerful and beautiful
speech, if you have 36 minutes, and want to hear
something special, take the time to click this link. This
is a powerful, vibrant, deeply heart-felt and wise
message, spoken out of deep spiritual flame. Are we
gathering new forces, for the transformation of culture?
I would say the answer is yes. http://media.cathedral.org/sc2005_williamson_dsl.wmv
http://mensch-sein.de
Emanzipation
Humanum,
version 6. 2004, translation from german to english by the
author. Criticism, suggestions as to form and content,
dialogue, translation into other languages are all
desired
http://emanzipationhumanum.de/english/spirit.htm
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