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Notes from the
Post-Slovenia Gathering held in the Research Center
for the 21st Century - Cambridge, MA 13 January 1996
The gathering was convened by eight participants in
the United Nation's Seminar on Ethical and Spiritual
Dimensions of Social Progress. [The seminar was held
in Bled, Slovenia, October 1994, as a part of the preparations
for the Social Summit convened by the United Nations
in Copenhagen in 1995.] Twenty two persons representing
diverse sectors of society and/or academic disciplines
attended this post-Slovenia gathering in Cambridge.
The
purpose of the meeting was to explore critical, political-economic
and social issues from a standpoint that assumes an
inherent spiritual dimension and ethical imperative
in human nature. This dimension takes account of the
heart and spirit of humanity, those elements that drive
people to care for others and to appreciate beauty and
knowledge for their own sake. At the same time, it has
practical political relevance for resolving the social
crises confronting humanity.
To
this end, participants combined the empirical viewpoint
that commonly prevails in discussions on these topics
with a philosophical perspective. Such holistic sweep
penetrates the purposes and appearances of modernity
in the global village and uncovers the intangibles of
human nature -- idealism, altruism, intuitive wisdom,
and innate dignity. This approach also sheds different
hues of light on the economic distortions that fuel
poverty, purposelessness, alienation, and violence.
Finally, it provides a more universal outlook on ways
to open political economic frontiers by inspiring fresh
ideas, a wider and enriched vision, and hope.
The
following notes summarize the essence of ideas exchanged
at this meeting.
The
Spirit and the Secular
Evoking ethical considerations in political discourse
is not as problematic or ideologically alien to western
political discourse as is the introduction of the notion
of the spirit of humankind. One of the most difficult
subjects to inject in contemporary political discourse
is the relevance of the spiritual dimension of the human
experience. This metaphysical plane of political theory
and philosophy, prevalent in different ways in the classical,
medieval, and romantic periods, virtually vanished from
public discourse in the West, before the end of the
19th century. Present resistance to considering morality
and the spirit of humanity, as a way to enrich the discourse
on political, economic, and social policies, reflects
the centrality of the natural scientific method of inquiry,
a legacy of the Enlightenment. While valuing basic human
rights and freedoms, the enlightenment perspective leaves
the transcendental dimension of spirit outside the realm
of political/economic relevance. Such questions are
the province of religious and philosophic institutions.
In
some western democratic countries, there are institutional
as well as philosophical obstacles to injecting moral
and spiritual considerations in political discourse.
Ultra strict construction of the principle of separation
of church and state is not an insignificant barrier.
In the United States, while retaining its symbolic importance,
the spiritual dimension of humanity is largely dissociated
from the political realities of society. Moreover, judicial
controversy envelopes prayer in schools, nativity scenes
or any religious artifacts in public commons, and physical
healing by means of prayer. In these instances, spirituality
would seem to provoke competition for Atruth@ between
proponents of rival institutional concepts of the transcendental
realm, as well as the legacy of the historical struggle
between the political forces of church and state institutions.
A
great deal of the difficulty also lies in semantics.
There is necessity to find a language to discuss political
implications of the spiritual dimension of human nature
without evoking religious or theological controversy
and without generating the consternation of enlightened
rationalists.
Recognition
of the Aspirit@ in humankind has significance for society
in many ways. It is in honest and humble recourse to
some harmonious, transcendental consciousness or power
that societies may find objective grounds for the elaboration
of ethical and moral norms. Lacking spiritual dimension,
codes of ethics and moral values do not take deep roots
in society. They are nothing more than transient perceptions
of good behavior imposed by the most powerful groups
in society at a point in time. And, human dignity continues
to be measured by the criteria of material well-being
and freedom to exercise political rights. In other words,
an individual=s dignity is to be an entitlement conferred
by society, and people have to be empowered to be human.
Such an approach amounts to rejection of the values
of traditional societies and dignity as inherent in
the individual. Thus, feeds the egotism and the dependency
of the economic haves and have nots, respectively. The
resulting frustration and emptiness give impulse to
various forms of religious fundamentalism.
At
the same time, there is strong demand for a more holistic
base from which to determine the constituents of harmonious
life and social progress. Renowned physicists and scholars,
in recent decades, have dented the seemingly impervious
facade of enlightened material truth. The environment
movement has given credence to the spiritual dimensions
of the universe as reason for caring for the environment.
Vaclav Havel has urged societies to rediscover their
spiritual roots and to live life as if everything one
did was being recorded in the infinite consciousness
that governs Life. President Clinton, while acknowledging
the constitutional separation of church and state, finds
that it should not obviate the spiritual dimension of
humankind as an important factor in society.
There
is also growing interest in philosophies and religions
that do not separate personal achievement from collective
or social harmony, and which recognize the spiritual
dimension as an inherent and fundamental part of life.
Harmony with oneself, with one=s family, with the community,
with the universe, and ultimately, with the infinite
consciousness, constitute radiants in expanding circles
of relationships wherein people develop their human
identity. In countries adhering to time honored religious
legacies, traditional ethical and moral values provide
tenets for social relations. There and elsewhere, questions
of spiritual values are being studiously addressed in
an effort to encourage progress based on common values
in settings of religious pluralism. The ways spiritual
and moral precepts influence political thought in some
countires, both North and South, indicate how they can
benefit policy making in societies seemingly obsessed
with materialism. The good institutions building human
happiness and peace must have an inherent spiritual
dimension to function effectively.
Mediating Institutions,
Spiritual Values, and Entropy
Traditionally, mediating institutions are located between
individuals and large and powerful structures of the
economy and state. The role of these institutions is
to form the individual by instilling values, inspiring
the imagination, and putting checks of responsibility
on freedom. Families, schools, and military and religious
entities are the formal mediating institutions; and,
while authoritarian in nature, as principle sources
of education and discipline they have been vital to
the survival of democratic societies. The theater and
institutions for the arts expand the imagination and
delve into the heart of society. Many informal gathering
places, pubs, clubs, barber shops, and country stores,
offer small mediating forums for encouraging the discipline
of human decency.
Mediating
institutions are responsible for generating the fuels
on which the macro social structures have run. Society
has forgotten that free markets and democratic governments
run on fuels they do not generate. Their virtues and
successes are to be attributed to the ethos of altruism
and integrity, sacrifice, and morality instilled in
the human capital that provide their foundations and
temper their self-destructive excesses. For example,
the endurance of hardship is a source of energy; human
nature is such that hardship leads to productivity.
Productivity inspired by want is, however, not sustainable;
it vanishes once needs and desires have been satisfied.
The process of entropy begins when a sense of entitlement
pervades society. The survival of democratic institutions
depends on continual awareness and civic and moral obligations.
Because of breakdowns in the mediating institutions,
youth have a limited acculturated sense of doing right
or wrong which, in many materially advanced countries,
is now a matter of perception rather than transgression.
When
political, legal, and market institutions consume the
fuels they run on without protecting and encouraging
their production, moral decadence, obsessive acquisitiveness,
and political license proliferate. This phenomenon is
demonstrated in a silent erosion of values among the
middle class. Countless examples of expediency, graft,
cover up, and blatant selfishness among the so-called
civilized classes manifest the extent of the problem.
The
viability of traditional mediating institutions is threatened.
One reason why mediating institutions are much weaker
today is the changing role of women. Women, through
their volunteer labor as heart and soul of families,
hospitals, churches, and communities, were the backbone
of vital mediating institutions. Today, the world is
experiencing a unique period in history; never have
children been separated from their parents so early,
never has this early separation been so widespread.
Thus, the family has, in a sense, dissolved and society
has not found an alternative.
The
military and clergy are two classic institutions that
have taken seriously the notion of ethics and have resisted
the onslaught of modernity. This resistance has lead
to a growing chasm between the military and the rest
of society. Holding to a strong code of ethics within
the military is a matter of life and death. Many students
now entering the military schools and recruits entering
the service do not come prepared to share this strong
sense of ethics. Much time must be spent teaching students
and servicemen basic values such as the importance of
honesty. In a relativist society, the military, with
its inflexible ethical code, amounts to a sort of counter-culture.
But, the military is not immune from breaches of ethics
and morals. Often it seems that there is a contradiction
between what the military expects and what it permits.
Awareness of this problem has stimulated the military
to give renewed impetus to fostering its traditional
ethic of altruism, service, and sacrifice.
The
clergy's separation from society is what permits it
to relate to humankind through the lens of theology.
It has thus observed that society, in attempting to
free itself through secularization, has discovered different,
and perhaps greater ills. While popular secular society
may perceive religion as optimistic and engaged in good
works, the fact is that genuine religious dimension
makes possible the probing of evil and its operations
as a vital step toward progress.
Unlike
the military or the clergy, people in theater are constantly
putting on different costumes and as a result see the
same issue from many different points of view. The theater
is suspicious of the Hegelian state. The abstract concept
of spirit is also mistrusted for it implies something
from above rather than from within. In the theater,
private lives on stage are a metaphor for the public
life of the state. Literature like religion, often explores
the private dark side of human nature. If the dark side
is not explored it is difficult to arrive at any spirituality.
The courageous examination of this dark side is also
a route to progress.
Art
aids in imagining beauty. Fundamental social change
begins with imagining beauty.
Finally,
writers act as important mediators in their role as
cultural interpreters. Dostoevsky, for example, uses
religion to analyze the nature of evil and confront
the depths of humanity.
Economic
Development
The
free market enterprise paradigm commonly equates individual
and collective progress with economic development. In
turn, economic development is equated with consumerism
and its rapid turnover of techniques and goods. Industrialized
free enterprise societies feed on consumerism. Efficiency
and labor saving innovations are handmaidens as well
as indicators of growth. The market system progresses
in waves of fluctuations, gains, and losses measured
by indices of GNP per capita; of combined production,
life expectancy, and literacy [PQLI]; and of purchasing
power†[PPI]. Economic Darwinism, that demands short
product life spans, constant innovation, and increasing
profits, is its ethic. While economic growth is the
way to attaining physical facilities for comfortable
living, accelerating communications, and increasing
universal mobility, the illusiveness of material satisfaction
introduces insatiability. The drives for bigger and
better and more render economic growth an end in itself,
rather than a means to creative fulfillment and the
pure enjoyment of living. Development as an undefined
end in itself steers society on a directionless and
illusionary trajectory careening toward emptiness and
ultimating in chaos once supplies of non renewable and
recyclicable matter fail to meet the general demand.
In
the wake of this ideological and political tide, there
is the growing phenomenon of unemployment and transitory
employment. The recent surge in unemployment among 50
year old American male exemplifies the tendency for
innovation to outstrip the labor force. While these
people may be cushioned economically by the state, little
is done to restore their sense of purpose. Thus, development,
according to the present free market ethos, accompanies
increasing poverty, the loss of self esteem, and the
evaporation of opportunities for satisfaction from creativity.
As
it operates today, the free enterprise market system
is not restrained by the automatic controls and values
Adam Smith embodied in his economic theories. At the
same time, values, such as honesty and trust, are critical
for long term business success. The virtual absence
of these ethics in market transactions fosters legalism,
as in the United States where increasing wealth is siphoned
to attorneys and insurance companies to blunt the impact
of court actions for alleged economic transgressions.
The importance of trust in business explains, a contrario,
extreme cases of some economies, notably in Latin America,
where wealth is very poorly distributed and money by
small groups of people who trust one another.
Finally,
vital economic considerations concern global equity
in making development choices necessary to sustain harmony
in society and between humanity and the natural environment.
Common sense suggests that reversing the course of economic
development, where consumerism has reached a feverish
pitch, is essential for the realization of human fulfillment
and the sustainability of life-supporting resources.
While the developed world has the luxury to ponder a
reverse course, such a measure becomes problematic in
considering the development aspirations of Third World
countries. Given the aggressive global commercialization
of the West=s extravagant material life style, is the
developing world now to be advised to resist economic
growth and, instead, to cling to their time honored
cultures and materially sparse levels of living? And,
the more so, especially in light of the happiness present
material growth seems to bring, for example, to the
people of China? Such questions raise issues of how
to promote economic development that does no harm to
the human spirit. Or, otherwise expressed, is it possible
for people to eschew the development game at a certain
point to enjoy their intellectual, community, and spiritual
life - once they have gotten caught up in the maelstrom
of market development paradigm?
Change
and Progress
Popular belief, fostered by prevalent economic theories,
holds that community services, notably for the weakest
members of society, are not part of economic development
and can even be counterproductive since they divert
resources from the private sector. Contrast is drawn
between a culture of service and culture of growth and
efficiency. Current attacks on public services and public
servants are consistent with this perception. It is,
as if, change, progress, and the satisfaction of human
needs can only come from productive enterprises in the
private sectors. Various manifestations of economic
and social Darwinism are linked to this approach. Thereby
the most efficient individuals, groups, and nations
earn their right to be part of the mainstream.
In
fact, economic growth itself depends on both individual
and community efforts. Both opportunity costs and real
costs are to be considered. Without, for instance, the
services rendered within the family or without the social
relations that hold a community together, individuals
would face great difficulties becoming entrepreneurs.
Moreover, both development of the person and progress
of society require elements of altruism-- gifts of one=s
time, energy, and generosity to the other, and to the
community. Even more serious are the social costs of
poor living conditions and the breakdown of law and
order expressed in political unrest, violence, crime,
and resultant enclave communities. Such conditions are
often by products of short-term business decisions that
take advantage of the powerlessness of poor workers
by keeping wages low and cutting employment opportunities
for the sake of increasing already high profits. Economic
change occurs through the merger of companies and the
emergence of profitable transnational corporations.
Social progress can only be the result of the greater
harmony of individuals with themselves, with others,
and with the universe. Such harmony comes from the discipline
of the spirit in every sector of social life.
The
environment is the most effective lever for tempering
the course of excessive material growth. The environmental
crisis imparts a sense of urgency needed to fuel social
progress. It is a more palpable indicator of impending
catastrophe than the widespread social malaise, however
more XXX generated by the absence of moral rectitude
and the loss of a sense of spirit. The environment testifies
that it is impossible to continue along the present
course of economic growth, and that the developing world
cannot be offered the same type of material development
achieved in the West. Environmental crises force society
to exercise powers of imagination to envisage more beautiful
and satisfying lifestyles without extravagant consumption.
As lifestyles in the North are not sustainable anywhere,
people in the North must face the necessity of cutting
back on their material consumption.
Technology
must be reined in to serve the good life. Run-away technological
progress is dangerous. INTERNET is an example of progress
that can serve society positively only if controlled
to that end. If it runs away from society=s control,
it can be extremely dangerous. For example, it fosters
the virtual reality to which people seem so attracted.
It permits people to adopt multiple personalities. Is
this simply entertainment or does it reflect the inability
of other institutions to fulfill a certain role? There
are many strange opportunities afforded by the INTERNET.
In the global village, while it is possible to exchange
ideas with nearly everyone in every corner of the planet,
face to face contact seems less and less relevant, thus
threatening the very essence of society.
The
power of grass roots organizations to promote social
progress is evident in the surge of volunteer agencies
which serve to achieve results where public institutions
have been unable to respond as required. NGO=s, for
example, are able to express their sincere concerns.
These feelings, however, are often too exclusive. Nevertheless,
the NGOs are creating a vigorous bottom up approach
to problems. But, continuing progress from below is
dependent on social capital which is generated through
education of the general public.
While
changing the course of development would be most challenging,
is it realistic to continue forever on a never ending
path of materialism? Are there other alternatives? Hegel=s
dialectic process of progress offers stimulus for imaginative
reflecting. Instead of thinking about attempting to
go backwards in the development process, might it be
possible that new ideas emerging, as it were, in the
wake of dissatisfaction and fear, might urge societies
on beyond the material stages of post-Marxism and post-Industrialism,
to an age of the dominance of the human spirit? At this
stage, material needs are met at a level adequate to
ensure full biological realization and people are engaged
in creative living and fulfillment in the pursuit of
beauty, knowledge, and harmonious interaction with the
elements of the universe. What prevents entrance into
this neo-golden age-- this era of good will-- is a lack
of imagination and impetus: and, as yet, a limited conception
of how such an era would satisfy inherent human aspirations.
Drafted
by Barbara Baudot with the assistance of Laura Baudot.
February 26, 1996
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of the most difficult subjects to inject in contemporary
political discourse is the relevance of the spiritual
dimension of the human experience." |
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