“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural... Continue Reading →
climate justice et the earth charter…
"When we think of climate change, somewhere we try to safeguard our personal interests. But if we talk of climate justice, we spontaneously resolve to keep the poor safe during natural disasters." - Prime Minister Narendra Modi Source... The Earth Charter (conclusion) - The Way Forward As never before in history, common destiny beckons us... Continue Reading →
The Earth Charter - Preamble We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of... Continue Reading →
shared commitment…
“You know what we need to heal are the thought forms and the feelings that cause us to create war and mass destruction on this kind of a level, because ultimately if we are to survive as a species, we have to become a human race for whom the thought of war is unthinkable.” -... Continue Reading →
stress of economic deprivation…
One pressing threat to the dignity of far too many people in our world today is poverty. The pervasive stress of economic deprivation is compounded when people feel that their very existence is disregarded, becoming alienated and being deprived of a meaningful role and place within society. This underlies the need for a socially inclusive... Continue Reading →
extreme power imbalance…
[…] There is also social and cultural poverty, which prevents people from realizing their full potential. Social poverty is the absence of social services and opportunities for education, as well as a lack of information and infrastructure that would help people better develop their economic activities. Another major issue is the absence of government policies... Continue Reading →
eternal peace is not a static condition…
"Whether we can become good citizens of the world hinges upon the degree of self-control we achieve. It is, after all, the ability to see ourselves penetratingly that enables us to transcend national boundaries and ethnic barriers. Eternal peace is not a static condition but a continuum that is consciously maintained through the interaction of... Continue Reading →
lies and prejudices promote war…
Over 70 years ago, British diplomat Lord Arthur Ponsonby (1871--1946) wrote in his book Falsehood in Wartime about the perennial propaganda claims of wartime leaders. Belgian historian Anne Morelli has recently shed fresh light on Ponsonby's analysis, distilling his findings on wartime propaganda into 10 principles as follows: 1. We do not want war; 2. ... Continue Reading →
ask the women and children…
There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child.” - Frank A. Clark *** “When men talk about defense, they always claim to be protecting women and children, but they never ask the women and children what they think” - Pat Schroede
mother-child relationship is paradoxical…
The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent.” - Erich Fromm
children by nature are keen…
Children, by nature, are keen, passionate and curious. What was referred to as laziness is often merely an awakening of sensitivity, a psychological inability to submit to certain absurd duties, and a natural result of the distorted, unbalanced education given to them. This laziness, which leads to an insuperable reluctance to learn, is, contrary to... Continue Reading →