By Marilena Bekierz
Last week I attended the Givat Haviva Conference on Shared Society, with fascinating presentations and discussions.
One quote from a speaker really struck me. He said, “we will not build our own identity by excluding others”. Even though he was certainly referring to the critical political situation of two nations living together in one country, this can also be applied to sustainability.
Let me explain: Our work of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development focuses on how we, as humanity, all share one earth. And so, I thought, a ‘shared society ‘also means living in a shared space together, which includes all human beings living on this planet, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or culture. In order to do that, people of faith who live in this land– Christians, Muslims, and Jews– need to look deeply into their traditions to learn how to share with someone who is “other”.
One crucial, yet often underestimated aspect needed to achieve this ‘shared society’ is: education. Education is closely linked to promoting a more humane and sustainable world, and equality in education– for women and girls, for people of different ethnicities, etc.– is a key value to those who seek an equitable society.
In effect, the conflict that was addressed and discussed at the Givat Haviva conference shows that by promoting interfaith dialogue the idea of sustainability can be nurtured and ultimately realized. Especially if, as an interfaith practice we all turn to our faiths which each define us human beings as a creation of God put here to guard and preserve life.
With no exception, and including all human beings, animals and plants, we must see the “other” as that which our own survival in dependant upon. And that understanding could be a catalyst to establish peace between antagonized parties and promote faith for individuals who regard themselves as not religious.
I recently attended a second conference, Jerusalem as a Culturally Competant City, organized by the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and the Jerusalem Foundation. During the conference, different organisations and speakers of various religions of Jerusalem presented their initiatives and projects (youth groups, NGO’s, municipality staff, citizens, international guest speakers), all focused on to strengthening a diverse society within the pluralistic city and country that is Jerusalem and Israel. One presenter reminded us that culture is created by people, not the other way around. A country consists of many people and draws its strength from its diversity. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” As people striving for a thriving, sustainable, and tolerant society, let us extend our compassion and concern to all human beings and all sentient beings on this planet.
* Featured image source
