THE NECESSARY HUMAN REVOLUTION

Nonviolence, freedom, reconciliation: foundations of the new civilization

Presentation

In the course of history, the Human Being has been the protagonist of countless revolutions in all fields: non-linear, evolutionary leaps that took place in moments when existing social organization and values became unable to fulfill the needs of the ever growing human groups. The whole world is going now through one such moment. Revolution has become a central issue. From all latitudes the clamor for deep transformation is heard, and experiences of renewal explore possible futures.

While violence in all its expressions - physical, economic, racial, religious, gender-focused, psychological and moral - keeps spreading pain and suffering, a new sensibility is emerging that affirms compassion, freedom, diversity as a value, creativity, convergence and environmental awareness.

This sensibility is centered on the wellbeing and evolution of the Human Being , and embraces nonviolence both as methodology of action and as lifestyle.

Today we are facing a clear-cut choice. Either we let ourselves drift along the mechanics of events, with the prospective escalation of absurdity and destruction, or we may give a new intentional meaning to developments affirming the possibility of building a nonviolent interpersonal and social context. This choice will necessarily make us reflect on the nature of humankind’s consciousness -which is both active and intentional- so as to decide whether we choose determinism or freedom, retaliation or reconciliation, dehumanization or humanization, conservation or revolution

The term “revolution” has long been abused and censored by opinion formers at the service of power. We advocate the necessity of a social revolution that will significantly change people’s life conditions, a political revolution that will redesign the current structure of power, a cultural revolution that will celebrate diversity and converge towards a new set of values -with the Human Being as the central value -, an interpersonal revolution that will give rise to new ways of relating to one another, a spiritual revolution that will widen the horizon of a renewed reflection about the meaning of life.

The global revolution we envisage -nonviolent, - inclusive, open, searching for our common points - is already alive in the hearts, the imagination and the actions of individuals and groups. We, human-beings-in-transformation, are its protagonists.

The V International Symposium of the World Centre of Humanist Studies invites us to think, exchange opinions and visions, and share our experiences about this urgent and necessary revolution.

A revolution that, given its purpose and protagonists, we may well call “THE NECESSARY HUMAN REVOLUTION”.