Dialogue among Civilisations

Inaugurating the Conference on Dialogue Among Civilisations: Quest for New Perspectives, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that future of mankind is not going to be determined by a conflict among civilisations but humanity’s future will witness a concert or a confluence of civilisation. Excerpts from his speech: ‘Confluence, not conflict will decide future’ The Indian Express Thursday, July 10, 2003

I deem it a great privilege to be invited to inaugurate the two-day New Delhi Conference on Dialogue Among Civilisations. In recent years the concept of Dialogue Among Civilisations has caught the imagination of the political, intellectual and cultural elite around the world. The concept itself is not entirely a novel one. After all, the best minds in world history have always championed the idea of dialogue and cooperation among peoples from different cultural and civilisational backgrounds. The Vedas taught us to accept and assimilate all that is positive and life-promoting from around the world.

Two factors have worked to provide a new context to the concept of Dialogue Among Civilisations. Some years ago, a famous writer put forward a thesis about the coming ‘‘Clash of Civilizations’’. The thesis was, of course, flawed and baseless. Its main fault was that it failed to recognise that civilisations do not — rather, cannot — clash. To be civilised is to abjure clashes and conflicts, and to try to resolve all disputes and contentious issues through dialogue. Civilisations are anchored in a common set of values and ideals, which we all share in our common yearning for human solidarity and in our common aspiration for peace, justice, truth and fellowship. Thus, all civilisations have a civilising influence on human beings.

Here we should not confuse between civilisation and history. Human history is a tale of clashes and conflicts, as well as of peace and progress. This is true about all countries and all continents. In contrast, when we talk of civilisations, we are essentially talking of the self-humanising endeavour of different societies, carried on from generation to generation, through the means of spiritual systems, cultures, art, philosophy, science, agriculture, industry and the daily social activity of ordinary people. Nevertheless, we should thank the worthy writer who predicted the coming ‘‘Clash of Civilizations’’. The provocative title of his book served to catalyse a worldwide debate that vehemently argued to the contrary. The future of mankind is not going to be determined by a Conflict Among Civilisations; rather, as some people have beautifully put it, humanity’s future will witness a Concert or a Confluence of Civilisations. Of course, this will not happen automatically. All of us, and all our coming generations, will have to strive and struggle for it.

As we crossed into a new century and a new millennium three years ago, all of us realised that the world we now live in, and the world that the coming generations will inherit, are fundamentally different from the times past. Trade and technology have broken old barriers between countries and cultures. The world has become a Global Village. Some would like to call it a Global Marketplace. Yet, the present situation presents two paradoxes.

• One is the continuing wide gap between the unmet basic needs of the world’s poor and the more-than-adequately-met wants of the world’s rich.
• The other is the equally troubling imbalance between the current excessive focus on Man as the Consumer of material goods and services, and the colossal neglect of the Integral Man who wishes to become a Complete Human Being.

With all the material progress that we have achieved, we acutely realise that there is something precious — the human element — lacking in this progress. We feel that, with all the technological advancement, we are still less than what we can be, less than what human beings have been created for. We are dreaming of the ideal society, a cooperative collective in which all production is geared for meeting all his human needs — of the body, mind and soul. A society in which man can experience peace within himself and witness peace in the world, both of which are today eluding him. Therefore, troubled by the destruction of the environment and the erosion of traditions, and numbed by the daily news of violence around the world, the Modern Man is searching for answers.

After the horrible wars of the last century, the continuing ethnic clashes in some parts of the world, and the emergence in recent times of terrorism that misuses the name of religion, he is not swayed by claims like — ‘‘My country right or wrong,’’ ‘‘My people the greatest in history,’’ and ‘‘My faith the only faith’’. And his search for answers is taking him to study the essence of his own faith, culture and civilisation, and the faiths, cultures and civilisations of his fellow human beings in a world that he sees is becoming increasingly inter-dependent. It is this intensified search for solutions and solace that is behind this new phenomenon called the Dialogue Among Civilisations. This is a very hopeful sign.

The Dialogue Among Civilisations is a broad enough theme to embrace all the major issues and challenges before mankind today. We need answers on how to create a future without wars and violence; how to achieve sustainable development, so that industrialisation does not become a curse to the environment; how to impart a much-needed cultural dimension to development; how to preserve the artistic wealth of nations, especially of small communities, who are genuinely concerned about the onrush of uniformity in the name of globalisation; and how to advance the cause of human rights, economic justice, gender justice, and a compassionate and caring social order.

It has become equally important to know how our system of education and the mass media can promote positive values in society, especially among children. I believe that we can get the answers to these questions by broadening, deepening and sustaining the Dialogue process. Here I must emphasise that we also need ‘‘The Culture of Dialogue’’ at a national level, so that contentious issues can be resolved amicably through talks. Dialogue is an essential part of democracy. The more a nation can harmonise differences at home, the greater will be its ability to contribute to a dialogue at the international level. India’s longstanding experience and ancient tradition of fostering dialogue among communities, cultures and civilisations is well recognised. This is principally because India has protected people’s freedom of thought and faith.

The meeting points of ancient Trade Routes may lie in other parts of the world, but India has always been a meeting point of Faith Routes. It is a fitting tribute to India’s longstanding tradition of tolerance that the Zoroastrians, a prominent minority community, are holding an exhibition to herald the celebrations of the 3000th Year of Zoroastrianism, to coincide with this Conference. They comprise less than 0.01 per cent of our country’s population. As inheritors of a proud and priceless civilisational legacy ourselves, we in India are prepared to lend our full support to this noble undertaking of Dialogue Among Civilisations.