A Civilisational Dialogue Perspective for a Global Family

Abstract

Surely we live in the most exciting, fascinating and challenging, if also the most complex, frightening and confusing time in human history. Even the most affluent and comfortable people in the world now face the sudden confluence of the biggest global crises ever-in energy, finance and global warming, not to mention the continuing crises of poverty, war, ecosystem destruction, air, water and soil pollution, etc. As these great global crises converge upon us with terrifying speed and impact, we seem to be numbed to the staggering amounts of new money printed for government bailouts of banks and businesses in the West while public debt and unemployment soar. In the East we fear the loss of newly found wealth and newly created or entered markets. Everywhere we are paralyzed by the dire warnings of scientists about desertification, temperature and sea level rise that governments are reluctant to address, along with the enormous waste of massive resources in many places on warfare.