All of us here at this conference hail from different countries, with different cultures, religions, climates, geographical positions and any number of other variable factors. In some cases we have moulded our habits to suit our physical environments, at other times our habits are reflected in the physicalities around us. For each of our unique COCk-tails, there is one thing that we must have in common. That is that without each other to compare ourselves to, we are incomplete.
The philosophy of identity and selfhood, i.e. \\\"oneself evolves as a reply to the perceived values of the \\\"other\\\' we are interacting with.
We don\\\'t enter our shared fields or arenas with already established identities. Our experience at identity conies not just from within our culture or community, but is also established when we come into contact with, or realize the existence of the \\\"other\\\" and become conscious of what distinguishes us from them. Social identities exist for the moment of politics or interaction and thus our identities are reliant on one another. If each of us existed in a vacuum, there might have been no need for an identity at all.
Into this comes the idea of pluralism. Yes, we are all different and yes we do compete for limited resources; but it is the beauty of our world that we also complement. Our specialties and our separate sets of ex-pertise are something to celebrate, not be jealous of. There is strength, not weakness in our differences. We have possibilities of solutions to every problem humankind has ever faced all around us, but we am either too proud or too prejudiced to ask for, offer or accept help. Respect for each others strengths and understanding of their weaknesses with a humble realisation that these problems could equally easily have been ours (as in Rawls\\\' Veil of Ignorance) will mean everyone working in harmony; with each of us, doing what we do best and sharing it; this will see the best results for .this world.
Once we can eliminate unnecessary hostility by seeing that \\\"ourself\\\" and the \\\"other\\\" are not motivated by the need to eliminate each other, instead both identities are legitimate and have the right to exist, prosper and it is the duty and to the benefit of both to share, share and share more. The \\\'rules of the game\\\' that so far are one thing for superpowers and another list for developing counties must be fairly established. Once we feel confident and have proof that everyone, regardless of size or power is being treated in one manner only, with kindness and tolerance rather than impatience and arrogance, the gap between our respective cultures will become a friendlier place. Inside us all, veiled in our rhetoric, cloaked in our beliefs, hidden in our ideologies, lies part of the truth, a fraction of the answers to our questions. Not the absolute truth, because there is no such thing, but part of the truth. Religion already does and will play an important part in this process. We need more religion, not less as is currently being prescribed the world over. Religions which recommend peace, meditation and thankfulness among other positive qualities to be a part of every follower\\\'s personality are a positive influence and not a malfunction of a person\\\'s mind. A global society which can tolerate diversity of thought and encourage, even embrace it as a positive move, has the potential to get to all these scattered fragments of truths and thus bring them together. Should we achieve this we Will truly astonish and amaze ourselves discovering the limits which the human mind can reach beyond, the extent to which our grasp can stretch aid the miracles we can perform.
The philosophy of identity and selfhood, i.e. \\\"oneself evolves as a reply to the perceived values of the \\\"other\\\' we are interacting with.
We don\\\'t enter our shared fields or arenas with already established identities. Our experience at identity conies not just from within our culture or community, but is also established when we come into contact with, or realize the existence of the \\\"other\\\" and become conscious of what distinguishes us from them. Social identities exist for the moment of politics or interaction and thus our identities are reliant on one another. If each of us existed in a vacuum, there might have been no need for an identity at all.
Into this comes the idea of pluralism. Yes, we are all different and yes we do compete for limited resources; but it is the beauty of our world that we also complement. Our specialties and our separate sets of ex-pertise are something to celebrate, not be jealous of. There is strength, not weakness in our differences. We have possibilities of solutions to every problem humankind has ever faced all around us, but we am either too proud or too prejudiced to ask for, offer or accept help. Respect for each others strengths and understanding of their weaknesses with a humble realisation that these problems could equally easily have been ours (as in Rawls\\\' Veil of Ignorance) will mean everyone working in harmony; with each of us, doing what we do best and sharing it; this will see the best results for .this world.
Once we can eliminate unnecessary hostility by seeing that \\\"ourself\\\" and the \\\"other\\\" are not motivated by the need to eliminate each other, instead both identities are legitimate and have the right to exist, prosper and it is the duty and to the benefit of both to share, share and share more. The \\\'rules of the game\\\' that so far are one thing for superpowers and another list for developing counties must be fairly established. Once we feel confident and have proof that everyone, regardless of size or power is being treated in one manner only, with kindness and tolerance rather than impatience and arrogance, the gap between our respective cultures will become a friendlier place. Inside us all, veiled in our rhetoric, cloaked in our beliefs, hidden in our ideologies, lies part of the truth, a fraction of the answers to our questions. Not the absolute truth, because there is no such thing, but part of the truth. Religion already does and will play an important part in this process. We need more religion, not less as is currently being prescribed the world over. Religions which recommend peace, meditation and thankfulness among other positive qualities to be a part of every follower\\\'s personality are a positive influence and not a malfunction of a person\\\'s mind. A global society which can tolerate diversity of thought and encourage, even embrace it as a positive move, has the potential to get to all these scattered fragments of truths and thus bring them together. Should we achieve this we Will truly astonish and amaze ourselves discovering the limits which the human mind can reach beyond, the extent to which our grasp can stretch aid the miracles we can perform.
