Dear colleagues, dear members of the WFSC Presidium! Dear colleagues, dear co-chair of the WFSC Tolegen Mukhamedzhanov! I understand technical difficulties. I even had to rent a studio for our connection. All is well, don’t give it another thought. We were able to give one more little friendly impulse in favor of collective communication indeed. Before addressing to my colleagues with more practical suggestions, I appeal to you to get your opinion and comments on my previous letter, which was published on the website of the WFSC. I would like you to answer even not all questions, but at least some of them: 1. What do you think about my suggestions in regard to improving the scientific level of our forums?
2. What do you think about my suggestion in regard to the main theme of the next conference: "Spiritual values: meaning, topicality, prospects and technology"?
I shall try to explain the grounds of this particular proposal. I would like to draw your attention to that in the previous conferences. There was much talk and publisistic speeches, many of which are certainly very valuable and have been able to show the topicality of Spiritual Culture. But, dear colleagues, you will agree with me that so far we have no scientific basis and broad coverage in terms of different theoretical and practical aspects of such a large and important issue as the "Spiritual Culture" is.
So I have suggested such a theme of the conference in order to:
a) open new areas, research and develop some of the plots already settled, to show more convincingly to the public’s different layers the importance of “Spiritual Culture''.
b) make the researches of new practical and technical plans more profound so that we shall be able to introduce "Spiritual Culture" in the educational system, in mentality and behavior of people who can be categorized from the point of view of different ages, different religions and cultures.
This will require, of course, new creative, collective, scientific, secular and religious approach, and what is required of us is to do well. If we are on time to develop a solid scientific and organizational basis for this, we will have a more or less clear informative concept, which in a transparent, defensive, and attractive way will display our strength and our cultural face.
If in the end of the conference there will be concrete and practical proposals and plans, we shall continue to act and catch the attention of representatives of political, business, religious, and information spheres on the basis of them.
Right upon having received good speeches, we can immediately publish not only a newsletter in different languages, but also a book titled "Principles of Spiritual Culture".
The practical significance of this book is the following:
- It would be nice to translate it into different languages and try to introduce it in the educational systems of the countries where our colleagues live. We can present it as the primary textbook for a new school and university subject titled "Spiritual Culture".
- We shall try to continue holding discussions with the representatives of different confessions of the world to take our collective approach on the subject of "Spiritual Culture".
Let this object exist along with others, such as "Bases of Orthodox Culture" (or Islamic, or Jewish, or Buddhist, etc. .... culture). The specifics of such an approach is that we have been trying to combine bright, creative and positive aspects of secular and religious culture in this spiritual direction.
So what I suggest for the next conference on the subject of the theme, publishing a special newsletter of the WFSC and serious scientific understanding of the textbook is not a difficult step to take and does not require heavy expenses. However it is important at this stage, so that we together realize how urgent and necessary this intellectual work is. In this connection, you can rely on my humble experience.
Once again I would like to emphasize the importance of the scientific profile of our forums, and it would be more efficiently and wisely, if we try to escape from personal imagination and some narrow confessional, professional or spiritual experience and one-sided approach.
3. The last one is in regard to the videos for the Alliance of Civilizations organization under he UN. I sent you proposals, which included exact contacts of the UN, requirements for work, as well as the opportunity to find new partners for the WFSC in the name of this great international organization. I would like to know in what way the work in this direction is being carried out? It would be nice to create a special committee of the members of the organizing committee, who will monitor not only this event, but will also act in this spirit in order to create a youth committee that will work with us in other areas to attract the attention of a new generation.
Of course, all plans require funding and support of politicians, businessmen and media owners of all kinds of knowledge. Very complex, serious, solid and always reliable bases are necessary here. And it does require a special seminar. I cannot but make a little comment in the address of our wonderful friend and colleague from the US, Robert Chase, the founder and director of "Intersections International" who has drawn for us an actual rout chart. First of all, I agree almost entirely with his strategic considerations, but I see that the implementation of his plan requires huge amounts of material supplies and morale boosters. I have noticed that all the complex issues and challenges are directed towards our dear Tolegen, and I think we all understand that he, with all his tremendous light, energy and strong relationship, can not solve them alone. Even we all together can not. This requires a huge manifold activity of various influential people in the field of international politics, business, media, etc.
So let's act step by step and see our possibilities in a more realistic light, let us collectively and substantially take care of our dear Tolegen and unite more firmly round the real and accessible goals that can win more interest of influential leaders and people and win hearts and minds of new light people of different generations and especially the youth!
We are, dear and beloved colleagues, big dreamers indeed! We want, as sincerely and clearly our dear colleague Bob told at the end of his speech: “To change the world. We all understand that this suffering world really needs a radical change”.
A bright call to expand the boundaries of our freedom and creativity, a call for peace, where wisdom governs, is in the spirit, ideas, and objectives of the WFSC. In such a world, the eternal human values take their weight: love, kindness, peace, justice, and beauty. It is there where cultural, biological and spiritual characteristics of human nature become stronger.
With respect and great affection,
Yours sincerely, Suheil Farah, President of the Russian-Lebanese House, Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, Academy of Natural Sciences and RANS