Global Development That Brings About Unity
World-Embracing Principles for Bringing About World Unity - Part 6
Global development that brings about unity is a coordinated worldwide enterprise to build capacity on larger and larger scales by establishing harmony and balance across all levels of society while working shoulder to shoulder to contribute to the well-being of the whole.
Such a universal system of development on all social levels would be seen as unitive global development, a collaborative effort to involve people of all walks working together to reconstruct a social order built upon justice, reciprocity, and collective prosperity.
This is founded upon equity and reflects the reality that humanity is one family. As a universal system of social and economic development, reflecting both the material and spiritual dimensions of the individual and community, unitive global development contributes to the betterment of society while also being a precondition for the realization of world peace.
Well into the new millennium, the drive toward world unity is a dominant feature characterizing life on the planet now. A global consciousness is emerging, convincing increasing numbers of people that constructing a peaceful and just planetary society is essential to humanity’s survival. This has formed the foundation for much work in the social development sphere that provides the inspiration for unprecedented social progress.
The underlying responsibility of unitive development is to foster the well-being of all the peoples of the Earth. This can only be achieved by implementing the principle of the oneness of humanity – and its corollary of unity-in-diversity – in all social development plans. This is the practical and essential standard for re-ordering humanity’s collective life. It identifies the longing of people everywhere for a world infused with a spirit of community, fellowship, and compassion at all levels, from local to global. In this new world, peace, social and economic justice, prosperity and liberty will be the resulting outcome.
Universally embracing the central organizing principle of the oneness of humanity may be the only thing that will ensure the development of a sense of confidence about the future, a willingness to sacrifice for the common good, and a commitment to play an active, constructive role in building a viable and thriving world community. Such a capacity to act locally while thinking globally is becoming increasingly recognized as a guiding principle for social and economic development in nearly every region of the world. A rapidly integrating world depends upon such a global consciousness.
The purpose of unitive global development is to transcend and eliminate systems that privilege some while impoverishing others, and to learn how to create new systems that empower and give equal opportunity to all. Humanity’s inherent unity-in-diversity will not be realized until those who benefit the most from the current system allow those whose voices have not been heard or heeded to become decision-makers and implementors of development action plans.
This creates a direct path to the ultimate objective of development – human lives and societies increasingly characterized by peace, well-being and happiness. This end result of a deep and thorough transformative change and renewal is initiated by a unitive consciousness that guides an action-oriented approach to an international unitive development agenda.
A universal unitive social development paradigm for the 21st century and beyond would be founded upon balancing the material and spiritual needs and aspirations of all peoples. This wholistic approach translates into the most complete global prosperity possible.
One way to ensure and accelerate the development process toward peace, well-being, and happiness for all is to adopt the concept and goal of world citizenship as the ethical foundation for unitive social development. As a wider loyalty and a love of humanity as a whole is brought to the forefront, vast financial, technical, and human resources could be freed up as the peoples of the world commit to a profound sense of responsibility for the fate of the planet and the well-being of the entire human family. This sense of responsibility naturally flows from the recognition of the oneness of humanity, which also inspires a unifying vision of a peaceful, prosperous world society.
This vision would have to be preceded by the full integration of a complete curriculum on world citizenship at all levels of education and accompanied by wide ranging public awareness campaigns. Such a curriculum would be framed by a global ethic embracing all peoples in a vision of unity and wholeness.
World citizenship directly results from the contraction of the world into a single neighborhood. Scientific and technological advances have created an indisputable interdependence of nations. Love of all the world’s peoples does not exclude love of one’s country. Any part of a world society is best served by promoting the good of the whole. Current international activities in fields that nurture mutual affection and a sense of solidarity among peoples need to be greatly increased.
This call for unitive values – “our common humanity,” “world citizenship,” and “unity in diversity” – anchoring a universal curriculum has been heard in UN and NGO circles and beyond since the early 1990s. The world community is poised to come to accord on the need for a global ethic. Unitive development initiatives can become a rallying cry for the betterment of humanity and the good of the Earth.