Many words have been used in this conference. Not much to say about that; words unveil our humanity, as it has appeared trough the millennia’s (or more). But as has been said repeatedly during the conference, it should be more to it, to our work, than just words, than theoretical concepts and models.
Hopefully action will develop from this point; particularly I would like to see courageous border-crossing interaction. But as much as I love to see it coming from each and every one part-taking in the conference, I know that is has to start with myself and my own work.
Aware of the risk building further on the collection of words we have piled at the conference I would nevertheless comment on a certain word and its corresponding inner sense which I somewhat feel is missing in the debate and the presentations at the conference. I think of curiosity, the desire to the inner and practical worlds of others. This word and its, for so many species, along with them homo sapiens sapiens, vital practices is, I believe, of the utter most interest for us. In opposition to the more commonly used concepts and words here, such as tolerance, respect, justice and even democracy, the concept of curiosity points toward the active, not the passive, toward the drive to live within others, not apart from them.
What I suggest is therefore, with the respect for the deep going differences between the many cultures and social orders present here, is a much more enthusiastic and positive approach to the discussion of how people may live together, instead of the sometimes more defensive one that has come to the fore here.
Similar to what I said above, this is also something that has to start with ourselves. This ought not to cause problems for researchers, since much of the driving force, at least as we often present it for our students, behind our motivation and choice of career has to do with curiosity. Still curiosity has almost been invisible here, (although one could feel its importance in the speech of Mrs Ela Gandhi today).
Having said this, I also sense that it is of utter most importance that we, as researchers and activists in the quest for peaceful coexistences, also see it as our duty to more actively encourage this passion. The desire to know those whom we share the physical space of our existence, in order to also be able to share the spirituality, or if you prefer wisdom, of spatial existence.
I am most aware of the mounting need for curiosity in my own country, Sweden, and it’s hard not to sense the universality of this need in the world today. Of course the curiosity of which I am talking about is something that not each and everyone can afford, nonetheless I am certain that it must play a role in our work, since without it, our values and technical arrangements such as tolerance and respect and democratic institutions seem to have a very uncertain future.
This is one of the thoughts that I take with me from my almost two week visit here in South Africa for the first time. Without hesitation I am sure that this will come out as one of these journeys that you may do from time to time in life. After which you are the same but different.
I do not believe that curiosity killed the cat. But if it finally did, this at least saved her or him from hatred and loneliness.
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