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LEARNING FROM THE CATASTROPHE
The global Club of Budapest calls for worldwide dialogue on steps to build a sustainable civilization
The tsunami catastrophe in Southern Asia touched the entire human community at a level and in a way never before experienced. The community’s first response was the provision of emergency relief that was likewise of historically unprecedented magnitude, promptness, and spread. This is a sign of great hope for our common future. In the long term, however, something more is required: a worldwide dialogue must begin on concrete steps that could lead beyond the present unsustainable condition of the world toward a more stable, peaceful, and sustainable civilization. The tsunami catastrophe, with its enormous human cost, must wake us up and impel us to learn. This opportunity is historic and not to be missed.
The question we face is this: Will we continue to accept that the world is so unequally and unjustly divided that in some countries, regions, and continents there are no early warning systems to avert major catastrophes whether they are of natural or of human origin; that there are no adequate infrastructures for assuring an existence of human dignity for all the people; and that only the actual occurrence of a catastrophe that involves millions of people reaches the mind and touches the heart of the rest of the human community?
Or will we seize the opportunity to learn from the experience of a major tragedy to develop the vision and the solidarity to see all of humanity as one family and reorder our priorities and restructure our relations accordingly?
We need to launch a process of worldwide discussion and dialogue on practicable ways to pull ourselves up to the level where our technologies of production and communication have already precipitated us: to the level of the biosphere as a whole, where all people now live in interaction and interdependence, and must also learn to live with mutual respect and solidarity. We invite all thinking people and humanistically oriented organizations to join the call for a global dialogue on ways and means to create an inclusive and peaceful Sustainable Civilization.
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