We live in a time of rapid, often unsettling change, causing feelings of confusion, and anxiety in our communities and we are concerned. There must be numerous underlying reasons for this - many from real challenges arising from structures of society that is ill-prepared to address the needs of humanity: poverty, pandemic, inadequate access to resources, etc but we also believe that at lot too are likely driven by our behaviours which stem from our anxieties and insecurities which emanate from our personal worldviews.
Thankfully, we see many sacrificial efforts of many individuals and organisations – local and global – who are striving to overcome such challenges. These selfless individuals and praiseworthy organisations are doing much to bring relief and hope to many across the world.
In our efforts to also contribute to the betterment of our communities, we are exploring an approach that is educational in nature, and which begins by learning to understand the underlying reasons and the historical processes that have brought our society to this point, as well as understand our individual and collective underlying assumptions that have been driving our collective and personal behaviour. We also explore the fundamental questions of human condition, the patterns of relationships that bind us together, especially in the context of prevailing social structures.
So we create spaces for regular conversations based on a structured process of understanding what is happening around us; understand the reasons why these occurrences happen and how everything is inter-connected; explore concepts and analyse processes that give shape to humanity’s search for global prosperity; examine our beliefs, attitudes, habits, relationships and actions which cause these occurrences to happen. Based on insights gained, we begin to rethink our beliefs, attitudes, habits, relationships and actions, including language, necessary to bring about change we want. Through this, we learn to understand what is good so that we can systematically channel this awareness / understanding / appreciation into tangible patterns of behaviour. And we endeavour every day to apply this in our daily lives, with the hope that over time, our social existence, as well as our inner lives, might become increasingly and visibly transformed, perhaps contributing to the change we want to see in the world.
Hence every weekday evening, we hold spaces for these meaningful conversations.
We choose the educational approach as we believe that if we want transformative change, we need to shift our mental models or worldviews. Many would be familiar with the theory held by academicians and corporate thinkers that to solve complex problems, we need to apply systems thinking. They explain that everything is interconnected in a biological sciences way and so a holistic way will be necessary to investigate factors and interactions to contribute to a possible outcome. They inform there are conditions that need to be addressed together to effectively make systems change – from addressing policies, practices, and resource flows which are structural in nature, to re-moulding relationships and connections and power dynamics which are relational change, to shifting mental models or beliefs or ideology essential for transformative change.
Consistent with the above contemporary theory for change, we therefore choose to focus on changing mental models for more effective and enduring change. And we all know the transformative power of education to illumine and shift mental models, and consequential impact on lives.
Crucially too, in our conversations and reflections, we draw on insights from spiritual teachings as well as the accumulated store of human knowledge generated through scientific enquiry, as we see that an educational approach based on both sources of knowledge – science and religion – being holistic.
No one can deny that science has played a crucial role in the development of civilization by providing a systematic and objective way of understanding the natural world. Through scientific investigation and experimentation, humanity has been able to make significant advancements in fields such as medicine, agriculture, transportation, and technology. These advancements have contributed to the overall improvement of our living standards and the advancement of society. Science has also played a key role in shaping our understanding of the universe, and it continues to play a vital role in shaping our future.
True religion, on the hand, transforms the human heart. Indeed, the world’s great faiths have animated civilisations throughout history. Each affirms the existence of an all-loving God and opens the doors of understanding to the spiritual dimension of life. Each cultivates the love of God and of humanity in the human heart and seeks to bring out the noblest qualities and aspirations of the human being. Each has beckoned humankind to higher forms of civilisation. These systems of shared belief brought by the world’s great religions have enabled people to unite and create bonds of trust and cooperation at ever-higher levels of social organisation―from the family to the tribe, to the city-state and nation. As humanity moves toward a global civilization, this power of religion to promote can perhaps be better understood today than ever before.
Over time, through these sessions, it is our hope that our capacities for service will be enhanced and will give rise to individual initiatives and increasingly complex collective action for the betterment of society.