Underlying our activities is our fundamental belief that we are all members of one human family, interconnected and interdependent. We believe that every individual is a member of the human family. Born into the world as a trust of the entire human race, we are interconnected and interdependent; the welfare of individuals is linked to the well-being of society.
Human beings are inherently noble, possessing reason and conscience, along with capacities for inquiry, understanding, compassion, and service to the common good. Each one of us has the potential to cultivate our higher nature, the spiritual qualities latent within us—such as kindness, justice, truthfulness, and trustworthiness. These contribute to strengthening our sense of purpose, impelling us both to transform ourselves and to contribute to the transformation of society. This is not to deny the existence of a lower nature, as within us are traits acquired over millennia of evolution that we share with the animal kingdom. When we forget our true spiritual nobility, we behave carelessly. However, if we remember we are spiritual beings going through human experience, we would live not focusing only on survival of the fittest, but instead as loving companions in peace, mutual dignity and unity. Each of us is a capable agent of change within our communities, and we view everyone as collaborators.
Humanity's purpose transcends mere material satisfaction. We encompass physical, intellectual, and spiritual realities. Our twofold moral purpose is to pursue spiritual and intellectual growth, developing our latent potentialities, cultivating virtues, and striving for personal excellence; while also engaging in acts of service, promoting social justice, and working towards the betterment of society.
We also believe that each of us have the right to benefit from a prosperous community but also an obligation to contribute toward the building vibrant peaceful communities.
We draw on two sources of knowledge of science and religion to guide our worldview as we believe that when the material and spiritual dimensions of the life of a community are kept in mind and due attention is given to both scientific and spiritual knowledge, the tendency to reduce human progress to the consumption of goods, services and technological packages is avoided. Scientific knowledge helps us to analyse the physical and social implications while spiritual insights give rise to moral imperatives that uphold social harmony and the common good. This dual approach allows us to address complex issues with wisdom and compassion, ensuring that our efforts are grounded in both rational analysis and ethical values. These two sources of knowledge provide the fundamental organizing principles by which our society function and evolve. Through this synthesis of knowledge, we aim to foster personal growth, social progress, and a deeper connection to the fundamental truths that govern our existence.
Prosperity encompasses material, social and spiritual well-being. This redefines the notion of prosperity beyond merely accumulating personal wealth, emphasising that material resources should be utilised for the betterment of society.
Justice is vital to the establishment of unity and harmony at all levels of society, as it provides the standard by which individual conduct and collective effort are judged. Justice is essential to ensure the world’s resources are for all - present and future generations.
Education shapes values, attitudes, behaviours and skills and empowers us to develop our capacities and is essential for human progress.
Character and Conduct: Qualities like trustworthiness, cooperation, and forbearance are vital to establishing a stable social order and should be consistently reflected in both thought and action in our service.
Service: Using our gifts and talents to be of service is the fullest expression of our lives. The quality of our life comes from the quality of our contributions to others
Work is a universal and essential aspect of human existence, vital to progress and the generation of wealth—not just for oneself, but for all the peoples of the world. Personal wealth is acceptable if earned through honest work and does not lead to the impoverishment of others. Work should not be merely a means of satisfying wants and needs, but an expression of service to humanity. When performed in a spirit of service, work can be regarded as an act of worship.
Our endeavours are thus generally capacity building in nature focusing on elevating attitudes, habits and skills to contribute to a peaceful, just and prosperous community.
On the virtue of hope...
From Rebecca Solnit's discerning mind and in her exquisite words: Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence the outcomes — you alone or you in concert with a few dozen or several million others. Hope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting. It’s the belief that what we do matters even though how and when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand. We may not, in fact, know them afterward either, but they matter all the same, and history is full of people whose influence was most powerful after they were gone.
Jeffery Sachs, the world-renowned economics professor, and global leader in sustainable development tells us: "We must not give up hope. With global expertise and goodwill, the world can identify and implement specific pathways to sustainable development…” Crucially he added “…Ideas count. They can have an effect on public policy far beyond anything that can be imagined ….Ideas have been transformative throughout history and have sparked some of the greatest transformational movements of the last two centuries - from slavery to the struggle against colonial rule to the civil rights movement to the human rights movement to the women’s rights movement to sustainable development, the idea of our time.”
In his usual sparkling prose, Barak Obama reminds us: Hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight.