foreword

by

kamran mofid

founder

 globalisation for the common good Initiative

and

Co-editor

Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good

 In a world ever more interdependent, peace, justice and the safe-keeping of creation cannot but be the fruit of a joint commitment of all in pursuing the common good

                                                       --Pope John Paul II

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

                                                                                      --Nelson Mandela

 Many books, journals and articles have been written in recent years offering a critical analysis of global capitalism and globalisation.  However, many have concentrated mainly on economic aspects and trade-related issues only. This online journal is different. Not only it addresses the economic issues-important as they are- but it also adheres to non-economic matters; such as justice, compassion, love, kindness, respect, spirituality, the common good, without which, globalisation and capitalism cannot become good.

I was delighted and honoured when asked by my co-editor, Yahya Kamalipour, to write the foreword to this edition of our journal. Prof. Kamalipour and the authors of this edition have a special place in my heart. I am blessed and honoured for knowing them. They supported me greatly with their participation at our 4th international conference that was held in Kericho, Kenya- Africa and Globalisation for the Common Good: The Quest for Justice and Peace, 21-24 April, 2005.

The conference in which many speakers representing, governments, religions, business, academia, civil society, charity, voluntary sector, media and young people participated, was held at the Nishkam St. Puran Institute, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Kericho. The Conference was under the Patronage of the Hon. Dr. A.A. Moody Awori, The Vice President and Minister for Home Affairs, Republic of Kenya and was co-convened with Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Birmingham, UK.

We shall carry with us happy memories of the warmth of the welcome we received and of our brief but enriching experience of the variety and vitality of African life for many years to come. We admire and salute Africa’s achievements in ending colonialism, dismantling apartheid, and initiating development, democratisation and social reform. We are also conscious of the enormous contribution Africa has to make to the rest of the world, but we are aware that many people here live in poverty and are unable to achieve their full potential. For this situation to be changed ‘Globalisation for the Common Good’ is essential.

As it has been noted, in the 1960s the problem (in Africa) was said to be lack of capital: provide more investment for infrastructure, and Africa would grow. In the 1970s it was exports: sell more products overseas for hard currency, and Africa would grow. In the 1980s "structural adjustment" was the prescription: cut taxes, lower barriers, and Africa would grow. By the 1990s, privatisation and good governance were the buzzwords. Discredited models of development litter the landscape of Africa, its governments being forced to manoeuvre around the shipwrecks of failed policies. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only big region of the world where living standards and life expectancy have deteriorated: by 2000 there were 75 million more Africans in poverty than a decade before.

It seems that, all manners of policies and theories have been tested on Africa. All failing and all bringing Africans a bitter harvest. This is so, because what has been tried has not been in harmony with Africa’s civilisation, spirituality and culture. Without a deep understanding of these, we cannot begin to find development strategies that are going to work in Africa or any where else in the world. “One size fits all” economic strategy of development has been nothing but a global tragedy. It would be an affront to our humanity and decency to ignore this.

However, sadly, it seems we are once again repeating the past mistakes in Africa, as elsewhere. Looking at what is being recommended, we can note that, nearly all of the proposals on the global economy concern the need to unleash the power of the market, liberalise trade, deregulate and privatise- which are all purely economic considerations. It is as though humanity and the environment are irrelevant except as servants of the overarching need to expand the global economy- as if that could satisfy all human needs and aspirations. Material wellbeing, economic growth and wealth creation are important. But, to create a world of true happiness, peace and wellbeing, wealth must be created for a noble reason. Economics, commerce and trade, without a true understanding of the aspirations of the people it is affecting, cannot bring justice to all.

Economics, from the time of Plato through to Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and others, was as deeply concerned with issues of social justice, ethics and morality as with economic analysis itself.  However, most students studying economics today learn that Adam Smith was the “father of modern economics” but do not know that he was also a moral philosopher. In 1759, sixteen years before his Wealth of Nations, he published The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which explored the self–interested nature of man and his ability to still make moral decisions based on factors other than selfishness. In the Wealth of Nations, Smith laid the early groundwork for economic analysis, but embedded it in a broader discussion of social justice and the role of government.  Students today know only of Smith’s famous analogy of the “invisible hand” and refer to him (rather obliquely) in defence of free markets.  They ignore his clear understanding that the pursuit of wealth should not take precedence over social and moral obligations, and of how a “divine Being” produces “the greatest quantity of happiness”.

In short, they are taught that the free market as a “way of life” appealed to Adam Smith. However, again they are not told that, Adam Smith distrusted the morality of the market as a morality for society at large. He neither envisioned nor prescribed a capitalist society, but rather a “capitalist economy within society, a society held together by communities of non-capitalist and non-market morality.” That morality for Smith, included-among other things- mutual neighbourly love; an obligation to practice justice; a norm of financial support for the government “in proportion to [one’s] revenue”; and a tendency in human nature to derive pleasure from the good fortune and happiness of other people.

Social transformation can be achieved only when unselfish love, spirituality and a rigorous pursuit of justice are embraced. Millennium Development Goals, Commission for Africa recommendations and more will only be achieved when unselfish love and the pursuit of justice guides the motivations; nothing more, nothing less. As it has been noted observed, “Our true life is not this external, material life that passes before our eyes here on earth, but the inner life of our spirit, for which the visible life serves only as a scaffolding—a necessary aid to our spiritual growth. Seeing before him an enormously high and elaborately constructed scaffolding, while the building itself only just shows above its foundations, man is apt to make the mistake of attaching more importance to the scaffolding than to the building for whose sake the former has been temporarily put up. We must remind ourselves and one another that the scaffolding has no meaning and importance except to render possible the erection of the building itself”.

To this end, the Conference recommended Globalisation for the Common Good for Africa: Rekindling the Human Spirit and Compassion in Globalisation. Globalisation for the Common Good Mission is to promote ethical, moral and spiritual values into the areas of economics, commerce, trade and international relations amongst others, as well as personal virtues, to advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, the private enterprise, the public sector, governments, and national and international institutions, leading to the promotion of collaborative policy solutions to the challenges posed by globalisation.

As it has been noted by many saints and sages throughout history, fostering peace by overcoming evil with good requires careful reflection on the common good and on its social and political implications. When the common good is promoted at every level, peace is promoted. Can an individual find complete fulfilment without taking account of his social nature, that is, his being "with" and "for" others? The common good closely concerns him. It closely concerns every expression of his social nature: the family, groups, associations, cities, regions, states, the community of peoples and nations. Each person, in some way, is called to work for the common good, constantly looking out for the good of others as if it were his own. This responsibility belongs in a particular way to political Authorities at every level, since they are called to create that sum of social conditions which permit and foster in human beings the integral development of their person.

The common good therefore demands respect for and the integral promotion of the person and his fundamental rights, as well as respect for and the promotion of the rights of nations on the universal plane. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council observed that "the increasingly close interdependence gradually encompassing the entire world is leading to an increasingly universal common good... and this involves rights and duties with respect to the whole human race. Every social group must take account of the needs and legitimate aspirations of other groups and the common good of the entire human family". The good of humanity as a whole, including future generations, calls for true international cooperation, to which every nation must offer its contribution.

Moreover, as many have reminded us, a just economy for the common good should adhere to the following values:

1) The economy is for people; 2) The economy is for being, not having; 3) The economic system ought to be needs-based; 4) The economy is an act of stewardship; 5) The economy must be a participatory society; 5) There must be fair sharing; 7) The system must permit self reliance; 8) The economy must be ecologically sustainable; 9) The economy must be productive.

In short, the essential dimensions of Globalisation for the Common Good are:

The acknowledgement of God, Ultimate Reality, or the One. Our lives are grounded in an Ultimate Reality, the source of the sacredness of all life and of the spiritual power, hope, and trust that we discover in prayer or meditation, in word or silence, and in our striving for just relationships with all existence.

The investment of Spiritual Capital­­. The most powerful way for faith and spiritual communities to influence beliefs, norms and institutions is through prophetic voice and public action. Highly visible faith and interfaith affirmation of the great spiritual truths of peace, justice, and the sacredness of the Earth and all life can make a tremendous contribution to Globalisation for the Common Good. Action and service by spiritual and faith communities and groups can provide a vital source of inspiration and energy for the healing of the world.

The practice of selfless Love. The most important point of convergence shared by the world’s great spiritual traditions is to be found in the practice and power of selfless love for all humanity. It is the wellspring of the best hope for a better future.

The cultivation of interfaith Dialogue and Engagement. It is absolutely vital that religious and spiritual communities come together with one another in honest and open dialogue. It is also essential that these communities enter into dialogue with secular groups, organizations and governments working for a better world. Religious and spiritual communities – in mutual respect and partnership – must engage the critical issues that face the planetary community as the 21^st century unfolds.

The nurturing of cultures of Peace. True cultural evolution is perhaps best measured in the growing rejection of violent approaches to conflict resolution in favour of the cultivation of the infrastructures of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. Our greatest contribution to the future lies in ensuring that our children grow to maturity in cultures of peace.

The struggle for Justice. Justice is the heart of all creation. It is the profound feeling of oneness with all other beings in the universe. Today, it finds its most vital expression in social and economic fairness, concern for others and the vigorous defence of human rights.

The realization of Gender Partnership. Challenging the assumptions and infrastructures of patriarchy is essential to cultural evolution. Women and men, living and working together in harmony and equity, can build stronger, more creative religious communities and societies.

The path of Sustainability. In this rapidly changing world, our reverence for the Earth will determine the fate of the entire community of planetary life. This deep, visionary and unconditional caring for what is yet to come, is the love of life embedded in ecological sustainability.

The commitment to Service. Service is our link to spirit. Personal action for a better world is the discernable manifestation of the divine in the human. The essence of service is the grace of giving. We give because giving is how life begins and how it continues. This process will enhance personal responsibility for the common good.

We affirm that economics is, above all, concerned with human well-being and happiness in society and with care for the Earth. This cannot be separated from moral and spiritual considerations. The idea of a “value-free” economics is spurious. It demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be a human being.

We affirm our conviction that genuine interfaith dialogue and cooperation is a significant way of bringing the world together. It is indispensable to the creation of the harmonious global culture needed to build peace, justice, sustainability and prosperity for all. The call for Globalisation for the Common Good is an appeal to our essential humanity. It engages the most pressing concerns of peoples the world over.

Globalisation for the Common Good, by addressing the crises that face us all, empowers us with humanity, spirituality and love. It engages people of different races, cultures and languages, from a wide variety of backgrounds, all committed to bringing about a world in which there is more solidarity and greater harmony. This spiritual ground for hope at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us to recall the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world.

At this point, in association with Prof. Kamalipour, I would like to thank all our authors once more. Rev. Prof. Baitu, Rev. Dr. Braybrooke, Prof. Fore, Dr. Frohlich, Dr. Lutz, Rev. Prof. Maviiri, Prof. Mazrui, Emmanuel Ogbunwezeh, James Quilligan, Prof. Sadri, Dr. Tabari and Ms. Muthoni Wanyeki have all brought us a great wealth of vision, wisdom and insight, enabling us to understand Africa and globalisation for the Common Good better and more fully.

I very much welcome this study and believe that its themes are of crucial importance on the quest for justice, peace, prosperity and happiness in Africa. This study above all, is a powerful and convincing refutation of the thesis that there is no alternative to the current heartless neo-liberal global capitalism. The message of this study is one of hope and encouragement- for the sake of life and our love for God and His gifts.

Finally, I would very much like to give a “special big thank you” to my friend, Yahya, which without whose support I could not have dreamt of this journal. Yahya and I met first at our conference in Kenya. It was the beginning of a great friendship at the first sight. Somehow the chemistry was there. We shared many conversations, debate and dialogue. More importantly, we shared many moments of laughter and joy, necessary for a continued friendship and dialogue. I shared with him my dream of having a journal for globalisation for the common good. I always wished to have the opportunity of publishing a selection of our conference series’ papers, among others. Yahya has realised my dream. I thank you Yahya from the bottom of my heart. You are an exemplary and visionary scholar, educator, friend and mentor. All your life-long work in media/communication studies and more has been for the common good. Through your journals, many people around the world are having access to educational materials that they would have been denied otherwise. For that I salute you and for that I thank you. I am sure that our journal similar to your other journals will be a total success and I do look forward to serving the common good with you for a long time to come.

Copyright 2006 - Journal of Globalization for the Common Good - www.commongoodjournal.com