Vajpayee endorses Confluence rather than Clash of Civilizations

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Vajpayee advocates tolerance, urges dialogue to resolve disputes

Vajpayee endorses Confluence rather than Clash of Civilizations

 

"The future of mankind is not going to be determined by a conflict

among civilisations, rather, humanity's future will witness a concert

or confluence of civilisations."

 

IANS

 

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Wednesday came

out strongly in favour of secularism and said dialogue was an

essential tool to resolve conflicts, both national and global.

 

"Tolerance should become a global ideal. This would go a long way in

promoting understanding, cooperation and peace among people belonging

to different faiths and cultures," Vajpayee said while inaugurating a

two-day "Dialogue Among Civilisations" conference.

 

Addressing delegates from some 50 countries who are attending the

event, jointly sponsored by the Indian government and Unesco, the

prime minister emphasised on the "culture of dialogue" to resolve

conflicts.

 

"I must emphasise that we need the culture of dialogue at a national

level, so that contentious issues can be resolved amicably through

talks."

 

Vajpayee junked the theory of a "clash of civilisations" calling it

flawed and baseless.

 

"The future of mankind is not going to be determined by a conflict

among civilisations, rather, humanity's future will witness a concert

or confluence of civilisations."

 

Asserting that dialogue was an essential part of democracy, he

said: "Democracy both requires and mandates dialogue. The more a

nation can harmonise differences at home, the greater will be its

ability to contribute to a dialogue at the international level."

 

Vajpayee said the dialogue was a broad theme to embrace all major

issues and challenges before mankind today and provide answers on how

to create a future without wars and violence, how to achieve

sustainable development while preserving cultural integrity, human

rights, economic justice and a compassionate social order.

 

Referring to India's "longstanding experience and ancient tradition

of fostering dialogue between communities, cultures and

civilisations", he said India had been able to weave a silken bond of

unity despite diversity.

 

"This is principally because India has protected people's freedom of

thought and faith, while at the same time encouraging an unbroken

tradition of inter-faith dialogue and cooperation."

 

India had been a meeting point of faith routes, the prime minister

continued, though ancient trade routes may have met in other parts of

the world.

 

"Besides all the faiths that originated here, India welcomed the

Jews, Syrian Christians, Catholics, Zoroastrians, Muslims and people

belonging to other religions. We are proud of India's adherence to

the ideal of respect for all faiths."

 

According to him, contemporary society presented two paradoxes. One

was the widening gap between the unmet basic needs of the world's

poor and the more than adequately met wants of the world's rich.

 

The other was the "equally troubling" imbalance between the current

excessive focus on man as the consumer of material goods and services

and the neglect of the man who wished to become a complete human

being.

 

Vajpayee said many answers lay in the broadening, deepening and

sustaining of the dialogue process. "The deeper and broader the

dialogue, the greater is the understanding among civilisations and

nations. The stronger is the cooperation and goodwill among nations,

the lesser is the need to spend huge resources on arms and military

strategies."