Globalisation and Spirituality:

Globalisation and Spirituality:
Towards a Holistic and Proactive Response

Introduction

1. We were more than 100 participants from more than 10 countries of Asia and Europe who gathered for a Workshop in Seoul, from October 16 to 19, 2000, to review and reflect on the topic of globalisation and spirituality. The Workshop was organised as part of the ASEM 2000 People's Forum that took place in conjunction with the 3rd ASEM Summit.

2. The Workshop provided a good opportunity for us, who are adherents of different religious and spiritual traditions, namely, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and various indigenous spiritualities, to better understand one another and to discuss plausible collaborative responses to the significant issues arising from the phenomenon of globalisation. Specifically, our sharings with one another, our interpersonal interactions, as well as the worship sessions and cultural celebrations helped us to deepen our understanding of each other and our appreciation for each other's spiritual and religious traditions.

3. The Workshop challenged us to respond to the following key questions: How has globalisation, especially manifest in the neoliberal perspectives of today, affected our religious and spiritual traditions? How can we, as communities of the different religious and spiritual traditions, respond to the effects of globalisation? What roles do our spiritual and religious traditions have in challenging the negative effects of globalisation? What kinds of alternative spiritualities and visions can we develop in order to help create a new and healthier society? How can we better collaborate in order to respond more effectively to the challenges posed by globalisation?

The Challenge of Globalisation on Religious and Spiritual Traditions

4. Globalisation, as manifest especially by the neo-liberal economic perspectives, can be characterised by the free movement of capital; free trade and investment without adequate protection for human and workers' rights; primacy of capital over the human person; limitless competition; and structural adjustments for deregulation and privatisation in favour of multi or transnational corporations.

5. Such an economic globalisation, we believe, poses a significant challenge to the religious and spiritual traditions. This is especially so in the ethical and moral dimensions. For example, the imposition of uniformed and monolithic thought patterns and lifestyles has had adverse effects on the religious and spiritual practices of our peoples as well as on the values and symbol systems of our traditions.

6. Our analysis has also revealed that globalisation poses a challenge to the foundations of our religious and spiritual traditions, especially in its questioning of some of the fundamental principles and values advocated. If the religious and spiritual traditions advocate the values of compassion, simplicity, cooperation, and justice, globalisation seems to advocate, explicitly or implicitly, the values of consumerism, materialism, limitless competition, and the survival of the fittest. It is clear, then, that globalisation is incompatible with the promotion of justice and peace, the common good, human rights, ecological sustainability, etc., all of which are concerns of religious and spiritual traditions.

7. We were particularly struck by the fact that instead of being a force for countering the effects of globalisation, some religious and spiritual traditions have in fact been transformed by globalisation itself. In some cases, religion and spirituality has been packaged as commodities, and offered as goods in the market place of humanity's search for meaning and life. It is thus that globalisation has a dehumanizing potential, reducing human beings to commodities or human capital.

8. We also feel that existing institutional religions, which most of us belong to, have sometimes not been prophetic and courageous enough in denouncing the neoliberal globalisation which pervades cultures and neither have they been distinct enough in joining the people's struggle against the negative elements of globalisation.

9. On the other hand, however, globalisation has provided us ample opportunities for horizontal dialogue among different cultures, religions and civilisations. This is mainly due to the advance in the communication and transportation technology. Our interfaith dialogue workshop is but one example of this people-to-people dialogue which, incidentally, was also one of the main pillars of ASEM. We thus recognize the positive effects of globalisation.

A Culture of Peace through Interfaith Dialogue

10. Even as most of the participants were meeting for first time at this workshop, we were able to experience the communion of communities, characterised by mutual talking and listening as well as mutual sharing and learning. This experience of mutuality was also an invitation for each participant to be true to oneself as well as to be true to others. Through it all we discovered that we are very much an intrinsic part of the one global world. Friendly and sincere interactions also helped participants engage in a process of critical self-awareness and discernment, at times with a sense of confusion and pain, by way of 'de-constructing' and 're-constructing' our own spiritual traditions.

11. We also affirmed the basic principles and perspectives developed in various ongoing initiatives of interfaith dialogue. These include the importance of openness and mutual respect, developing common grounds based on compassion, love, justice, and solidarity, and cultivating a culture of peace dialogue, understanding and appreciation.

12. Besides interfaith dialogue, we also feel that the dialogue within each religious community must be emphasised. This intra-religious dialogue, we believe, is important if religious and spiritual traditions are to develop more inclusive and liberative perspectives. Moreover, this dialogue needs to be guided and inspired by the original vision of the founders of each religious and spiritual tradition.

13. Taking into account nature of the ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world, it is indeed true that 'there is no peace in the world without peace among religions'. Thus, religions have a significant role to play in contributing to a culture of peace. Moreover, we hope that religion will no longer be used to justify conflict, and no 'holy war' be allowed to exist.

14. Though generally appreciative of the positive contributions of religious and spiritual traditions, we also became critically aware of their negative impacts on cultures, traditions and civilisations. In the name of the spread of "truth," for example, indigenous cultures and civilisations have been trampled upon and in some cases totally annihilated. If in the past this happened through colonization, today the same seems to be happening through globalisation. This workshop, therefore, has been a moment of spiritual discernment and conversion to truth, justice and reconciliation.

Spirituality for Women's Awakening and Empowerment

15. Discrimination against women, and women's exploitation within the religious and spiritual traditions as well as in society have been existing long before the advent of globalisation. From the women's perspective, the very logic of patriarchy seems embedded in the process of globalisation. Feminisation of poverty has become worse as we saw women becoming the main victims of the structural adjustment programmes imposed in favour of big corporations and trans-national capitals. The present form of capitalism accompanied with culture of patriarchy has made women's position more vulnerable and exposed them to even greater exploitation.

16. In the case of certain Christian denominations in Korea, we have learnt that the model of Church growth is very similar to that of big corporations in terms of quantity-oriented measure of growth as well as in their treatment of women. We regretfully acknowledge that many women have been marginalised in the globalisation process and worse still that this has all been justified by male-centred interpretations of religious teachings.

17. For both the women and men participants, listening to the testimonies and witnesses of the real experiences of suffering of women was in itself a collective liberating and awakening process. It was also at the same time a moment of healing and empowerment. Many women participants became once again aware of how patriarchy works in the minds of women and how the existing religious and spiritual traditions have justified such practices.

18. Solidarity networking among women of different religious and spiritual traditions can be a powerful platform for women's continued liberation and awakening. In this regard, the re-interpretation of the scriptures and teachings of each religious and spiritual tradition from the eyes of women should be high on the priority of women's actions and agendas. For this, more efforts should be made to develop institutional mechanisms through which women can empower themselves and in which women can develop in leadership.

Towards a Holistic and Proactive Spirituality

19. In discussing the role of spiritualities in challenging globalisation, we felt challenged to renew our own spirituality in order to make it more relevant and responsive to contemporary challenges. In this regard, we found it very important to be constantly reminded of the original vision of the founders of our own religious and spiritual traditions for the enlightenment and liberation of the whole humanity. The following are characteristics of this renewed spirituality we hope to create:

1. Our renewed spirituality needs to be holistic and life-cantered so that it may overcome dualism and dichotomist worldviews.
2. Our renewed spirituality needs to be community-cantered enabling people to create a society based on network of autonomous and self-reliant communities.
3. Our renewed spirituality needs to be open and inclusive, and conducive to developing a culture of peace, harmony, respect, tolerance and partnership.
4. Our renewed spirituality needs to be a wellspring of inspiration for peoples who feel hopeless in their search of alternative visions for a new society.
5. Our renewed spirituality needs also to be a source of strength for peoples who feel helpless in their struggle against oppression and in their resistance for survival.
6. Our renewed spirituality needs to be planetary and global while remaining rooted locally.
7. Ecological sensitivity and gender inclusiveness, together with justice and peace, and the concern for human rights should be essential elements of our renewed spirituality. It should also enable us to work together more actively to realize our common vision based on compassion, love and solidarity.
8. Simple living as an alternative lifestyle or 'voluntary poverty' needs to be promoted. This, we hope, will witness against the culture of consumerism and materialism promoted by globalisation.
9. Finally, our renewed spirituality needs to be proactive, and leads us to concrete and alternative praxis, linking our local initiatives to people's global struggles.

Conclusion: People's vision.

Spiritual Viewpoint

20. Our vision is given life by our commitment to the deep-rooted spiritualities that belong to our Asian and European heritages. From the sources of these spiritualities we well up the sense of oneness-in-difference with each other, either male or female, and with nature and with the communities we live in. This both urges and empowers us to envision and bring about a form of globalisation based on mutuality, compassion, and common good. It also helps us to overcome our sense of powerlessness before the seemingly invincible current neoliberal process of globalisation, by empowering us to resist it and to create an alternative, inclusive world, in which peace, justice, and solidarity would be commonly shared values.

21. Finally we all commit ourselves to this renewed spirituality and alternative values that we have reflected during the Workshop in solidarity with the victims of neoliberal globalisation and to making them a source of inner renewal and liberation in our own religious and spiritual traditions.