New thinking in our principally new epoch, reaching world peace and harmony

This letter will attempt to define common ideas which unite all of us on the basis of culture, art and education, and then consider how such ideas relate to the UN and UNESCO activities in our mutual endeavors to reach peace and harmony on the planet. Our gathering of like minded people on the base of culture, art and education with the purpose to advocate for them and to take part in the world harmonization is ongoing

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTISTS
http://sites.google.com/site/societyofartists

October 2011


Dear Mrs Irina Bokova,


This letter is addressed to you as to the Director-General of UNESCO and because you are deeply concerned about our fragile world, about the status of culture and education and their role in the creation of a more democratic and humane world. As an open letter, this letter concurrently addresses people who are engaged with education, culture and art and those who are interested in these subjects. Ultimately, this letter addresses all people because we all are formed by cultures; each of us is living in the space created by the arts, by institutions, and by the ideas we get from the different resources. We are not separated through education, culture and art. We depend on them. This letter will attempt to define common ideas which unite all of us on the basis of education, culture and art, and then consider how such ideas relate to the UN and UNESCO activities in our mutual endeavours to reach peace and harmony on the planet.

We believe that education, culture and art have an especially important significance today, but in the contemporary business, industrial and political world people frequently fail to recognise their importance. We will attempt to analyze the interrelation and interdependence of education, culture and art, to look at them as a whole (E, C & A). Individuals understand the words "education", "culture" and "art" in their own individual way. There are no strict universal definitions of these words, although they are commonly used throughout the modern complex world. Similarly, there seems to be no universal definition for human being. But, all of us agree with Emmanuel Kant that it is not peculiar to human to be a means because human is always the purpose. We also appreciate The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which formulates and gives basic shape to concepts of Human and Humanism in a universal sense.


E, C & A can become the pathway for a better understanding between people, and can lead the world to harmony. Unfortunately, the world is full of problems. Politicians as well as the majority of people understand and agree with your note, "The stakes are high. The fabric of society is quickly torn and long to mend." People engaged in E, C & A play a most important role in this transformative time of world diversity and globalization which is often met with intolerance and lack of understanding. 

The world situation suggests to us the idea of uniting people engaged in E, C & A at the international level. As an artist, I first wish to share with you my thoughts concerning artists. If each artist is primarily concerned with only his or her individual artistic research, then which ideas can become mutually beneficial to all of the artists? However, with mutual creative endeavours we happily feel that the world and humanity are a great and boundless realm, and we comprehend the universal and absolute value of human life. We comprehend happiness, we comprehend freedom. Artists from different countries understand each other, but not as a result of any uniform homogeneous culture. We don't create an international eclectic multi-culture. Our mutual understanding is based on those human aspirations which are common to the entire world, have always been international, and can be understood by everyone. They are incompatible with violence and oppression; they are contradictory to war and murder. It is like one human consciousness and one thought of love and good will expressed in different forms, in different times, and in different nations. It is art through the entire human history.


It is what unites artists, not only with each other, but with all people at the national and international levels. We understand people's interest in art; we feel their focus on us and on our arts. Artists exist thanks to people who appreciate the arts. Other people not only provide our livelihood, but they educate us morally. They entrust to us their best aspirations, their best thoughts, their best dreams of love, happiness and hope, dreams which don't always coexist in the real pragmatic and violent world. People entrust to art the spiritual and emotional moments in their lives. Art helps to overcome sorrows because when something terrible is transformed by light of art, then it doesn't destroy a soul. Art is able to save people, to cure them; art is able to stop desperation, revenge and violence. Human nature is not evil; it is why people are not able to be existimg fully in the evil circumstances. People transport the best of them, what cannot find its place in a horrible reality, into the mythical sphere of art until better times come, until their best dreams might become true. Art becomes a part of culture; cultures educate people, and then people make their dreams true. Education, culture and art are interdependent and united. People, engaged in E, C & A, should give back to all people the cultural resources and spiritual treasures, which they have guarded and cherished within the terrible and happy times.


We must let people know that they are not wrong about artists. They listen to us more now than ever before; people anticipate the movement of spirituality into ordinary life. We are afraid that the contemporary global problems can not be solved successfully, if a spiritual dimension of human life is ignored in the complex kaleidoscope of social relations. You have noted, "Diversity is not a choice but a reality across the world. Increasing proximity has not translated into greater understanding." We also recall the simple yet powerful words of Martin Luther King Jr. which seem to have been said about our time of globalization, "We must learn to live together as brothers or we perish together as fools."


Our choice now is which of human principles we will suggest to the contemporary world of globalization. Who are we now? We could offer some hypotheses concerning the future, but the future depends on what we chose now. That is a reason for all those, who are engaged in E, C & A, to be united internationally and to be joint with all people, who are for peace and world harmony. Artists are integral to the world, artists unite the world, and we share our creative research with everybody. Our studios are open, our minds are open. We do not lock up ourselves inside of conditional spaces or dead-end ideologies; it do not paralyze us. We can help to open new horizons in human understanding. People can find in our studios and in our minds an optimism, belief in development, belief in achieving happiness and a good for everybody through cultural communications. Everybody can find a mutual enrichment of different cultures in their communications with each other, whilst maintaining the uniqueness of each certain culture. People can watch our search for free development, also our search for a meaning of human life and a personal integrity. That is like to be "captain of my own soul", as Nelson Mandela wrote in his poetry from prison. It is common to artists to be involved in activities apart from work at the studios. To live as broadly as possible is our life position.


Mahatma Gandhi's life position was a simple human position, which we respect now. He was not particularly a politician, and it is difficult to relate his activity to any commonly definite activities. He was simply stating his own feelings and thoughts as a free and independent person, and a lot of people were agreeng with his principle of non-violence. What is a non-violent principle? There are three ways how to act under violence: do fight; do not fight and to obey; do not fight and do not obey. The third way is not passive action, it means action against violence, that: do refuse to obey the violent demands, do not give up, but do not fight and do not change oneself under a pressure. This is non-violent principle.


The principle of non-violence is a great achievement of the 20th century. An effectiveness of this principle has been demonstrated in the liberation of India and many other triumphs of peaceful solutions. Non-violence principle has been practiced by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Dalai-Lama and by millions people around the globe as an idea understandable on any language. The principle of non-violence appears to us to be the only viable principle, which corresponds to our peaceful position in the 21st century. Tragic history has surely taught us that force and violence inevitably lead to misunderstanding and war; such actions would push contemporary society into global disaster.


We see a lot of evil on the planet, and what can we do? Take a look for instance at the tragedy of Tibet. For the fifty years we know about the genocide of millions of Tibetan people and the violent destruction of Tibetan culture; the UN keeps documents concerning the tragedy of Tibet. Tibetan people, educated in the most peaceful teaching on the entire planet, are keeping the principle of non-violence during a half of century. They prefer to die rather than to resort themselves for violence. The fourteenth Dalai-Lama Tenzin Guatso called on the Tibetan people to continue the non-violent resistance and to save the unique peaceful Tibetan culture for the benefit of all humanity. He explains that human nature is not evil and the Chinese people are not enemies, but many Chinese are still deceived by evil politics, do not have true information about Tibet, and the educational level of many of them is still low. If the Chinese people could know the truth, then they might use a non-violent principle along with the Tibetan people against the Chinese government, and then the Chinese government would not be able to resist against all of them together. Dalai-Lama explains the true roots of evil on the tragic example of Tibet. To watch the increasing evil and to do nothing is not a human position. Negative performance is not the right life position, because a doing nothing is an evil also. We must analyze and then define our own actions.


Now, when we look at the 20th century from the small distance, we note the positive achievement of the last century. We can continue and develop them in the 21st century. When we try to decide which results of the 20th century are most important for us now, we should point out that people have won in the total battle of evil against humanity. The total battle had consisted of the bloody revolutions, First and Second World wars, the Cold War, and uncountable other wars. Thanks to the victory of humanity in this 20th century battle, we have now incomparably better times because we have a hope - it is very important for us. In the tragic times of 20th century people of different nations came together and created the United Nations in their mutual struggle against the evils of fascism, racism, and all forms of discrimination and oppression, an organization based on The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Those are great achievements for humanity inherited by the New Millennium from the last century.  


We are living in the principally new epoch, which has begun from the moment when The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. The contemporary new epoch is based not on the position of force and violence, but on a humane essence of the person. It is impossible to be truly agreeing with the Declaration forcibly and then do protect Human Rights. It is only possible according to his or her good will. The new epoch could not come automatically because a new epoch needs a new thinking of a good will. It is necessary first to overcome the hatred, ignorance and intolerance of the old thinking. Against the tragic history of mass madness the idea of happiness grows slowly. The roots of evils such as misunderstanding, intolerance, misinformation, lack of education, and ignoring of the spiritual dimension of human life can be uprooted by E, C & A. The new tolerant mind can be obtained through E, C & A.


We completely agree with you that "culture should accompany every development effort." The world is changing more rapidly than ever before, and we should use all the possibilities, as speedily as possible, for understanding of the meaning and role of E, C & A, while the world is developing by humanistic and democratic principles. We should note that there are lack of such understanding even among people, who are directly engaged in E, C & A, as well as among others. 


For instance, the initiative International Artists for Peace and World Harmony launched by the New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolence was presented at the 61st Annual United Nations Conference in Paris in 2008 at UNESCO Headquarters. Rosa Naparstek and I held a Caucus on Art and Culture with a presentation of the initiative. My personal impression was that culture and art presented in the form of this initiative was accepted, and yet considered unusual to the workings of the Conference. This initiative and its presentation took place thanks to the efforts of both the UN and of the artists, but these ideas have not been further developed among the artists or at the UN. Your following point is very important, "I regret that culture is not included in the MDGs /Millenium Development Goals/ and I intend to relaunch the debate on culture and development because culture should accompany every development effort.", as you have advanced in your Mission Statement.


We want people to perceive the arrival of a prinipally new time; we want to arouse the world. It seems that the majority of people are still asleep and dreaming of the uninspired pragmatically-senseless world in which there is no happiness, laughter and joy, but there are mostly horrible things happen. The spiritual dimension of human life is absent in such a dream. Wake up and let a fantasy come to your soul! People understand a spiritual dimension of human life in different ways. For us it is a great boundless realm, what is difficult to describe fully. Nevertheless, some noticeable signs are: the absence of intolerance and hatred; the presence of joy and hope. A belief in happiness is also one of the external signs. However, belief and knowledge are not the same. Belief may exist even when knowledge doesn't allow to hope. In our analysis we know with certainty that "the fabric of society" is not yet torn. We wish all people to chose a position of love. 


Some people cannot believe that harmony and happiness are possible in our world. We are people engaged in E, C & A and we must share with all our confidence that it is possible. We have saved the dreams entrusted to us, and we will help people to attain unlimited horizons of human understanding and happy development. Our work becomes a part of human cultures; the cultures educate people, and then we see the best dreams come true. New era of spiritual freedom on the planet, that people are no longer victims or oppressors for each other, but they are free and happy people of good will. We want people to believe in the best.


Thank you for reading this letter. We hope that our ideas do not conflict with your ideas, and that this letter will support your efforts as Director-General of UNESCO. The ideas of this letter are not definitive, but are open for discussion. Education, culture and art are essential to the world; they are like an invisible light; the destiny of the world depends on this light. Such invisible light is humanism. We hope that people will support your constant efforts in achieving more humanistic and democratic societies, your endeavours in reaching world peace and world harmony.


Thanks to all readers of the letter. As an open letter, it is an appeal to all people to recognize culture, education and art as an important part of their personal and social lives. Please take part in this dialogue, share your ideas and proposals, and set your signatures under the letter if you agree.


The world we are living is far from perfectness. We know a lot of examples of inhumane teachings promulgated in the world. We don't forget the words of Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Please send this letter to your friends; our gathering of like-minded people on the base of education, culture and art with the purpose to advocate for them and to take part in the world harmonisation is ongoing.  


Sincerely,
Sergej Jakovlev -
artist, president of ISA, member of the International Artists for Peace and World Harmony Organizing Committe  https://sites.google.com/site/societyofartists/isa/3-united-nations/p                                                          

INITIAL SIGNATORIES TO AN OPEN LETTER
I believe in this concept and have spent my whole life trying to bring this message to everyone through my art.                                                                                             
Beverly Ellstrand - Park Ridge, Illinois
I have happily signed the petition and fully support you.                                                    Ruth Burink  - Fine Art Sculpture, Colorado, USA
In my artwork, I attempt a dialogue with the viewer. I challenge them to question their bias and really look at what they believe is true. To make people really think about the inequity and tragedy in the world around them, locally and globally, and to try to connect with that small place where they can really make a difference. That is my job as an artist. To allow people to jump to the next place through an "art" moment.
Jame Gagan - Santa Fe, NM, USA
If artwork can be used to make even the smallest difference in this world ...not just another "pretty picture"...this could all be worth while
Carol Reeves - Cheshire, Connecticut
Yes, the intellect cant lead for life doesnt follow. The more you create and give art, the more it is, including the art of living; remember, Carlos Castaneda said, "Discipline is the art of feeling awe" - viva la evolution. reality
james m nordlund - Fargo, North Dakota
With all my passions in my artworks I'll try to teach Ukrainians to smile. My art project Ah, Africa had around show since 2005 till 2010 and visit a lot of Ukrainian cities. I trust that can change something... Now I stay in Cape Town and happy to paint the life of local people. That's help many of them realize that they are very important part of the World!
Tatyana Binovskaya - Cape Town, South Africa
Dostojewski: Beauty saves the world.
Peter Seibt - Parikia / Paros, Greece
Aziz Azizuddin - Hyderabad, India
Imelda Bassanello - Savona, Italy
Astrid Harnisch - Landvetter, Sweden
Shandin Alexey - Moscow, Russian Federation
DEBORAH RHODEN - JACKSONVILLE, Florida
mountassir CHEMAO - rabat, Morocco
Ramica Howard - Little Rock, Arkansas
Tom Maxwell - Los Angeles, California
Ann-Pia Azizuddin - Gothenburg, Sweden
Steven Wachter - Houston, Texas
Luis Geraldes - Morwell, Australia
Julia Chirokova - Gothenburg, Sweden
Francis Misitano - MESSINA, Italy
Bert Menco - Evanston, Illinois

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