Our Common Humanity in the Information Age. Principles and Values for Development

SPIRITUAL STRENGTH
Audrey Kitagawa, Chair of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values 
and Global Concerns
We are faced with many global challenges and there is no end to the many challenges that 
we can list that have faced us today and will continue to face us tomo rrow. It is ultimately 
the diagnosis of the state of art consciousness and we can say that there is an exacerbatio n 
of the consciousness of fear. This is a manifestation of our increasing militarization as a 
methodology by which we deal with our conflicts. When we have passed the 1.3 trillion 
dollar mark in arming ourselves with the mechanisms and machineries of war, we can 
ultimately say we have reached a tipping point of dysfunction that we can no longer 
ignore.
However, to constantly focus on dysfunction is itself dysfunctional. We must move to the 
new frontier and study those ways that will promote our health and to shift our 
consciousness in a way that is going to promote harmony, peace and well-being. We must 
be able to move from an ill society to a well society and ultimately that is going to 
assume the personal responsibility of each and every person in the world. If we are going 
to be considered global citizens, we must grasp this fundamental reality that we cannot 
abdicate our personal responsibility or to see our role that we must undertake to create a 
country, a state and a personal community of well-being.

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96 | Our Common Humanity in the Information Age 
We must come to grips with the fundamental reality of ourselves as spiritual beings, and 
that as spiritual beings we cannot ignore the role that we must play in helping to develop 
the human heart.
We have heard a lot about development and the eradication of poverty, but Mother 
Teresa said that the greatest poverty in the world today is spiritual poverty. What she was 
talking about was the absence of love in the heart. No matter what projects we may seek 
to undertake in the world, if we do not motivate and move ourselves in ways that speak to 
love, then we will find many misguided actions.
We have to develop ourselves as better human bein gs, that we may create better 
communities. We must develop the heart of compassion, loving kindness, understanding 
for ourselves and for each other, and ultimately love is going to be the antidote to the 
consciousness of fear.
In whatsoever forum I find myself in, I never hesitate to speak about the importance of 
love. For information technologies and all the ways that they have sought to connect us, it 
has also created the ways to cut us off from having to deal with each other face to face 
and to engage the heart to heart inspiration that we can provide to each other as human 
beings living in the real world and not the virtual one.
Therefore, I call upon each and every one of us to become empowered individuals that no 
matter what the challenges of life may be, we will never fall victim to ourselves and to 
technologies, or to challenges because the power to love in the human heart is the 
supreme power. It is that power that can be liken to the little life in the acorn that will 
grow into the mighty tree. This power, this potential is alive and well in each and every 
one of you, and therefore no matter what the challenges that the world may hold, I live 
life without fear because I know I am in the company of good people with good 
intentions. First and foremost, I know that we are all spiritual beings looking for that 
noble purpose and it is that noble purpose that will help us all to join hands together and 
face life in loving ways. 

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Chapter V – Tolerance and Dialogue | 97