GANE Conference Inaugural Talk

by Dada Shambhushivananda

There was a time, in the not too distant past, when human beings and other ape-like creatures were at par and shared the same forest dwellings. Today, humans have surpassed all other creatures and dominate the planet earth, leading to a virtual extinction of all other species. Humans have split the atom; gone beyond the stars; discovered the secrets of life and genes; developed nanotechnologies; developed their vocabularies; invented digital money as a medium of exchange; and built organizational networks that span the earth. The innumerable achievements of human minds are indeed awesome.

Yet, we are far from calling ourselves the masters of creation. We still are dwarfs before the Creator. We remain fragile creatures who swing between life and death. We are still unable to record or reproduce the colorful live images that we see every moment in our heads. We are still far from comprehending the hidden variables that work behind our body-mechanics; and in this creation, we are still not fully aware of what other life forms and microvita inhabit the universe. Even on this earth, peace still eludes us, and abundance is not evenly distributed. Wellness and happiness are still a far cry for the bulk of humanity. Survival remains a struggle for citizens around the world.

Commercialization of war stares at us and makes us vulnerable to powerful elites who rule the world and dictate the future of human communities. As long as culture and civilization lag behind technological advancements, there will be no contentment. As long as wide disparities persist, there will still be inter- and intra-species clashes. As long as the existential value of every entity in the universe is not recognized and respected, there will be no harmony on this earth. As long as leaders are guided by love for power rather than the power of love, there will be no genuine and sentient peace and no all-round progress.

We have gathered together here in Sinaia in Romania because the world is bleeding and the mute masses are calling us to act! Future generations will blame us if we do not rectify the wrongs, put humanity on the course of all-round progress, free us from atrocities to fellow living beings, and protect this earth from the rape of the environment. Neohumanism stands for extending the love of the human heart to embrace all beings,

This conference has three internal objectives:

• To consolidate the neohumanist movement and inspire one another to hasten the advent of a neohumanist society.
• To explore our hidden talents and potentials, and tap the limitless opportunities for further collective growth.
• To forge further alliances amongst us so that we can keep the flame of ‘hope’ alive in these disturbing times.

Through collaboration, cooperation and negotiation, this world can be led towards a harmonious future. Our main task is to raise the consciousness of the masses so that neohumanism becomes the dominant paradigm on this planet. This demands courage, love and wisdom—the theme of this conference. These core values will enable us to transform neohumanist ideals into actions.

I take this opportunity to remind us that 35 years ago, the initial guidelines for the Gurukula Movement were given by Revered Baba after we made an interim agreement with the Govt. of Romania to introduce NHE in 1990, after the death of Ceausescu. (Nicolae Ceaușescu, the former communist dictator of Romania, and his wife Elena, were executed by firing squad on Christmas Day, December 25, 1989 to put an end to a dark period of Romania). We gather here today in Romania to resolve to build a better, constructive future for the entire humanity. It is my great honor to welcome each one of you to this conference in Sinaia, Romania and hope that our collective effort will hasten the advent of a glorious chapter of human history on this planet.