LOVE AND TOLERANCE:

Dynamics for Personal and Social Reform

 

Concept Paper

INTRODUCTION

Rainbow Intercultural Dialogue Center (RIDC) aspires to facilitate a forum of mutual respect and collaboration, both welcoming and accepting varied viewpoints and voices with the intent to develop alternative perspectives on vital issues that our society is facing. It hopes to generate solutions to these issues, support successful practices, promote education, friendship and harmony and act as a peace island for all people irrespective of their ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. 

 

We align with the ideas of the transnational social movement called Hizmet, which means “service” in Turkish. The movement finds its meaning in the principle that service to humanity regardless of one’s faith, tradition, gender, or ethnicity. The Hizmet Movement is active in most countries in the world and works diligently in the areas of education, interfaith dialogue and aid organization. 

 

The book by M. Fethullah Gülen, Love and Tolerance, is an outstanding and moving forward of wisdom. It presents one of the most influential scholars and spiritual leaders in the world today. Hizmet is spearheaded by M. Fethullah Gülen who is offering people values for harmonious co-existence that helps them respond to the demands of post-modernism.

 

He mentions general requirements people need to live a life of care, love and understanding of tolerance. “We will not be reformed at the individual level until we are covered by these values: love and tolerance” *. “Freedom of faith, love and tolerance,” says Gülen, “is a fundamental human right” that reforms a person who that they in turn can reform society. He also added that, “A person is changed by education and society is changed through education. We are the products of our surroundings”**.

 

PURPOSE

The purpose of this panel is to globalize the knowledge of love and understand the meaning of tolerance which has generated theories of conflicts among nations, races, cultures and religions. A second reason is to urge people to remember love and tolerance as the key determinants for peace and stability. Peace and stability are the key determinants for development. Knowing that darkness cannot drive out darkness and hatred cannot drive out hatred, we have only love and tolerance to do that. Love brings acceptance and accommodation.

The basis of destruction lies in some people’s inability to appreciate the positive values associated with modernity, democracy, freedom and pluralism which emphasize freedom of thought, freedom of religion and respect for human rights.

 

DESCRIPTION:

 

Love and tolerance defined

In our popular culture, the concept "love" is perhaps overused and often misunderstood. Framed often exclusively in terms romantic relationships or used flippantly to refer to something you’re eating, love can get confused with an infatuation, or a sense of "liking" someone or something because it gives you good feelings.

 

Yet, true love goes much deeper than a fleeting emotion, and is rooted in a deep commitment to value, appreciate, and seek the good of what you love. This means really taking your relationships (with others and with yourself) seriously, and doing the hard work to move beyond selfish impulse, and truly empathize, support, and respond to needs. Also love is the most essential element of every being, the most radiant light and the greatest power capable to resist and overcome all evil. It elevates every soul that absorbs it and prepares it for the journey to eternity.

 

Tolerance means an appreciation for, and openness to others. It is rooted in humility and wisdom, a self-awareness that you don't have all the answers yourself and need input from others.

It teaches us to value the perspectives of others, and to receive what they have to offer as a gift that can help us in our own journey. Fortunately, we have the support and borrowed wisdom of many people who have made and are making that same journey along with us.

Tolerance or the willingness to listen to others is the virtue that will allow us to receive that priceless gift.

 

How to gain love and tolerance

The best way to build up your love and tolerance is through careful and honest inventory of what is really inside you. You must be working to grow in self-understanding, learning how to be unafraid of your darkest thoughts and fears and looking to directly face things that keep you from loving yourself and others, including selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. This transformation is not going to happen overnight, but requires a lifetime of removing the harmful parts of our hearts and replacing them with nurture and empathy.

 

OUTCOMES

 

The outcomes of this panel are to help policy makers, intellectuals and civil             societies understand that:

1. Personal reform is the step for the social reformations through peace, love and tolerance.

2. Prioritizing providing the center for our approaches to the challenges and development of our nation through love and tolerance is crucial

3. Faith and reason are two integrated dynamics for wisdom education which reaches to the grassroots as the key solution for our problems.

4. Peoples of faith need to come together to solve their common problems and live in love and tolerance. 

 

Outline topics to be discuss by panelists:

A) Humanism and love of humanity.

1. A portrait of the human heart

2. The inner profundity of humankind

3. Humanity, its nature and responsibilities

4. Ideal spirits and heroes of love

 

B) Life, love and tolerance

1. An appeal to love and forgiveness

2. Tolerance and liberality

3. Individual and societal tolerance

4. Creating a loving and tolerance environment

 

C) Clash of civilizations

1. The horizons of faith

2. Education from cradle to grave

3. The building of a new world

4. Without hands against those who strike you

 

D) The true believer

1. Faith and devotion

2. Chaos and the mystical world faith

3. The new man and woman

4.Religious faith and terrorism