WCC Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation
Meditation by Dr Ofelia Ortega, moderator of the WCC’s Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation, at the first session of its meeting in Geneva 17-23 September 2001
"The tragic events of September 11th in New York and Washington make a definite and different situation in our lives as citizens of humanity and as part of our society today. In this particular moment the spiritual condition of humankind seems to be one of ‘despair’. ‘Despair’ literally means negation, dimunition or dearth of hope. Will be be able, through our educational processes, to engage and transform that despair?
The massage of the prophet Habakkuk is very relevant for us today. There is an impressive, challenging and critical dialogue between God and Habakkuk. God makes him see the future. The time has come for the end of the aggressive ands tyrannical empire, because a more powerful empire is going to take its place. Is that a way out, going round and round in the same circle of violence?
Habakkuk criticises this possible solution and the oppressive military intervention. He is against a culture of violence to solve the problem. Habakkuk complains again and again and with reason (Habakkuk1:11-16).
It is evident that in the present situation we cannot ‘demonize’ the other, treating the ‘other’ as someone to be feared and eliminated if possible.
When we met eighteen months ago we were ready to participate in the process of the ‘Decade to Overcome Violence’. Today, in front of all the rumours of war and the social feelings of seeing the ‘other’ as ‘the enemy’, it is our main task to develop a culture of solidarity over against a culture of anti-life.
To do so we need to foster basic human education, which consists in teaching that which is useful for life. We need to instil the values of human relationships, the value of common life. Without such values, building and ethics become impossible.
As Konrad Raiser wrote in his book Challenges and Hopes for the New Millennium to be the Church: "It seems urgent to return to the basic forms of conciliatory by strengthening the capacity for reciprocity, dialogue and non-violent resolution of conflicts and reinforcing the process of sharing. The main emphasis should be on contributing to transformation on the level of systems by changing the cultural consciousness. The concept of metanoia, in the sense of a conversion of the heart, moves in this direction. Such conversion is not a momentary act of moral decision but a process of learning and a new way of living."