The Dream of a Truly Worldwide Civilization

Leonardo Boff
Theologian-Philosopher
Earthcharter Commission

The present helplessness that has overtaken a great sector of humanity derives in part from our inability to dream and imagine utopias. Not just any utopia, but those that are necessary and can be converted to topias, this is, to something that can be realized, if imperfectly, given the conditions of our history. Otherwise, our common future, the future of life and civilization, are in grave danger.

We must, then, try everything, so that we do not arrive too late to the true path that can save us. That path goes through caring, sustainability, collective responsibility and the spiritual meaning of life.

I take to heart the inspiring words of Oscar Wilde, the well known Irish writer, who said about utopia: «A world map that does not include utopia is not worth being seen, because it ignores the only territory where humanity always stops, and moves at once towards a land that is better still... Progress is the realization of utopias».

To project hope-filled scenarios pertains to the field of utopia. We will offer one, by Robert Müller, who for 40 years was a top official of the UN, and was also called «citizen of the world» and «father of global education». He was a man of dreams, one of them realized when in 1980 the UN created the University of Peace in Costa Rica, the only country in the world without an army, and he was its first president.

Robert Müller imagined a new retelling of the Biblical Genesis: the birth of a truly worldwide civilization, where, as a species, together with others, the human species assumes the mission of guaranteeing the sustainability of the Earth and of caring well for her and also for the Earth's other beings. This is what he called, «The New Genesis»:

«And God saw that all the nations of the Earth, Black and White, rich and poor, from the North and from the South, from East and West, of every creed, sent their emissaries to a big glass building on the banks of the river of the Rising Sun, on Manhattan Island, to study together, to think together, and together to care for the world and for all its nations.

And God Said: “It is good” . And that was the first day of the New Era of the Earth.

And God saw that the soldiers of peace separated the combatants of the nations at war, that their differences were resolved through negotiation and reason and not with weapons, and that the leaders of nations got together, exchanged ideas and joined their hearts, their minds, their souls and their strength for the benefit of all of humanity.

And God said: “It is good” . And that was the second day of the Planet of Peace.

And God saw that the humans loved all of Creation, the stars and the sun, the day and the night, the air and the oceans, the land and the waters, the fish and the birds, the flowers and the trees, and all their human brothers and sisters.

And God said: “It is good” . And that was the third day of the Planet of Happiness.

And God saw that humans had eradicated hunger, disease, ignorance and suffering from all over the Earth, offering to each person a decent life, conscious and happy, controlling greed, force, and the wealth of the few.

And God said: “It is good” . And that was the fourth day of the Planet of Justice.

And God saw that humans lived in harmony with their planet and at peace with everyone else: using their resources wisely, avoiding waste, limiting excess, substituting love for hate, satisfaction for greed, humility for arrogance, cooperation for division, and understanding for suspicion.

And God said: “It is good” . And that was the fifth day of the Planet of Gold.

And God saw that the nations had destroyed their weapons, their bombs, their missiles, their warships and planes, deactivating their bases and demobilizing their armies, maintaining only a peace-keeping police force, to protect the good from the bad and the sane from the mentally ill.

And God said: “It is good” . And that was the sixth day of the Planet of Reason.

And God saw that humans retook God and the human person as their Alpha and Omega, reducing institutions, beliefs, politics, governments and other human entities to their roles as simple servants of God and of the people. And God saw them adopting as the supreme law that which says: «Love the God of the Universe with all your hearth, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. You will love your beautiful and marvelous planet and will treat it with infinite care. You will love your human brothers and sisters as you love yourself. There are no commandments bigger than these».

And God said: “It is good”. And that was the seventh day of the Planet of God».

If at the gates of Dante Alighieri's hell was written: «Leave behind all hope, you who enter here», at the door of the new civilization in the era of the Earth and of the planetary world will be written in all the tongues that exist on the face of the Earth: «Never ever abandon hope, you who enter here».

The future passes through this utopia. Its dawn is already announced.

Leonardo Boff
04-19-2013