Maravi

Dialogue and unity

Dialogue and unity
By Editor
Wednesday April 25, 2007 [04:00]

The wise words from the Vatican Ambassador to Zambia, Apostolic Nuncio Nicola Girasoli, require us to reflect deeply because they draw us to a very important subject of how we should co-exist not only as a nation but also as a human race. We are in agreement with Archbishop Girasoli when he advises us that the general improvement of the living conditions of Zambians could be reached only through dialogue and unity.

And as Archbishop Girasoli rightly points out, we should consider the peace that we enjoy as a gift because it is not by chance that our great nation has enjoyed the kind of stability which has eluded many other great nations, be it in Africa or elsewhere.

In order to understand the secret behind peaceful existence, Archbishop Girasoli provides us with two key words which we can focus our attention on, that is, 'dialogue' and 'unity'. For us to have a greater appreciation of the true meaning of these two words, it is necessary to put into perspective some conceptual issues. Our simple understanding of the word 'dialogue' is that it is a reciprocal conversation between two or more persons. Dialogue can be a conversation, a communication by two or more people on a particular subject or topic.

Dialogue or conversations are the ideal form of communication since they allow people with different views of a topic to learn from each other, as opposed to listening to a speech, which is basically an oral presentation by one person directed at a target group. Dialogue should by all means be encouraged because it is not about judging, weighing, or making decisions, but about understanding and learning from each other. Dialogue dispels stereotypes, it builds trust, and enables people to be open to perspectives that are very different from their own.

It is because of the inclusive nature of dialogue that today this form of communication is used in many situations such as in classrooms, community centres, corporations, political groupings and other settings to enable people, usually in small groups, to share their perspectives and experiences about difficult issues. Dialogue is also used to help people resolve long-standing conflicts and to build deeper understanding of contentious issues.

This is our understanding of dialogue and this is why we think that Archbishop Girasoli's message is very precise and to the point.
Archbishop Girasoli has also talked about the need for unity in the country.

The ordinary and simple meaning of the word 'unity' could be as diverse as is possible. However, it is centred around one and the same idea. Unity is the state or quality of being one or singleness, it is the state or quality of being in accord or in harmony. Unity can also mean singleness or constancy of purpose of action. It can also refer to unbroken completeness or totality, integrity or wholeness. This is how we understand the meaning of unity.

When we combine the two words and try to make meaning out of them, we can see clearly that there is great insight in Archbishop Girasoli's message to us.

For us to achieve a greater level of human advancement or improvement of our lives, we have to learn to dialogue between and among ourselves. We also have to learn to live in harmony or in unity. It is understandable that differences will occur once in a while here and there. Due to the nature of our work, we are a witness on a daily basis of numerous differences, conflicts and disagreements at various levels, be it in politics, business or economics or indeed at family levels. However, if we engaged in dialogue in times of disagreements or conflicts, it is possible to strive towards the ideal state of unity.

The world today is replete with countless conflicts primarily because we are failing to sit down and dialogue over the fundamental problems that have led to some of the avoidable conflicts.

The war in Iraq today is mainly as a result of a failure by those who believe in the saying that "might is right" to realise that dialogue always deserves a first chance; dialogue should always take precedence over one's might. The war in Iraq has taught us that might is not right after all. If that be the case, why not give more chance and greater space for dialogue?

It is very sad that we as a human race have through our own selfish actions created some of the deadliest conflicts which we are failing to bring to a halt. But even when we know too well that dialogue is the road to peace, we have continued to conveniently avoid that route.

In his ‘Little Book of Wisdom,’ the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama counsels us that the well-being of society depends upon the internal attitude of the people who compose it. The Dalai Lama tells us that it is very difficult to achieve peace and harmony through competition and hatred. He advises us instead that the practice of kindness to each other is very, very valuable in human society.

If ever we dream of peaceful co-existence wherever we may be, then we should critically consider the essence of dialogue in whatever we do, in whatever differences we find ourselves in. As we have already acknowledged, differences may not be completely avoided.

However, we can achieve a greater level of unity among ourselves if we realised the importance of dialogue. We think that dialogue and unity are a necessary element if we are to score greater achievements in our lives.

Labels: EDITORIAL

posted by MrK @ 3:28 AM