Bridging Gulfs: New Development Visions for Mind, Heart, Soul and Hands

Bridging Gulfs: New Development Visions for Mind, Heart, Soul and Hands

ARC Review – Katherine Marshall

June 14, 2004

Say not the struggle naught availeth

The labour and the wounds are vain,

The enemy faints not nor faileth,

And as things have been they remain.

…

And not by eastern windows only,

When daylight comes, comes in the light;

In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,

But westward, look, the land is bright!

Arthur Hugh Clough

When future generations look back at the world of 2004, with the wisdom of philosophers and clear eyes of historians, what will they see?  How will they judge the way we, citizens of 2004, viewed and discharged our responsibilities?  I speculate that four features will stand out starkly:

*  The scars and wounds of armed conflicts, between but above all within nations.  Some conflicts in today’s world are driven by modern precision warfare and technology, while others, in places where time seems to have stood still, are waged with knives, machetes, rocks, and rifles.  But a common denominator links them all: an unthinkable toll of suffering and misery, the destruction of material goods and substances, and above all the wrecking of hopes and dreams.  The pain of the bystanders, especially women and children, will echo across generations.

* Vast contrasts within the human family between those living in comfort, with abundant food, goods, and options, and those living at the bare edge of survival. Numbing numbers, with long strings of 000s, tell the story of poverty and inequality; they translate into real suffering for billions of children, women, and men each and every day. The dramatic contrast between the wealth of ideas, creativity, and opportunities—as well as speedy progress—that many of us enjoy, and the poverty of material goods and narrow choices and options of so many others, will need explanation.  So also will a special challenge for our generation: the scourge of HIV/AIDS, a preventable illness that strikes so unequally across societies and calls on leaders and societies to respond with compassion and will. Why, future generations will ask, have these divides grown so large, and what is being done to ensure a decent life and hope for all human beings?

* Stunning challenges to the natural environment, as forests and species disappear even as more than half the world’s people gather in urban agglomerations. Such challenges serve as a reminder that we depend on land, water, and animals for life and sustenance, and as a reminder of the mark of the Creator. 

·        The remarkable story of what human society can achieve with will and sustained effort. The transformation of societies (such as Bangalore, Ireland, Singapore, Scandinavia, and Spain), the restoration of some degraded lands, and the conquest of ancient plagues shows that dramatic change is possible, and that old-fashioned and fatalistic views of poverty no longer ring true, given today’s knowledge, experience, communication, material plenty, and scientific achievement.  Reflecting this progress, the Millennium Summit in 2000 captured a historic consensus—embodied in both inspirational declarations and concrete Millennium Development Goals—that common action to end poverty and protect the environment is humankind’s essential challenge.[i]

As these four features suggest, future historians will likely find much to puzzle them in the sharply contrasting stories and debates of our era. Sobering assessments of environmental destruction, painful conflict in many regions, and the anger of people facing vast inequalities of opportunity contrast with remarkable progress—symbolized by the magic of technological advance but also stunning if less visible achievements in reducing child mortality, extending life spans, and educating hundreds of millions of citizens. The contrasting visions of two remarkable scholars provide iconic images of these tensions. Francis Fukayama saw, with the end of the Cold War an “end of history,” when ideologies converged and a common course lay ahead, while Samuel Huntington envisaged instead a “clash of civilizations.”[ii] 

Such images play out day to day in both theoretical and practical ways, as people sitting side by side often cite contradictory numbers to indicate that the world is becoming more or less equal, and that the health of the environment is improving or worsening. Examples from recent meetings come to mind. At one meeting, two participants expressed the same vision of a China wherein every family has a car and a refrigerator. One participant expressed this dream as embodying prosperity and hope, while for another it spelled environmental catastrophe.[iii]  At another meeting, two people described a report from native Americans in Canada that glaciers are melting: one saw in this report an opening of possibilities, while another interpreted it as a warning that humanity’s abuse of the environment threatens basic earth processes.[iv]  

How could people see the world so differently when they share so many values and possess information beyond the wildest dreams of even 50 years earlier? 

Development and Faith in Separate Worlds

Some part of this discordant picture can be explained by our tendency to segment different worlds, disciplines, and institutions.  The remove between the worlds of development and faith offers a remarkable example. Joint reflection, dialogue, research, and have been patchwork. Institutions like the multilateral development banks, which interact with governments as a matter of basic institutional structure, thus find limited vehicles through which to interact with civil society institutions, religious institutions among them. The vocabulary and approach of spirituality have also often, though not always, seemed inimical to the technical, hard-nosed approach of development practice. 

This divide is remarkable not only because it reflects conscious intellectual and emotional traditions regarding the separation of church and state.  It is also remarkable because it is unrealistic and untenable: the worlds interlock and intersect in countless ways, and each individual, each community, each business, and each nation retains links to both the secular and spiritual worlds. 

Despite these links, much international development work—whether it entails introducing new seed varieties, encouraging development of cooperatives, planting forests, extending loans for small business, building village water pumps, or vaccinating children against polio—has taken little overt account of the world of religion. Yet religion is such a pervasive and vital force, at both the individual and community level, that the tendency to ignore it has had important, even grave consequences.  Blinkered visions have left large areas of human endeavor—some tangible, including religious provision of social services and religious roots of social tension—largely unexplored. 

The inverse applies to many faith institutions, which have often cast a wary eye on the work and debates of development institutions. The tendency of some faith communities to view poverty fatalistically has also sometimes distorted their visions of what progress can achieve.  More broadly, the complex issues of social justice and the links between social conflict, social cohesion, and change—seen by many as the root causes of fundamentalist movements—suggest powerful ties between modernization, development strategies, and religious thinking and institutions.  Indeed, the fear that Karen Armstrong sees as perhaps fundamentalism’s most salient characteristic may reflect the disarticulation between the worlds of development and religion.[v]

  Yet divisions between these visions and arenas for action are narrowing profoundly and rapidly.  The reasons are myriad—many highlighted in the millennium reflections on human progress and failure. The tragedy of September 11, 2001, also underscored starkly the powerful links between religion and modernization and posed a host of new questions about how the links operate and how thinkers and actors should respond. 

        Many of the challenges that future historians will note arise specifically from the interlocking worlds of religion and development. If, as I would argue, there is no greater challenge for the human family than to remove the age-old scourge of poverty, to build on the ideals of so many people regarding social justice, and to bring peace and security to us all, then the passion and efforts of leaders and institutions from the worlds of faith and development are critical.  We must work together, not always but often, if we are to achieve our common ends. 

The Qualities of Bridges

A first critical step is to build bridges easing both dialogue and action between different worlds—some where ancient spans already exist, others where yawning, shadowed chasms separate one side from another. Bridges offer rich metaphors for the needed exploration.  Bridges connect what are often very different worlds, yet the worlds remain distinct and separate.  Bridges nonetheless can have a transforming effect on the two sides that they connect, as they carry traffic—ideas and material goods alike—in two directions.  Bridges export and import both the bad and the good from the other side.

Bridges have exerted a transforming effect throughout history.  London Bridge long ago functioned as a small community in itself—a place where some were born, lived, and died without ever leaving (as most of our ancestors inhabited only a small circle of space).  Today we fly across regions so large we could barely imagine bridging them a generation ago. 

Bridges have always been a source of tension, whether a target in war or a landmark to defend: as Horatio said in Byron’s poem, “Now who will stand on either hand and keep the bridge with me?”  And bridges have always raised both hopes and fears.  In the 1750s, when a second bridge was proposed in London, a storm of protest arose from the watermen, who feared the threat to their way of life.  Vested interests today also fear the bridges that open new paths and avenues.

Bridges come in many types, shapes, and sizes.  Some are made of stone and last for centuries, while others are fleeting and temporary.  Some cross shallow waters while others span vast expanses.  Some contain drawbridges that open and close as needed.  In short, many forms of bridges are open to us for dialogue and action, and we need them all.  We need to appreciate their different forms and roles.  Finally, for bridges as for so many other edifices, nothing is so important as a solid foundation, good design, and excellence in execution.

Bridging Faith and Development

The history of the past decades, especially the enterprising transformation of global civil society, the end of the Cold War, and the tragedy of September 11, 2001, has highlighted how extensively the seemingly delineated worlds of faith and development are profoundly intertwined, in both concept and practice.  At heart, the strongest link is their deep, common concern for improving the lot and prospects of poor and excluded communities around the world.  This concern provides a deep core of virtually every faith tradition, including the teachings of Jesus about caring for those in need, Muslim traditions of community solidarity, Jewish obligations to look to common welfare, and Buddhist teachings about compassion, just to touch on a few.[vi]  This concern is also the primary raison d’être for development institutions; the World Bank’s guiding vision is best expressed by the words set in marble at the front entrance: “our dream is a world free of poverty.” That vision links virtually all development actors at some level.  Whatever cynicism may suggest about other motivations, such as self-interest, power politics, and ideologies planted in pursuit of wealth, at their core and at their best the development institutions—national, such as the UK’s Department for International Development; nongovernmental, such as Oxfam and Save the Children; and multilateral, such as the World Bank and the U.N. Family Planning Agency—aim to foster greater social justice.

  Despite this important common ground, dialogue and action between faith and development institutions have often been problematic. Why so, if indeed they share core values and a passion to see real progress in achieving social justice?  Differences in perspective, experience, and vocabulary have been obstacles, as well as wide variations in approach and methodology.  But these differences should not obscure the shared goal of shaping the present and future of all societies—from small, isolated rural communities to sprawling urban hubs—to nurture greater equity.  While historically religion and development may have seemed polar opposites, their activities overlap everywhere, in health clinics, agricultural activities, and above all schools and outreach to youth. 

However, a desire for probing dialogue to promote greater curiosity, respect, and understanding on both sides—to seek common concerns and values and explore areas of significant differences—has too often been lacking. With the urgency of fighting global poverty so closely linked to international peace and security, we can no longer afford such divides.  All must come to the table.

This imperative for dialogue and action to redress poverty is exerting visible effect.  One example is the World Faiths Development Dialogue, a small initiative launched in 1998 under the leadership of Lord Carey of Clifton (former archbishop of Canterbury) and James D. Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank. WFDD aims to meld the voices and ideas of leaders from the worlds of faith, politics, and economics, with the parties to this dialogue sharing a commitment to learn from each other and remain open to transformation as a result of greater understanding.  Actors from the worlds of philanthropy, the arts, and the private sector—whether propelled by the horror of armed conflict, poverty, HIV/AIDS, or child suffering—have also joined this dialogue. 

New partnerships that would have been difficult to imagine even a decade ago are also building on existing links, building new bridges, and venturing boldly into unfamiliar territory—into efforts to better understand the rage and anger that appear to drive some fundamentalist tendencies, for example. The Alliance for Religions and Conservation,  ARC, is one of the more remarkable and creative examples, marked by a “new geometry” of relationships among people of different faiths, business leaders, environmental activists, international organizations, and national authorities.  This alliance follows pragmatic paths, such as by focusing on the shareholder power of faith organizations through the International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG), even as it articulates and acts on bold visions of a just future and harmony between humankind and the natural order.

Another fascinating example of efforts to build bridges across ancient chasms is the annual Fez colloquium known as Giving Soul to Globalization, part of the Festival of Global Sacred Music. Organizers seek to rely on the backdrop of a passionate commitment to diversity of cultures and experiences to bridge widely differing visions and search for imaginative new paths to social justice. 

Indeed, when we open our eyes we see a remarkable array of alliances that promise to serve as bridges to the future. The United Nations Family Agency is engaging faith leaders in Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Guatemala, and other countries to serve women while building on core family values.  The International Labour Organisation has probed the significance of decent work for different faith traditions.  Mongolia is building on ancient faith traditions to preserve land and cultural heritage. The Aga Khan Foundation has pioneered a community-driven preschool program that builds on the madrassah network of Islamic schools in East Africa.  Jesuits are parlaying their historic knowledge of Colombia’s Magdalena Medio region to advance development amid armed conflict.   Uganda’s extraordinary success in bringing HIV/AIDS infection rates sharply down results from an alliance between faith, government, NGO, and community leaders.  The Community of Sant’Egidio is showing a remarkable path by drawing poignant links between poverty, conflict, and disease, and by putting the moral imperative of caring for people with HIV/AIDS starkly before the world community. And the AVINA Foundation’s creative partnership with the Jesuit Order promises to bring the best of business insights, tools, and resources to bear on the central challenge of creating excellence in education across Latin America.[vii]

Minds, Hearts, Soul, and Hands in the Fight Against Poverty

            What lies ahead is an immense challenge of building new alliances that harness the visions, ethical principles, practical experience, energies, and resources of different institutions and communities.  A vital part of this challenge entails bridging the worlds of faith and development so they work together toward common goals. Mind, heart, soul, and hands, in harmony, are essential to this fight.

We need to use our minds, above all, to sustain a more respectful, informed, and probing dialogue.  A first step is to move beyond sterile debates to committed exploration and learning from experience. Religious leaders and institutions—from the village level to world summit meetings—have been among the most vocal and vehement critics of development programs and institutions since the 1980s.  Particular areas of contention include structural adjustment policies, family planning, debt, and cost-recovery policies for services like health, education, and water. These critiques reflect sharp views of development philosophies (driven by materialism, for example), mechanisms for implementing those philosophies (negotiation of conditionality, that may set unrealistic parameters ill adapted to local circumstances, for example and operating styles (capital-city focused and finance and efficiency driven).  Even as they stung, these critiques stimulated deep reflection within the development world and significant efforts to change practices, open up to new voices, and find better ways to respond to social imperatives, especially in times of crisis.  Likewise, faith institutions have much to learn from decades of hard-won development experience and analysis.

        The call from faith institutions for a real, rich interdisciplinary approach to development thinking and practice is an important and valid insight.  Many people in development institutions also highlight the importance of crossing professional boundaries, but technical specialization and the complexity of each field militates against efforts to reach beyond.  Those working at the community level, including faith institutions, nevertheless contend that efforts to compartmentalize—whether separating spiritual from material, gender roles from access to water, education from government budgets, or access to credit from ethnic background—open the door to serious perils. This important lens suggests broad application.

The challenge of development and the fight for social justice also require the passion that comes from the heart to ensure that practitioners translate numbers into faces and consider the impacts of policy tradeoffs on people’s lives.  Never should we lose sight of the importance of the most basic of human challenges: to make sure that no one goes hungry, that all children receive an education, and that societies prevent disease.  Concern about poverty and social exclusion binds different institutions, gives meaning to these tasks, and informs the quality of the resulting programs.

What of soul?  Soul evokes spirituality and the quest of each human being for meaning in life.  It evokes also the core values inherited above all from faith traditions that remind us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, to work with honesty, and to look always beyond the material for deeper meaning.  Without this sense of purpose, without recalling the basic wisdom of the ages, without working with wise leaders from faith traditions, development practitioners will surely lose sight of the meaning of the work we do.

Finally, the covenant of humankind to fight poverty and work for a just world calls for action that translates ideas, words, and ideals into action—with the hands.  Commitment, persistence, and courage in the face of adversity are all essential to winning results. 

Mind, heart, soul, and hands—each suggests qualities held in trust by the world’s faiths as well as development institutions.  If we work together harnessing all these critical attributes, surely we can succeed.