Spirit of Humanity Forum

Reykjavik, Iceland

13 - 15 Sept. 2012

Resetting Compass -- Creating a Landscape of Possibilities

The Forum is a global partnership of organisations, communities and individuals committed to improving the condition of the world and of those who live in it. The Forum creates a safe space for self exploration and dialogue among leaders to discover new ways to move forward, based on deep human values.

Aim

The purpose of the Forum is to explore:

-  the process of change within the individual that enables transformation in a community or country

-  the empowerment and sustenance of higher values and their practical implementation in personal, family, community and work life

-  how the deeper dimensions of our humanity affect the direction of society

-  how we can hold onto our higher purposes despite the many pressures that can take us off course

-  how we can support each other in maintaining hope as we move towards a new future.

Program

PROGRAM THURSDAY

13th SEPTEMBER, 2012

5.00 - 6.15 pm Registration open at Harpa Congress Centre

Harpa Conference Center in background (center to left of Theary, 17 Sept. 2012)

6.30 – 8.00 pm Welcome reception at Hofdi House hosted by the Mayor and the City of Reykjavik

Welcome by Jon Gnarr, Mayor of Reykjavik

Mayor of Reykjavik, Jon Gnarr, welcoming the delegates of Spirit of Forum to a reception at the Hofdi House (Thursday, 13 Sept. 2012)

Hofdi House where President Ronald Reagan and President Gorbachev met, a catalyst which acted to end the Cold War (Reykjavik, 17 Sept. 2012)

2:45 minute YouTube clip of this historic Summit in Reykjavik held at the Hofdi House (a neutral ground) on Oct. 12, 1986. A few years later, the Cold War ended as a result of this meeting.

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Sitting in the Hofdi House seats where Reagan and Gorbachev held their historic Reykjavik Summit in 1986, here with Miriam Subirana (Spanish author/sculptor) and Canadian businessman Upkar Arora (replacing Joan Mele)

FRIDAY 14th SEPTEMBER, 2012 - HARPA CONFERENCE CENTRE

8.00 am Registration open

DAY ONE: RE-SETTING THE COMPASS

9.00-10.00 OPENING DAY ONE

Forum Presenter: Veronica Pedrosa, International News Presenter, Al Jazeera

English Youth Choir Greetings from Sabah Al Rayes, Chairman, ARG, Kuwait

Veronica Pedrosa, Sabah Al Rayes, President of Iceland, Dadi Janki

Sitting between two peacemakers Sabah Al Rayes and Swedish ambassador Ragnar Angeby at a dinner reception on Videy Island (Reykjavik, 14 Sept. 2012)

Greetings from Dadi Janki, Head of the Brahma Kumaris

Opening Remarks by HE Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland

President of Iceland Grimsson hosting a reception for us at his residence (no security check, no gate -- not surprising in a country without a military and where the police do not carry guns) (Reykjavik, Saturday, 15 Sept. 2012). Listen/watch his full remarks here.

SESSION 3: CALLING

4.15 - 5.45 pm Led by Miriam Subirana, Foundation for a Culture of Peace

Theme (iii): What is the future asking of me and how can I respond? Where can I find the energy and passion to respond to this inner call? This session will help us identify and understand what the future is asking of each of us personally, within the context in which we find ourselves, and explore how we empower ourselves with the higher human values to respond to this call. From where do I find the energy to think, feel and act differently in facing current challenges?

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Frm. UNESCO chief who declared Angkor Wat a UNESCO Heritage Site Federico Mayor, author-sculptor Miriam Subirana, Theary Seng at the reception hosted by the President of Iceland at his residence (Reykjavik, 15 Sept. 2012). Watch/listen to excerpts from Federico Mayor's speech.

The session includes:

• Insights by:

Joan Mele, Deputy Director, Triodos Bank Spain [replaced by Upkar Arora, Managing Director Illumina Partners]

Theary C. Seng, Founder, Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, Cambodia

• Personal reflection:

What is the future asking of me?

[Excerpts of my comments:]

- to live out forgiveness, sacrifice;

- to contribute to the building of shalom, peace with justice, or "human flourishing" in a very parched land;

- to continue to push for, to create safe public space for dialogue for others who are vulnerable, without a voice or means to enter the dialogue and conversation. And in this public safe space, to enlarge our way of thinking, to learn to acquire Miroslov Volf's "double vision";

- all of the above, in sum: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God -- to borrow the words of the prophet Micah.

How do I respond to this call?

- to do so with a graceful spirit, with a quiet, centered-spirit -- my daily prayers. I cannot give what I do not have, thus the prayer for GRACE.

- to speak the truth -- easier in a place like Cambodia, where most situations are black and white -- but to do so with love, with grace, and yes, even as I am doing so with firmness.

How can I empower my response?

- filling my mind with Holy Scriptures, with inspirational readings of/by individuals from the past and the present, e.g. Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela. I read a lot. I cannot give if I do not have; a few years ago, I was so burned out. Thus, my prayers are to be filled with grace.

- to make the fight for justice, the pursuit for peace as concrete as I can. For me, justice has a name: Mom and Dad. The past has a name: Never Again. The future has a name: a boy I visit regularly, Nak.

Where do I find the energy and the passion to respond to inner call?

• Roundtable conversations

Theary Seng with Princess Martha Louise (only daughter of Norwegian King and Queen), a genuine "people's princess" full of warmth and personality (Reykjavik, 15 Sept. 2012)

Former President of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov (1997-2003) who sat across from me at dinner on Videy Island, here at the reception hosted by the President of Iceland at his residence (Reykjavik, 15 Sept. 2012)

Archbishop of Capetown, Theary Seng with her two very cool housemates -- Jim Paymar and Sander Tideman (Reykjavik, 14 Sept. 2012)

The Blue Lagoon...