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Honor, Humiliation, and Terror: An Explosive Mix – And How We Can Defuse It with Dignity
by Evelin Lindner- Founding President, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies
"Evelin Lindner is one of the most important, present-day actors for peace, international solidarity and conflict resolution, human rights and democracy building, and in this book she addresses the most burning issues of our time -- terrorism and the quest for a dignified world." -- Inga Bostad, Professor of Philosophy, Director, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway
"Humankind has reached a boiling point. Violence, hatred, and terror have become deeply entangled with honor, heroism, glory, loyalty, and love. Over the past five percent of modern human history on planet Earth, roughly the past ten millennia, human activity has reached a crescendo of rapid and ruthless competition for domination, a fight for power over people and the planet, where "might" has become "right." Within this context, a dangerous culture of honor has evolved, in which destruction is mercilessly merged with love: “It is my duty, if I love my people, to heroically destroy our enemies and secure all resources for us,” underwritten by an ominous motto: "If you want peace, prepare for war."
"Humanity has haphazardly constructed an entire world-system on top of this merger, holding the whole world hostage through never-ending cycles of domination and humiliation. The consequence, today, is the ubiquitous destruction of human and environmental life on this planet. Terror and terrorism are the tools of a twisted honor system that should alert us to the mounting danger while we still have a window of opportunity for change.
"With this book, the author encourages us to recognize the immense historic opportunity that is open to us in the wake of these dangerous times. Drawing on 40 years of research gathered on her personal path of living globally, she calls us to action in service of restoring and replenishing the health of human arrangements of relationships, emphasizing the lifesaving necessity of mutually dignifying cooperation. When we overcome the legacy of honor and terror together, in mutual respect, we can address the social and environmental crises of our time and the terror these developments foment.
"This book is a breathtaking, globally informed account of how humanity can reverse the rising tide of terror, making dignity our destiny and legacy… before it is too late."
Author Details:
'Evelin Lindner has a dual education as a Medical Doctor and a Psychologist, with a Ph.D. in Medicine (Dr. med.) from the University in Hamburg in Germany, and a Ph.D. in Psychology (Dr. psychol.) from the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo in Norway. She is the founding president of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS), a global transdisciplinary community of concerned academics and practitioners who wish to promote dignity and transcend humiliation around the world. Linda Hartling is the director of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. Lindner is also co-founder of the World Dignity University initiative, including Dignity Press and World Dignity University Press. All initiatives are not for profit. She lives and teaches globally, and is affiliated with the University of Oslo since 1997 (first with the Department of Psychology, and later also with its Centre for Gender Research, and with the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights). Furthermore, she is affiliated with Columbia University in New York City since 2001 (with the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity, AC4), and since 2003 with the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris. She convenes two conferences per year together with the HumanDHS network, altogether 30 conferences have been conducted since 2003 all around the world. One conference takes place each December at Columbia University in New York City, it is the Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict, with Morton Deutsch as honorary convener. The other conference takes place at a different location each year, since 2003 in Europe (Paris, Berlin, Oslo, Dubrovnik), Costa Rica, China, Hawai'i, Turkey, New Zealand, South Africa, Rwanda, and Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. See for a list of past and future conferences. Lindner has received several awards and as a representative of the dignity work of HumanDHS, she has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, 2016, and 2017.'
Read more about the Dignity Press: Dignity Press: A Publisher for the Common Good
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Photo: shepheard-walwyn.co.uk
What was it that initially separated us from other primates?
What was different about Homo sapiens 30,000 years ago that predicated our survival and the demise of our closest rivals, the Neanderthals?
Why are we obsessed with the notion that GDP is the only possible measure of progress?
If we are able to predict our own demise, why can we not do anything to stop it?
The Gilgamesh Gene is about the human condition, and in particular what it is in our make-up that has brought us, along with most other species on earth, to the brink of extinction. Ultimately it is a question about human psychology. The author draws on the ancientEpic of Gilgamesh to shed light on our predicament and offer a way out.
The epic is the oldest narrative in existence: it tells the story of a vainglorious king, Gilgamesh, who ruled the city of Uruk in Sumer about 2750 BC. He wished to leave a lasting memory of his feats by building great palaces out of cedar wood, killing the mythical guardian of the cedar forests so that he could “stamp his fame on the minds of men forever”. Dr Russell-Jones compares the different versions of the legend and traces their influence through Bronze Age civilisations to traditions that still dominate human thinking and world affairs today.
The Gilgamesh Gene incorporates the key scientific data that underlies the science of global warming, the decline of coral reefs, and the extreme vulnerability of ecosystems everywhere to global changes in the atmosphere and the oceans. His book is a warning that humanity’s demise is imminent, unless precautions are taken.
Author Details:
Dr Russell-Jones has produced films and co-edited several seminal works on the environment, including Lead versus Health with Sir Michael Rutter FRS, Radiation and Health with Sir Richard Southwood FRS, and Ozone Depletion: health and environmental consequences with Professor Tom Wigley. He chairs an educational charity, Help Rescue the Planet, which is dedicated to minimising air pollution and mitigating climate change.
Visit Dr Russell-Jones’ website, Help Rescue the Planet.
“Robin Russell-Jones tells an epic tale that traces humankind’s apparent predisposition towards environmental destruction. He takes us from the depths of history to the present day, painting a picture rich in data and political insight. Read it before it’s too late.”- Geraint Davies MP, Council of Europe Rapporteur for fracking and air pollution
“… a remarkable mixture of political analysis and accurate scientific information on key environmental issues such as air pollution, fracking and climate change. Henceforth no politician can say they were not warned.” -Dr Charles Tannock, Conservative Member of the European Parliament for London
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"Father Forgive": These two words which I discovered at the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in 1973 changed the course of my life.
This is the Story of a Boy from Iran who became a Man in Coventry
Photo: Anne Mofid
This is the story, “My Coventry Story”
Prof. Kamran Mofid
ST MICHAEL'S HOUSE, Coventry Cathedral,
11 PRIORY ROW CV1 5EX
7.00pm Wednesday 26 July 2017
My Story is My Witness: A Story of Hope, Suffering and Hope again
(With special thanks and gratitude to Revd Canon Dr. Sarah Hills, Coventry Cathedral’s Canon for Reconciliation Ministry, for her kind invitation. I also thank the Reconciliation Ministry Team at St. Michael’s House for their support.)
Prof. Mofid and Cannon Hills, St. Michael's House, Coventry Cathedral, 26 July 2017
Photo: Anne Moid
Dear Canon Hills, distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. Thank you very much Canon Hills for your very kind words of welcome. It is a great pleasure for me and for my wife, Annie, to be here tonight. I feel very nostalgic about this talk, returning to Coventry Cathedral, where my journey of discovery started all those years ago in November 1973.
Indeed, it is true, life is an incredible journey of discovery. There simply is no way to know everything that will happen in life before experiencing it.
The joy of finding the ‘Coventry Cathedral Story’ has been, as I will explain shortly, very highly motivational to me. There is no fun in life if we presume to know it all. It is this journey into the unknown and finding gems of truth along the way that makes life so interesting, worthwhile and meaningful.
- "Father Forgive"- My Coventry Story: St. Michael's House, Coventry Cathedral
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- Totalitarian, despotic economy, 1%Vs99%: Meet the economist and his backer, the architects of the global disaster
- Mother Nature Crying: Fools and Heartless those who do not see the tears
- What Can I teach my students in the age of Selfie, Isolation, Virtual friendship and loneliness?