WFWP/UPF Joint Conference: Visions of the Future World
Panel 1. In search of absolute values
Panel 2. Evaluation of the focus of education
Panel 3. A world without borders
Hosted by the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) and the Unification Peace Federation (UPF), the conference was a successful event that surfaced many important and challenging issues facing modern societies and nations.
On behalf of the attendees, we applaud the WFWP/UPF for choosing such timely topics that have an influence on all of our lives. The well-informed speakers (please request a copy of the program) who delivered much ‘food for thought’, sparked a dialogue that should be a beginning rather than a conclusion to such a meaningful event.
Panel 1. In search of absolute values
Earl Smith Andrea Moore, Rev. Wendel Gibbs Rev. Mitch Dixon
In a world of conflicting values, fostered by different races, cultures and creeds, the speakers delivered from his or her religious perspective, experiential knowledge and worldview. An interesting observation was the decorum and politeness exhibited by the panelists and the audience despite the challenge to embrace viewpoints from different religious platforms. Ultimately, the consensus of human values did spring from a common religious perspective that underpin religion as opposed to distinct belief systems.
Panel 2. Evaluation of the focus of education
Mr. Errol Gibbs , Tahira Quamar and Christina Tadin
This topic spoke to the education system as one that focuses on Academic Information Literacy (AIL) which fosters careers, and materially driven lifestyles, at the expense of the broader goals of education. The topic led to a spirited discussion as the attendees inquired about the role of parents in a system dictated by educational policy makers facing challenges by a diverse community with competing worldviews. The question of home schooling arose as an alternative for some parents, but there is no universally accepted standard for home schooling parents.
The discussion shed light on great expenditures in lifestyle illnesses, the justice system, and military despite great expenditures in education. These in-depth discussions showed that there was a need for an evaluation of the focus of education, but how can the public influence the policy makers policy makers pose a dilemma for the attendees.
Panel 3. A world without borders
This was a rather interesting topic, given the major challenges of managing and controlling legal and illegal immigrants, with new challenges such as refugees of famines, natural disaster refugees, and refuges of wars and genocide. The concept seemed impracticable, since all nations need to manage and control peoples within and outside their borders for planning national programs.
Some of the discussions took a turn toward the opening of commercial borders for moving goods and services more effectively between nations, which was feasible as a mutual benefit for the nations involved. Cited, as a downside was that the more powerful nations would maintain an advantage in negotiations from a position of mass production capacity, and their dollar value. The subject was well-worth discussing.
Keynote address “The Nation and World of Peace Sought by God and Humanity delivered by Lilly Tadin
In summary, the conference was a worthwhile proposition for all of us to contemplate the three important topics. Everyone shared afterthoughts of the conference that will resonate within us for a long time. As the seminar backgrounder ‘Visions of the future world’ states, it was a glimpse into the future by shaping our reality of what we want the future world to become with the welfare of all people in mind.
Written by Mr. Errol Gibbs and Lilly Tadin
