Aligning the Masses

From Mobilising people and Actions for Dialogue Web Site:

On January 1, Javier Solana advanced the political and economic dimensions of his Barcelona Process by strengthening the Association Agreements with the Mediterranean Partners for a period of seven years. It looks as though 2008 is the social dimension’s year to prosper. The social dimension, tasked with combating religious fundamentalism worldwide as well as creating a common civilization, is where the Alliance of Civilizations (Dialogue Between Peoples and Cultures) was inspired. This coming year has been declared the EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue and facilitating it is the EU’s Alliance of Civilizations.

This month, the Anna Lindh Foundation is launching the 1001 Actions for Dialogue campaign to unite together their common culture. This campaign reminds me of the 1987 Harmonic Convergence but on a much more grandiose scale. The Anna Lindh Foundation’s plans are to “work for the promotion of dialogue and the aim of knowing the ‘other’”. But if you are one of the “others” who “merciless claims possession of absolute truth”, joining the common civilization is going to be a problem. Well c'est la vie, we’re in good company as I have no intention of joining them in their destiny.