11th June 2021
All indicators point to the need for a new dawn for humanity, within countries but also across borders and internationally. The world is changing. A new horizon emerges and many are searching for and wishing for something better, to live in "One World" built on mutual respect for individual and collective responsibility and achieving and sharing the well-being of humanity and of the entire planet.
Millennials and the youth in the "majority world" make up
nearly 70 percent of the world's population and speak a language completely different
from the language that their parents and predecessors understand. Guided by current
needs and concerns, equipped with new tools of modern technology, they have the freedom
to discover knowledge shared cross-culturally in a new environment, beyond parental
guidance, cultural mores and school confines. The State seems to have lost the absolute
control over and to some degree the trust of its citizens that it once had.
There are no questions about our belief in and the urgent need for a new dawn. This new
dawn augurs the possibility of a new era that amplifies solidarity above egoism, the
search for meaningful lifestyles beyond the ephemeral trends of social media and
streaming services, and the growing demand for more qualitative than quantitative
indices for measuring happiness, concerned not with how much and how many but rather
with who and with whom and why. Environmental factors have taken centre stage, and the
Green Deal charters that focus on the climate, on people and on a planet founded on
justice and equity are current in daily debates globally. Autocratic governments face
challenges, but even then, the practice of democracy stands under threat at a time when
the COVID-19 virus ravages much of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic propelled the speed
of this demand for a new dawn and a new era, one which sets a positive outlook and
belief in humanity's strength to overcome situations of rising inequity, unnecessary
divisions fuelled in societies by the inflammatory rhetoric from some governments, and
of course, other natural disasters.
The COVID-19 crisis did not leave any country isolated. Its obduracy negated scientific precision and humbled those who claimed knowledge of the past, present or future. Lessons abound and we are yet to unravel the mystery of how the most powerful nations with their weapons of mass destruction, those with political and economic power, the financial empires and ivory towers of science all lost ground on their narratives of absolute certainty for much of 2020.
Lessons from the COVID-19 global phenomena abound. We have lost millions of people, and several more millions became infected by the disease caused by just one tiny COVID-19 virus and its new mutations. The interconnectedness of our one world and of the entire planet of humans, flora and fauna is demonstrated once again. This new dawn brings with it an invitation to step back from our existing paradigms. We need to reflect and collaborate to uncover the patterns that do not serve us any longer. It is time to produce enduring solutions that can help us all shape the world of our dreams where no one needs to be left behind. Difficult as it is, this invitation to co-create new and regenerative models of social, political, economic and religious, as well as cultural styles that cater for all is best conveyed through the age long wisdom of ethical living.
It is a call to action to those who desire to transform themselves and those around them by developing collaborative and innovative solutions towards a world grounded on an ethical compass. With university institutions and their teachers, students and professionals, stakeholders and youth, including their elders and the institutions that manage global affairs, we stand before a new dawn. Globethics.net extends an invitation to you to be part of this new phase of human history as we unveil our vision and mission – inviting all to be part of and work for this new era through ethical thinking and ethical living. This means integrating ethics in the education of students and youth who look for a future beyond that can be found already within us. This is what Globethics.net has set out to do with you. Say "Yes!", to ethics for a new dawn and a new era!
Obiora Ike
Executive Director
Globethics.net
