A Septuple Charter for Coexistence in the Future World
Seven Spiritual and Knowledge Changes for Happiness
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A Septuple Charter for Coexistence in the Future World
Seyed Kazem Alavipanah
Professor of Remote Sensing, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
salavipa@ut.ac.ir
http://alavipanah.ir/
Ali Akbar Moosavi-Movahedi
Professor of Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
http://ibb.ut.ac.ir/~moosavi
Human beings are members of a whole
In creation of one essence and soul
If one member is afflicted with pain
Other members uneasy will remain
If you've no sympathy for human pain
The name of human you cannot retain
Saadi Shirazi
Nowadays, coronavirus or the so-called Covid-19 has spread all over the globe, endangering human lives. On the other hand, it has also been a lesson of life for all human beings to take, which has exerted some beneficial impacts on their lives; hence, this immensely little invisible creature has to be treated wisely enough. Thus, one has to refer to old sayings and pieces of advice given by late wise men and philosophers so as to come to a proper realization of the situation. In this regard, the late great Iranian bard called Saadi Shirazi, the poet of all ages and eras, is a world-known poet and wise philosopher whose clear guidelines can be an effective solution to human problems these days. Saadi wrote the following triple rhyming couplets about 800 years before the universal declaration of human rights. These couplets are still being caroled in different languages as melodies, anthems, and global music. It is, of course, worth mentioning that Achaemenid Cyrus Charter of Human Rights was the very first and the oldest human rights charter referring back to 600 BC.
Human civilization is estimated to refer back to some thousands of years ago and the initiation of the world to four to five billion. Although the social, cultural, political, and economic evolution of different ages and the bonding between them have had a whole lot of ups and downs, it has never been torn apart. Regarding the concordance between nature and the human spirit in the past and now, we can draw this conclusion that: nature is crumbling, and at the same time, man's enjoyment of nature and his inner enjoyment is as low as spiritualism. At the same time, the level of the fun of artificial achievements and external attractions has increased. Meanwhile, humans seem to be deriving more pleasure from some fictional attainment and external fascination. On this very day, it is the right moment to write an open letter to mention some novel
and no repetitive words! The time when all those charter developers write down all things crossing their minds to share them with people. This septuple charter is of those great belletrist's and poet's odes and lyrics who lived well and taught others the right way to live well. Reading through the literary works and quotes of those top poets of Iran, namely, Saadi, Hafiz, Rumi, and Ferdowsi, and other Greats whose writings go hundred years back, provides us with an opportunity to recognize the potential harms and pests of human life. This guides us to a more comprehensive understanding join with more in-depth insight and intuition in this perilous world so that we can take a further leap towards humanity. Hence, in this short message, we declare this septuple charter along the guidelines cited and quoted by these Persian poets, sages, and wise philosophers.
You have to raise yourself to the seventh heaven because the love you have is precious (Rumi)
First charter (Self-Perception)
Know that everyone who has wisdom will look at the ordain of Almighty of the judge (Ferdowsi)
This invisible coronavirus has done plenty of things in the universe, which can't be seen solely through our eyes; instead, we need a different vision to observe it. Entity and existence have got higher spiritual values; humankind is blessed to be the extract of the whole universe who owns dignity. Human wellbeing is gained as a result of his/her balance and harmony with outer and inner nature (innate). Therefore, self-knowledge is the foundation of human health and happiness. Of course, self-knowledge is a kind of theology. Man needs the wisdom to know himself and creation. Wisdom means attaining truth through knowledge and reason, in which there is no weakness or perversion. Science is the discovery of facts as it is, the scientist does not create anything but knows what has been created. But wisdom means discovering the truth and realizing the ultimate purpose of life that only special humans have access to them.
Although the world has enchanted you, you are immensely valuable internally, and if you look at things through your third eye, you will realize the high value of your existence; thus, you will take steps towards your origin (Rumi).
Second charter (the Change)
Since human beings change at the time of peace and battle, they never gain spiritual unity; therefore, their souls lack unity (Rumi).
In this day and age, the main focus of governments is not to figure out the root and causes of problems, they seek the privileges instead. Thus, most of the issues in the world aren't solved and eradicated, and even if solved, they bring about other predicaments. What is the principle? We will not need to define what a secondary matter is if we know the law owing to the fact that a principle is always a principle, and a side issue will always be secondary. But, most of the people in charge have no idea about the principle, and they are always focused on secondary issues, they may have to intentionally ignore the principle due to the personal benefits that they gain from the secondary matter. Everything changes regardless of the place and time, and it is only the word "change" that remains unchanged. What are some of the responsibilities that we have to shoulder regarding the Coronavirus diseases? We can survive a disaster provided that we make some changes to ourselves along with the changes that take place in the environment and nature; if not so, we are condemned to perish. As before, if we were the reason for improper changes in nature and the environment, we would deserve death.
Third charter (Raising Happiness)
How a verse excites and afresh the sorrowful heart!
A subtlety out of this book, we uttered and is this very subtlety (Hafiz)
I have a covenant with a joy that is my happiness, and my beloved has promised to be close to me like my existence is (Rumi).
The world is now in a severe need of gentleness and kindness more than any time ever before. When society and people living there are hit by sadness and grief, no delighting results could be obtained. The storm of information in nowadays modern life has made humans jaded and somewhat confused; consequently, they are accustomed to being mouth fed, and they allocate no time to meditating on issues. Since time immemorial, not only have poems been a pacificator of soul and alleviation to emotional sufferings, but they have also been a remedy and a solution to human pains and problems.
Fourth charter (Deficiency of Power)
You are so greedy that an elephant would be moral for your greediness, and if you welcome greediness, it seems as if an Ababil bird has hunted an elephant (Rumi).
Here comes the question that was coronavirus eradicated and the nature restored, would we be back to square one again and does what we used to do? Seeing we sociable figures have been made to stay home. They have been deprived of social activities due to the current situation, we had better go back to our community once again through humanity. Have we ever asked ourselves why this virus became a global concern? It may be better if we don't ignore the role of information technology, which irritated the world, in addition to that, modern transportation led to the speedy transmission of coronavirus and its outbreak in every single corner of the world. Furthermore, the human is proven to be forgetful and arrogant. It is cited, O human! What has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord? In this utter chaos caused by the corona pandemic, we are witnessing that a virus with an overall weight of fewer than five grams has paralyzed people, bringing the whole globe to a standstill in both economic and social terms.
Fifth charter (Knowledge and Spirituality)
If you get stuffed with the pleasure of seeking knowledge by sagacious people, no longer mundane pleasures will attract you (Naser Khosrow).
Science and knowledge, which assemble Soleyman's signet ring, are the source of authority and ability, and the importance of science seems as if it is the soul of the universe, and the universe is the body (Sanai).
In this territory, every poet has been a sort of "doctor of the soul" of this age. Every poet has been trying to diagnose problems of society and remedy them. In point of fact, the art of poetry and music have both been of the same purpose, and both have been a means of expressing transcendental thoughts and creating beauty. If we artistically are the precursor of freedom and the discoverer of humans' in-commons as a global medium. If we try to help a lonely one abandon violence, we have led him towards observing all the beauty, and it may eventually result in a cleansing society of violence.
Don't spend your valuable time on material science, unless it bonds you to reality. Having gained immaterial science, leave material science since immaterial is the essence, and the material science seems not to be that valuable (Saadi Shirazi)
Sixth charter (Peace and Truthfulness)
Spread peace all over the globe, and send a message of peace to all those warmongers and warriors (Jami)
To those who say "wait until the right time comes", I have to say, isn't it right to think of peace and existence seeing a tiny invisible creature is even looking for life? To those who say that the time of joy and delightedness is up, when would this sorrow end? Rumi responds that:
Only the souls of those in times of war and peace want peace and reconciliation that always has a spirit of purity and intimacy (Rumi)
So, we are sending out the message to all governors and government officials:
Spread peace all over the globe, and send a message of peace to all those warmongers and warriors (Muhammad Iqbal)
Be an upright person since upright people get to salvation. Honest people are strong, valuable, and have got so much credit in this world (Awhadi Maraghai)
Seventh charter (Inner Voice)
Always try to reach wisdom through your heart inside; your whole body will accompany you in this way (Attar of Nishapur).
In retrospect, the recent event of coronavirus proved that humans are highly vulnerable despite scientific advancements and that they have to have second thoughts about their lifestyle and gain a new insight into the future. In a nutshell, we stressed the pivotal role of poetry in softening the social life atmosphere and raising their hope of a better future, and therefore, we draw this conclusion that the secret to a better future is to pay specific attention to our inner thoughts. Then, let us reinforce our inside to protect ourselves from foes outside. Let us interpret the balance for ourselves again, which is the essence of life as well as God's command. Let us aim for inner peace in order that we prevent outer conflicts with others. Isn't it the time to first prepare our inside, and subsequently outside, for inner and outer peace.
Whoever is a true lover and can reach the loved one, he/she will be eternal, and death will never come to him/her. If someone's beloved supports him, no harm will come to him (Rumi)
Let us respect each other and value being with each other so that nothing can separate us; this way we will never regret being apart. Kind people will sacrifice themselves for the sake of their friends, and we ought to avoid meanness and have humanity instead (Rumi).
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Your Excellency, the President of UNESCO
Greetings and respect,
Coronavirus has put the world in a horrible situation; people are expecting the administrator of politics, culture, and medicine and also people in charge of WHO to suggest a proper solution to the current problem of the world. In fact, people have the question of how should the world move along the line of majesty and perfection? Isn't it the right time for the people of the globe to be thoroughly/entirely delighted. Haven't we all accept and welcome the valuable quote of Saadi, the late Great Poet, that "All human beings are members of a whole, all in creation are of one essence and soul"? If this question receives a Yes answer, now that the world is in a demanding situation, this is the best time to think of how we can tackle the problems in the world.
Regarding the historical facts, the very first human right charter was written by Iranians almost in 600 B.C. Therefore, Iran has been the home of millions of couplets and messages of humanity and dignity, the country which has brought up many poets, wise philosophers, and the sages like Rumi, Saadi, Ferdowsi, Hafez, Khayyam and other Greats. These were the people who lived well and taught the whole world how to live well.
Now, according to the poems written by these great bards, we are re-mentioning this historical event and sending this message as a septuple-charter to the globe for a better coexistence. As a matter of fact, the way through which humans have moved in order to manage the world so far, which was mainly focused on science and technology, can't solely and divergently suffice to fulfill the personal/individual/social goals. Because it is neither can earth bear the burden of the improper achievements of human beings nor can humans endure more depression and pressure of life anymore. Thus, we saw it crucial to offer a novel proposition for a better life/experience and perfection. We believe that it is not enough to always just rule the human mind; at the same time, the connection of hearts for more love is needed as well. Science and technology ought to converge with old wisdom so that a real way has abstained from the management of the world. Let us build up and improve the word via love and wisdom, and resonate the real happiness, which is living with angels in the globe.
Sincerely,
Ali A. Moosavi-Movahedi
Professor of Biophysics and Chairholder of
UNESCO Chair on Interdisciplinary Research in Diabetes
University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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