Swiss Bahá'í Winter School 2007

The annual Bahá'í Winter School, which, once again was held at the Boldern Conference Centre, drew close to 200 children, youth and adults. The school provided an opportunity to explore the critical times in which we live, the development of the Bahá'í community, and the spiritual principles that are necessary to try to achieve a turning point in the evolution of human society towards a more just and responsible social order. Various speakers discussed how to respond to the forces leading to disintegration, and to encourage the counter-forces that are pushing for greater integration in world society.

One particular theme was the environment, as illustrated by the challenges of rapid climate change resulting from our greenhouse gas emissions. First a lecture by Dr. Arthur Dahl, a retired senior official of the United Nations Environment Programme, reviewed the scientific facts of climate change and its consequences for the economy and society, and suggested that such a common threat to the well-being of all nations was pressuring all countries to unite in collective action. The following series of workshops discussed the different dimensions of the problem from economic, social and environmental perspectives. Participants considered the ethical challenges represented by a problem that has largely been caused by the high consumption of fossil fuels for energy in the industrialized countries, while the negative impacts fall largely on the poor and vulnerable. The workshops considered the necessary transformation in social institutions and economic systems, as well as in individual attitudes towards nature and the environment, drawing on the relevant Bahá'í teachings and vision of future society. They discussed the roles of the two great knowledge systems that are science and religion in motivating change and the need to demonstrate the positive effects that religion can have in preparing communities for
change. They concluded with reflections on the practical actions that individuals and communities can take to bring their daily lives more into conformity with their ethical beliefs, and to enroll others in the effort to build a more sustainable society.