Someone committed to original thinking, and who is concerned with the destiny of humanity and of our Common House, must have the courage to say: control and regulation of finance capital and of the markets, as the dominant tendency wants, are not enough to get us out of the present crisis. They are panaceas which will not reach the roots of the present chaos. They want to avoid the radical changes that, if they occurred, would save us from a global tragedy. They would rather nurture and sell the illusion that in a short while all will return to normalcy.  But it will be not as they want it.

The fact is that the capitalist system and culture can no longer explain the march of humanity’s social life. The many crises are expressions of one single crisis: a spiritual crisis. Do not equate the spiritual with religions and the Churches. To the contrary, starting from the spiritual we must criticize them, especially the Catholic Church, that under the present Pope is experiencing a terrifying spiritual crisis. Suffice it to consider the lack of compassion with regard to AIDS, that in some countries is truly devastating, that the Pope displayed in his recent trip to Africa.

When I talk of spirituality I think of a new sense of being, in a new collective dream, interwoven with infinite values such as cooperation, solidarity, respect for every being, caring for all life, harmony with nature, and love for Mother Earth and for the plurality of expressions of the Sacred.  

A society and an economy will only be sustainable if their leaders and their citizens are moved by values and principles that respond to the challenges of the crisis, with little regard for the difficulties it requires. They are filled with courage because it is demanded by this historical moment, and not by the interests of the Wall Street Philistines who lied to us. The Wall Streeters resist, but tolerate controls, so long as they do not undermine either the dynamics of the free market or the logic of accumulation. They want the same, only with greater security.

The new values and seminal examples are what are truly convincing. I mention the example of Yazaki, a Japanese businessman, narrated by quantum physicist Danah Zohar, in a very good book that I would recommend that businessmen read: Spiritual Intelligence, (Inteligencia Espiritual, Plaza & Janes 2002.)

Yazaki inherited a small rapid delivery enterprise. It expanded throughout the world. He acquired all that he wanted: success, wealth, respect from the community and a united family. But he felt something was missing. A great inner vacuum corroded him. It was suggested that he attend a Zen monastery. He spent a week there, meditating with a respected master. He found his inner self and its connection to everything. He understood that material goods are illusory because they did not fulfill him, they only gave him material satisfaction.

He left the monastery with a different point of view. He began to see the beauty of a cherry in bloom and the simplicity of a ripe plum. In his autobiography he wrote: «Human beings have separated the self from the world, nature from humanity, and one’s own self from the self of the others. That is why they have fallen into the trap of illusions, in an effort to fill the empty self. And they have become victims of a terrifying landscape of fatal self-deception, hypocrisy and Phariseism.»

This spiritual experience did not led him to abandon his business. It gave it a different meaning. He changed the name of the business to «Felicisimo,» derived from «feliz»,  (happy), of the Latin languages. The profits would be used to increase human happiness, his own, and that of the others. He was in Rio-92 to learn about environmental problems. He set aside much of his fortune for foundations that protect education and the environment. He ended his book by saying: «to serve at that level is to serve God.»  With him the crisis is overcome and humanity takes a small step in the direction of that which should be.

*Leonardo Boff is author of the book, “To Bloom in The Wasteland: from the crisis of civilization to a truly human revolution,” (Florecer en el yermo: de la crisis de civilización a una revolución realmente humana, Sal Terrae, Santander).