Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 28

A
CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
The
A
he Call to AGRICULTURE, Labor, INDUSTRY, AND COMMERCE
We envision a world in which
...our productive activities are creative and vital and give meaning to our lives;
high moral standards and trustworthiness guide all interactions in the marketplace and the workplace; ...economic, social, and physical well-being is not the exception but the normal human condition; agricultural policies, labor relations, industrial development, and commercial exchange are just, harmonious, and culturally enriching; ...agriculture, industry, business, and investment are conducted with constant thoughtful regard for the vitality and fragility of the Earth and all life; ...the essential needs of all are met in a manner that can be sustained well into the future.
B Among the noblest functions of agriculture, labor, industry, and commerce are the creative development and production of goods, services, and information to meet the basic physical and social needs of each human community-in a sustainable, renewable, and non-disruptive manner.
What we human beings desire, however, often eclipses material interests. What we work toward is often other than material prosperity. People everywhere feel the need to make something of themselves and their world that goes well beyond calculations of solvency. This perspective on human happiness and fulfillment is a considerable
complement to current theories of the dominance of the market economy.
Consequently, economic power should be wielded in the service of economic justice and the commonweal. Wealth should be used equitably.
1999
PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S
Jain Education Intemational 2010_03
RELIGIONS
DECEMBER
99
There is no global peace without global justice!
...In the developed countries, a distinction must be made between necessary and limitless consumption, between socially beneficial and non-beneficial uses of property, between justified and unjustified uses of natural resources, and between a profitonly and a socially beneficial and ecologically oriented market economy.
...We must utilize economic and political power for service to humanity instead of misusing it in ruthless battles for domination. We must develop a spirit of compassion for those who suffer. with special care for children, the aged, the poor, the disabled, the refugees, and the lonely.
...We must value a sense of moderation and modesty instead of an unquenchable greed for money, prestige, and consumption. In greed, humans lose their "souls," their freedom, their composure, their inner peace, and thus, that which makes them human.
Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration
1993 Parliament of the World's Religions Chicago
25