Forgiving Freiburg 2007

FORGIVING AND RECONCILIATION

TOWARDS AN ENLIGHTENED WORLD CULTURE -
A TRANSPERSONAL VIEW ON CONFLICT, TERROR AND LOVE 

Today, the world is enveloped by individual and collective violence, by internal and external wars. People see reality in dualistic terms - identifying people, places and ideologies as good or evil. Love has lost its vibrancy, we are only attracted to those who share our interests and are like us, and hearts are closed to individuals and groups who are different.

In all countries of the world - both affluent and impoverished, people are in emotional and spiritual pain. The fear of terror prevails, and violence is being acted out on a magnitude that is devastating - toward children and the elderly, toward animals and the eco-sphere, and in extreme ways between men and women. There is a growing level of hopelessness and despair felt by people around the globe, and a fear that things will not get better.

The time has come when we must acknowledge our human foibles and weaknesses. Technology, science and brilliant advancements into the 21st century have not eliminated the vast number of victims and perpetrators that comprise the human race.

All we can do now is to forgive. There is nothing that can't be forgiven. It is the only way to let go of the violent injuries of the past and to transform anxiety to love. It does not come in a single act, nor can it be accomplished in a superficial way. It must be an ongoing process that includes three steps: 

1. forgiving ourselves;
   
2. forgiving others who have caused us pain;
   
3. asking people who we have hurt to forgive us;
   

Such reconciliation is an evolutionary way to recreate a world of security, trust, peace, and unconditional love.

At this conference, you'll be able to listen to presentations from world-renowned speakers, you will be able to attend experiential workshops, and participate at a ritual of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Ingo Benjamin Jahrsetz, PhD