Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Published in:
The Path: From the Sacred Harmony of Humanity to a New Economics Read chapter Read first chapter

2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

17. ‘Sacred Silence’—The Stillness of Listening to Humanity

Author : Stephen Hill

Published in: The Kyoto Manifesto for Global Economics

Publisher: Springer Singapore

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

The greatest power of social transformation lies in our shared humanity. However, to capture this power requires bringing others, even from across widely different cultural worlds, into our very self—to truly listen, suspend the noise of our own inner dialogue of consciousness that otherwise gets in the way. This is the spiritual power of ‘silence’. Chapter 17 demonstrates the power that lies within our immediate social world if we truly listen. It is here that we can bridge ‘diversity’ and employ this community-focused cultural center to ‘connect with’ and ‘empower’ others’ diverse cultural worlds and meanings. The strategy to expand the power of this dynamic of change, even out into the global community, is then indicated through the concept of ‘global localism’—building action at the local level and then finding ways of linking more broadly from this base. Lessons are developed from broad exploration of the power of ‘silence’ in and across societies, and in learning from history.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
previous chapter A Self-similar Dynamic Systems Perspective of “Living” Nature: The Self-nonself Circulation Principle Beyond Complexity
next chapter ‘Community’: Platform for Sustainable Change
Footnotes
1
This idea is strongly reflected in Buddhist philosophy. I refer in particular to the 2000 year old Mahayana Buddhist teaching, the Vimalukirti Sutra, on ‘nonduality—perception without reference to subject and object, self and other, specifically, Chap. 9. Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, challenges Buddha’s disciples to explain ‘dualism and non-dualism’. Several try through verbal explanation. Finally a disciple, Saliputra, as response, remains silent. For Manjusri, this was the answer (O’Brien 2015).
 
2
The ‘World Wildlife Fund for Nature’.
 
3
Penis sheaths are universal male fashion amongst tribal Papuans, covering only their reproductive organ. They are formed from a collected root crop gourd that can come in an enormous variety of long but erratic shapes and sizes, and are worn to protect (or perhaps to emphasise) one’s private parts. They are held at an erectile angle by a thin strand of fibre or thread attached around the man’s waist. Size of the koteka does not necessarily represent status, but occasion. Short koteka are worn when working in the fields, long koteka in ceremonies.
 
4
For development of this phenomenological perspective, see Lévinas (1969) and Hill (1995).
 
5
See ‘Buddhas of Bamiyan’ in Wikipedia for a good summary of this event (Wikipedia 2015).
 
6
I mounted a nation-wide program to develop freedom of media and expression immediately after the revolution, capitalizing on the new opportunity. We helped change the law within 9 months. We also developed and trained an independent network of 32 radio stations across the nation capable of investigating and reporting local news.
 
7
See Geertz (1968). I had the privilege to meet and share a speaking platform with Clifford Geertz in Jogjakara, Indonesia, when we were both speaking about the importance of cultural heritage. He was the master—of understanding Indonesia’s range of traditional cultures. One of his previous papers on tribal rituals became the tribal community’s ‘manual’ when their previous rituals had been forgotten. They used Geertz’s publication to reconstitute their traditional ceremonies.
 
8
I personally had the chance to share in research and the exploration of phenomenological views of the self and the socialization of consciousness with Thomas Luckman, both in Wollongong where he spent a 6 month mission in my Sociology Department in 1977, then in Constanz, Germany in 1979, where I worked with him on my own sabbatical leave, including living with him in his apartment just over the border in Switzerland. I had the privilege of walking across the border between Switzerland and Germany each morning, debating ideas about phenomenology. Needless to say, I learnt a great deal. See Schutz and Luckman (1974), Hill (1988, 1995, pp. 92–97). Development of my own theoretical approach to personal identity and action was derived from a major empirical study I conducted of 1300 scientists under commission from the Australian Academy of Science (Hill et al. 1974a, b; Hill and Howden 1974).
 
9
For development of this phenomenological perspective, see Lévinas (1969) and Hill (1995).
 
10
Originally, I used the phrase ‘New Localism’ to describe the dynamic we had observed from a comprehensive research program we conducted across all areas of science and its organization from within the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence, the Centre for Research Policy, at the University of Wollongong which I founded and directed in the early 1990s. A particular focus was on contemporary scientific knowledge construction and communication. See Hill and Turpin (1994, 1995). The parallel idea of ‘Global Localism’ as a basic concept for social change is developed in Hill (2010, pp. 272–278). It was based in particular on a subsequent decade of UNESCO programs we ran through the UNESCO Office, Jakarta: experience is reported in UNESCO Annual Reports of the Jakarta Office, 1995–2005. UNESCO, (2004 and 2005) I spoke about the global localism dynamic with NGO Sacred Bridge, in Jakarta in 2012 (Hill 2012).
 
Literature
Barash, D. (2001). Peace and conflict (p. 547). UK: Sage Publications.
Geertz, C. (1968). Ethos, world view and the analysis of sacred symbol. In A. Dantes (Ed.), Every man his way (p. 314). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Hill, S. (1988). The Tragedy of Technology—Human Liberation vs. Domination in the Late 20th Century. London; Winchester, MA: Pluto Press; Unwin Hyman (Hardback), December 1988 (Published simultaneously in Paperback through Pluto Australia).
Hill, S. (1995). The formation of identity as scientist. Science Studies, 8(1), 53–72; republished from original 1979 article by invitation and with review editorial by John Ziman.
Hill, S. (2000a). UNESCO decentralization reform, In Presentation to the Regional Consultation of National Commissions, European Group, Bled, Slovenia, 9 June.
Hill, S. (2000b). UNESCO decentralization reform, In Presentation to the Regional Consultation of National Commissions, Sub-Saharan African Group, Windhoek, Namibia, 29 June.
Hill, S. (2000c). UNESCO decentralization reform, In Presentation to the Regional Consultation of National Commissions, Asia-Pacific Group: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 11 July.
Hill, S. (2001). Managing uncertainty—survival instructions for life in the field, In Lead Presentation to the UNESCO Roundtable Seminar on Field Practice, 31st General Conference of UNESCO, Paris, France, 27 October.
Hill, S. (2010). Ways of seeing—Science and technology within their cultural setting, invited chapter. In A. Jain (Ed.), ‘Science and the Public’, Section: ‘Science in Society’ (pp. 252–280). New Delhi: Sage. Volume in Series: ‘Civilization, Philosophy, Science and Culture’, (Series Editor: Prof. P. Chatapadhyaya).
Hill, S. (2012). Harnessing the power of culture for sustainable development and community empowerment, Address to Sacred Bridge, Jakarta, 3 March (available from the author).
Hill, S. (2014). Merdeka—freedom, jungle hostages and flying pigs. Sydney: Perceptric Press, (available as an e-book on Amazon).
Hill, S. (2017). Captives for freedom—Hostages, negotiations and the future of West Papua, Port Moresby: University of Papua New Guinea Press, 2017.
Hill, S., Fensham, P., & Howden, I. (1974a). The making of professional scientists. Canberra: Australian Academy of Science, Monograph No. 7.
Hill, S., Fensham, P., & Howden, I. (1974b). The future education of scientists. Canberra: Australian Academy of Science, Monograph No. 8.
Hill, S., & Howden, I. B. (1974). Adult socialisation: A theory and its application to PhD training in science, Chapter 28, In D. Edgar (Ed.), Sociology of education: Australian readings Melbourne: Angus and Robertson.
Hill, S., & Turpin, Tim. (1994). Academic research cultures in collision. Science as Culture, 4(20), 327–362.CrossRef
Hill, S., & Turpin, T. (1995). Cultures in collision: The emergence of a new localism in academic research, Chapter 7, In M. Strathern (Ed.), The uses of knowledge: Global and local relations. The reshaping of anthropology, Volume 1—Shifting Contexts, London: Routledge.
Kluckhorn, C. (1951). The concept of culture. In D. Lerner & H. D. Lasswell (Eds.), The policy sciences. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Lévinas, E. (1969). Totality and infinity—an essay on exteriority (trans: Alphonso Lingis). Pittsburgh, Duquesne University Press, (original French edition, 1961).
Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. London: Oxford University Press.
Schutz, A., & Luckman, T. (1974). The structures of the lifeworld. (trans: Richard M. Zaner and H. Tristram Engelhardt (Jr). London: Heineman.
Sen, A. (2006). Identity and violence: The illusion of destiny issues of our time. New York: W.W. Norton.
UNESCO. (1995). Aung San Suu Kyi, quoted at the start of the education chapter in UNESCO’s 1996–2001 medium-term strategy. Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO-SPEC. (1987). Meeting Report of the UNESCO-SPEC High Level Regional Meeting on ‘Policy and Management of Science and Technology for Development in the South Pacific Region’, Apia, Western Samoa, 16–19 March, Australian National Commission for UNESCO May, Appendix.
Metadata
Title
‘Sacred Silence’—The Stillness of Listening to Humanity
Author
Stephen Hill
Copyright Year
2018
Publisher
Springer Singapore
Book
The Kyoto Manifesto for Global Economics

Print ISBN: 978-981-10-6477-7

Electronic ISBN: 978-981-10-6478-4

Copyright Year: 2018

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6478-4_17

Premium Partner

    Image Credits