Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Jonathan Meese: Why should a human society be in balance and harmony? Who decides that this is good? What is a position of power? Should one take such a position at all? Isn't power anti-power? What is the female value? This question is connected to the mental state. This question only can and will be answered by the questioner. But it will not matter anything, neither the question nor the answer can effect anything. Is a diamant harmonic? Is light balanced? Is everything clear? What is reflection? Do we know the speed of things? Do we know what a value is? What is underrated? Is perhaps the underrated the best? Wouldn't this be the best chance? Is it possbile that the softest material absorbs everything? Or is it the density? What is the few? What is the baby? What is the national baby? Is the national baby Lord? Is arch-nation the baby of a new age? Or is the baby even the new Lord? Who is it? What positions of power has art to take in? In us, to us, by us? Where is the secret skin? Are we absorbed? Are we perforated? Does art go through us totally? Does art reflect us? Do we reflect art? Where are we? What is our point of view? Why does existential orientation reigns the world? Is the ocean balanced? Is a shark harmonic? Is the muck harmonic? Is a volcanic eruption harmonic? Does a vulcan have any position of power? Is a vulcan female? Is a Vulcan a baby? Is Richard Wagner a Baby? Is Richard Wagner a rock? We do not know anything.

by Jonathan Meese

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Jonathan Stack: To begin with the balance and harmony doesn't exist, it's never existed. And in fact, it's the lack of balance and harmony that's going to lead to women ending up increasingly in positions of power. This is the fantastic flow of human evolution. It's happening, it's evolving, it's not happening today, but there is no stasis, there is no like one way of being. We are not going to end up in a place of harmony and balance. We are going to be constantly in conflict. There is always going to be this tension, these polarities of good and evil, of right and wrong, of dark and light, and the male and female. And it's in that kind of opening up to the possibility of both of these participating in the dialog that will lead to the answers that we do need. So, I don’t necessarily see harmony and balance as being the goal of our -- of human kind, but perhaps as I say, perhaps it's the embracing of the lack of harmony and balance that gives me hope to think that that will improve. And it's not just about women in power, but it's also the feminine within the male side. So, can we as men, not only can we -- will there be women [inaudible], but can men find within themselves to embrace the feminine side of their own existence, the inner polarities or such and so that it doesn't create the kind of neurosis or inner illness caused by self denial. Know thy self is once again one of those cliché expressions that I believe in strongly and part of knowing myself is knowing the women inside of ourselves. I think the men to the extent that they can be in tune with that polarity of themselves would be sooner able to embrace the polarity out there. I said before today, I mean, time is such a factor in all of this. It's like we live in the now, there is only the now, but these now just extend through -- for eternity. So, nothing we say today or any ideas that we have today are written in stone, some things around here in this square, but though [audio ends].

by Jonathan Stack

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

José Manuel Prieto: Concerning this question I without doubt think that nowadays we comprehend that social balance and harmony can settle for a huge integration of women, for a huge incorporation of her values, and not her marginalization or denial. The impoverishment and [efequecimiento] this leads to is evident. In assertion of a female society, of a society, the introduction of the point of view of mothers who [equilimipia y entenperan] the male world, the world of ambition, of male projection. I think it is a situation that will change in the course of time, but that will not change from one day to the next. I think we need a big impulse, a broad awareness of what society will gain if women participate in it actively. Above all she will introduce a new way of thinking, a more [incenura] way, a sensitivity that comes from a role like mother, like woman, like being part of a family and the whole female species. Societies stop being used and stop to enrich themselves with this society. I think it is something that is worth the pain of adaption.

by José Manuel Prieto

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Jwan M. Aziz: Sure there is neither harmony nor balance,as long as the male values are maximized in the societies,so this passive idea should be changed and the women should be given the chance so that they become able to take advantage of their abilities and to play their rules in building the society. Some days ago a list of the most effective women in the world was announced and the german federal chancellor "Angela Merkel" occupied the first position of this list among 100 women. If we just give a look to the names of these women, we will find out that most of them work according to the men conditions and mechanism and not according to the women values and humanity. For example we did not notice any increase in the human and motherly tendency, which was more in the past, so nowadays we need women who work according to the feminine values and not according to the male aggressiveness, maybe after that the wars will be minimized and the social justice will be maximized because the women create life and the men kill it. We wait for list of women who work accoring to feminine values,,thanks David.

by Jwan M. Aziz

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Kailash Satyarthi: Again, this is the matter of the mindset. The balance can never happen and the harmony can never come until and unless the women enjoy equal power. And, they have to be in power positions in decision making. It is not that they are in the secondary positions. They have to be in the primary positions to take decisions for themselves and for the rest of the society. Balance is all about say like a bicycle, there are two equal wheels in a bicycle. If there is one big wheel and one very small wheel, it becomes like a circus. You can enjoy with that, but you cannot create a balance and harmony. And, to create a harmony, harmonical speed, the bicycle has to have two equal wheels and moving together with the same speed. If one is moving with the higher speed and another one is slow, that is not possible. So, balance and harmony in the society is all about two equal and equally fast running wheels, and that is man and woman and that is very necessary. So, we have to begin with changing the mindset of the society and the man have to sacrifice because the man have been responsible for that. Man have created history most of the times, man have created so-called ethical practices, man have created traditions most of the time, and this all goes against women and that has been there for generations, for centuries and that's why it may take time. But, everybody should make conscious efforts, especially the men should go a step forward to give a place to women. And, if it is not done, that women have to come forward and grab the power so that a balance and harmony can eventually be established, and that is necessary.

by Kailash Satyarthi

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Kamal Boullata:

by Kamal Boullata

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Kigge Hvid: Hi David, where do you speak from? You speak from Canada. I would understand your question if you spoke from a part of the Middle East or if you spoke from parts of Africa or from Asia. Actually, what I think is going on in the Western world right now is that female values are prevailing. I have two boys, 7 and 10. They are, when not with me and my husband, raised by females. They are surrounded by females all around them, in kindergarten, in school and universities. That’s one thing. And I can tell you that the female values prevail, which I actually think is a problem because I think what you have to aim for is a balance between male and female values. So, that’s one thing. If we look into the educational system, education at the highest level at least in Denmark have more females than males. Being a doctor, being an architect, being a dentist, being an economic, being a lawyer. We have more females trained in those areas than males. So, that would mean that in just a few years all the female values would prevail at least in Denmark. And it might be the same in Canada and the rest of the Western world. And that’s a problem because it’s not that female values should prevail. It’s that female and male values should prevail; it’s that human values should prevail. I would think that if the balance were on the male side or on the female side, it would always be a problem. The other thing you could ask in this question you posed is that in some places of the world, females have very little [inaudible]. Yes, that’s the problem and it shouldn’t be like that. But, I also see due to the global connectivity, due to globalization, due to the internet, that also in areas where females are really oppressed you see big very strong movements working against that. And I can see, you are male. So, you see males and females engaged in a movement of having human rights, not female rights, not male rights. But, having…

by Kigge Hvid

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Kurt Weidemann: Question 17 can be answered very similar to question 4, that is the position of women in our society. It is not absolutely necessary or absolutely to be expected that only balance and harmony will return to the world if women were given more power and more influence. This would idealize the female sex too much. I already said in my answer to question 4 that the 21st century will belong to women, that they will wield influence and that this is not bad for sure. But balance and harmony do not return by women alone but it can also be the contrary.

by Kurt Weidemann

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Lesego Rampolokeng: Right at the beginning, as soon we agree and recognize that women have been made to exist on the periphery of this great human power being. If we agree that from the beginning of time women have for ever been made to serve roles that see them in subrogation, that see them bow down before the male, before the [penis veras]. As soon as we realize that one effect, then we realize why it is so easy to push women away from the center, and if you can be comfortable with pushing women away from the center and you celebrate this parochial little lie that you believe to be your power, then you can easily see why things will for ever be out of [com] and out of cock and out of balance. Human society can never be in balance, can never be in harmony at all, if there is the oppression of one sect of humanity by another, and women have forever been oppressed on a number of levels and a couple in certain instances with religious belief, explain away with the need for economic this and that, women have forever, never been allowed to be as fully and wholly human as the rest of us. And once that then becomes the norm, then you see that balance and harmony can never be spoken about then. If we can just lead to the destruction of the entire power structure, then women can begin to move to the center and the world can indeed be balanced out. And you can speak of this glorious thing called harmony. Until that point it will never be in balance, ever.

by Lesego Rampolokeng

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Leung Ping-Kwan: This is a question usually raised. How can we reconcile respect for universal human rights with this rights conflict with traditional or religious values? And usually when we pose the question and we look at the question, we usually like privileging universal human right and look at traditional values something reactionally or something blocking the progress of the people. But maybe we can step back a little bit and see things not necessarily in party opposition, because I think that these universal human rights have -- it's very important, it is important to have respectful human right, but in different society and different phases in their development, the criteria or the sentence for human rights may not be universal. They may not be at one place, they may not be exactly the same as the other and also we have to be aware that this is of values, ehm, the religious values are not necessarily the conflict to human rights may be in a superficial way, but [if not] in the tradition or values, there are also respect for human rights as well. So, I did said the danger is leading here the traditional value as something oppositional to the human right, but further we, I think they are both positive way will be to develop that to see how we can reconcile as it for human rights and but are also the respect with traditional values because I think that in different countries and in different cultures, when we want to protect the constructive for human right, make it possible to have a broader exact result to the human rights. The best way to do it will be to also do it within the local cultural contacts and to see the things that traditional values that could contribute to and could work together, which as these are of no values brought oppose [audio cuts out]

by Leung Ping-Kwan

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Lijun Fang: A balance and harmony society cannot be an absolute value, which is similar to how many materials are suitable for mixing Vodka or for stir-frying a dish. If it is absolute in this way, actually no one and not a nation can endure it. Hence, in my opinion, our present world is already balance and harmony.

by Lijun Fang

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Lillian Holt: Yes, I think that we need some feminizing values. I think some of these so called values in hierarchal institutional organizations have been dehumanizing values, when perhaps that hasn't been recognized by the players within those situations. And I think that women need to bring that intuition and emotion to the situation, to the institution, within the institution of corporate borders - wherever. But I think that what happens is that unfortunately women somehow coerced or intimidated or cajoled or encouraged to take up those masculine values which tend to prevail. And in the process I think those feminizing values are often lost. I know that from my own journey that intuition and emotion has not been respected. It's often been [copad] and that if I wanted to contribute, I would have to contribute in the limited language of the intellect, as I would call it. I think that we also need a language of the heart, which I think probably much more feminine, which is a more feminine type of language incorporated emotion, intuition and passion which is sometimes very scary to what I would call successful right [inaudible]. It's not just about [inaudible] it's about a [Hageman] leadership which says unless you tow the line and unless you agree to our values which I think are very limiting and bereft at times, it might create technology and corporations and profits, but they somehow-- and sometimes are dehumanizing. And I'm very sad to say that, but I think it's true.

by Lillian Holt

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Livingstone Maluleke: One would start by saying that the position of power of feminine and values are not minimized in all areas. I disagree with your statement. Perhaps, it will have to be staged. People will need to be patient in this process. Putting and engaging women and the full emancipation of women should be a process not an event; a process in the sense that they need to be engaged properly. Women need to be engaged in the positions where they have the real capacity, the actual capacity to do deal with certain power. It will be a futile exercise to just put women in positions and engage them in positions where they do not fit. I am not saying here that men can fit all positions, but I am concentrating on the issue of the imbalance, which is concentrating on the women. Women, of course, have got a potential, the capacity to do certain functions, but then they need to be engaged properly with wisdom that, therefore, they need to be ready. There needs to be an integration of this as a process and, in fact, there should not be an automatic incorporation of women in positions. But then, we need to take time to evaluate and monitor the process so that at the end of the day we’ve got quality women in appropriate positions. That is important. It is not a matter of just putting and engaging and putting all that go into the positions, but it is a matter of checking the imbalance. Is this possible to put this woman in this position? Is she going to be functional? And in that way we shall have a society full of respect, full of ethics for social responsibility.

by Livingstone Maluleke

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Mae-Wan Ho: I think we run the danger of stereotyping feminine values, because this so called feminine values of being caring, loving, emphasis on family, friendship, social wealth and so on are not exclusive to women and that's very important. I fear that if we continue to dichotomize values in terms of feminine and masculine, we don't do society a lot of good. Yes, I think would too for the equality for equity, for sharing wisdom around, inspiration around, there ought to be more women in positions of leadership. Despite that however, there are many inspirational women around the world and people can be powerful without being in positions of power, if you know what I mean. And well, in the olden days, leaders and powerful people just emerge, they just -- because they inspired people and we cannot have leaders that are not inspirational and I think that is probably part of the problem today. We are run by bureaucrats, accountants, lawyers maybe, we are not really there isn’t – there are not very many people in positions of leadership, formal leadership that are also inspiring. On the other hand, there are plenty of inspirational powerful people that are not in positions of power. Those are the people perhaps we should be listening to.

by Mae-Wan Ho

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Mahsa Shekarloo: Well, I don’t know exactly what you mean by feminine values. I think we have to be careful here not to essentialize femininity or women or feminine values. I’m not so sure there is such a thing. I think there are certain values that are minimized in all areas that are not necessarily feminine, again, values like, based on values such as social justice, equality, sovereignty, self-determination. These are values that if they’re not implemented, if they don’t become the dominant, driving forces, then society will remain unbalanced and disharmonious as it stands right now. When there are so few women in positions of power, what that tells us is that 50 percent of the human population is being largely excluded from positions of power. But I don’t think that there are feminine values that are inherently good and more peaceful. I think women’s experiences can certainly be an added value to the discourses and negotiations that are happening in human society today in all aspects. But I think values of social justice, equality, responsibility, rights, sovereignty, self-determination, resistance are minimized in all areas. And I think that these values need to be reordered and reprioritized. And I think that women’s input can be very valuable, and women’s experiences and their responsibilities can be very valuable.

by Mahsa Shekarloo

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Mark Benecke: I do not see that feminine values are minimized in all areas. I do not see that. I work in a lot of countries and in most of the countries I see that feminine values are maybe on a level of male "blah-blah" talk, are not very important. But if you look behind the scene, backstage, you see that female values are as important as any other value. I mean, I don't know what the female value would be, but maybe a female value would be to allow things that seem to be on the opposite to happen at the same time, simultaneously or to find a better compromise. Maybe that's what the question is about. But if you look in international diplomatic structures, you will find a lot of female values. Or if you look into economical structures on the level of who trades with whom what, then in many cases, you do find female values. Maybe many people think that just because there are some imperialistic structures going on and dominating a lot of trade and diplomatics, sometimes everything is dominated like that in a kind of male and rough way. But maybe it's not. So I see a lot of softer values, if that is what female values are. I see them all around. So, society will be in balance and harmony if there is an evolutionary need. And since it is an evolutionary need, it is as balanced and as harmonic as it gets right now.

by Mark Benecke

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Martin Almada: No, an unequal representation of citizens cannot create balance and harmony in a human society. The power should be equally distributed, especially as women can contribute a lot by seing global problems from a different perspective. Nevertheless, in my opinion, power is not a question of gender, man or woman, but it´s much more a problem of social compromise of being in favor or against the poor. For example, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, the ex-prime minister of England, and Ronald Reagan, supported the driving forces of the current economic model. This model makes huge profits possible, that are concentrated in the hands of very few ones and make those people more and more powerful. the wealth in the hands of very few ones, which become more and more powerful.

by Martin Almada

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Masami Saionji: The role of women in society is very precious although for a long time the function of women had been thought just bringing the children into the world. Women are equally vested with the same human dignity as men and there are many wonderful roles that only women can do. There has been no chance for women to present their abilities for a long time. The position/status of women was ignored by societies, countries and companies. However, once they gain their footing, they display their intelligence, abilities and possibilities and demonstrate their wonderful way of living. In the 21st century, women make their way in the former male-dominated society (i.e., in the high position of companies or the political world) and show their power. Since women have their feet on the ground, they can give selfless devotion to others. They can give others their love with nothing in return. Moreover, they have enormous　endurance, which is necessary to bring up a child. Now women can return these abilities to society and corporations. I think we can build a new wonderful world, where men and woman work in harmony with each other.

by Masami Saionji

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Masuma Bibi Russel:

by Masuma Bibi Russel