Global Family, Solidarity & The Polish Experience

Dalai Lama's Global Family

In the past, communities have separated themselves from other communities and took action on their own without thinking of the consequences on the earth as a whole. However, today when one community take action in a part of the world, it would eventually affect the entire planet.The human person participates in the broader human family by his own nature. Our humanity is shared, and our reality as persons immediately links us to the rest of the human community.

Due to political and military alliances, international trade and a fast worldwide-communications, the world is becoming a small place in which we all interact. Another factor that drawn us and almost made us one community is the issues we face such as global warming, overpopulation and environmental crisis. Dalai Lama thinks that in order to meet these challenges we must develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each individual must not think only about himself, family or nation, but for the benefit of all humanity. It is the only path to human survival. Dalai Lama's idea is that we are one human family as we are all been born on this earth as part of one great human family. Regardless of our background, culture, gender or religion, we are always equal in humanity and deserve peace and happiness. A worldwide cooperation is needed to strengthen our chances of achieving peace. Solidarity is the acceptance and affirmation of our social nature and all of what we share with our brothers and sisters. It creates an environment in which mutual service is encouraged. Our corresponding duties and obligations towards each other can only occur in an atmosphere of solidarity. In a smaller scale, we always experience solidarity. When we support someone and stick by him in his success and failures, that is solidarity. We care about each other because we experience pain and loneliness and we don't want another human being to feel that way. We also want to share our happiness and success with others because it makes us feel good.

Solidarity & The Polish Experience

Poland witnessed one of the most unique and inspiring movements in modern European history. The movement led to a 10 years revolution which resulted in the collapse of communism in Poland. During the protests, solidarity was a major point that led to victory. Is was a symbol of hope against communism and the soviet union. The phenomenon of solidarity was kind of new to the world because it first emerged as a response to Poland's decline economically and socially. It attacked the failures of the Communist Party. What appeals in the Polish experience to a Burmese member is the idea of putting the benefit of their nation before their personal benefit. And they did that through solidarity and union. Poles were always tolerant, multi-ethnic, multi-religious people. Polish people are rich with ideas and values such as solidarity that can beat any dividing regime. We must look at the history of Poland as a lesson and learn from it.