Address
Dr José Rafael Estrada
Founder and President Emeritus of the WCC

Academic Hall, University of Liege
Liege, Belgium

Esteemed Rector, Professor Bernard Rentier, respected authorities of the University of Liège, distinguished laureates Professor Sir John Houghton and artist Marcell Jankovics, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the scientific and cultural community of Belgium, ladies and gentlemen.

The third millennium has opened with the social problems that we have all witnessed: terrorism, drug addiction, breakdowns in the international financial system, etc. All of these are the upshot of a profound crisis in the very bedrock of society, the ethical system underpinning the social structure; underlying the economic and social problems, there is a deep crisis of values.

The institutions that propped up the fledgling societies of the ancient world took as their cornerstones the ethical thought of great sages and philosophers of both east and west, such as Aristotle and Plato, Christ and Buddha, Confucius and Shankaracharya.

It is nowadays men of science, educators and artists who should take up the challenge of laying the ethical foundations which will bring cohesion to the global society that is now taking shape. Each university, each seat of learning, is a shining light. The answer lies in fostering values and virtues in people. We do not need intellectuality alone; goodness and the ability to serve others also have to be developed.

If we want a better human society, we must teach a balanced, healthy way of life, in harmony with the natural environment. If we want better countries, we must teach citizens how to be better people, better parents and better children, friends of the planet, respectful of animals and all forms of life on the face of the earth.

If we want better societies, we should improve ourselves and be consistent in our actions. A good example is worth more than a thousand words to encourage people to be better and live in line with the greatest and most noble notions of their soul.

We are the heirs of all the cultural traditions of mankind. To set down the ethical bases of this new era, we can take what is good for people, wherever it comes from, without prejudice of any kind. We can merge east and west, bring together the wisdom of the past in the present and project it towards a bright future.

We should see the current state of affairs as an opportunity to rise above, like the darkness that heralds the coming of the light, like one of those great historical periods of transition, in which the foundations are laid for the birth of a new kind of human, more evolved in his ethical conscience and social responsibility.

A human with a global awareness, able to forge a world culture that sees nature not as a victim but as an ally. A culture that safeguards the planet and does not destroy its beauty or pollute its elements. A culture that guides the inhabitants of this world towards a better destiny, one of freedom and responsibility, one of rights and duties, one of wisdom and peace.

On this subject, I would like to highlight the work that the University of Liège and the World Cultural Council have been doing for decades, fired by the same ideals and principles that will enable us to build a better world.

Reiterating the words I said at this very university in 2004: “A true, solid solution lies in educating today those who will be the leaders of tomorrow and in this way we can make of this new millennium the best millennium in history”.

Maestro José Rafael Estrada Valero