Introduction
Development as an individual and as a species requires us to both survive and thrive without harming others
Mere survival is not enough. We each have a basic need to thrive in our own ways. And when we do not succeed to find the necessary meaning in our lives, we tend in vain to fill the inner void with substitutes, such as power, status, by overindulging, or competing for ever scarcer resources. These futile attempts then result in downward spirals of depression, aggression, conflict, the raping of the environment and other harmful behaviours. In our interdependent global world these have resulted in global problems which threaten both people and the environment, regardless of who we are or where we live. Development can be sustainable to the degree we can create a global community that works well for all.
Development, seen as the art to survive and thrive without harming others, is a life-long process. It presents an ongoing challenge as we move through each of life’s many transitions (from adolescence to young adult to old age, employment shifts, social and global changes.) The need to continue to master the art of development becomes all the more urgent, as the work to keep the world economy going is increasingly taken over by machines, our lives are less and less run by work schedules and we are faced with more leisure time to fill in meaningful ways.
As Article 26.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality... The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is traditional international law and therefore applies to all people and all Nations.
Development as a means for each of us to survive and to thrive is both an inalienable right and in the direct interest of all. It requires that
In this process, the all-win principle is both a means and an end.
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