Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Seeking solutions to the environmental crises is our individual responsibility, as well as an important objective of public policy. But the normative source of these policies is not nature itself, but rather our beliefs and values. Rumi’s works have influenced many generations’ understanding of life and spirituality, as well as establishing many principles that can be applied to environmental public policy. Rumi is the epitome of the mysticism of love that portrays humans’ relationship with God as a lover and beloved. The mysticism of love has a unique look at nature, in which the ascetic is regarded as dark and filthy. Rumi sees the world and nature as divine manifestations and concludes that the seeker who loves God must love God’s manifestations. We would consider this natural world to be a transitional stage of our spiritual evolution. We learn that we have come to a feast on this earth, but Rumi reminds us that our home is somewhere else. To overcome the environmental crisis, we need a global ethical commitment, which depends more on our unanimous will than on the scope of our information. In the contemporary world, the normative foundations of social policy and decision making in the field of the environment are largely based on hedonistic utilitarianism, a secular ethics that suffers from serious problems and failures. Rumi’s spiritual teaching can lead to regenerating our moral understanding of nature. If we want to have a green environment, we must strive to enrich our inner life.