Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the environmental and social issues facing the world today. Based on my work as a systems thinker leading analytical projects to enhance sustainability over the past 30 years, I have observed two factors that contribute to our lack of progress in protecting the environment. The first is a sense of helplessness, that the issues are too dire to address. By linking approaches from spirituality and positive psychology it is possible to enable a reframing of the situation that can lead to productive solutions. The second factor is the disconnected nature of professional and academic disciplines associated with sustainability. One of the most impactful disconnects is between science and spirituality. It is often considered unprofessional to discuss spiritual concepts in an engineering or science project, as if objective analysis alone is sufficient. However, the sustainability of our globe includes many subjective factors that are best discussed from a spiritual context. By curating a dynamic team of diverse thinkers focused on a common purpose we can create solutions that are not possible when addressed in the limited ways that is the status quo of environmental management. This session will explore a framework for synthesizing fields of thought to create a sense of unity, purpose and power, and enable beneficial changes necessary to bring greater environmental and social harmony to our world.