THE SOUL OF EUROPE
In conformity with the human tradition of solidarity, peace and the co-operation of nations „the club of
the engaged non communists“ does not regard the values of the people, the class, the race for crucial, but
the personality of the human being, his or her unique task in life and his or her creativity as the true meaning
of human existence. Finally, a further starting point is the impressive thought of the Czechoslovakian
experiment to connect democratic socialism with the large program of personal freedom... These citizens
profess themselves to the ideals of liberty, democracy and socialism.
Ivan Sviták in May 1968 in Ostrava
THE SOUL OF EUROPE - At the Threshold of a New Society
After meetings in Amsterdam and Budapest we would like to meet in August 2008 in Prague, in the heart of Europe, where we would like to share our thoughts on new community forms.
August 21, 2008 will be the 40th anniversary of the invasion of the „Warsaw pact troops“ into Czechoslovakia. This will be an occation the event to think and remember this most important experiment, called the „Prague spring“: To create a society with a human face! We will try to find out what in these 40 years became ripe and which new impulses from the spiritual world by young human beings were brought into the world. However, remembering has to be connected with the present. And this might give new impulses for the future of Europe.
Young people ask: does life still make sense? Everywhere you hear lies, the earth is already nearly destroyed; the trees are cut, the rivers are dirty; in the air there are ozone holes and most of the people have fear of the future. It is like the end of the world. We create human embryos in the laboratories without any sentiments, we let organs grow which are treated like spare parts in the mechanical workshop. Out of fear different control systems are developed which limit our liberty and which obstruct creative forces.
But to prevent such a future, we can only save ourselves by new thinking, feeling and willing. The soul of Europe is now waiting for the next steps. They will only happen if we make them.