Genuine sustainable development is that development which is capable of sustaining the human spirit in the midst of its progress. How do we sustain this human spirit? By honoring the human and spiritual values which are shared by cultures and traditions everywhere in the world, and by informing our plans and discussions with their presence. These values, such as compassion, friendliness, and co-operation, respect for one another and the value of human life need to lie at the basis of our dialogue on the allocation and conversation of resources.

Understanding and experiencing the human spiritual values common to all nations and cultures is the necessary first step in planning for a safe and secure future for us all. As long as we are each trapped in an identity that forces us to compete or conflict with others for finite resources, a genuine dialogue cannot begin. Many men and women identify themselves primarily with their nationality, race or religion ("I am an American" or "I am a Muslim"), without first experiencing and identifying themselves as a member of the larger human family and its divine or universal source. In this critically important planning session there can be no "we" and "they", only the larger "we" of one family on this planet, sharing a common destiny.

Our planet is a living organism which possesses a rhythm and an innate knowledge of managing itself. We need to realize and move in its rhythm. When this rhythm is disturbed, greed, anguish, stress, and disease result. The current crisis in our global environment is only a projection of our limited minds, clouded in the stress and strain of separation from one another and our common source. We begin to solve the problem by returning to this common source and the values which surround it.

Education in the human and spiritual values common to all people removes these limitations in each of our minds and provides a beginning toward the atmosphere of peace and co-operation that is needed if truly sustainable development is to occur. This process of education can overcome the prejudice of our limitations and move us toward a genuine sense of belongingness, a belonging not only to each other but to the Planet itself.