Dear Friends of ELIANT,

This year, Easter meets us in a world marked by war and hardship. The Easter message of peace and hope – of understanding death as a spiritual rite of passage bringing us closer to our shared journey toward becoming truly “human” – beckons a deeper understanding. Many are sensing, precisely in the face of inhumanity, how essential a life worthy of human dignity and resilient inner development has become. This is also true for us at ELIANT: we recently reached out to peace initiatives around the world and are delighted that ELIANT has become a member of the Committee on Interreligious and Interconfessional Dialogue this year. This committee is part of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations of the Council of Europe.

Through this participation, ELIANT can help bring anthroposophic perspectives into multireligious discussions on human dignity, education and the ethical use of technology and power.

In addition, we have long been exploring the question of how to create “conditions for peace”. Through our relationships with peace-promoting organisations and initiatives and by studying their approaches, we are constantly learning more – particularly in the areas of governance and the humane exercise of power, the inclusion of minorities, intercultural and interreligious cooperation, as well as the ecological responsibility of every individual.

Ita Wegman (1876–1943), the first anthroposophic physician and a close collaborator of Rudolf Steiner, said at the beginning of World War II that the era of wars was over – we must learn to elevate the potential for conflict from physical engagement in economically motivated power struggles to the realm of “spiritual debates”, which help us understand differing opinions and find solutions that support healthy development.

Individuals and communities can learn to find joy in supporting one another rather than competing with one another. From ELIANT’s perspective, lasting peace emerges when people cultivate self-knowledge and moral integrity through freely chosen paths of inner development, when equal rights apply to all – and when economic life is guided by a healthy circular mindset and stands in solidarity with the life of the planet. These principles are in harmony with many contemporary definitions of the prerequisites for peace – and invite us, in a time of great challenges, to set our sights on and pursue unifying goals across cultural and political boundaries.

With warm regards and best wishes for the Easter season
Michaela Glöckler and the ELIANT team

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