The world is heading towards catastrophe due to pride; Havel launches Forum 2000 Conference (October 10, 2010)

The opening ceremony of the 14^th annual international Forum 2000 Conference was held at the Prague Crossroads Centre. This year’s meeting is subtitled as “The World We Want to Live In”. “Unless our civilization grapples with its short-sightedness, its stupid conviction of its omniscience and its pride, I am certain it is heading for catastrophe,” quoted the former president Václav Havel, under whose auspices the conference is held annually, at the ceremony. Remarks were also given by European Commissioner Štefan Füle and Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of Japan's Nippon Foundation.

Mr. Havel expressed his belief that the recent financial crisis has brought attention to the alarming state of today’s global community.

“It is a warning against the disproportionate self-assurance and pride of modern civilization. Human behavior is not totally explicable and predictable as many believed,“ said the ex-president. “Wonder and an awareness that things are not self-evident are the only way out of this dangerous world of civilization of pride,“ he added.

Mr. Füle also proclaimed the need to work together for a better world in which people would free themselves of fear, maintained by a constant barrage of bad news. "Fear and ignorance keep people away from freedom," stressed the European Commissioner.

In his speech, Mr. Sasakawa indicated that conflicting ideas about what kind of world we want to live in lie at the root of many problems facing our world today. Seeking the common vision of a better world is therefore the greatest challenge.

The musical performance of internationally known Persian guitarist Shahab Tolouie and his band concluded the opening ceremony.

The Forum 2000 Conference will cover topics such as urbanism, architecture, religion, business interlinking with environment, ethics, as well as other global issues. It will take place in Prague until Tuesday evening. The conference will host over ninety great figures of the cultural and political scene world-wide. Among the guests speaking at the conference include one of America’s leading political scientists Fareed Zakaria, sociologist Zygmunt Bauman and Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi.