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Himalayan Wisdom and the Balance Between the Local and the Global

Creating a positive relationship between humanity and the environment has never been in the hearts of as many of the world’s diverse peoples as it is today. They are not simply concerned with living in a certain geographic location, but with living with a connection to nature. This spirit of expressing human diversity and embracing nature can be seen in the projects of Himalayan Consensus, and their ability to facilitate the teaching to traditional wisdom in culturally meaningful contexts.

As global warming accelerates, it will be increasingly important to protect the health of natural environments—encouraging lifestyles that are in balance with nature must be part of our global agenda. The Earth’s climate has changed and the seasons have changed, rivers become torrents when they flood and glaciers crumble as pollution warms our atmosphere. Men and women around the world are unsettled by the threats posed to our planet’s safety and the thoughtless abuse of its resources.

The dissatisfaction and anxiety of millions of people the world over has led us all to this one question—“What can we do?” The answers that we need moving into the 21st century will not come from the bustling hearts of large cities, but will come to us from the past, from ancient values and sustainable ways of living. We must recover a sense of solidarity and mutual support within our communities, and must fight against poverty and inequality through community action. All of this we see in the lifestyles of Himalayan peoples who, despite some of the harshest environmental conditions on the planet, maintain one of the world’s richest and most ethical cultures.

Himalayan peoples utilize simple and effective organizations to collect funds and carry out human centered culturally and environmentally sustainable projects for the overall progress of the community. While the future potential of the large markets is undeniable, these people embrace it while simultaneously upholding their values, morals, and traditional law. On an international level, we see two additional factors essential for good governance applied with these communities; a desire for incremental but stable economic growth and a commitment to the protection of opportunities for the common person. Balanced interactions between the forces of the state, the market and the broader society require a new paradigm that can provide safety and prosperity to all people.

If we want to assure a high quality of life to the greatest number of people, we must work to protect cultural and diversity, and not focus solely on economic development. The Washington Consensus, promoted economic freedom, with an obvious bias in its imagined relationship between the state and the market, giving only secondary consideration to the health of culture at large. It is a paradigm that while well meaning, remains unsuccessful, and leaves many people feeling excluded or abused. The current economic crisis highlights the weaknesses of the Washington Consensus and its bias towards rapid materialistic returns.

How many Consensus Communities could exist in the world? The ideals of the Consensus Community network could be successful anywhere, from Africa to the Andes, as long as there is a need to protect culture and marginalized peoples. There is no need to draw a line between the urban and the rural; as long as there is an understanding of the need to engage in cultural empowerment and compassionate capitalism, there is a place for Himalayan Consensus. Along with technological progress, humanity must recognize that moral development is equally essential to our future as a species.

We have learned from our ancestors that to return to the simple is to return to the local. The gaze of progress should be turned towards developing a sustainable future. We must move into the future without forgetting the wisdom of our forbearers. For centuries, the inhabitants of the Tibetan Plateau have milked yaks to produce butter and cheese. Today these same high quality products can be produced on a local level, but marketed to the broader public with internet based sales and distribution. The money earned can be used to build schools, to prepare youths with the skills they will need to integrate into a rapidly changing world economy.

While the forces of globalization have made the global local, these same forces can make the local global. The purpose of the Himalayan Consensus is to encourage the experiential and human over the material and artificial. Consensus Communities will be successful when they facilitate cultural dialogues and help bring the wisdom of tradition into modern lives. The same sun shines over the entire world, and it is only natural that people strive for a culturally sustainable lifestyle with justice for all.

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