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Dear friends of Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI)

A very warm greeting to you all during this season of Light and Celebration. May you and yours enjoy Companionship, Joy and Wonder, and may the Peace spoken of in all faiths fill your hearts with Hope and Love.

As we celebrate in our various special ways
the gift of Life, Love and Light,
May Joy and Blessings be with you and your families
and may all people in the New Year
join together in serving the common good
and creating a world of peace and justice
where they learn war no more
and everyone sits under their own vine and fig tree
and no one makes them afraid.

In this season of hope, I am much hopeful about the future of this remarkable Initiative that we, that is, all of us, together have built for the common good. For the past nearly ten years, our Initiative has been at the forefront of promoting thoughtful interpretation of it means to be good in all we do, personally and professionally. We have insisted that the abundance that comes from God and earth, and from human effort, must be shared. Concentrated in the hands of the few, it becomes a lethal clot in the circulatory system of our world.

We insisted that as long as economics, politics, business, education and more are based on just a partial understanding of humanity and human reality, they will not produce the results we need. They should all be about human well-being in society and this cannot be separated from moral and spiritual considerations.

With the support of our contributors and supporters we have achieved this through:

  • Outreach – GCGI has brought together scholars, researchers, religious and spiritual leaders, academicians, universities, think tanks, the business community, the youths and civic leaders and others in a global network of cooperation in many countries and continents.
  • Research – We have created important new knowledge through major research initiatives bridging economics, business, education, humanities, social sciences, globalisation, religions, cultures and civilisations.
  • Publishing – GCGI publishes a major multi and inter-disciplinary online journal with many subscribers. Whilst many publications are for- profit, our journal is for-truth and for-real with no advertisements or commercialism. It is free-access, no credit cards, no passwords, no login, all there for the use by the public.
  • Education – GCGI enriches public understanding and encourages public engagement through lectures, conferences, and other educational events.

GCGI has operated in ways big and small, but our goal has always been the same—to advance rigorous multi and interdisciplinary, intercultural, and interreligious debate and reflection about what "it" all means and what is to become of our global civilization, our species, and our planet. To some, ours may seem a lofty endeavour, but we have accomplished it through practical objectives. We have achieved it, because all of us together have worked for and in promoting the common good.

At GCGI we seek the “Whole Story of the Whole Cosmos for the Whole Person." We seek it because we do not have it, but we believe that the quest itself is at the centre of solving some of the great challenges of the twenty-first century - ecological dangers and economic threats; food and water shortages; war and terrorism; sustainability, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, health and wellbeing. There is plenty of brainpower being applied today, but humanity has lost sight of the big picture, of how it all hangs together.

This is why we have been at the forefront of seeking answers to the deeper questions that rarely find their way into political debate and public discourse. Questions that are deeply ethical and spiritual: What is the source of true happiness and well-being? What is the good life? What is the purpose of economic life? What does it mean to be a human being living on a spaceship with finite resources?

Seeking the big picture is a tall order for any single organization, which is why we strongly believe that the best solutions are the outcome of cooperation, dialogue and engagement for the common good. This is why from the very beginning in 2002 we have always worked in tandem with others, benefiting from their wisdom, experience, love, support and friendship.

In our work and research, since the early days of 2002, together with all those who have supported us, we have offered a vision that positions the quest for economic and social justice, peace and ecological sustainability, ethical and corporate social responsibility within the framework of a spiritual consciousness grounded in the practice of open-heartedness, generosity, and caring for others.

The GCGI concept is inclusive, mindful of environment and the human connection to nature. Our vision encourages us to believe that real, viable, sustainable, ethical, and profitable capitalism is possible. What is needed to realize our vision is a more inclusive holistic view of “the bottom line.” Success needs to be redefined in a manner that leads to dramatic transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically, socially, and environmentally, if we desire to pass on a better world to our children and grand-children.

This year California Lutheran University showcased our Ninth Annual international Conference (http://www.gcgi.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=84 ). In June 2011, our Tenth Annual international Conference will be hosted at Bibliotheca Alexandria with the main theme of “Globalisation for the Common Good and the Dialogue of Civilisations: Building Peace, Justice, and Prosperity Together” (http://www.gcgalexandria2011.info/).

How well we succeed in changing our world for the better, so that we can build a world that is just, free and prosperous for all, will depend on our collective capacities to mobilise interest and master enthusiasm around our common vision and our collective action. This call to action should be heard loud and clear. So please share our message with all of your colleagues and friends: Alexandria, Egypt, 2011 will be the place where we will come together with a positive global focus, inviting all to march with us along the path of wisdom, dialogue, justice, peace and the common good for all.

And now as the year winds to a close, I want, once again, to thank you for your ongoing commitment to the common good. We have shown the world that the best will become possible when we work and cooperate together.

My wife, Annie, joins me and we together wish all our friends at the GCGI our warmest regards and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

Kamran and Annie