An overview of our polarized world today presents a scene strewn with strife, which is a becoming matter of widespread concern. However, discovering new avenues leading to the neutralization of this polarity, as explored by diversified groups and institutions, is an equally great source of consolation.
One set of such solutions was presented at the Brown University earlier this month by the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network. He was addressing the 88th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial League Lecture on International Affairs as a part of the college’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
What he presented is an important piece of the puzzle — that civil societies can be among the most powerful forces in our time. According to him, “Where change had been overdue, they can be voices of change. Where people live in fear, they can be voices of hope.”
Ismailimail 