Sri Sri addresses former Nobel Peace laureates in Norway

Bhopal, Sep 13 (UNI) Renowned spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has stressed upon the power of dialogue in resolving conflicts in the world.

Sri Sri, while addressing 'Point of Peace Summit' -- a meeting between former Nobel Peace Prize laureates and conflict solution experts -- in Stavanger, Norway on September 11, emphasised on how effective mediation can bring warring parties to dialogue, a release issued by the Art of Living's Bhopal office here said today.

''There is a great need for dialogue and for creating mediators.

The role of a mediator is vital and he needs to play the role of a catalyst without imposing himself,'' he said.

Referring to the work done by the Art of Living for reforming violent tendencies and promoting dialogues all over the world, he pointed out that stress was the root cause behind conflicts and underlined the need for mechanisms for getting rid of stress.

''Stress creates barriers in communication. For any dialogue to happen a mediator is needed, and it is the skill of the mediator that makes successful dialogues,'' he said.

Misinformation and rumour campaigns are involved in a conflict. A mediator needs to listen and create hope in people.

A proper understanding of the situation on the part of the mediator is crucial for preventing the situation from getting escalated,'' he added.

''Most conflicts are based on identity crisis. We have forgotten that first and foremost, we are all human beings; then other identifications such as religion, nationality and gender follow. If people get stuck with their limited identity, they are ready to die for it. We need to move beyond our narrow identities to overcome fear, mistrust and conflict in the post 9/11 scenario,'' he said.

''To curb terrorism in the long-run, children must be provided a multicultural and multi-faith education,'' he added.

The three-day Summit is held as part of Stavanger's nomination as the 'European Capital of Culture in 2008'.

A large number of Nobel Peace Prize laureates gathered to exchange ideas and Sri Sri was invited to deliver an address on the topic 'The Power of Dialogue -9/11 and Then What?'.

Former South Korea President Kim Dae-Jung, former Norway Prime Minister Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik and several other intellectuals joined him on the panel, the release added.

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