[from Schuman Declaration,May 9, 1950]
The most original form of travel was probably pilgrimage (pilgrims were also called “Reyssläufer” in the Middle Ages). This has always stood for the longing for an overarching (life) goal and meaning and for the desire to engage with the world and foreign cultures with empathy and curiosity. Encounters with the unfamiliar encourage the willingness to take a self-critical look at the patterns of one’s own habits of thought and action. Those who also open themselves up to reflecting on their own values in the mirror of the society in which we live and exchanging ideas with others not only gain inner strength and courage to face life, but also the motivation to help shape reality.
As part of the European model project “Starry Path/Chemin des étoiles”, people are invited to search for traces of the lost paths of the medieval pilgrims to Santiago in a multifaceted region in the heart of Europe. The explorations along the rediscovered routes offer the opportunity to discover medieval “contemporary witnesses” of the pilgrimage in order to trace what sustainably connects people, time(s) and living spaces. This valuable journey allows us to explore the world we want to live in - in view of the past - and the values we stand for.
The following canon of values provides inspiration for the “spiritual luggage” when walking along the stars. The values described therein summarize the social, spiritual and cultural foundations of Europe and are intended - without claiming to be exhaustive - as a source of inspiration and guidance for reflection and further thought. In this way, these values can be creatively reflected on along the way or when pausing to reflect and contribute to a new self-image of social cohesion and fundamental European values.
Selection of basic social values as a framework condition for self-determined, humane and creative coexistence.
For there to be peace in the world, nations must live in peace.for there to be peacebetween nations, cities must not rise up against each other.for there to be peace in cities, neighbors must understand each other. for there to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in one’s own house. for there to be peace in one’s house, one must find it in one’s own heart.
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher, 4th-3rd century B.C.
Peace refers to a state between individuals, groups or states that is free from (violent) conflict and war and in which emerging conflicts are resolved non-violently with the help of rules and laws. An important prerequisite for this is the virtue of “peacefulness” and the willingness to actively strive for peace. Individuals can also achieve a feeling of “contentment”, a so-called “inner peace”, through self-awareness and self-examination. Seeking (inner) peace means embarking on a path in life that is geared towards living in harmony with oneself. This is the basis for being able to find peace on the outside and to carry it out into the world.
What idea of my own do I have for today’s path?
The purpose of our existence is directed to the formation of humanity. Our rational activity should be formed to reason, our finer senses to art, our instincts to genuine freedom and beauty, our motive forces to human love.
Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803)
Humanity stands as a term for (co-)humanity and the continuous cultural formation of the mind, which aims at the realization of human rights, helpfulness and participation. It is about the position of man in the world and for the world: to be responsible, to follow the truth on the trail and to fathom the innermost thing that constitutes being human - the Conditio humana. Humanity is defined and brought to life both by the individual and by the particular culture that practices it. In most cultures, the humanitarian worldview includes the values of dignity, connectedness, compassion, kindness, charity, helpfulness, and mercy. The elementary prerequisites of a humane way of life include openness and kindness. The ability to recognize the polarities that arise on each individual life path and to balance them in the interplay between the inner and outer worlds, if possible to reconcile them, is one of the essential characteristics of humanity.
Freedom…
controls the self from foreign access limits the self where others are free
keeps distance from encroachment enjoys closeness without encroachment
calls from restriction into granting dispenses with fear and distress
obliges to exercise in togetherness spreads in large trains
dances for the balance on the rope of needs in the other
Peter Michael Lupp
Freedom is a privilege from which many people are still excluded. Being free means being able to make decisions in a self-determined manner and without external coercion. However, part of the experience of freedom is the ability to feel the difference between freedom and unfreedom. Paradoxically, this means that in order to unfold, freedom also requires limits, which must be reflected in the pursuit of one’s own freedom. Freedom requires self-knowledge and self-responsibility in thought and action. Free is he who is in harmony with himself and shapes the gift of freedom with gratitude and meaning.
Democracy always means: the willingness to see not only one’s own interests and the ability to balance and compromise.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Democracy (from the ancient Greek δημοκρατία’ rule of the people of the state) forms the basis of our European society. In democratic states, the government emerges from the people through (free and equal) political elections. The most important features of democracy include freedom of expression and of the press, separation of powers, constitutionality, and protection of fundamental, civil, and human rights. A democratic culture must neither ignore nor negate the ethical and religious forms of life that come together in a pluralistic polity; rather, it must embrace them and integrate them in such a way that the principle of respect applies equally to all citizens. Democracy needs people who have an interest in the community and the common good and who are willing to actively work for them. This presupposes that people respect each other as equals, do not make their own interests absolute, and have the courage to engage in an open, fair debate, but also to compromise. In this respect, democracy is also the decisive prerequisite for freedom, equality and solidarity. A democratic way of life within communities therefore always seeks a constructive balance between the I and the We.
Human social behavior, which is based in particular on emotions, is an essential factor in ensuring that ethical and moral values are not only understood and respected, but also internalized. Only in this way can they be made relevant in everyday actions and promote and advance peace and the common good.
Without tolerance we cannot develop compassion.
Dalai Lama
Tolerance means accepting and respecting the views, actions and customs of others and is a central characteristic of democracy. Tolerance is also an important prerequisite for equality, diversity and the avoidance of exclusion. Tolerance is of great importance in social discourse. It is discussed, for example, in connection with religiosity, sexual inclinations, cultural differences and alternative value systems and communities. The limits of tolerance lie where others are denied this basic form of respect and equal treatment. However, the responsibility for ensuring that these limits are respected cannot be completely ceded to the state. In the first place, it is the people themselves who are obliged to practice tolerance and to treat others with forbearance, patience and mindfulness.
Silence surrounds all common action and all living together
Friendship needs no words
It is the loneliness that comes from the fear of loneliness is freed.
Unknown author
Friendship is a relationship characterized by affection, based on mutual sympathy, appreciation and trust. Friendships are of great importance for our social interaction. Aristotle described friendship as “one soul in two bodies”. Cicero recognized “the safe friend in an uncertain situation”. Friendship with another person also goes hand in hand with a constant deepening of self-knowledge in the other person. In a figurative sense, friendship also refers to a good and often contractually regulated political relationship between peoples or nations (e.g. “Franco-German friendship”).
Compassion for all creatures is what makes people truly human.
Albert Schweitzer
Compassion describes the sympathy for the situation of another individual and is a natural human ability. One’s own feelings resonate with the feelings of another living being. In sympathizing with the feelings of others, people learn to better deal with their own emotions. A variation of compassion is empathy, which helps people to empathize with the thoughts of the other person, to understand them, to respond to them and to react accordingly. Compassion for other human and non-human beings requires acceptance of one’s self and love for oneself.
Together instead of lonely
Accompanying instead of leading Conquering free space Listening growing together Exchange wonders Turning gazes Giving closeness giving hope thinking ahead
Better than usual
Solidarity is derived from the Latin word meaning “solid, genuine, firm” and is therefore associated with consistency, continuity and stability. Solidarity describes sticking together with and supporting other people whose ideals, values and goals you share. It requires a public space and proximity in order to express sympathy, solidarity and compassion towards others. It is also about growing together in a cosmopolitan community with a friendly attitude in order to peacefully stand up for common values.
Stranger(s) reach me over the thresholds the hand to the WE
Let us widen horizons Give home Open worlds hope for the future make peace and touch deeply
In the encounter with other cultures, landscapes and with the foreign, new impressions and connections always arise involuntarily. People can resonate with them and thereby contribute to a sense of European togetherness. The goal is to cultivate an ethically sustainable and mindful connection between people, their diverse cultural imprint, origin and spiritual attitude. The cosmopolitan encounter and friendly exchange with people from other cultures is also accompanied by an awareness of the importance of respect for human dignity, equality and the protection of human rights.
Preserving creation
From the ever increasing fall out
Naked at the end Walk free
Without frame in the new room
Grown up Giving reverberation
Sowing the future [One seed is enough
Due to unreflective growth thinking, the power of markets and our consumer behavior, mankind’s natural sense for the “Blue Planet Earth” - creation - is creeping out of kilter. Mankind currently consumes around 50 percent more resources each year than the earth can regenerate and thus provide sustainably within this period. As a result, the earth, but also humanity itself, is increasingly losing its ecological and ethical balance, which is essential for survival.
Against this backdrop, the “emergency call” - preserve creation - is a reminder of humanity’s responsibility for its unique habitat full of diversity: planet Earth. Although it is taken from the Christian world, it also stands for the interdenominational mission of peoples and cultures to stop the overexploitation of our natural resources in order to preserve our common habitat for future generations.
It is also about the human measure of frugality: the realization that renouncing our consumer behaviour can even lead to a more satisfying life in many cases. This requires a constant public discourse. Preserving creation leads to an ecologically and ethically sustainable relationship between humans and nature and also succeeds in its spiritual dimension through sustainable lifestyles. How can we cultivate a lifestyle of “less” with joy, meaning and spirit, build a society that consumes less, recognizes and avoids risk spirals? Everyone has room for maneuver - that is our privilege
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Spirituality is about the “way art” of becoming oneself. In this process, the wonders of life and the meaning of one’s own life mission become more conscious and can be experienced in their actual (carrying) breadth, away from purely rational ways of looking at things.
The spiritual dimension ignites in the purposeful pause and in the sincere devotion. On a higher level, the inclusion of the spiritual dimension opens up to humanity the opportunity to make the meaning of human existence and its ethical and moral task more comprehensible and to act accordingly. Herein lies a spiritual resource to cope with the upcoming change within our society in favor of a better world.
An access to experience spiritual reality is offered by exercises of slowing down, mindfulness, undivided devotion, meditation or inner prayer (in an interdenominational context). This requires places where these exercises can be celebrated undisturbed and time in which something can mature and heal. Meditative journeying on the “Starry Path” and pausing at special places of the past offer a variety of individual spaces of experience for this.
The breath flows slowly and deeply in and out through the nose.
Inhaling and exhaling stabilizes your inner balance.
The deep inhalation and exhalation centers your self.
Let yourself be carried deep inside to the bottom of your soul with full devotion.
Thoughts drift away like clouds and gradually dissolve as if warmed by the sun.
The source of creation emerges from the emptiness of thought. The essential emerges tangibly. The path of the good life opens up.
After the meditation, stand up and let the moment resonate, breathe in and out through your nose again deeply and calmly.
Into the bottom of the soul.
Out to continue your way courageously.