intercultural

Space to play — Board Games and Dialogue Tables

Playfulness creates space for establishing meaningful connections between people, which fosters encounters that both entertain and stimulate the participants: Letting go of our compulsion of norms, codes and traditionally learned frameworks and allowing a new interplay to arise in the in-between space…. Feeling free to explore different perspectives together and to agree on appropriate rules for what is at stake.

The Quest for Wisdom Foundation has created the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living, on which the game Amor Fati elaborates, enhancing Global Citizenship. The book with the same title explains the philosophy of the Wheel as well as the intercultural art of living.

NL/EN, 2024, ISBN 978 90 441 3970 9

Also the bilingual Dialogue Tables Four Winds (De Vier Winden) is developed to enhance an open cosmopolitan culture as global citizens. The Adinkra-game consists of a set of cards with Ghanaian symbols and proverbs, ordered according to the wisdom of the five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether — in a way that the Ghanaian elemental wisdom might be compared to European visions on the natural elements.

There are more World Games and teaching modules to be developed, in which intercultural perspectives are playfully and dialogically incorporated.

World Games — for the Cosmopolis

QfWf-Archive — Mythical-Philosophical Boardgames

Playful Dialogues — the Dis-covering Dialogue Table

Purchase of Educative Materials

One hundred percent of the money raised by the sale of all of the products will be used in realising our upcoming QFWF educational projects, all of which are non-profit and run by volunteers.

Update 2025-02

Space to play — Board Games and Dialogue Tables Read More »

The Quest for Wisdom foundation (QfWf) is founded to stimulate the art of living in the cosmopolis

“Every person longs for the good life and every culture passes on its wisdom to future generations to grow as a person on an inward journey that connects all corners of the world. Thereby we flourish as a community, celebrating life in the cosmopolis “

In a tilting world order the QfWf aims to contribute towards a culture of openness and pluriformity by tapping into one’s own and shared historical roots. Can we learn to be global citizens by revitalizing wisdom traditions worldwide and liberating ourselves from groupthink?

The Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living has been created to realize this mission. By the spinning of the Wheel around a yearly theme the three Quests flow together on our platform DeGuldenSnede:

Quest 1 Wisdom Web

Collecting and publishing (inter)cultural and artistic materials for the Wisdom Web

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Quest 2 Golden ratio

Developing the diversity of cultural wisdom into a golden ratio of educational materials to enhance the intercultural art of living, such as play- and dialogue forms, e-books and storytelling

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Quest 3 Meet

Organizing living Encounters and a space between cultures through Meeting Days, Masterclasses and the QfWf video channel

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The Quest for Wisdom foundation (QfWf) is founded to stimulate the art of living in the cosmopolis Read More »

Become a QfWf-friend

Help realize the goals of the Quest for wisdom foundation (QfWf)!

You become a QfWf-friend by donating yearly

We hope for a donation of € 45,= per year – though we are happy with the amount you can give!

In addition in helping to realize the intercultural QfWf-programmes, contributing to our aim of Global Citizenship, as a QFWF friend you get:

  • the (e)book about the annual QfWf-programme, such as Amor Fati in 2025
  • free entrance on the annual QfWf-meeting day
  • discount for workshops (25%)
  • invitations for the QfWf-Dialogical Circle

Discount (up to 50%) for educational materials of the Golden Ratio, such as

You become a QfWf friend by transferring the amount to NL14TRIO0777827654 in the name of the QFWF in Weesp or via the donation module below.

Donate? Love!

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The Wheel of Intercultural Art of Living

The Wheel of Intercultural Art of Living visualizes the philosophy and mission of the QFWF

The wheel was developed as a multidimensional and multifaceted approach to the intercultural art of living with the help of the following:

  • Colours/medium – representing the five natural elements (earth, water, air, fire and ether)
  • One focus — the circle with an edge and a centre that represents the dynamics of the wheel two-dimensionally with a centripetal direction from periphery to centre and vice versa as a centrifugal movement —
  • The wheel consists of sixteen spokes representing wisdom traditions

The sixteen spokes use the pictograms drawn by Louis Van Marissing to refer to wisdom traditions from East and West, North and South. The Wheel vizualizes these different approaches to wisdom, acknowledging its many different forms from various cultural traditions, from religious and spiritual roads, philosophical and mythological directions, arts and crafts, praxis and personal experience. This plurality is organized by means of the the Wheel with the sixteen spokes as well as with six dimensions, all of which are indicated with pictograms.

The QFWF facilitates intercultural exchange and development of transcultural forms of wisdom and the art of living. This is done in co-creation with people involved in these traditions. The (exploratory) gathering of wisdom from all corners of the world in its diverse forms – texts, images, stories, music – is further developed into ‘a golden section’ of educational material.

Symbolic bridges between cultures

The wheel visualises intercultural bridges through the symbolism of the five elements: these are depicted as five elementary fields with their own pictogram (eye, heart, spiral, hand, lemniscate) and, within them, the spokes of sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom.

The QFWF dissociates itself from racial and ethnocentric provisions by presenting the language play of the five elements emphatically as a symbolic arrangement of the Wheel. Within this, sixteen wisdom paths are assigned in an associative way, without wanting to interpret the (folk) nature of cultures, tribes and peoples. The focus of the QFWF is to develop intercultural exchange and connections on the basis of a symbolism that occurs as a mythical language in almost all cultures. In this way, the QFWF remains outside philosophical, theological and political debates about the appreciation of cultures.

As can be heard in original and heroic stories from almost all cultures, the process of separating and reconnecting the elements symbolizes an alchemy as a process of creation. A natural order arises out of an original chaos, emptiness or by a divine creation. Also, in all wisdom traditions, paths to a good life have been developed – aimed at connection from within – which are called differently: ‘salvation’, ‘enlightenment’, ‘moksha’, ‘compassion’, ‘humanity’, ‘walhalla’, ‘the eternal hunting ground’, ‘The kingdom of God’, ‘Heaven’, …

Symbolism of the five elements

In almost all cultures, the natural elements in mythical, philosophical and religious stories play a basic role. That is why the five elements in the Wheel form pillars for building inter- and transcultural connections. Compared to the Western natural philosophical debate, these concepts are given a dynamic and symbolic meaning in the three Quests.

The archetypal form of the Wheel expresses this art of living as the mystery of squaring the circle::

  • The four elementary fields – earth, water, air and fire – symbolise a movement towards the periphery, the four corners of the world, where the value of diversity becomes visible. The movement towards the centre, through three groups of (inter)cultural paths on the elemental fields of earth, water, air and fire, focuses on the coherence between cultures and the development of transcultural connections.
  • The fifth elementary field – ether – symbolizes in the centre the place of connection from within (the place that is not a place, the unity of opposites, the philosophia perrenis). Visualized with four pictograms are encounters between cultures 3 through history and time, manifesting themselves as interfaces, intersections and rifts in history and between eras.

Rotating around the core, the Rad visualizes the development of
intercultural art of living from the three layers:

  • Layer 1: the five elementary fields of wisdom
  • Layer 2: the sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom
  • Layer 3: the six dimensions

From the perspective of the Wheel, religious, scientific, literary, artisanal, philosophical and artistic expressions appear equally as symbolic forms and building blocks for intercultural connections. The diversity of cultural expressions and visions on the good life are symbolically arranged as an intercultural art of living by means of the Wheel:
* by symbolically characterizing the five ‘elementary’ fields as (earth, water, air, fire and ether) fields of wisdom
* by linking expressions of wisdom and (inter)cultural wisdom paths to these five fields
* by visualizing an ‘in-between’ a space for dialogue and exchange based on cultural forms of wisdom.

Exchange, development and cross-fertilization take place along five elementary fields by rearranging wisdom from religious and cultural traditions according to their cultural- historical origins on the one hand, and, on the other hand, according to intercultural and transcultural forms of wisdom as seen from the elementary symbolism of the Wheel. For example, the Tree of life is a transcultural symbol that expresses both a kinship between cultures as well as a concrete form of a particular expression of a Tree of life as recognized within a specific culture.

The five elementary fields of wisdom

The wheel with the five elementary fields

The symbolism of the five elements generates a bridge language between cultures with the aim of further developing an intercultural art of living.

  • The green quadrant with the eye is associatively connected to the earth and unlocks a symbolism around eye power, the seeing of the (strange) other, earthly and grounded;
  • The blue quadrant with the heart is associated with water and opens up a symbolism around heart power, spontaneous expression including flowing and counter-flowing movements;
  • The yellow quadrant with the spiral is associated with the air and opens up a symbolism around light and darkness and the rhythm of breathing;
  • The red quadrant with the hand is associated with the fire and opens up a symbolism around fire (offerings) and the power of transformation;
  • The white circle around the centre with the lemniscate is associated with ether and opens up a symbolism around an eternal movement of cultural-historical appearances and links ether as the fleeting cosmic element.

The five fields have been characterized as forms of the art of living with the help of symbolic icons:

  • Earth – the eye – a meaningful field of natural connection and physical, grounded presence;
  • Water – the heart – a symbolic field giving meaning to lovingly meandering together with the natural currents and counter currents;
  • Air – the head (spiral) – a meaningful field of breathing, coordination inside and outside, insight and being attentive;
  • Fire – the hand – a meaningful field of sacrifice, transformation and acting change;
  • Ether – the quintessence (lemniscate) – a meaningful field of the interplay of the four elements, of alchemy and encounters, connections and fault lines.

Wisdom traditions and wisdom are given a place on the elementary fields of wisdom and the sixteen (inter)cultural wisdom paths appear as the spokes of the Wheel.

Wisdom traditions – from Buddhism to Nordic mythology, from Christian rituals to Indian myths – can be organized according to their cultural-historical origins as well as a source for developing an intercultural art of living in the context of globalizing society.

The intercultural art of living is growing from its cultural-historical roots and will be nourished from (inter)cultural studies by which wisdom traditions can be kept alive in a global context.

Both personal expressions and stories handed down as contextually embedded wisdoms, as well as practical and art-based forms of the art of living, are given a symbolic rearrangement by means of the Wheel: as inspirational examples of ‘elementary’ – earthly, meandering, airy, fiery, ethereal – expressions and forms on how to live life well.

The symbols in the Wheel (namely the eye, the heart, the spiral, the hand and the lemniscate) therefore represent, both on a collective and personal level, the elementary existential qualities for the development of a basic attitude of openness and interest, around a pivot of love and wisdom, the quintessence, the loving willingness to connect, meet and open up for intercultural dialogue.

The development of intercultural art of living through the Wheel

In the philosophy of the Wheel, these elementary existential qualities – of the open heart, the embodied eye, the hand of co-creation, the attentive path spiraling in and out, and the lemniscate of living encounters and the infinite creation of meaning – form the indispensable pivotal points for the development of an intercultural art of living and transcultural forms of living the good life. The QFWF stimulates this development with educational material based on ‘a Golden Section’ of the divers expressions of wisdoms collected on the QFWF-Wisdom Web from the global society.

Cultural diversity is visible on the periphery of the Wheel. Towards the centre the elementary fields and intercultural bars (spokes) touch the hub (pivotal point). The hub symbolizes a transcultural dimension that transcends cultural determinants. Through the colourful differences there is an elementary focus on what connects people: by moving beyond the opposites on the surface level of (collective) opinions and interests to the deep dimension of humanity and loving wisdom (the pivot) in the centre; where the opposites coincide, the quintessence.

By means of ‘bricolage’ (the way an engineer (bricoleur) uses just the available tools and materials to make structures) with insights and forms of praxis of multiple cultures one can develop a global society for the purpose of becoming human (becoming who you are) and developing local communities with a cosmopolitan spirit.

For example, with regard to a focus on ‘the right middle’ (Aristotle) according to the practical wisdom (‘phronèsis’) of the community, there is a relationship between Greek classical virtue ethics with insights from Ubuntu and from Confucianism and values of ‘communitas’.

A Golden Section of Wisdom

The wheel with the five elementary fields and sixteen spokes, depicting intercultural roads

In the Wheel, the wisdom traditions are both contextually embedded according to their cultural-historical origins, as well as sixteen paths or sources for intercultural wisdom. This ambiguous positioning arises from the symbolical bridges, the language game of the five elements, providing a twofold orientation: both towards philosophical unity and transcultural forms of life as well as towards cultural diversity at the corners of the elementary fields. The inter- and transcultural dynamics is symbolically characterized with pictograms.

There are two levels of developing wisdom:
At the collective level of wisdom traditions:

  • earthly paths of wisdoms give expression to a grounded quality and embodied see,
  • meandering roads of wisdom are expressive of a heart-quality: coagulating and liquefying the status quo,
  • wisdom of the air and breathing that expresses the rhythmically inwards and outwards spiralling connection of natural being with the macrocosm,
  • fiery ways with wisdoms that give expression to community ethos and co-creating (hands on) qualities,
  • ethereal pathways expressing an eternal lemniscate movement of finding meaning: volatilizing and deconstructing and then materializing and socially
    constructing again;

on the individual level of the personal art of living:

In a globalising society, people can draw on various wisdom traditions without the need to join as an adept of a particular tradition. Wisdom paths give direction to personal growth and interpersonal relationships. The Wheel is meant as a compass to be able to orientate oneself in the diversity of directions. The five elementary fields open up intercultural fields of finding meaning through exploring various cultural wisdom traditions and transcultural values.

The Wheel provides symbolic signposts for personal growth through the development of elementary existential qualities:

  • eye-power through the embodied seeing and from imagination (mythos)
  • the open heart, depicting compassion and enthusiasm (compassion and pathos)
  • the spiral, depicting resonance and tuning in to the rhythm of breathing, connecting inside with outside (logos)
  • the hand, depicting action and starting a change with movement from within and hands-on (ethos and cocreation)
  • the lemniscates, depicting the space between ‘frames’ and the infinite process of giving meaning and meeting ‘the other’ (quintessence).
The sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom are grouped per elementary field.
They are represented with their own icon.

The elementary field earth and the (inter)cultural earth roads

Earth roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field of ‘earth’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom paths of tribes and peoples living traditionally from natural contexts. In prehistoric times this ‘pre- modern’ way of life was spread all over the earth. As a result of modernization and colonization, this way of life has been reduced, but can still be found mainly within: African; Indian; and Aboriginal peoples, Maori and other indigenous peoples of Oceania.

Earth roads


The elementary field of water and the (inter)cultural water roads

Water roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field ‘water’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom roads as the natural movement and cosmic laws following ways of life.
These meandering wisdom roads can, for example, be recognized within: Confucian; Dao; and Sufi currents.

water wegen


The elementary field air and the (inter)cultural air roads

Air roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field ‘air’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom roads as pathways of insight and breath based on wisdom traditions. This orientation can often be recognized in connection with the symbolism of light and darkness in the following perspectives: 
Buddhist, advaita vedanta; gnosis, mystical and hermetic philosophy; Germanic, Celtic and Nordic mythology.

Air roads


The elementary field of fire and the (inter)cultural fire roads

Fire roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field of ‘fire’ three icons have been placed that characterize religious and spiritual traditions, in which, especially, the meaning of fire and the struggle between good and evil, sacrifices and transformation play an important role. This orientation can be recognized within:
animist-shamanist; Hindu; and monotheistic – zoroastrian, jewish, christian and islamic – directions.

Fire roads


The ether field and the (inter)cultural ether roads

Ether roads in the Wheel

The ‘ether field’ symbolically refers to the fact that the longing for connection and the search for wisdom – although culturally different and colourfully designed – occur in all cultures and is nourished by:
encounters between cultures, and profile gets through interfaces, intersections and fractures in history and
between eras.

ether roads


The six dimensions

The six dimensions of the Wheel characterize wisdom in many forms on the continuum between theory and practice; multi-layered by means of different medial forms – verbal, musical, visual, ritual, narrative, dancing, … – in which the quest for wisdom is expressed.

By giving space to the diversity of medial expression, the various wisdom traditions can be highlighted in a multifaceted way, showing inter- and subcultural forms, dominant and minority voices.

For example, the elementary field of air (insight) show different paths, such as a variety of forms of ‘Buddhism’ from Zen Buddhism to mindfulness. The diverse wisdom traditions include both visions as well as forms of praxis, a mythology and other narratives and stories, cultural customs and rituals, musical and other artistic expressions of wisdom. The six dimensions of the Wheel are:

  • visions, philosophy
  • stories, myths,
  • rituals, rituality
  • symbols, symbolism
  • praxis, arts and crafts
  • social actuality and/or a personal vision or survival.

With these six dimensions, the Wheel expresses (inter)cultural diversity from the historical roots as well as current practices and expressions of the art of living, shown on the continuum between theory and practice.

The six dimensions

The complete wheel

  • the five elementary fields,
  • the sixteen (inter)cultural avenues
  • the six dimensions

The three layers form the complete Wheel of intercultural art of living.

 

The complete wheel of intercultural art of living

The Wheel makes visible how the periphery shows cultural diversity and the corepresents connections from within, such as the transcultural value of ‘compassion’. The in- between space (between the periphery and the inner core) evokes intercultural dialogues and a cosmopolitan art of living through a Golden Section (Ratio) of wisdom traditions, like the budding of a flower which is always through nourishment from cultural roots.

update 2022-08

The Wheel of Intercultural Art of Living Read More »

Animal Wisdom site

Golden RatioGame for WisdomAnimal WisdomProjectsSoul Circle

Narrative Animal Wisdom

The QFWF continues to collect animal stories from all over the world on a separate website www….?. The overarching goal of this storytelling programme is to present the symbolism in the narratives in various artistic forms, sharing the intercultural wisdom about how to be a successful and happy human being and how to build successful and happy communities.

Animal stories can be found in all corners of the world in a colorful diversity of cultural genres. Through their differences, these stories express a cross cultural elemental wisdom that these animals embody.

By developing this quest for wisdom perspective into (e-)books, teaching modules and other educational forms, these old treasures are preserved and made freshly available for new generations.

The good life in the cosmopolis

The crosscultural significance of the narrative use of animals as embodying wisdom and natural strength forms a pillar of opportunity for building bridges between cultures. Goal of the programme include the strengthening ecological and cosmopolitan values of global citizenship — such as inclusion, cultural diversity, ecological awareness and 21st century skills. In appealing artistic and educational forms, the QFWF aims to reach different target groups: children, students, parents, teachers, professionals, managers and administrators.

Further reading on the development of the programme Animal Wisdom in a series of articles (NL):
De Gulden Snede: deel 1deel 2deel 3deel 4deel 5deel 6deel 7deel 8

The QFWF Storytelling Programme: narrative wisdom from all corners of the world

Sea Mermaid — drawing Chrisje Ronde

Communities from all over the world pass on their cultural wisdom gathered over generations in the form of stories, proverbs, symbolism and rituals.

The QFWF Storytelling program unlocks this intercultural source of wisdom and gives it appealing artistic forms, focused on connecting the stories and transcultural symbolism!

Animals embody elemental wisdom

Animals represent an elementary wisdom, they display clever and vicious tricks as well as being paragons of virtue. However differently the animals are presented, according to the specific cultural and historical context in which the stories were created, in all cultural traditions animals reflect basic natural strength and wisdom.

Beautiful forms of the latter are found in the classic tales of the of the Hindu Panchatantra and the Buddhist Jatakatamala.
Also, the famous stories of the Ghanaian Anansi as well as the less famous but extraordinary adventures of cricket, chameleon and other Malagasy hero’s.

Bolinus brandaris, the purple snake — drawing Chrisje Ronde

Animals in myths, legends and fairy tales present a wise natural force: proverbial is the wisdom of the owl and the cunning of spider Anansi.

Birds in fairy tales and myths often convey messages, like the raven for example, as a mediator between the world of the gods, the humans and the underworld.

In addition to similarities, there are also interesting cultural differences. For example, almost all cultures have stories about dragons. Although they differ in shape on the one hand — sometimes more serpentine, sometimes more like a giant bird or like some kind of dinosaur — they all embody an enormous (super)natural power.

Read examples of Animal Stories from the series on the website — Animal wisdom

Update 2022-07

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Quest for Wisdom foundation

  • Quest for Wisdom Foundation (QfWf) stimulates the Intercultural Art of Living in a Globalized World!

    The QfWf wants to contribute to a culture of openness and to cultural diversity (inter-esse) by tapping into one’s own and shared historical intercultural roots and wisdom traditions.

    Cultural ANBI status

    The QfWf is acknowledged as organization with an culturele ANBI status (NL).

    The QfWf programs have been honored twice by a cultural fund:

    Storytelling programma Animal Wisdom in 2020-2021

    With a subsidy from Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds i.s.m. Fonds zuidoost, awarded in 2020, the QfWf has developed a storytelling-Project- around animal wisdom in storytelling traditions from the four corners of the world. The purpose of this program is to bring ancient wisdom into new forms for contemporary ears, which has led to the development of the website Animal Wisdom and the development of an Intercultural lesson for elementary education.

  • The “Global Citizenship of the streets” project in 2023-2024

    With a subsidy from the Cultural Participation Fund, the QfWf has realized the “World Citizenship of the Street”-project in 2023-2024 in the form of a triptych in 3 phases. Reflecting on the history of slavery (phase 1) and collecting intercultural ingredients of collective and individueal dreams of global citizenship in images, music, dance, stories and other expressions of (inter)cultural heritage (phase 2) culminating in a social experiment with collaborating partner organizations (phase 3) for global citizenship. The result is an intercultural program with the wisdom and beauty from the four corners of the world.

    The QfWf does this by using Art as a magic and collecting it as ingredients in book form, under the title Amor Fati and Amor Mundi, on a digital platform The Golden Ratio and in a co-creative programme; developed and implemented in collaboration with the Cultural Dream Weavers Foundation and the Curinesa Foundation, independent artists, and with the Wehpokamanong association, which preserves the cultural heritage of indigenous groups from Suriname in the Netherlands and passes it on to young generations. This culminated in a final event in the fall of 2024.

    First there was the presentatation of Amor Mundi, the exhibition and the presentation of the QfWf-documentation book in the Pubic Library of Amsterdam (OBA) in Weesp on the 28th of September 2024. Especially the series of aquarelles of Greg Suffanti, in which the harsh (anti) migration policy is denounced and migrants are presented as persons like you and me and their human stories. Also Robin Stemerding, Nour Kayali en Louis van Marissing have contributed to the exhibition. Then the final event was organised on the 19th of October 2024 together with the residents of the Regenbooggroep, the organisation that gives shelter to migrants, refugies, homeless and people in need: sharing an intercultural programme with music, dance and sharing food from each others cultural kitches. A ceramic statue, made by Camile Smeets was presented: this Rainbow Paradise Bird with Cosmic Egg incorporates the world dreams of the intercultural project group. On the 25th of Januari 2025 the exhibition Amor Mundi was reopened in another OBA location, Reigersbos, together with the presentation of the book Amor Fati by giving previews of the seven chapters, in which life themes as world citizens are discussed and portrayed. Read more in Angela Gilds review on intercultural meetings.

    The need for an intercultural art of living

    Being able to deal effectively with our differences is a delicate matter in our current times.
    The objective of the foundation calls for an intercultural art of living as developmental path of ‘the multicultural society’ and visualises its mission with the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living.

    The QfWf sees Global Citizenship as the right answer facing the collective fear for strangers, migrants and ‘the others’. Instead of hatred and agression we follow dialogical and spiritual traditions, that see ‘otherness’ as a call for openness and inclusion.

  • The intercultural art of living is the ability to move as nomads between cultures and to be able to see the beauty of cultural differences. To enhance the art of living as world citizens the QfWf-Soul Circle organises every year around a social relevant theme an intercultural programme and presents this on its digital platform de gulden snede as well as by living encounters such as the yearly QfWf-Meeting Day.

    Just like the beauty of the Golden Ratio in natural forms such as the rhythmical growth of leaves and snail shells, as well as in cultural expressions such as the principles how cathedrals are built and the musical harmony in chords.

    This QfWf-vision and mission to contribute to a cosmopolic world order and culture of inclusion is the core of our

  • Quest for Wisdom, meandering along

Dealing with differences

Dealing with differences has been raised as a social issue by Paul Scheffer, in his controversial article Het multicultural drama (2000). Before that, the international debate had been heated up by Samuel P. Huntington’s terrifying perspective on the Clash of Civilizations (1996). Since then, there has been a heated political debate in many lands with multicultural populations, and the social debate in the social media is getting louder and more troubled ….

The QfWf wants to play a role in tilting the debate

Diagram met de 17 duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen door de V.N. op 25 September 2015 aangenomen als deel van de 2030 Agenda
Diagram met de 17 duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen

The QfWf wants to help turn the polarized debate about migration, refugees and religious strife from a problem for ‘political experts’, to a relevant issue for all of us, making an ethical appeal to everyone, from the current administration to our neighbours on the street.

How do we deal with, and how do we want to deal with ‘the strange other’?
That strange other can be the foreigner, the outcast, the fringe figure, the refugee and sometimes ourselves …

In order to tilt the debate, the QFWF sees it as a call to recalibrate the awareness of who ‘we’ are as citizens of the cosmopolis: nomads with intercultural identities.
These geopolitical landslides affect all of us as co-inhabitants of our shared planet Earth.
That is why the QFWF addresses this issue as a question, an ethical issue of a practical, social and political nature:

Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto, Italië — foto Joke Koppius

How do we not exclude the other and the others ― the ‘stranger’, of a seemingly different nature ― but to see them as part of us, as ‘the strange other(s)’ in ourselves?How do we create growth inducing inter- and transcultural connections, instead of a divide and rule philosophy, us versus them mentality and an increasingly aggressive environment, as can be heard in the cry: “Who does not belong to ‘us’ (culture, race, religion, ethnicity) is against us …?”

By stimulating the recognition of the beauty of our differences and shared commonality, instead of a fear of ‘otherness’.
The world of the arts and (inter-)cultural expressions create space both in and between people and establish meaningful connections between cultures!

Creating inter- and transcultural connections

The QfWf aims to collect artistic, philosophical and practical forms of cultural wisdom from East and West, North and South and to further develop them into useful forms that inform and inspire the intercultural art of living … so that people interact as willing players in an in-between space (as defined by Hannah Arendt) and also keep in touch with their core selves, so that we can fully develop and happily share our world with each other in a spirit of cooperation, openness and hospitality.
Hospitality, respect and openness and other shared values of humanity are what truly connect people as sisters and brothers ― open to a common playing field for all!

Update 2025-02

Quest for Wisdom foundation Read More »