2 minute read
3. Book Review-1: Fragrance and Abundance
from FOCUS October 2021
understanding conflict drivers and mitigating future occurrences. Truth Commissions have promoted Reconciliation and Unity in societies, particularly for countering the adverse effects of poor governance, discrimination and exclusion, and fostering social trust and cohesion. Truth and Reconciliation initiatives are therefore important for promoting Reconciliation and Unity in post-conflict situations.
Fragility, Conflict and Violence. Since Reconciliation and Unity have been recognized as beneficial outcomes, increasing attention is also being paid to issues related to Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) that have become a key global development priority22. Fragility, Conflict and Violence23 are often interrelated and mutually reinforcing, signifying the breakdown of social contracts between societies and governments, usually characterized by: civil or international conflict; lack of government legitimacy; lack of government authority to ensure security and the rule of law; deficiencies in governance structures and institutions; lack of state capacity to deliver basic infrastructure and social services; and a poor business environment and lack of private sector activity that inhibit income-earning opportunities. These considerations suggest that addressing issues related to Fragility, Conflict and Violence are critical for Development as well as for Reconciliation and Unity.
Conclusions. Reconciliation and Unity are closely related. Reconciliation is a necessary and sufficient condition for Unity and vice versa. God’s redemptive salvation plan through Jesus Christ has been the cornerstone for the Reconciliation between God and Humanity. In the life of the Early Church, reconciliation between Jewish and Gentile Christians, established through the Jerusalem Council, has been a turning point for the Christian faith. Unity in the Godhead between the Father and the Son portrays the benchmark for Unity of the Church, anchored in Jesus’s Love One Another command.
22 As noted by World Bank Group (WBG), FCV threatens efforts to end extreme poverty in the world. By 2030, up to two-third of the world's extreme poor may live in FCV situations, with conflicts driving 80% of all humanitarian needs (https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviol ence/overview). In 2020, WBG adopted a new FCV strategy for 2020-2025, which has significantly scaled up the volume and types of financial support provided for FCV (http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/84459158 2815510521/pdf/World-Bank-Group-Strategy-for-FragilityConflict-and-Violence-2020-2025.pdf). 23 The 2020 WBG FCV strategy articulates a new methodology to identify and classify FCS (Fragile and Conflict Situations, replacing the previous Harmonized List of Fragile Situations. The new classification uses the following two categories: (i) Countries with high levels of institutional and social fragility; and (ii) Countries affected by violent conflict.
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and Abundance’
‘Fragrance and Abundance’ by Kanayathu C. Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy, CSS Thiruvalla, 2021, Pp 361, ISBN 97881- 7821- 678-8. Rs 700/$20
This book is the fruit of a husband-and-wife team who worked in the fields of education and environmental issues in various parts of the world for over forty years. They wrote this book because of their deep concern and commitment to environmental, ecological and spiritual issues confronting humanity.
The authors’ following words on the cover page best explain the setting and purpose for which the book is written. “Were you thinking of how useful it would be to have an easy read and an expert guide to steer readers the modern maze of ‘Sustainable Development’ and ‘Faith perspective? Your search is over––‘Fragrance and Abundance’ is the answer. The ‘Sustainability-Spirituality’ pair is not an oxymoron, its parts are complimentary.
Our premise in the book is that abundant fragrance emanates from those who care for creation and live a sustainable life-style. The knowledge and the skills needed for this come from modern education. However, that is not all, our ethics, value systems and attitudes
