As a lead-in to the discussions at this ASL session, it was remarked that historians pithily term any major turning points – whether they be single events or prolonged phenomena – which are capable of bringing about an irreversible change in the destiny of mankind as “interludes”.
As a concept, fraternity, the most obscure of the three words in the French revolutionary motto, has been sidelined for some considerable time, but today, the notion of solidarity that it represents is one that is giving many of us food for thought. At a time when we have reached a historical and cultural crossroads marked by an obvious global economic crisis that many believe has triggered the huge identity crisis that western society is currently experiencing, it is also providing the rationale behind some very real political proposals aimed at resolving the situation.
