Principles of
Development - Transformation of Values
Transformation is a positive
direction - it is change for the better. This assumes some knowledge of
the better which will be attained. Concepts of Shalom
will be unique and distinctive for each community, and each community
must define their own positive future. Likewise, change for the better
must be measured by a community’s own standards.
Transformation in development also implies that there is value added in the process. Therefore, human creativity makes it possible to work together for mutually beneficial change.
When transformation takes place there is no going back. This is not to say that conditions and situations cannot become worse again, for there are many factors outside the control of all communities. People themselves will have been deeply changed and will be facing new situations with different perspectives, tools, and goals.
Transformation is multi-faceted and holistic, involving fundamental changes in many dimensions: physical, material, emotional, social, spiritual, political and economic. This extraordinary complexity means that we must be scrupulously careful to be integrated in our approach. Only through respecting the interrelatedness of all these dimensions of life can we hope to adequately address any specific problem.