Sustainable Development 2050: Spirituality - The Missing Link

Abstract

We live in the Anthropocene and “The future of humanity and of our planet lies in the hands of today's younger generation…” In spite of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement; assured sustainable development is still far from reality; and many challenges persist. Science became part of the mainstream sustainability dialogue after the publication of the planetary boundaries. We argue that mainstreaming spirituality holds the key to win over the final challenges in sustainable development. For this paper, 'Spirituality' is synonymous with service to mankind (Swami Vivekananda). It is a way of life upholding truth, moral, ethical and human values. Spirituality assures that in the eternal fight between truth and untruth; truth always wins. Therefore, mainstreaming spirituality in our sustainability dialogue is essential for the Holocene period to continue.