The speech included scarcely a word about one of the most important contributions of our common civilization, namely political democracy and religious tolerance; and not a word cautioning the Polish government about its increasing repression.
At stake is the fate of our common civilization.
The local cultures of China were blended into one common civilization during Chunqiu times.
Our children and grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans traveling to the continent, understanding the languages and cultures, that make up of common European civilization.
Our common civilization is based on the values of Christianity.
It must be an expression of the authentic will of everyone, growing out of the genuine spiritual roots hidden beneath the skin of our common, global civilization.
"Geographical Europe," wrote Norman Davies in "Europe: A History," "has always had to compete with notions of Europe as a cultural community, and in the absence of common political structures, European civilization could only be determined by cultural criteria".
And, living in the Now, and ignoring the centrality of a common root-civilization, we've also managed to divide ourselves into the Now's most salient breakdown -- that of political expediency.
Meanwhile, the more urgent question of civilization -- are we witnessing a loss of common sense in the world today?
In his stories, which dealt with the enlightened pioneers who championed Western science and civilization, Yi Kwangsu adopted a prose style that approximated the everyday speech of common people.
Historical memory is the door to the human past, but it is susceptible to the diminishment of our sense of civilization as a common fate.
