The attempt to apprehend the components of a society as an intimate ecosystem has reached new dimensions due to the impact of science and technology over the new mechanisms of socialization, urbanization, and globalization. This impact shifted the social paradigms in unanticipated directions, as the new relationships are now increasingly determined by a clinical separation by lines of professional interests, hobbies, sports and cultural passions, at the expense of sharing an intimate space. At the same time, the new puzzles triggered by the empirical realities of the physical world, in concert with spiritual consciousness new questions are now raised in reference to what it means to be a human being livingand cultural in a holistic meaning, society seem of theto converge 21st century. toward a unified worldview. Therefore, Ioan–Gheorghe Rotaru is an educator and a theologian specialized in the philosophy of religion, human rights, church law, and the practice of religious liberty. He is an Associate Professor at ‘Timotheus’ Brethren Theological Institute of Bucharest, and an ordained pastor in the Adventist Church in Romania, North Transylvania Conference, where he worked for 18 years as director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty program. He holds two undergraduate degrees (Reformed Theology and Law), one masters degree (Theology) and two doctorates: a PhD in Philosophy (awarded by the Romanian Academy, in Bucharest, Romania) Doctor Habilitatusand a PhD in in Theology Theology. (awarded Rev. Dr. Rotaru by the authoredFaculty of six Orthodox books, and Theology over 200 of “Babeș– studies Bolyai” University in Cluj–Napoca, Romania.) He also holds the degree of as a peer reviewer for over a thousand two hundred international journals and conferences,and scientific and articles. is a member He is a inmember various in committees various scientific and academic organizations, boards inserves over forty countries. (contact: [email protected]) Denise Elaine Burrill is a PhD candidate at CTS-IARSIC, CORHIS 7400, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, in France, where she is working on a doctoral thesis on networking for interfaith dialogue. Ms Burrill is a co-founder of the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity (IPSEC), and currently serves as the Chair of its the Board of Trustees. IPSEC is a non-profit organization located fromin Cambridge, Harvard University.Massachusetts, Upon and graduating it is affiliated from with Harvard, Harvard she Divinitywas awarded School the as Harolda field education V. Langlois site. Outstanding Ms Burrill holdsScholar a MastersAward forof Liberal“demonstrated Arts in Management exceptional academic accomplishment and promise as a manager,” and was the recipient of the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award from Harvard University. She has sectors. She has taught Business courses at Hellenic College in Brookline, MA, and currentlymore than creates sixteen and years teaches of working MBA courses experience on Management, in the financial Human and technologyResources, Organizational Behavior, and Leadership at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. She is the Company Project Manager at a Payroll/HRIS company in the Boston area. (contact: [email protected]) THE HOLISTIC SOCIETY: MULTI–DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES Proceedings of Harvard Square Symposium Volume 3 | Year 2017 Scientific Editors Ioan–Gheorghe Rotaru Denise Elaine Burrill The Scientific Press, Cambridge, MA THE SCIENTIFIC PRESS Cambridge, MA The Scientific Press c/o Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity Foreword (Harvard Square) P. O. Box 380246, Cambridge, MA 02238-0246, U.S.A. www.rais.education The attempt to apprehend the components of a society as an © 2018 Authors intimate ecosystem has reached new dimensions due to the impact of science and technology over the new mechanisms of socialization, First published 2018 urbanization, and globalization. This impact shifted the social This volume was printed with the generous support of “Sano Vita” Foundation. paradigms in unanticipated directions, as the new relationships are now increasingly determined by a clinical separation by lines of Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data. networks of professional interests, hobbies, beliefs, sports, politics, and cultural passions. At the same time, new puzzles triggered by the empirical Rotaru, Ioan–Gheorghe, 1960– Burrill, Denise Elaine, 1971– realities of the physical world, in concert with spiritual consciousness editorsThe Holistic Society: Multi–Disciplinary Perspectives: Proceedings of Harvard and cultural meaning, seem to propose a new convergence of Square Symposium / Ioan–Gheorghe Rotaru; Denise Elaine Burrill, scientific Includes bibliographical references. Under the action of such variables, the world becomes increasinglyvariables meant stretched to promote and compresseda unified worldview. by movements of trendy ISBN 978-1-945298-18-9 (e–version); 978-1-945298-19-6 (paperback) This volume is published together with The Research Association for and economic migration, predictable and unpredictable leaders, andmercantilism, organized politicalreligions extremities, which are increasingly new military abandoned alliances, inconflict favor Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity (Harvard Square) Cambridge, MA of individual spiritualities. National societies are subjected to Interdisciplinary Studies (RAIS) Beltsville, MD 20705 & The Institute for severe stress tests of identity, and the original sense of patriotism is 02238–0246, U.S.A. impaired by disillusionment with the public servant, or the narrative of patriotism is simply stolen by political extremism. raised in reference to what it means to be a human being living in a HarvardCover, typesetting, Square Symposium layout & production: is not affiliated Viorica with Burcea Harvard & Marian University, G. Simion nor is a holisticUnder society such of conditions the 21st century. of social Attempts fluctuations, to answers new questions some of theare Harvard University program or activity. questions implied by these new realities are provided by scholars The Scientific Press, the editors, the Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity have no legal responsibility for the facts or opinions expressed by the authors, or for the acoming holistic from society several should fields look of like.social Therefore, sciences. theTheir third answers edition are of thenothing Harvard more Square than contributions Symposium was to a suggestively common definition framed as,of what“The Holistic Society: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives,” and welcomed willpersistence remain, oraccurate accuracy or appropriate.of URLs for third–party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or papers authored by prominent academics from several countries. 6 Foreword Beyond restrictions of academic performance, the contributors made a concentrated effort to generate and imprint a sense of global resonance by encouraging some arguably conservative views to be expressed not necessarily as a countercultural intellectual undertaking, but more so as an attempt to balance the opposing Contents contributors are also sensitive to the needs of particularities to be exploredviews. While and expressed, cultural and at least spiritual for the loyalties sake of their remain own visible, validation. the Countering the current tendencies for isolationism and suspicion toward the other, the authors are more than intentional in Foreword generating a meaningful global dialogue. Their efforts fall in line with Ioan–Gheorghe Rotaru & Denise Elaine Burrill 5 the very goal of the Harvard Square Symposium to reunite promising and well established scholars in formal and informal creative environments, to propose holistic ways of thinking by nurturing the engagement of the global intellectual elite into conversations meant Society The Development of Skills to Secure Motivation in an Ever–Changing to tackle the new challenges faced by the mankind. The contributors Samuiel Bâlc 11 to this volume remain nevertheless skeptical about the sustainability Romania’s Holistic Development in its Transition from Totalitarianism to of some contemporary cultural trends to unite divided societies and Democracy to create a holistic society. Eugen Jugaru 19 The Holistic Literary Character: The Body and the Soul The Holistic Medicine in Literature Ioan–Gheorghe Rotaru Simona Liutiev 30 DeniseScientific Elaine Editors Burrill Timotei Rusu 50 Self–Leadership: A Theological Approach Marian Gh. Simion 59 Orthodox Church–State Relations in the European Context The Holistic Development of Society The Contributions of the Christian Church Ioan Stinghe 86 and Challenges ApplyingArthur the Wagner Milieus–Oriented Concept in a Church Context: Prospects 98 7 8 Contents Contents 9 The Dimensions of Holistic Personality Development in Contemporary The Role of the Holy Spirit in Attaining a Holistic Society Society Sorin Badragan 281 Consuela Wagner 112 The Holistic Perspective of the Lutheran Chorale as an Integrating Factor Church Dynamics and Rural Development: The Case of the Baptist of the Christian Faith Churches in Romania Cristian Caraman 290 Daniel Fodorean 125 Communication Ethics: The Sacredness of Communication Ştefan Florea & Marian Puiescu 300 in the Past and Present SpecificDaniel Aspects Gligore of the Church’s Contribution to A Society’s Development