Schiller Institute Conference, Panel 1: Reversing the Cultural Wasteland

March 20 , 2021 (EIRNS)—A thoroughly-composed panel entitled “Reversing the Cultural Wasteland: The Urgency of a New Renaissance, Creating a Planetary Culture Worthy of the Dignity of Humanity,” was the opening panel today in the Schiller Institute Conference: “World at a Crossroad: Two Months into the New U.S. Administration.” The panel was moderated by Jason Ross and was keynoted by Schiller Institute founder, Helga Zepp-LaRouche.

The panel began appropriately with a 1986 musical performance of violinist Norbert Brainin, the former first violin for the Amadeus Quartet, and pianist Carlo Levi-Minzi, for Lyndon LaRouche’s 65th birthday. Mrs. LaRouche’s keynote, “Will Human History End in a Tragedy, or Continue with a New Paradigm?” laid out the extremely tumultuous situation typified by Biden recently calling Putin a killer, which is now coming together to a point, as in a drama, to a moment of decision. The key solution is to access a higher principle.

She quoted a article, “The Mask of Nancy Pelosi: The Force of Tragedy,” from her late husband Lyndon LaRouche from 2007, in which he discussed the “fourth phase space”—a combination of classical art, science and statecraft, forming a single subject that is the true substance of history. Political leaders have to access this fourth phase space. She provided an historical review of the development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, starting with China being one of the poorest nations in the world in 1968, but by applying physical economic principles, over 40 years, pulled 800 million Chinese out of poverty. The Eurasian Land-Bridge, developed by Lyndon and Helga LaRouche in 1990, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, was the perfect peace plan for the 21st century, but was rejected for geopolitical reasons. While China is putting maximum emphasis on innovation and creativity of people, the Malthusian oligarchy in the West promoted lower energy flux density and population reduction. We need to reverse the artificially created Malthusian paradigm, she argued, and return to the principle of universal history. Every major culture generated its own Renaissance, with each contributing to the development of human culture—the fourth phase space. Through universal history, which sets us aside as a human species, a dialogue of these different cultures provides a concrete means of solving the present crisis.

Dennis Speed began his presentation, “The Poetic Principle—Why and How Americans Must Return to Classical Culture,” with tenor George Shirley performing the Franz Schubert’s Lied “An die Musik.” Speed raised the point that Shirley had made to him that there is no essential difference between of the spirit of the German Lied and the African-American Spiritual. He demonstrated Shirley’s point showing bass-baritone William Warfield performing Roland Hayes’ Spiritual “Lit’l Boy.” Through a series of beautiful artistic selections, including bass Simon Estes’ dramatic recitation of Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and Gettysburg Address; Dikran Tulaine’s recitation of a Hamlet soliloquy; and many others, Speed proved the universal principle that there is inherent beauty within truth.

Liliana Gorini, the chairwoman of Movimento Solidarietà, the Italian LaRouche Movement, then addressed the importance of Dante Alighieri in this year of the 700th anniversary of his death, demonstrating that his development of Italian as a national language is profoundly connected to the concept of a nation-state. She discussed and demonstrated how Dante consciously created the national language in order to free Italy from the oligarchy. Commedia, or The Divine Comedy, is a treatise in history, religion, science, economics, poetry. Dante became the national poet, and many verses of his Commedia are used today in daily speech. This is a true example of dialogue of cultures. Thanks to Dante, we should come out of Hell—the pandemic and social crisis—if we look up to the stars.

Diane Sare, who is running for U.S. Senate in New York against Chuck Schumer, then presented: “Beethoven in the Garden of Gethsemane.” She used examples of Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament, Bach’s “Es ist Vollbracht” from the St. John Passion, and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 31, Opus 110, to demonstrate the sublime principle of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Carolina Domínguez, a leader in the Mexican LaRouche Movement, beautifully presented an education program for youth, based upon working through original discoveries of the great minds of history. She encouraged everyone to sign and circulate her petition for LaRouche’s ideas to be taught in universities across the world.

This was followed with a performance by tenor John Sigerson and pianist Margaret Greenspan of “Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel,” (“Even Song Beneath a Starlit Sky”) by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The panel was rounded off by Schiller Institute American President Megan Dobrodt presenting on the “Three Mars Missions and the Galactic Species.” The three recent Mars missions sent by U.A.E., U.S., and China, are humanity’s emissaries, which extend the human sensory apparatus to another world. Ironically, what is happening off the earth might be the most important thing on Earth. Space travel disregards national borders, one socio-political creed, it has spiritual appeal—it symbolizes that man hasn’t lost his capability of cutting the Gordian knot. Mars missions are distinctly international in character. This month, Russia and China determined that they will build a base on the south pole of the Moon, open to cooperation from all nations. The United States wants to send people to the Moon again. We have almost lost a sense of what Lyndon LaRouche and the great space pioneer Krafft Ehricke referred to as the goodness of human potential.

Many good questions came through in the Q&A period. Questions on the universality of classical culture, the need for students to work on poetry and memorization, why it is important to return to the ancients, and why there is no contradiction between individual sovereignty and national sovereignty? Mrs. LaRouche finished off the Q&A session, stating that the Coincidence of Opposites concept of Nicholas of Cusa is not a static principle, but it is a contrapuntal concept—opposites reach into each other, and what results is a dynamic process of self-perfection.