At the initiative of the Parc La Belle Idée Commission (France, Paris region), twenty-five people, all members of the commissions of European Parks for Study and Reflection, met at Bassevelle from August 30 to September 01.
These Parks of Study and Reflection are places of retreat, far from the hustle and bustle of the city; they offer their well-kept, natural setting, their generous spaces and their facilities to humanists from all over the world, who come to study, reflect, exchange and present their work, the foundations of which are to be found in Silo’s thought. They also host a wide range of activities: workshops, seminars, conferences, book presentations, and summer universities.
They are also open to associations and individuals who share the central value of the human being and agree with nonviolence.
To be able to host these activities and welcome participants, each Park has set up a commission made up of a few members who ensure that these Parks are functional and their work centers operational and in a position to accommodate their guests, providing them with pleasant surroundings and practical, well-thought-out places for their work, but also for rest and meditation.
Commission members from Spain, the Canaries, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium and, of course, the French Commission, which had invited them, were able to share their long experiences, joys, and anecdotes, as well as difficulties encountered and solutions found.
The project that brings them together extends far beyond Europe: there are more than 50 similar Parks scattered around the world, and messages of friendship and warm thoughts have reached them from every continent.
Getting together in person, amidst the laughter and questioning, renewed the meaning of this voluntary work: in this friendly atmosphere, a great fraternity created by mutual understanding, the friends said goodbye after realizing the importance of the exchange, the scope of the project, its relevance in a turbulent, uncertain world. Strengthened in their intention to make these places true refugees, they set the prospect of a future meeting.
Photo : Ricardo del Riego
Parks of Study and Reflection – La Belle Idée – Commission France