2013 is International Year of Water Cooperation
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Franco Cologni
President of the FHH Cultural Council
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A vital source, water joins the other elements that are an invaluable part of our lives – time, blood and money – and which, like water, are in a state of constant flow.
Value was never gained from standing still. Perhaps this is why we say “time is money”? The philosopher Francesca Rigotti expounded this theme at the 4th Forum de la Haute Horlogerie in Lausanne, last November 14th, as part of a complex and challenging presentation that will no doubt demand further reflection and debate.
The theme of the Forum was Time to Share and what is sharing other than to move from one person to another, from one place to another. Ultimately, sharing is a form of dialogue and, contradictory or contentious, dialogue is always productive. Such exchange brings tolerance, esteem and respect.
The Dialogues of Plato teach us the benefits of confronting ideas with respect to philosophy and truth. Hegel’s model of thesis, antithesis and synthesis is no different. Yes, we must keep moving forward but without disowning values of the past such as tradition, prestige and honesty.
Thus the enrichment to be gained from sharing knowledge and values, from true exchange, is often lost.
We live in a world where we talk a lot and communicate probably too much, with no guarantee as to the quality of what is being said. Thus the enrichment to be gained from sharing knowledge and values, from true exchange, is often lost. Of course, dialogue should not be about imposing our choices but a way of learning, and most of all progressing. So that we might, in the words of the Ancients, “learn humanity”.
On the eve of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, we must learn from shared ideas. Because knowledge, which never stands still, looks ahead of time and brings its part of new wealth, both material and cultural.
When we share through dialogue, we learn to open up to the world and to decipher, rather than endure, its transformations. Hamlet was known for his soliloquies and the least we can say is that he met a sad fate. So let’s not be afraid to dialogue and make words a bridge between our respective experience rather than a fathomless gulf. And let’s cross this bridge with confidence to share our points of view and travel some of life’s road together. With the SIHH about to open, the presence of the companies exhibiting there must remind us that this is an event focused not on competition but on participation, collaboration and dialogue. On leaving doors open for exchange.
The road ahead is long, that much we know. Like Aristotle and his Peripatetics, let’s walk and talk together; the journey will be all the more pleasant and less tiring for it. For now, though, let’s enjoy the fabulous opportunity for sharing that comes with the SIHH. Happy New Year!
