In present conditions, with our people released at last from "socialist experiments" in the creation of a communist culture, in order to solidify and develop our national-state independence attention needs to be shifted to the resources of our national originality. Attention now must focus on the philosophical and cultural issues, both theoretical and practical, required for social progress.

Without bitterness, we must acknowledge that the inheritance of the period of colonialism and Soviet totalitarianism undermined the socio-cultural and national integrity of the Uzbek people. Through colonial and socialist experiments the spiritual values and traditions of the Uzbek people were subjected to manipulation and distortion to a degree exceeding that of other peoples of the world.

This destroyed the spiritual bases, values, ideals, traditions and social orientations of the individual person and the whole nation. Social mobility was reduced to dull historical and social memory and repetition, the instinct of self-preservation was reduced, and the social will atrophied. All this intensified the degradation of the person and nation by the genocide of the native language, the ecological catastrophe of the Aral Sea, the monoculture of a cotton, child mortality and the self-immolation of women. In the years of post perestroika a deep anger and protest by the people gradually ripened and expressed itself in a struggle for the national independence of Uzbekistan.

The destruction of the socio-cultural and ethno-national character of the Uzbek people was so deep and the degradation of consciousness and loss of spiritual values so great, that not only at the level of the common people, but also at the level of philosophical understanding there was hardly any understanding of the need for change. If anything there was here and there a predominantly pessimistic note.

It is not possible to say that the socio-cultural destruction of the national integrity of our people has ceased. Teachers of social and political science, philosophers, scholars culture and the educational establishment may even have begun to act contrary to public progress. Some scientists attribute as native features of the Uzbek people’s national character an attitude contrary to change, large families, an aversion to industrial labor — in general a low ability for modern forms of life.

In fact the Uzbek people is no worse than other peoples not only industrially and economically, but also politically and spiritually. In all these aspects they are dynamic, adaptable and capable of rapid high-performance. Before the Islamic period parents were considered good, if they managed to bring up a child to be able to read, write and independently conduct trade in his father’s shop.

Its scientists, politicians, philosophers, artists, artisans were know throughout world: Takhirids, Samanids, Kharezmshakh, Mamluks, Makhmud Yalavoch, Babur, Timur. Even after feudal hibernation and the aggression of imperial Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century our people rapidly began to revive and one could observe a rising bourgeoisie. Their capitalist attitude inspired not only Russian industrialists and financiers, but European business people and industrialists who, in the first quarter 20th century, began to explore the economic market of Turkestan.

Tragically, the main road of public development was interrupted by the October Revolution which derouted not only the Uzbek and Russian peoples, but others as well from the path of their natural, historical progress. Until now there remain residuals of that totalitarian mode, whose attributes of autocracy and sedition, with the help of a backward level of technology, deformed life, consciousness and rights.

This has impeded a natural smooth progression out of the crisis, and the development of the path of rapid and optimal development toward new, modern technological levels.

Despite the colonial policy of the Soviet government our people has sufficient potential and ability for rapid adjustment and the determination to evolve modern forms of life. The extreme totalitarian command-administrative system could not exterminate the ability of our people for self-preservation, survival or transition to modern forms of life.

One reason is that in all social catastrophes there is an ability for both the individuals to survive based on spiritual values, the traditions of the people and their moral foundations. Thus, the path of withdrawal from the crisis, including that of the spirit depends on the conversion of the people to spiritual values and traditions. This enables also the development of market attitudes (relations), instead of economic and political improvisation. Spiritual values and tradition, if rationally employed, will help as is shown by the experience of England, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey and other countries.

Among our fundamental spiritual values and traditions are the following qualities of our people: practical, pragmatic, freedom-loving, adaptability in ideas and operations, independence, consistence, patience, humanity, diligence, a developed sense of one’s own dignity, honor, shame and adherence to common values, especially to friendliness, charity, collective forms of life and creative activities.

The revival of these spiritual values and traditions of the Uzbek people is required for restoring the national integrity of our people and hence their basic economic, political and spiritual goals. This is important also for the political will required in order in the future to take a worthy place in the development of the modern world. This should reflect the report of Julian Khaksly the first Director of General of UNESCO, "UNESCO, Its Purpose and Philosophy". "The key to the acceleration of progress is the cumulative tradition, the common fund of the ideas of humankind’s ability for self-preservation and self-development. . . . The closer the engagement of the tradition, the faster the transnational movement. . . . The highest result of the evolution of the human community is the comprehensive development of the person."

The evolution of the person is a natural prolongation of development and must be carried out with the help of society and, first of all, in terms of the cumulative tradition of the people.

Clearly the error of unlimited individualism is the opposite of this thesis. The individual simply makes no sense in isolation. Everyone requires connection with some social form and one’s development depends on the family and community in which one is born and its social traditions. The value of work depends on a public structure.

Thus, the activity of UNESCO is directed toward maintaining the full development which must take into account the social context. The many particular problems must be seen in terms of the main purpose, namely, to improve the social mechanisms, including the educational systems, research organizations, arts centers and the press.

In particular, UNESCO should pay special attention to the social mechanism of all aspects of the cumulative tradition using it efficaciously in the realization of its main goal, namely, the promotion of human development. For this tradition provides the fund of experience, consciousness and purposes which integrates the great religions of the past and thereby provides the necessary premises for further social progress.

Today it is necessary to convince the inhabitants of huge regions of our planet of the possibility and necessity of full international cooperation. Therefore, UNESCO should pay special attention to the creation of an integrated fund of the traditions of all humankind. This implies uniting the variety of world art and culture and the creation of a uniform fund of scientific knowledge.

1. I. Karimov, "Uzbekistan: National Independence, Economy Policy and Philosophy", Uzbekistan (1993), p. 234.