**7. Spiritual dialogues as a fruitful signaling—conclusive considerations**

To start this final item, I seek support in a tremendously concise and consistent synthesis made by Leonardo Boff [5] when talking about the relationship between us, human beings, and sustainability. According to this theologian:

*The individual human being is a single and complex reality, structured in three dimensions that intertwine and always have the same and unique individual subject as a bearer. He presents himself with an exteriority – man/body, an interiority – man/psyche, and a depth – man/spirit. […] ([5], p. 158).*

In addition to the bodily exteriority and psychic interiority, and everything that sustainability implies in these dimensions, the author also invites us to reflect on the sustainability of the man/spirit, that is, on the importance of cultivating the space of the profound in us. If he points to the importance of moments "*for recollection to listen to one's own heart and raise oneself to the heart of God"* ([5], p.163), it is, however, important, within the proposal of our text, to highlight the dialogic aspect. According to the author himself, "*the spirit means the capacity for relationship and connection that all beings entertain with each other, generating information and constituting the network of energies that sustain the entire universe"* ([5], 162). When I speak of the importance and urgency of spiritual dialogues, I rely on this conclusion expressed here, too.

<sup>14</sup> An original question addressed to the humanity of all times, which hides, ashamed of itself.

<sup>15</sup> As for Gen. 2, 15, and especially Gen. 1, 26–31, in theological terms, "the human being in creation" is approached in a detailed and profound way by [38], p. 82–89.

#### *Integral Ecology and Spiritual Dialogues DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105126*

In humanity that is succumbing to the virus of selfishness, indifference, and the loss of the profound meaning of its own existence and the meaning of its being in the world, perhaps one of the most radical appeals or imperatives is to stimulate and provoke, in everything, the dimension of dialogue, in what is the deepest of existence, that is, the dimension of depth. Dialogue with God must be exercised in communication with others and with the goods of creation, and dialogue with others and with the goods of creation makes the dialogue with God gain in-depth and consistency. It will allow us to grow in our citizen commitment and in the exercise of promoting justice. Citizenship commitment will only be able to grow in someone, to the extent that one is effectively willing to break the shell of egocentrism, immediate interests, and personal accumulation. The greater the multiplication and diversification of dialogues, spanning different dimensions of human coexistence and different levels of incidence, the more chances will be to grow in citizen commitment and the feeling of co-responsibility for one's own life, for others, for all humanity, and all the beings on the planet.

I have a great expectation that the pandemic, which in countries like Brazil manifested itself with true "syndemics" [1], has made us more vigilant and careful. I have great expectation that the horrors of the "world war in parts," so publicized in the case of the Russian occupation of Ukraine but which have been torturing various territories and peoples without a reasonable explanation for humanity, will challenge us and bring renewed lessons. May we always be attentive to promoting spaces for *spiritual dialogue* in our midst, allowing ourselves to be questioned and permanently questioning our lives, in all dimensions and levels, for the great question of nurturing human dignity and the value of life, in all their expressions.

Both the reality of the pandemic (syndemics) and the reality of wars, in addition to putting us face to face with limitations, degeneration, and human coarsening, have also provided us with important testimonies of human greatness and overcoming, vividly demonstrated by the high spirit of solidarity manifested on all fronts along with a substantial human outcry of indignation and protest against inhumanities. Multiple cases of true heroism have been witnessed in defense of the profound meaning of humanity. Thus, recent history brings us a new imperative: It is necessary that all this good energy, full of hope, be widely nurtured, with great dedication and care, so that it can grow ever more vigorously and never diminish and succumb to the perversity of the reigning cultures that are reductive and generative of human emptiness.

I want to emphasize that spiritual dialogues occur whenever we allow ourselves to be questioned by the soul of humanity, whenever the academy allows itself to be questioned by the soul of humanity, whenever politics allows itself to be questioned by the soul of humanity, whenever religion allows itself to be questioned by the soul of humanity.

Whenever we know how to establish relationships mediated by the profound and spiritual dimension, we will take steps toward the radical regeneration of humanity from within itself, in the perspective of renewed sustainability. That is why I wanted "*integral ecology and spiritual dialogues*" to be another provocation for our reflection on the present and future of humanity and Planet Earth.
