It is evident that in order to carry out goals of cultural and ecological education there is a need to unite everyone who understands vital necessity of this work: people, organizations, establishments.
N.K.Roerich’s museum in Izvara makes feasible contribution to this process.
In December, 2005 N.K. Roerich’s museum in Izvara with a support of the Committee for External Links of St. Petersburg Administration organized the international conference “Importance and capacities of museums in the modern world” under the aegis of the Committee for Culture of the Baltic City Union. Besides the museum specialists from St. Petersburg and other Russian cities, representatives of the museum and cultural community of the Baltic states, Scandinavia and Poland participated in the conference.
The topics under conference considerations included: “Museum and education of planetary conscience” and “Museum as the center of ecological education”. There was a very interesting presentation of the museum staff member from Province museum of Turku: “What will happen if archeological and ethnographical research in the museum is added by natural scientific one?”
Pekka Kar, biologist, stated the idea of such a comprehensive approach and working experience of the museum surrounded by nature.
Thus, life itself provides necessary impetus for museum practice, international cooperation in this direction, convinces its immutability.
N.K. Roerich’s thought that to join efforts of everyone thinking about Culture and working in the name of its ideal the Universal Cultural League should emerge as “cooperative union of scientific, artistic, financial and other establishments, societies and persons working in the framework of cultural ways”.
It is probably the time for this idea to be put into practice…
In conclusion I would like to say that nowadays despite the spread of pragmatic life attitude those who continue to work in museums and schools, go info science could not but believe in the reality that “Ideas rule the world”. Return of man and the mankind to nature, i.e. to yourself, your high destination on the planet of Earth, is the sign of new environment.
Making the possible contribution to this vitally necessary process N.K. Roerich’s museum in Izvara as any other museum actually gathers people who are united by common spirit and aspiration, helps to return ideas of those who have gone and make them useful for our common continuous creative work. We agree with the opinion of L.M. Shlyakhtina, St. Petersburg-based museum scientist, that “Today museum should be regarded as the state of soul of the society, it is the museum which must target all the efforts at reconstruction of the lost culture, since the modern world lacks it”.
Let the words of our outstanding compatriot N.K. Roerich be the inspirating parting wishes:
“When the Magi looked in the bottomless sky they saw leading stars. If they had not looked in the deepness of the sky they would not have seen the star. Blessed is that who once gave them the knowledge of observation over natural laws, thus, awaking their vigilance, thus, making them alert and become miraculous heralds”.