Havel — the playwright-president who had led Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution — delivered a sweeping meditation on the paradox of global civilization. His central argument was that 'one part of the human brain, the rational part which has made all these morally neutral discoveries, has undergone exceptional development, while the other part, which should be alert to ensure that these discoveries really serve humanity and will not destroy it, has lagged behind catastrophically.' The speech began in a Singapore restaurant where Havel noticed the same chairs, music, and advertisements as in Prague, and built toward the conclusion that this 'single global civilization' was merely 'a thin veneer over the sum total of human awareness.' Beneath it, 'ancient traditions are reviving, different religions and cultures are awakening.' The solution was not to curtail progress but to match it with spiritual responsibility: 'There is no way back. Only a dreamer can believe that the solution lies in curtailing the progress of civilization.'