PEACE WALK by Youth - HWPL Peace Declaration 2013

What if
all conflicts around the world will finish,
Wars between countries will end?

 On 25 May 2013, before the Peace Gate of the Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, and Restoration of Light(HWPL) hosted the Walk for World Peace and Restoration. This event marked the official proclamation of the Declaration of World Peace, announcing an era of change and most importantly, of peace. The declaration presented an outlined method to achieve what centuries of wars and peace efforts had failed to establish. The words of the declaration inspires every person to envision how peace might be achieved, sparking a responsibility in the hearts on the youth - a spark which quickly grew into blaze of hope, bringing light and warmth to communities and opening the door to a new outlook.

 Over 30,000 youth representing 130 countries including the Unite States, Portugal, Greece, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Belarus and Columbia gathered to participate in the event. Following the Declaration of World Peace, they hosted a peace walk along the main road, calling for the cessation of wars.

 International media from every country broadcasted coverage of the declaration and peace walk. Since its official initiation last year, the news of this walk continues to spread globally and inspires youth groups to actively pursue the Declaration of World Peace.

BY Official Site of HWPL  

A Brief Description about the WARP Summit

The WARP Summit is an international summit held in Seoul, South Korea on September 2014. The summit consisted of politicians, religious leaders, young adult and women leaders, and the press. The aim of the summit is to unite under the banner of peace through discussing an international law that would end all wars and creating harmony among different religions. Chairman Man Hee Lee mentioned that the religions, which should set an example by keeping peace, have been the cause for majority of conflicts in the history of mankind. Chairman Man Hee Lee started to think about peace, when he served as a soldier in the forefront during the Korean War. As he watched his comrades fall in the battlefield, he experienced in attrocities of war and understood the experience of peace. The mircale of WARP Summit 2014, in which the participants from different backround agreed to the importance of world peace, was continued by numerous World Peace Tours of HWPL in various countries. On September 2015, the WARP Summit celebrated its first anniversary as leaders were invited from all over world to discuss the practical solution towards world peace and unification of religions.

There is no path to peace

"There is no path to peace. Peace is the path." Gandhi

Gandhi's message implies that the only answer is peace. There is a path to every destination, but in regards to peace, there is no path, but the path itself is peace. Any choices that we make in the road to our destination center around peace. The peace work today is made possible through the activities of Chairman Man Hee Lee and Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim. They are creating the path of peace in all of the world peace tours.

For the first time in human history...

Every day is a new day. Every minute that we spend in our life is a new minute. This is an endless cycle of time that we are all part of. Despite these changes in time we experience daily, we experience the same life style. Although we have many different experiences, we all live in the same world, which has a direct influence in the choice that we make in our lives. Because of war, our lives are influenced by it either directly or indirectly. They may not be in the nations, where wars happen, but they are still influenced by it through the news. In the 21st century, the whole global community is affected by a war or conflict. We have seen many new years, we have celebrated many new years, but we still live in the world, in which wars persist... Until we saw a small light from South Korea that grew into a greater light.

HWPL, a NGO organization registered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea started a new movement which is somehow different from the peace movements that we have seen in the past. In the center of this movement is Chairman Man Hee Lee, who experienced war as a solider of the forefront of the Korean War over 60 years ago. The peace movement that HWPL started under the leadership of Chairman Man Hee Lee became a new wave that slowly became a great tide. The ingredients that he suggested were, of course, people. Although movements are initiated by people, HWPL peace movements targetted specific group of people to initate the work: the youth and the women through IPYG and IWPG. Along with the religious leaders, the politicians, and the media, the youths and the women worked to persuade the whole world, because they were the group mostly influenced by the war. the ideology that combined them was heavenly culture. This is having the mindset of heaven by having the heart to take care of the earth.

Heaven provides earth with light, water, and air. It does not kill, but it strives to help. It was the actualy the earth that polluted itself. The heaven only wished to give life to earth. Just as this, we are the cause for the sufferings and pain. This means we need an ideology that transcends the cultures and the mindset of earth and holds us responsible for the home that we live in. This is heavenly culture, which is to have the heart to take care of this earth. There are many peace workers and environmentalist, who advocate to safeguard the planet. The spirit of heavenly culture unites this into one. This is why we will finally see for the first time in history, a new idea called world peace.

Into a new year of peace...

It has been already 18 days since the new year begun. As we enter a new year, we would go through the same tradition of making new resolutions and goals that we will strive to make the year 2016 more special. Although the result may not be promising... For some reason, I think that the last month that we would spend in the year 2016 may be promising in terms of the current affairs in many nations.

Like always Chairman Man Hee Lee along with Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim has been travelling around the world in many world peace tours to share their ideas of bringing peace into the world. The organization HWPL played a critical role last year in the preparation of implementing an international law. For this reason the two chairs of HWPL and IPYG were invited to the United Nation to give a speech on peace.

It shows that HWPL is now targeting the whole world to create a different world, which is a world that differs from other. They visited the conflicting countries in the middle east to gain more support for peace. The activities that they participate is not for their own authority, but to create a different world. We are able to understand their motives through their action. Whenever the chairman meets an advocate of peace, he greets them with a bow and shakes their hand with his two hands. The humility that he shows represents his hope and passion for peace.

 

Since the WARP Summit in 2014 (and also before the Summit), HWPL has been the center of peace movement in fulfilling world peace that has been a long lost dream to many people. We hope that this year the new resolution that HWPL and Chairman Lee made will come true.

Peace Quote: John F. Kennedy

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”  -John F. Kennedy

Since the WARP Summit, Chairman Man Hee Lee has been travelling around the world with his message and vision of peace. These trips are not just a simple visit to a nation or a certain figure. His visit is to gather more advocates of peace. He is meeting people to alert the importance of peace. Just as President Kennedy explains, Chairman Man Hee Lee is changing the opinions of people, which were created by simple differences that ignored the greater similarities of opposing groups. He also has been slowly breaking the barriers that once divided a nation or a group. This is truly remarkable. I believe this daily, weekly, monthly process will trigger the awareness of world peace in the global community. This will eventually result world peace, with HWPL as the center and the moderator. 

Peace Quote: Dale Carnegie

If half a century of living has taught me anything at all, it has taught me that nothing can bring you peace but yourself. - Dale Carnegie

The life experience of Dale Carneige teaches us that peace begins only with person. And peace is only possible people gathering together for one cause. It is not possible, when there is resistance, because this will leave a cut in the peace work. Peace must be achieved without resistance or conflict. Peace that is achieve through force is not peace, but forced quietness. Peace is something that must be understood by each individual through awareness. This work I believe is being completed by Chairman Man Hee Lee and the international peace organization HWPL.

Peace Quote: Fred Rogers

“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” Fred Rogers

We know that most wars arise from greed. Greed is wanting something more than what one have that will cause one to take away what belongs to others. This is how conflict begins. It happens with greed. Unfortunately, religions were mostly part of these conflicts. Religions must practice love. This will conquer hate, war and greed. I hope that the message of peace will reach to the people of all world, so that we may start loving one another.

Peace Quote: Mother Teresa

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."


We have to always remember that we are one. Although we may look different outwardly, we are one family living in a home called the Earth. The message of Chairman Man Hee Lee reminds us today how similar we are. Wars and conflicts happen because we are not able to reach an agreement or resolve such difference with words and understanding. Chairman Man Hee Lee showed through the resolution in Mindanao that agreement is possible without war. Physical war will only cause sufferings on the both conflicting parties. I am excited to see the further steps that Chairman Lee will take in order to achieve world peace and how he would apply the quote of Mother Teresa in his messages.

Say "Peace" in different languages

The link below provides the translation of the word "peace" in the languages of the world. For some languages it may not be the direct translation of the word or the word may have a different meaning. This difference may arise from the different culture and background. It would be interesting to see the origins of these words and compare their meaning to see if they mean the same. In a broader sense, we all have our own definition of peace, but we can all agree that it is a state without war.

On the other hand, some languages may share a similar origin. Even if the words do not match exactly the same, they might share the same mother language. Sadly the nations, who may share such original word are suffering from conflicts and wars. They are not able to recognize similarity that they share and they conflict over differences. I hope that there will be a day in the future, where we are able to greet each other in the name of peace. This is truly possible in HWPL as it is gathering more organizations to join its membership. These organization are not of the same country, but of multiple countries. HWPL holds them together in the name of peace. And under the direction of Chairman Man Hee Lee, they walk in the same path towards a destination.

Link: http://www.columbia.edu/~fdc/pace/

Essay: The Paradox of Our Time

THE PARADOX OF OUR TIMES

by George Carlin

Is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers

Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints

We spend more, but we have less.

We have bigger houses, but smaller families

More conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees, but less sense

More knowledge, but less judgement

More experts, but more problems

More medicines, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often

We have learnt how to make a living, but not a life.

We have added years to life, but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.

We have conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul.

We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We've higher incomes, but lower morals.

We've become long on quantity but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character;

Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare,

More leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorces;

Of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window, and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you,

And a time when you can choose,

Either to make a difference .... or just hit, delete.

Opinion: A glimpse of this world

The film, The Independence Day, was a blockbuster. The plot and the graphics of the film was incomparable to other action films in the past. I heard that a sequel to the film is in the progress of filming. The film was about an alien invasion and of course it followed a typical plot line of an invasion, but the film also showed the reaction of the global community against a stronger force.

People combined their effort against the aliens to keep the peace in their world. I wonder, how the relationship between each nations were before the invasion in the film? We see this from nations to individual households that we do not want to disturbed by others, but also have internal conflicts ourselves. We fight with our siblings or parents, but whenever others interfere with our family, then we unite together against whoever that person is.

Sometimes, I imagine what would the alien's perspective be, if they see the world that they are about the invade is full of conflicts.

Today as a world, we have conflicts in between nations and religions. I think we have to start recognize that this must reach to a resolution. Today the stronger force that we need to overcome is ourselves. We must overcome the differences that we have, these differences have been invading our soul little by little since the beginning.

Taking a glimpse of this world. The world that we live today is filled with conflicts that begins with inside one's heart to an international level. Every day we fight with ourselves to become better and strive for success in the world. We are challenged by the society to fit in and follow its rules. This internal conflict and social conflicts that we face extend and are joined by other conflicts of larger scale. 

For what do we live our lives? What cause do we live for? Is there something that we should stand for as human beings? If there is a cause that will benefit everyone, then does this become our obligation to stand up for that cause? Unfortunately, the basic obligation is covered by materialistic needs and for success. We need to understand that these materials and success are not possible if there isn't a world to provide it.

This issue is challenged by HWPL. The organization recognizes what the world needs. This is why Chairman Man Hee Lee has been travelling around the world 21 times to promote this basic obligation. The basic obligation is building a world of peace. When we take a glimpse of this world today, we see conflicts and disagreements. I hope in one year, when we take another glimpse, I hope we take another glimpse of the world and even in the smallest societies that create the world become a place without disagreement.