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.

1st Annual Commemoration of September 18th WARP Summit Main Highlight

Do you remember?

This is the opening question of the highlight clip of the 1st Annual Commemoration of September 18th WARP Summit. 

Do you remember the event last year? The things that achieved since then, when we gathered in hands and promised under the Creator to build a world of harmony.

Peace Palace

Where is the Peace Palace?

One road enters from each direction:

North, South, East, and West

Climb the stairway to heaven,

and there it is!

The sun, moon, and stars are there.

(Sun - Ps 89:36, Moon - Ps 89:37, Stars - Gn 37:9-11)

It is a heavenly town,

where the sky and earth

harmoniously mingle.

There are three stairways to heaven

in the Peace Palace

The pavilion of the world is

"Il-wol-jeong (sun-moon-pavilion)."

Two sreams of clear blue water flow

in the shape of an "S" for sky.

The sun, moon, stars

and clouds in the heavens 

Weave a pictureeque tapestry

A ray of light shines

upon the Peace Palace

The pier under a tall pine tree

Awaits those on their way

Lined up in a "V" for victory.

Boats bound for heaven

gather at the dock, 

Dancing in the waves.

The angels of the Peace Palace

come out to the dock.

And welcome those arriving

with their hands held high

High in the sky, 

at an altitude of 38,000 fee.

The sun, moon, and stars hover above

As we fly to the Peace Palace.

The fish that are schooling

See the stairway to heaven

leading to the Peace Palace

The beautiful Peace Palace is within sight.

The moon is out

and shining serenity upon scene.

Behold the palace of peace!

Link:
http://www.hwpl.kr/board.php?b=multimedia&p=view&type=photo&idx=940&page=1

The 1st Annual Commemoration of September 18th WARP Summit

The 1st Annual Commemoration of the WARP Summit was hosted in Seoul, South Korea by a non-profit peace organization called HWPL. As we already know, HWPL has been making progressive impact around the world since the WARP Summit of last year. We also have been seeing more peace activities around the world even in the midst of various civil wars and conflicts.

Following the grand opening ceremony in the World Peace Gate, multiple conferences were held the next day to discuss the steps towards cessation of war and achievement of world peace. In the meeting, the participants signed a statement to urge for the implementation of an international convention on the cessation of war and achievement of world peace. Although it may be just a piece of paper with a signature that one may use for all purpose to represent himself or herself, when they are gathered together to create a pile to a bigger pile and to multiple piles, this statement with multiple signatures will become a powerful tool to express the voice of the people who live in the world. It is not only just one group of people, who want peace, but multiple and different groups from different backgrounds supporting peace. Although HWPL does not have the equal power as The United Nations or even one country, the organization has the power to gather different people and it has the power to bring and unify them under one. And their cause is not for one person's benefit, it is the benefit for all, regardless of what background they may come from, the thought they have inside and the action that they show reflect their identity. It is based on the his or her action that one person must be judged by, not by what people say.

We see the vision and the action of Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim, and the members of the HWPL through what they have done in the past year. They made effort to bring religions together into harmony. This recent event became a checkpoint for the organization HWPL and for the rest of us on where we are right now in respect to achieving world peace. It has reconfirmed our passion and enthusiasm to resolve these problems we had for hundreds of years that we let it pass for our own personal greed.

In the generation of this new millennium, I hope that we will be able to see a change compared to the past. It has only been 15 years. Compared to the last millennium, I think we are doing better, but I think we can accomplish more. I hope the HWPL movement becomes the spark that lights up the world.

Quote: Bailian and Godfrey from the film, The Kingdom of Heaven

Unlike his previous films, Ridley Scott's The Kingdom of Heaven has many quotes that suggest a thought on peace and harmony. 

"A better world than has ever been seen. A kingdom of conscience. A kingdom of heaven. There is peace between Christian and Muslim. We live together, or between Saladin and the king, we try. Did you think that lay at the end of a Crusade?"

It is slightly ironic that the speaker of this quote is a soldier and the picture of this character from the film includes himself holding a sword. Perhaps, this sword was used to protect the peace, so that nothing would break the pre-established peace. It may not be the optimal way, but the viewers are able to see in the film that this power was necessary so that he would be able to protect the peace from the threatening force. What is the most optimal method for peace to be achieved? Is it through force? The blood shed will bring more blood. However, achieving peace through persuasion and unification will not bring side effect. This is what HWPL believes in. Although HWPL is not capable of gathering firearms, they advocate harmony through talks and dialogue.

"What man is a man who does not make the world better?"

(Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddate meliorem)

This Latin phrase is said by Bailian of Ibelin, who is the son of Godfrey. Bailian is able to demonstrate this quote through the actions that he showed in the film. Despite his accomplishment, in the end of the film, he only responds by instroducing himself as a blacksmith to the question of the King of England, who was looking for Bailian, who was the last defender of Jerusalem. After the achievement of saving the people of Jerusalem and re-bringing some form of harmony between the Christians and the Muslim, he humbles himself only as a blacksmith. It is true that his achievement required many sacrifice, but in the bigger picture, he was able to save more lives and earned the respect of his adversaries. The quote below is the speech he gave to motivate the men, who chose to defend Jerusalem after their main army's defeat. It is important that we work to make this world better. People say success in life through a good occupation or wealth is valuable, but to him and to some of us today, making this world is even more valuable in building our identity as man, because it is the world that we live. We clean our house and take care of our house for guests and also because it is our responsibility. The world is our great home that we must take care of. This world however, is being destroyed through the conflict and disagreement. We must find agreement and create harmony to protect the world from being destroyed.

"It has fallen to us to defend Jerusalem, and we have made our preparations as well as they can be made. None of us took this city from Muslims. No Muslims of the great army now coming against us was born when this city was lost. We fight over an offense we did not give, against those who were not alive to be offended. What is Jerusalem? your holy places lie over the Jewish temple that the Romans pulled down. The Muslim places of worship lie over yours. Which is more holy? The Wall? The Mosque? The Sepulchre? Who has claim? No one has claim. All have claim. We defend this city, not to protect these stones, but the people living within these walls."

Film: The Kingdom of Heaven

The name "Jerusalem" means "The City of Peace". However, we are not able to see peace in Jerusalem. Instead we see conflict and division in Jerusalem. The film, "The Kingdom of Heaven" centers in Jerusalem. Balian, a blacksmith in France, follows his father's footsteps to travel to Jerusalem during the Crusades.

The City of Jerusalem in the beginning of the film, when it was reigned by King Baldwin IV, is shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. They are able to live in harmony because of the King and the Sultan. Some minor quarrels may happen, but these dispute eventually found justice according to agreement of these two parties. This somewhat peace between the Christians and the Muslim changes as the King dies and he is succeeded by a man, who is greedy for power and authority. Eventually Christians and Muslims face each other in the battle with each party firmly believing that God or Allah will bring victory to their side.

At that time, Jerusalem has many meanings to individuals. Many people traveled to Jerusalem with The Crusades to find a new life. However, they only found the same world in their Holy Land. This is no different than Jerusalem of today. In addition to the battle scenes, the film left its viewers with many different quotes that discussed one's being and his relation to God and the relationship between the two religions. The message that the film carried was deeper in comparison with other films produced by the director, Ridley Scott.

The protagonist of the film travels to Jerusalem and he struggles to find peace within himself through his reconciliation with God and his obligation to his duty in the setting, where religious harmony was at risk. As different characters starting with his father, the Muslim general that he spared, and the royalties shared their insights of faith and knowledge, we see the hero, who is reluctant to be treated as such, start to find his own place and destiny in the crisis between the two religions.

The film seems to question and show, "what can a man do in the midst of these conflict?". This question especially applies to the world that we live in today. The question is not limited to those in Jerusalem today, but to the people who live in the area where conflicts exist. We ask ourselves, "What can a man or a woman like me do against this mass conflict?" This was the same question that the Bishop of Jerusalem asked as he saw Bailian knighted each solider before the battle to defend Jerusalem against the Saracens.

"Who do you think you are? Will you alter the world? Does making a man a knight make him a better fighter?"

These men and soldiers of Jerusalem, who were considered as peasants with no influence, eventually succeeds defending Jerusalem and fulfilling their duty. They were ordinary men, who ended up defending the city because all the soldiers died in the initial battle with the Saracens. Most of us in the world are regular and ordinary citizens of the nation we live in. However, with the right heart, we are able to alter the world. It will make us a better fighter, an advocate for peace. One may say world peace is impossible, but it would only take one step away from being possible as each individual doubts its possibility. One of the quotes that Bailian's father, Godfrey talks about one's destiny.

"You are not what you were born, but what you have it in yourself to be."

Our destiny does not depend on where we are born into, but what we are able to bring out from ourselves. It depends on our ability to push our limit. This idea is exemplified by Chairman Man Hee Lee, who has been working as a peace advocate internationally. He is the example of what a single man can do in the midst of multiple conflicts in the world. I hope that the world will start to recognize the effort of Chairman Man Hee Lee and HWPL and join to cooperate and fulfill world peace together.

Film: The Front Line

The war film, "The Front Line" is based during the Korean War. (In Korean, the title is loosely translated to "The Battle of Highland".) It is starred by famous lead and supporting actors of South Korea and it captures the disastrous nature of war and the unfortunate fate between the South and North Korean soldiers at last minute of the Korean War before the Armistice Agreement.

The film begins with one officer named Eun-Pyo, who is transferred to a company with the nickname, "alligator". This company has fought and won many battles, especially in the dispute over one hill called "Aerok" Hill (also known as K-Hill). He is sent to investigate a case, in which a letter of a North Korean solider was sent from the Alligator Company to his mother, who lives in South Korea, and this may be the case that there might be a spy in the company. The plot continues as Eun-Pyo seeks the answer behind this strange incident and his reconciliation with a friend thought to be dead, Soo-Hyuk.

The Aerok Hill is captured repeatedly by both sides and it is an important hill in the negotiation between the two Koreas, as it would bring more lands to the owning side. This causes continuous change in its owner as each side attempts to capture the hill. At the end of the film, the Armistice Agreement is negotiated, but there are gap hours before the agreement becomes official.

The last scenes of the film depict the unfortunate fate of the reluctant soldiers, who have to fight for a land that has been covered by the corpse of their fallen comrades. What is the meaning of this hill to each of the individual soldiers? Yes, it may be important to the officials, when drawing the boundary in the peninsula, but to the soldiers, the hill represents the death and life to these soldiers, because the hill may become their grave or successful capture of the hill would extend their life. I do not think that the hill was looked a territory to them. This is why, few of the soldiers decided to hide and leave their belongings, because in the end they would return to the exact hill. The repeated captures in the end become pointless and meaningless as soldiers would have to die for a hill that they would later lose.

At the very last battle before the agreement becomes official, the soldiers of each side sing together a song to show their reluctant heart to fight. The fight between these two sides shows us a message. We fight today and we have fought in the past. These conflicts were small and big, but it was always the same argument and mostly for the same reason. It is the same hill that is needed to be overcome. It is in some way pointless to fight over. What is the better solution? What is the purpose of having a boundary, when we all live in the same world, when we breath the same air? We are in the frontline of the hill that we must overcome. It no longer talks about a boundary against each other, but a boundary of war that we must overcome to achieve peace.

Poem: Here dead we lie

Recently, I took an interest in the poems of the First World War, because these poems captures the emotions and the thoughts of the soldiers. Through many speeches and messages, I have heard the horrific memories of Chairman Man Hee Lee in his participation of the Korean War. I wanted to compare his messages with the literature that expresses the emotions of the author in the quickest way. Some wrote about their assault against their enemies, but some talked about the tragedy from the battle.

After a short research, I was able to find out that A. E. Housman, the British author of the poem "Here dead we lie", actually did not participated in the First World War. However, by reading his poem, I was able to find connection with the agony that the Chairman described, when he saw countless numbers of war happening around the world. The poem only contains two whole sentences, but through these well-phrased sentences the author, an academic who never went to war, shares his point of view of the war with his readers. I wonder what experience motivated him to write this poem, even though he never experienced war. It is interesting how one is able to depict the tragedy in the war without participating.

The rhyming scheme of the poem is ABCD EBFD and the poem is written in quatrain, in which each stanza contains four lines. In the first stanza, the author uses first person plural to represent the soldiers (the speaker) as a whole about their death. In one perspective, it seems that the speaker is slightly ashamed to be alive. And he did not wish to shame the land that we born into. It sounded like he is rather happy to accept his death. It is definitely heroic to die for one's nation. This is truly a great honor. However, what purpose did they serve? The First World War only started because of greed. Wars are fought by young men, who have a future ahead of them. They may participate in wars for many reason. Regardless of these reasons, they have to sacrifice their lives. It seems like a regret of the choice that they made. We need to still leave a space to question, was their sacrifice necessary? This is what the speaker questions in the second stanza. However, to support their nation's interest, they participated in the war to defend their nations.

The second stanza also begins with the pride in their sacrifice for their country and the patriotism that they showed. Ironically, the poem ends "But the young men think it is and we were young." The young men may think that their sacrifice is a glorious deed. There may be nothing important in life. However, after many years, when the young men grow to older men, they would look back to regret that decision. Youth is when action comes first before thinking. There is more in life. The young men, at the time, may have thought it would be cowardly to run away from their military duty as soldiers, but the older generation looked at something greater. It was not only the pride and the honor of that short period, but it was life as a whole. In their moment of reflection of their last years, one may think about many different things. Did war bring happiness through the pride and honor that he received? The answer may vary depending on the individual, but from the author's perspective, there was too much to lose for the heroic struggle.

What can we learn from their experience? One may ask, perhaps it was the experience of war that led them to reflect back about their experience. There could have been a different ending if one actually did not participate in the war and choose to live. We were able to see the emotions and the thoughts of our veterans through their memoirs and writing. However, were we able to see writings of those who chose not to participate in the war? Not exactly, because wars were consistent in life. In did not allow the opportunity to not participate in wars. I hope that with Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration Life and Chairman Man Hee Lee, we will become that first generation that decided to not participate in war. Maybe 50 years later, we will see a poem, "Here we are alive:"

Here dead we lie by A. E. Housman

Here dead we lie

Because we did not choose

To live and shame the land

From which we sprung

Life, to be sure,

Is nothing much to lose

But young men think it is,

And we were young

Peace in the Korean Peninsula

This month a mine exploded on the line that divides two nations in the Korean peninsula. Two staff sergeants were injured, which resulted various consequences in both nations. South Korea used giant speakers, which were banned 10 years ago, to broadcast news and k-pop songs, which served as a propaganda to lower the morale among the soldiers of the North Korea. On the other hand North Korea entered a quasi state of war. However, on Tuesday, after over 40 hours of talks, the representatives reached to an agreement. South Korea agreed to stop the propaganda broadcast and North Korea decided to end the state of war and expressed their "regret" of the tragic incident that happened earlier this month.

Even though the final agreement between the two Koreas is not as satisfactory to many South Koreans, the two Koreas were able to reach to an agreement through talks. I hope that other nations would not use this incident for their gains to increase their military power, but to support the agreement and the decisions that the two nations reached through this talk. I hope that more of these talks would happen around the world to resolve a problem, because in the end war will bring destruction to both conflicting parities. It is something we must avoid and through these talks, it is possible to reach to a better conclusion that will bring gains to both parties.

Looking two decades ahead...

Few hours ago, I read an article on The Kyunghyang Shinmun, one of the mainstream media in the Republic of Korea about a female student of the future, who was created in 1995 by. According to the article, her name is Eun Bee Ko. Twenty years ago, a research center in the Republic of Korea made various prediction about the future and published their works through Kyunghyang Shinmun's Magazine X, a page read by the younger generation at that time. "Eun Bee" was one of their creation and prediction. This year marks the target year that the researchers of that time picked to make their predictions. This branch of study is called futurology. Even though there were some exaggerated materials, I was able to recognize familiar objects with similar functions.

For her 20th birthday (2015), Eun Bee supposedly receives a device called PCS, which is an acronym for Personal Communication Service that has the same functions as a smartphone. Through this device, Eun Bee is able to receive personal messages and the device also comes with various application software like "personal fashion system" that gives suggestion for clothes to wear depending on the weather and her interest. Although the terms are different, I was able to see that the generation twenty years, who in the present day would mostly be adults, thought and imagined about things, which would create the culture today.

I guess every generation has a common interest on future. I do not imagine that the issue and the interest among the young generation twenty years ago would be different than the young generation today. Occasionally, I imagine the future world, when I think about my personal future and also whenever I watch films about future, which are usually about a dystopian world. Sometime, I do agree that these types of films have huge effect over our impression about future.

Some of the predictions are incorrect, but some predictions turned out to be true. Even though their imagination did not come true completely, I think if we are able to maintain a healthy culture, just like the heavenly culture, I believe that this mentality will be reflected in the later years. I would like to imagine where the spirit of the heavenly culture and the work for world peace will bring us twenty years from now on. Dr. Ian Pearson, a futurologist, says that "Anyone can predict stuff, but only a few get it right." But, also I think we also hold the key to the future, because the prediction will follow the trend of how this world flows. If these futurologists or anyone, who gains an interest to make a prediction about the future, they will look at the trend of the world and how it is reflected over culture. 

When they see continuous wars and films about the end of the war, they will probably predict something similar in that direction. But, what if they start seeing movements of peace and see films about peace winning awards and gaining the most viewers and fans, even before they make that their prediction, I think I would be more excited to see a different world, when wars would only be a fantasy in my dream, while peace will become a reality. What kind of world do you see twenty years later? What kind of world do you think is being created through the peace movement of HWPL and Chairman Man Hee Lee?

Article: The Economic Consequences of War

The article published by Vision of Humanity lists the various consequences of war. In addition to physical and emotional damage that war brings to the people including the soldiers, war has economic consequences. This is undeniable fact, because war requires funds and resources. The weapons that are created for war requires these funds and resources. However, war does not only bring negative effect to the economy. Before entering WWII, United States was suffering from the Great Depression. The participation boosted the economy by decreasing the unemployment rate. On the other hand, war also brings negative effect. There is a win-lose situation. At the end of a war, there will be those who gain from the war and those who lost from the war. Or in some cases there may be no one who gains from war. This is the consequences of war. Always, there must be a loser. The article lists the negative effects of a conflict.

-Public debt and levels of taxation increased during most conflicts

-Consumption as a percent of GDP decreased during most conflicts

-Investment as a percent of GDP decreased during most conflicts

-Inflation increased during or as a direct consequence of these conflicts

WARP Summit: Press Conference

"I would like to share with you about the peace activities I have been doing.
I was only a youth during World War II.
And I lived through 12 different administration of the president of Korea.
Over the years, I have seen and heard many things.
The reason for hosting the WARP Summit is as I told you.
We have to reenact an international law and must sign on the international law.
I do not wish for other things. If peace can be fulfilled, I firmly believe that those, who do the work of peace will be remembered as peace advocates in history and our future generation can enjoy the peace that we achieved."

-Chairman Man Hee Lee

In these few simple sentences, we are able to see the devotion that one man made because of his life experience that would change the world. Imagine, one day you had an experience. This experience altered the course of your life in terms of decision and characteristic. This resulted something enormous that would be beyond your imagination at that moment of experience. Chairman Man Hee Lee was a regular soldier in the front line of the Korean War. He participated in many battles, experienced near death, and saw many of his fellow soldiers, who died protecting their country from those, whom they once referred as brothers. It is truly sad that a nation would be the scapegoat of an ideological turmoil. This experience probably altered Chairman Lee's personality. This resulted the WARP Summit, ironically in the same nation, where that war took place. His love for humanity gave him the motivation to travel and talk about peace. In his old age, he could enjoying to spend his life doing something else, however, he chose to work for peace. This is something extraordinary. He was an ordinary man, when he had his experience, but the thoughts and the beliefs that he chose to follow made him into an extraordinary man. I think the world started to recognize that also, as they are calling the WARP Summit hosted by HWPL and the Chairman, the work of the divine creator.

The Vision of HWPL and IPYG

Why does the world need peace? Has there been any compensation given for their lost lives? This questions are not normally asked by the people, who are busy living their daily lives. This is only a concern for the few, who actually lost their loved ones in war. The people around them may sympathize with them, but it does not lead them to empathy. I also did not truly understand the loss of the loved ones, because none of my families were affected by the war. I only knew the suffering of those who lost their loved ones, but I never felt their pain with them, until I came across HWPL and Chairman Man Hee Lee. His messages made me realize the importance of peace and end of the war. The dedication that Mr. Man Hee Lee showed during the WARP Summit and the World Tours gave me an absolute realization that he does not have the solution and the key to world peace, because his messages did not only influence me to look at the world from a different perspective, but other youths and leaders as well. Those, who were busy fulfilling their personal dreams and goals for their nations, started to look at one single goal: world peace. This devotion that everyone showed at the WARP Summit and the Peace Walk will be the leading cause towards world peace. The small spark of light that started in the Korean Peninsula now spreads across the world to create a greater light.

Essay: A War on War

There are many debates on the question of is history subjective or objective in nature. When wars happen in front of eyes, we experience the horror of its disaster. If there could be a heaven on earth, at the location, in which the war happens, can be described as hell on earth. However, when a certain war becomes a part of a history, it is objectified. Historians research the effect and the motive of the war. And some wars may be re-evaluated in the course of time based on different historians.

Could there be a war that broke out for the sake of justice? Some say that the Crusades was for the righteous cause to protect the land, where their savior took the cross for the sins of the world. However, the Crusades like other wars in the past turned into a cause for greed and wealth. So, is there a war that turned out to be beneficial? I think one example that could be considered to be necessary and righteous is the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln initiated the war in order to stop the secession of the southern states, who disagreed with the policies of their president. This was a war to stop secession. Although the war may be evaluated and observed in various aspects, it was a war to stop division. It was not a war to take a way something from one another, but it was to stop the division of a young nation. For some the Civil War was an effort to allow their freedom. This resulted the modern United States of America with the last words of its national anthem: Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Now, regardless of the positive effect that a war can offer, I do not agree with the idea of war at this era. When war is used as a solution, it will always leave something negative. Peace must be achieved through persuasion by exaggerating the importance of having peace, just like Mr. Man Hee Lee's proposal and the efforts of HWPL. So, from some perspective starting a War on War would be politically incorrect, but this war that we are starting is a different type of war, which would change the meaning inside the word, "war".

Essay: War and Peace

War. What is it good for? The song sung by Edwin Starr poses a question to its listeners. Each nation spend countless financial resources for the preparation of a possible war. Although some countries need military power, in order to protect themselves from neighboring nation, it is somewhat amazing to see how much funds we spend on to harm someone.

The investment that we make in the security of our nation is obviously not wrong, but it seems that it would be better to find a better solution. The funds that we use to develop the military could be used for something else, such as social welfare and for technical innovation that would improve our daily lifestyle. It does not mean I do not appreciate our veterans or current soldiers, who sacrifice their lives for the welfare of our nation. However, I think we could find a different solution that would help everyone to enjoy a safe and secure life.

HWPL proposes world peace and end of war. Since the WARP Summit, many people, especially in the religious world, have been making efforts to bring peace and unity in their own communities. And like many philosophers and great thinkers mentioned in their individual writings, peace must be achieved within ourselves. We need to want peace in our heart. Then, a change will happen naturally as we work to find a solution together. Our level of conscience needs to increase in terms of our treatment to our neighbors. This all returns back to the basic teaching of love.

The world is divided into so many different pieces. This does not mean the geographical separation of continents. Luckily there is a limit to how many continents we are divided into. However, we find a way to communicate and to travel to the different continents. Our separation does not stop us from reaching to different parts of the world. However, it seems harder to reach out to one another in terms of spiritual or ideological separation. There have been efforts to achieve ecumenical beliefs among the Christian denomination. However, still in addition to countless denominations of Christianity, from which started from only one man, many other religions exist in the world that claims to believe in the Creator.

We are divided into many nations with ideological differences and inside the individual nation, we are divided in many different ways in terms of values and beliefs on what should be truth. War is not specifically limited to an act to kill or harm someone physically. However, what is it good for? It only brings suffering and division in this small planet (compared to the whole universe) that we call home. Peace is when we start walking in the same direction under one guidance. This guidance comes from heaven. We all claim to have our own answers to truth, however, there is one heaven and one Creator. Thus, there is one answer. Our vision to discover this answer must be the banner that unites us together. We are common in this way, and nothing else matters. Our ego and motivation to seek the answer must not harm someone, who disagrees with us.

We are all walking in the same direction, only in different way. This differences does not matter, because we are eventually all walking in the same direction. The miracle in the WARP Summit 2014 was truly amazing, because even though it was a small number of people compared to the global population, people with different belief and answers agreed to achieve peace together under the Creator. And the spirit of the WARP Summit and the vision of HWPL is being carried out today through the establishment of WARP Offices in different countries of the world.

We invest in arms and weapons in fear of a war. However, if this fear disappears through the peace, imagine how much impact it could make in our individual lives. I hope for that day to come to us soon. The vision of Mr. Man Hee Lee inspired my friends and I to work for peace. We can all become a peace advocate in our community.

~Peace

2015 Peace Walk (2nd Anniversary of Peace Walk)

Second Anniversary of Peace Walk

Over 200,000 young adults around the world joined in the annual walk for peace. This peace walk started two years, in hopes to raise more awareness in the world regarding its peace. In every war, youths were sacrificed as soldiers, even thought they received no benefit from the war that they sacrificed their lives for. Under the leadership of Chairman Man Hee Lee, the youths gathered to express their support for peace. They did not only gather for a cause that would benefit their future, but also for the welfare of the future generation. Year after year, the youths gathered in Seoul and also around the world to participate in the peace walk. Every year, their numbers grew. This obviously shows that everyone hopes for peace.

On the other hand, Chairman Lee visited Mindanao at the same day. Mindanao was a special island for the Chairman. The 40 years conflict between two religions was resolved after the visit of the Chairman last year. He showed the leaders of both religions that conflict and war is not the answer and it does not benefit anyone. This successful resolution of the Chairman brought the attention of the world on the practical method of the Chairman, in regards to peace.

Film: We were Soldiers

The title of the film, "We were soldiers" seems to be a reflective statement. The title is written past tense. The film is set during the war in Vietnam and the Americans attempts a new method of utilizing helicopters to bring the soldiers in and out from the battlefield. The leader of this new cavalry is Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson). One of the lines that I found remarkable in this film was the statement made by the colonel of the Vietnamese Army, which suffered a great loss.

"Such a tragedy. They will think this was their victory. So this will become an American war. And the end will be the same, except for the numbers who will die before we get there."

The colonel, who had just been in the battlefield, calls it a tragedy. And although this will eventually be noted as an American war, he says the end will be the same. Why? Because death and suffering will result from wars no matter what the results are. It is true. It does not matter who won or lost, the numbers of casualty will be high. It does not matter, in whose history book one war becomes recorded in, it matters on who suffered lost. War does not only bring suffering and death to the soldiers, but it extends its limit, as we enter the modern era, to the families and people. This is why war is a tragedy. Although he was only a character in film, the Lt. Colonel leaves a great legacy behind through the last lines he gave.

The lines of the Lt. Colonel reflects the message the chairman speaks in regards to peace. The chairman is a veteran of the Korean War and lived in the period of history, when the most physical and deadly wars happened. And he speaks, no one really benefits from war. War does not bring any benefit to the people. And just like Carl von Clausewitz writes in one of his famous aphorism, "war is a continuation of politics by other means." It is only a tool to political gains and economical gains. And the same time, its heavy support cost lowers the fund for something else that could be beneficial. If we could only focus on living and working together as one under one Creator, then there is no need for war. This is why HWPL's method is so simple, yet impacting. It extends its focus groups to politicians, religious leaders, youth leaders, women leaders, and press in order to have representation from different groups that contribute to building peace. We hope that more groups will work with HWPL and the chairman, so that peace can be fulfilled quicker.

The film ends with monologue of reflection. If this film focused on the strong pride of the soldiers and the importance of winning, it would label its title as "We are Soldiers". Instead it writes it title as past tense. I do not wish to underestimate the courage and the bravery that the soldiers, who fought in the war for their nations, but perhaps we must start thinking what did we gain from the war, other than win or lose? Perhaps, the title of the film is labeled in such way after some kind of transformation of the soldiers in the last monologue.