Civil War in Syria

Few days ago, there was a report about a Hungarian camerawoman, who tripped the running refugees in Hungary. The past five years in Syria were spent on the civil year. Based on the research of International Amnesty and UNHCR, out of the total population of 23 million, 12 million people of Syria have been refugees.

The Civil War in Syria arose from a protest in 15 March 2011,because of an arrest of few teenage students, who wrote "The people want the fall of the regime" using a graffiti. The tension between the protesters and the government grew worse, when the government started open fire on the protesters.

The protesters, who originally used peaceful demonstration, started to use weapons and formed a resistance group called Free Syrian Army (FSA). The 12 million refugees of Syria were forced to leave their home to take refugee in other nations such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. The borderline nations, who did not have enough resources for the countless numbers of refugees closed their borders.

With the Civil War, the ISIS, who slowly increased their powers, took over the northern and eastern Syria. This increased the tension in Syria bigger. The Civil War that began with a non-violence protest resulted into a war that lost its reason. With the intervention of ISIS, the European Union and the United States are planning to resolved the problem.

What would the refugees of Syria want the most? To stop the war and to return to their war. 

As we see, there are great tragedies that are happening around the world. Even though the world is seeing its greatest technology and culture in its some parts, other parts of the world are suffering from civil wars and religious conflicts that lost its meaning. It seems like it is continued just because of hatred and vengeance. Will the intervention of the superpowers solve this problem? Will physical power solve war, as it would create more deaths? I believe that a conflict can be solved starting with showing sympathy and compassion to one another. This is the first step of creating a world of peace.

As we are approaching the First Annual Commemoration of WARP Summit, it is an opportunity to re experience the importance of world peace. The works of HWPL is not about gaining power or fame, but to create a world, where conflict does not exist anymore. It is to help those who are suffering from conflicts and wars to return their home. I hope that through this WARP Summit, these international conflicts will be revisited and that the Civil War in Syria will be resolved peacefully.

HWPL, Declaration of World Peace

As emissaries of World Peace; as people who are working towards the restoration of humanity through a new and heavenly culture, we declare the following.

We call on the heads of state of every country to sign an international agreement - a commitment to bringing all wars to an end. We ask them to do this from a spirit of a deep-seated love for the people of their country.

We call on all youth to unite in an effort to stop wars and pursue the restoration of peace by agreeing not fight one another.

The only way to stop the fighting and pointless, tragic deaths, is to stop fighting. Nobody can sk fro anything greater than this, and know that your efforts - the efforts of the young people of the world today in pursuit of peace - will remain as never fading light of life for all future generations.

Further we call on every person, every man, woman, and child in the world, to pick up the mantle of peace. In whatever way you can, we ask that you work to further the cause of world peace and restoration, making it a reality in your direct environments.

Lastly, we call on the media to report responsibly and promote a message of peace to the world.

Poem: Peace by Rupert Brooke

Peace
Now, God be thanked Who has matched us with His hour,
And caught our youth, and wakened us from sleeping,
With hand made sure, clear eye, and sharpened power,
To turn, as swimmers into cleanness leaping,
Glad from a world grown old and cold and weary,
Leave the sick hearts that honour could not move,
And half-men, and their dirty songs and dreary,
And all the little emptiness of love!

Oh! We, who have known shame, we have found release there,
Where there's no ill, no grief, but sleep has mending,
Naught broken save this body, lost but breath;
Nothing to shake the laughing heart's long peace there
But only agony, and that has ending;
And the worst friend and enemy is but Death.

The 3rd G.O.D Awards in New York

Last month in New York, a ceremony was held to celebrate the achievements of the people around the world in humanity. The "We Care for Humanity's 3rd Global Official of Dignity Awards" was hosted by Jacob Wheelr, Denise Cook, "The Oracle" and Princess Maria Amor. Many royalties and representatives from the business and academic and government official participated in this event. Among the recipient was Chairman Man Hee Lee and Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim, who received the Noble Man of the Year and the Noble Woman of the Year respectively. Although the Chairman was not able to participate in the event, it was a special moment, where the peace movement gained recognition. At the same time it was the event to witness how people worked to make the world a better place. Although we do not have the power to create, we have the power to work with one another to make this world a better world.

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

Poem: In Flanders Field

The poem, "In Flanders Field" was written by John McCrae, who a Canadian physician Major John McCrae, who participated in the First World War. The major, who survived the Second Battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium (1915). After witnessing the death of his comrades and friend, Alexis Helmer, he began the poem by describing the poppies that quickly grew around the grave (crosses) of those who died.

The poem is about the tragedy caused by the battle and also war. The only things that are left in the field of the battle are the guns, which were used by the soldiers. The songs of the larks in the sky are only heard by the guns on earth. What could be the representation of the the larks in the sky against the guns on earth? The birds of the heaven sing the song and just as the dove represents peace, perhaps these larks were singing their message of peace, however, its songs were not heard because of the loud noises created by the guns. Likewise it is the will of the heaven and the Creator to see peace on the earth that he created. However, the efforts of the Creator and the will of heaven was only covered in the past history of the mankind with wars and conflicts. No messages of peace were heard and even if it did, it was not heard clearly and disappeared quickly. However, the world seems to change its attention towards Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an organization that is working towards peace so that the will of the heaven may be heard.

The men who fought in the battle were alive and each had family and friends, who they loved and who loved them back. However, they all lie together. It does not matter which side they belong. The numbers of the casualties only matter to decide the result of the war. However, they all return back to the earth as dust together. It does not change the fact for the both sides that the war took them away from their loved ones. I am not sure what the author meant, when he says "The torch; be yours to hold it high", however I hope that this bond and the faith created between those who are dead and those who are alive will serve a legacy that goes toward harmony. I hope that the torch is not a representation of destruction, but a symbol of harmony and goodwill as it is in the Olympic Games. The torch is carried throughout the world and is delivered to the location, where the games are hosted. Just as this, I hope that the torch marks the beginning of unity so that the souls of those who died in every war including the Second Battle of Ypres in the Flanders Field are able to rest and sleep peacefully.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Film: Angels & Demons (Can a religion be flawless?)

"When you write of us and you will write of us. May I ask one thing? Do so gently. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. All men. Including this one." 

This line is said by Cardinal Strauss from the film, "Angels & Demons". The fictional film suggests the conspiracy in the oldest Christian denomination, however, it also shows the humanistic side of the Church, which constitutes faith and theology. It shows the comprise between the religion and science. 

On the other hand, Cardinal Strauss' last word to Professor Langdon, who is portrayed by Tom Hanks, does not demote the meaning of religion, but promote its humility. It is definite that religion is the source to our communication with a god. People believe that religion is given and provided by the god, so that the creation can connect with god through rituals and doctrines. This religion, of course, is flawless when created by the Creator, who created this world. However, can a religion be corrupted? As we saw a different side of religion in the film, we also see that religion can be corrupted. It is not because the Creator is corrupted, but we, who participate in the religion, are flawless.

This is why scriptures were given to us, so that we may follow the will of the god, who we believe in. Currently, HWPL is establishing WARP Offices all over the world, so that representatives from different religions can participate in discussion to compare the scriptures to see the similarity inside these scriptures. This is the practical solution that Chairman Man Hee Lee offered, in order to see how much we know about the religious scripture. Then, we will be able to truly understand the will of the heaven and the Creator. Anything can be corrupted. This is why there is a proverb in Asia that one has to empty his or her cup. Anything that stays inside the cup will become corrupted eventually and this is why we need to fill in the new. The wave of HWPL and the peace movement led by Chairman Man Hee Lee will become that the new water that will clear the flaws in the religions to answer the questions, can religions be flawless?

Quote: Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim

"An era of end of war and world peace, which is something the mankind desired for many years, has finally arrived. Beginning with the Declaration of World Peace made by Chairman Lee in front of the Peace Gate in South Korea, the wave of world peace has reached all over the earth to bear the fruit of peace finally today. Chairman Lee has visited various placed over the globe only for peace and I was able to witness the miracle of peace most clearly. This moment is also being shown on live to the whole world and everyone's eyes and ears are focused on this place. What is the peace that you dream of? Could we say world peace is a peace only for your religion or nation? True world of peace is filled with life, where tears, pains, and death do not exist. This is the peace that the Creator wants to give."

The question of the Chairwoman asks us our world of peace. The question brings us back to reality. We all dream of a peaceful world. However, this is only a dream that is created by our subjective nature. It rotates around us. For example, a person, who is not wealthy may think of this peaceful world as a place, where everything is free. A peace is kept between the buyer and seller. We all may have our own version of a peaceful world or an utopia as a place that fills in what we lack. But let us think from the perspective of a Creator, who built this world. The Creator created this world according to his opinion. What if the world becomes unbalanced with his first version of the world? Due to the wars and conflict around the world, the original world becomes corrupted with its nature suffering from these corruption. What would the Creator want? Above all, he would want balance in nature and the return to the original world. This is what Chairman Man Hee Lee is doing. He understood the will of the Creator, who created the world in his vision. But the world was walking towards destruction.

When I was young, I used play with legos and using multiple pieces, I created my own world. When a piece is not in right place or when something becomes broken, naturally I would want to fix it and restore it back to its original place. This applies to the Creator, who created the world. However, we have to become the ones, who fulfill his will, because we are not the same as the lego piece. We are different, because there is life inside us.

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.

Is there peace in religion?

What does religion teach about peace? We often wonder as we see the deeds of those who identifies themselves with a religion. Some may judge and assume the god of a particular religion by looking at their believers. It is true that religions were not the best example of pursuing and living their lives. In the history, there were times when religion was more corrupted than any other group of people. So does religion teach peace? What does religion say about peace?

Specifically, in the Roman Catholic Church, the idea of peace is embedded in their most important rite: The Mass. To a Catholic, mass is the mediator that connects the them to God. In mass, two parts sparked me. These are the Sign of Peace and Lamb of God, which is also known as "Agnus Dei".

The Sign of Peace is when the participants of the mass wishes one another peace by saying "Peace be with you". This blessing may apply to each individual in their personal lives as it was the what Jesus Christ greeted his disciples, who looked at the resurrected Christ in awe. The hymn, "Agnus Dei" has a similar message. However, instead of greeting and blessing others with peace, the believers ask for peace.

"Dona nobis pacem" (Grant us Peace)

In every mass, Agnus Dei has been sung. What is the meaning behind the lyrics of the hymn? Do we (as I come from a Catholic background) follow the lyrics of this hymn? Even in the Sing of Peace, we have repeated the words, "Peace be with you" so many times that it has become a meaningless greeting, although the idea of peace has been non-existence. There always have been wars that roamed and ruled the world. It was never an era of peace, when wars did not happen, but it was only a period of time waiting for another war to spark.

A religion mostly teaches about peace. Even though it was taught and people repeated the words about peace in every rite, no one truly thought about peace. I also never thought about world peace in a way that Chairman Lee explained. Until I heard Chairman Man Hee Lee's speech about world peace, a religion was an individual journey towards God. As we see in the Catholic mass, religion teaches about peace, but those who practice a particular religion does not fulfill peace. This is the time start thinking about what religion teaches about peace and fulfilling the teachings say about religion.

Performance: Korea. Bound to One

On August 15th, a string that was 3.8 km long connected each embassy of the two Koreas in Berlin, Germany. This was a small performance by an artist named Eun Sook Lee. An online newspaper called Voice of the People (VOP) published an article about Lee's small event to commemorate the 70th year of the National Liberation Day in the Korean peninsula after 35 years of Japanese control. According to the article, the 3.8 km that Lee walked represents the 38th parallel that divides the Korean peninsula into two. The string that connects the two embassies is to create unity and harmony between the two nations, and this also originates from one of the traditional Korean customs. 

As it was mentioned in the article, Berlin is an iconic city of unity that overcame the division, which resulted from the Cold War. Yet, the Korean peninsula still suffers from the division that was brought right after its liberation. Because of ideological differences, families and friends had to part away from each other, instead of celebrating their liberation. The fall of a common enemy created a division among themselves that continued until today. Despite the current state of the Korean peninsula, especially incidents that happened this August in both Koreas, Lee's performance in Berlin serves as a lesson that we must learn from our mistakes in the past. War is not answer. Rather than carrying weapons across the 38th parallel, I hope to see people bringing string like Lee across the border that separated us as a sign of peace and unity. I hope to see one day, where two flags will become one as we were one before. All you need is love.

Jai guru deva. Om...

Jai guru deva. Om... This is a phrase that appears in the song, "Across the Universe" by The Beatles in Sanskrit. The song also makes an appearance in the film, "I am Sam" as its original soundtrack. The phrase, "Jai guru deva. Om" is a mantra, a form of spiritual prayer in Hinduism that can be translated as, "Victory or Glory to the divine god". (Guru dev was the teacher of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who The Beatles followed as their teacher). However, I noticed that some bloggers interpreted this phrase as, "Allow us enlightenment, O divine God",which I prefer more than the actual translation of phrase. Because of the spiritual influences of Hinduism to the members of The Beatles, this song explores the transcendental meditation, in which the members struggled to dwell as they attempt to walk away from other negative influences.

According to John Lennon, he began writing the lyrics during time when he was conflicting over his relationship with his wife, Cynthia. Most of the lyrics, I think, it is is spiritual state during his reflection and meditation. It explores how his world is moving through various states with mixed feelings through various metaphors, such as "pools of sorrow" and "wave of joy".

The first part of the song is about his spiritual state journeying across the universe. The word that becomes the center and the connector of the song is "Om". "Om" is an iconic word that represents the vibration of universe. Lennon's journey across the universe brings him to a different world, a state that can be reached through the divine support and consistent meditation with mantra. And although I do not want to presumptuous over the actual motive of song, I wish to believe that Lennon is fighting to keep the the world that he reached after this spiritual journey across the universe. This world includes the "sound of laughter" and the "shades of love" along with "limitless undying love". And yes, this could be referring to the woman he loves, but I think Lennon's thoughts on his personal struggle to keep his love and protect his world from changing can be extended to this world. Perhaps, this is why the song was used as the original soundtrack for the film, "I am Sam".

The film is about a struggle of a father, who has developmental disability, to retain his right as a parent for her daughter, who would soon be reaching an age that is older than he is mentally. His struggle to fight to keep his daughter is his struggle to protect his individual world from changing, because his daughter is his happiness and the one, who he loves without limit.

In my opinion, the songs of The Beatles are still loved by many listeners around the world even today, because most of their songs talks about a different world. Even from the title of the song, "Across the Universe" we are able to guess that this song will be looking at things big. Even if our conditions are not exactly the same as John Lennon, we are still able to relate to lyrics through our own experiences just like the producers of "I am Sam" did with the life of Sam. So, what kind of message does this message give to us today in our world?

Today, we have our own struggles. The world sees many different conflicts in between nations in different aspects and in between religions. We conflict with our neighbors because of minor differences. But we can reach to a better state. Just as Sam fights for his right to be with his daughter, our parents must fight so that they are able to keep their role as parents to their sons, who may had to join as a solider to face death. It is our journey, literally across the world to stop these struggles to join in unity and reach harmony. This must be the spiritual state of this universe. This is why Chairman Man Hee Lee is travelling around the world and meeting people, who are different than him, to ask them to join in this movement. To return the spiritual state of this world back to the divine creator. It is to fulfill the term, "Jai guru deva". We are not working for our own individual gods that we have created based on our culture and opinion, but we are working together for one creator, who created this world. It is impossible that all the gods of the world created the world that we live in. These gods are only a reflection of one true Creator.

The world that does not change is not the current state of this world, which is filled with struggles. It is the world that we must work to preserve in the future after reaching harmony. This world must see a change, but after its change, we should work to keep it, so that it won't return.