The commitment that people make within themselves is the first step to become an owner because ownership can’t be forced.

Ownership can’t be forced. You have to decide to take ownership.

The same is true with animals. Horses never learn if you force them against their will. You have to create experiential   learning opportunities where they can own the lesson.

For example, you can’t force a horse to cross a river. If a horse has never seen a river before, it will naturally hesitate when you approach the water. If you yell and force him to cross he will associate the river with his fear. If you continue to fight him every time he stays back, the horse will never cross the river on his own.

Horses shy away when they are scared.  Many grazing animals are like that—their first instinct is to run from potential predators. But once a deer feels safe, it will stop running and try to figure you out.

So, don’t push your horse when he hesitates. Instead, gently nudge him forward. Give him time to realize that the river won’t hurt him. When his body relaxes, you can urge him forward a couple more steps. When he feels safe, his curiosity will eventually take over and he will cross on his own. This horse won’t be scared the next time you come across a river. He has owned the experience that rivers can be crossed safely.

The same is with vision and principles, they cannot be forced, but have to be owned through experience.  You have to make the commitment yourselves.

One takes ownership of God’s ideals not because one has to, but because one wants to.

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What is the difference between fishing, and camping and hiking?

It is important to strengthen the attitude of a true owner and steward of creation so it can be sustained for generations to come.

When you camp and hike you participate in creation, but don’t take ownership of it. Owners are responsible and accountable for their actions. Participants come to an event and leave when it’s over.

When people trek through the wilderness, pitch tents and build fires, they fundamentally impact the ecosystem. But if they just pass through, they aren’t aware and accountable for the ways they change the natural world. They are participants.

In contrast, when fishing, fishermen are acutely aware of their human footprint. They are actively engaged with the natural world when they receive the fish’s life. They become an inextricable part of the ecosystem. Through such experiences in nature, they learn how to be better stewards of the environment.

It is the responsibility, the obligation of all people to know the impact that human beings make on the natural world.

It will make everyone better owners and stewards of the environment who can generate balanced and sustainable models of development.

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I know that it takes a transformational experience to own the principle of living for the sake of humanity. Thus, I am always seeking for ways to create opportunities for experiential learning.

We obtain knowledge through experience.

Why does a child touch a burning match even though he is told not to? It is because the truth a parent tells their son doesn’t belong to the child until he experiences it for himself.

Children want to learn everything. They ask, “What is this? What is that?” But it takes experience for them to own knowledge. I once showed my daughter how to draw something; immediately she wanted to do it herself. This is how our children learn. They take ownership through experience.

It is more so with the most important truths. Just because we tell them, children will not understand that that the most meaningful life is a life lived for others. They have to earn their convictions through defining experiences, just like the child who burned his finger.

This is why all my education is experience-based:  whether it is in my family, in leadership training programs, or service projects. I know that it takes a transformational experience to own the principle of living for the sake of humanity. Thus, I am always seeking for ways to create opportunities for experiential learning.

Furthermore, as a parent, I know that my example provides living guidance and nourishment to my children as they venture out to gain the experiences that enable them to own the greatest vision, principles and values. Thus, I too relish each experience as an opportunity to learn and own the principles and values of one family under God.

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The pathway that determines where we need to go stems from the dream of God and the purpose that he had ever since the beginning of human creation. Resonating with timeless truths and spiritual values, this dream is none other than one family under God.

However, a dream without an owner is merely a fleeting idea. In order for that dream to transform the world, it needs a committed owner to turn it into a reality.

Owners do not do things out of obligation. Rather than doing a job because they have to do it, owners are like self-propelled engines—they take initiative and put words into action because they want to. And the reason why they have the desire to go out there and make a difference is because they want to live for the sake of others and for the greater good.

If you are an owner, if you believe, you will overcome any doubt and move forward with absolute dedication. You will move not with fear but with confidence, and other people will find strength in your conviction.

The world is hungry for visionary leadership to find the path to peace and prosperity. As leaders, let us take ownership of realizing a world of peace based on one family under God. With true owners at the forefront, this dream will have the transformative power to bring the world together as one.

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