The future can substantially change when we can inspire the youth and empower them with character, universal values, and moral and innovative leadership capacities. Global Peace Foundation’s new enterprise, Transforming Education in the Global South, incorporates holistic development and cultivation of character in educators and youth. The number of young people in the world is the most significant number it has ever been—over 1.2 billion, with almost 90% living in the global south. This presents a golden opportunity for families and educators to provide these young people with the principles, tools, and skills to develop the moral character crucial for their growth and development to lead the world toward peace.

Educating our youth is critical to their ability to establish a strong foundation of character to become moral and innovative leaders committed to a purposeful future of positively contributing to society. The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) recognizes the importance of this and, as such, has made transforming education one of its global core components. Transformative education expands the focus from conventional education and its rigid emphasis on academics, uniformity, and obedience to a more holistic model, underscoring the importance of character and creativity necessary to thrive in today’s rapidly changing technical world.

GPF’s new enterprise, Transforming Education in the Global South: Toward 2050 (TEGS:2050), embodies the principles of holistic development and cultivation of character first for educators and leaders as changemakers, followed by students. As noted in GPF’s TEGS: 2050 Launch Story, the number of young people in the world is the largest number it has ever been—over 1.2 billion, with almost 90% living in the global south and representing a significant portion of the population. This presents a rare opportunity for families and educators to provide these young people with the principles, tools, and skills to develop moral character and values crucial for their growth and development as future leaders under GPF’s vision of “One Family Under God.”

TEGS: 2050 utilizes a four-pronged strategy. In addition to holistically transforming educators, leaders, and students, the three additional focus areas are creating regional models in nations, creating great schools and universities, and building campaign awareness. The emphasis on developing regional models has seen the initiative grow from its initial inception in Region 3 of the Philippines in 2022 to its expansion to other areas, such as Kenya, Uganda, and India in the Global South in 2023. Further expansion is planned for 2024 and beyond.

Partnerships with schools, colleges, and universities have created an outline of core competencies for educators to champion change, embodying three areas: amazing culture, continuous innovation, and quality outreach extending beyond educational institutions to families, communities, and organizations.

For example, an Education Transformation Workshop (1 of 3 Series) for Senior Education Stakeholders was held at Makerere University Business School in Kampala, Uganda, on October 30 and 31, 2023. Dr. Tony Devine, GPF vice president of Education, was the workshop’s chief facilitator with a theme of Shaping a Purposeful Future Together through Transformative Education. The in-person event was attended by 81 people on October 30 and 95 people on October 31, with a supplemental audience of virtual attendees on both days and follow-up meetings and phone calls with several university and government officials shortly after the workshop concluded.

The workshop covered four topics delivered in three sessions: (1) Visualizing the Purpose and Future of Education—Towards 2050, (2) The Foundation of Character, and (3) The Holistic Development of Educators and Students and Moral and Innovative Leadership. Participants were enthusiastically engaged in each session. One attendee stated, “Technological changes are occurring today; hence, changes are inevitable, such as the use of smartphones. We should, therefore, find the best means of guiding our learners on responsible use of technology.” Another participant commented on the importance of building moral character: “Character is superior to knowledge. As a teacher, I should put more emphasis on character than content in my teaching to nurture more morally upright individuals.”

Building awareness of the TEGS:2050 campaign is ongoing. Efforts to align the initiative regionally and expand the vision across educational institutions were part of a targeted strategy during 2023. A key achievement was the Global Peace Leadership Conference in Region 3 of the Philippines, which began in December 2002, where over 300 education representatives gathered to learn about TEGS:2050 foundational concepts. The launch of TEGS:2050 was also highlighted at the Global Peace Convention in December 2023, where transformative education concepts were presented to an engaged audience of more than 300 educators and leaders.

The journey continues in 2024 as the strategy to actualize the transformative vision of TEGS:2050 grows stronger with activities such as the upcoming phases 4, 5, and 6 of Transformative Education workshops and Moral and Innovative Leadership training in the Philippines. Enhanced collaboratives will also be initiated with educators, policymakers, and leaders in the Philippines, Uganda, and Kenya to further align curriculum and national models with the TEGS: 2050 initiative.

The future of peaceful coexistence relies on today’s development of tomorrow’s moral and innovative leaders. In other words, today’s young people are our hope for a better tomorrow. However, they depend on an education that prepares them with the knowledge, tools, and skills to build the character and creativity necessary to positively assess, adapt, and act in ways that positively impact their families, communities, and society. TEGS:2050 provides a path to do just that.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.  GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peacebuilding models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

“This natural world is our common home, a blessing to all people for our mutual benefit. Therefore it is our shared responsibility to care for our environment, use resources in wise and sustainable ways, and conserve the bounty of nature for the well-being of present and future generations. When we live in accordance with universal laws and in harmony with the natural world, we can best tap the resourceful energy of human creativity. Innovative leadership focuses that energy to find new and inventive approaches to solve problems and create new opportunities.” —Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon

Many Global Peace Foundation programs incorporate a culture of service and environmental conservation into the moral and innovative leadership education of young people around the world. Leadership that considers the concerns of the entire human family, especially in preserving the natural environment we share, can best promote a higher quality of life for our entire human family, and lay the groundwork for sustainable peace. One example of this impactful process is GPF Kenya, which is establishing tree nurseries at schools nurtured by students and representatives from partners in the local communities.

In an ongoing effort to protect environmental conservation, Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Kenya is working with partners to establish tree nurseries.

Key partners met in January 2024 to inspect one tree nursery at Lenana School. The Lenana School tree nursery is one of eleven tree nurseries slated for establishment in 2024. This collaborative effort underscores a commitment to environmental sustainability and aligns with the national tree-growing strategy, aiming to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

The tree nursery initiative plays a crucial role in fostering the growth of saplings, which will, in turn, contribute to the realization of the ambitious target set by the national tree-growing strategy. The initiative focuses on the quantity and quality of the trees being planted, ensuring that they thrive and make a lasting impact on the environment.

The many partners have brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project.

GPF Kenya has been a driving force in promoting peace and social development, becoming an instrumental partner in initiatives like this one that address global challenges.

The Global Peace Foundation and its partners’ joint efforts in establishing the tree nursery at Lenana School exemplify a model of collaboration for a shared vision. As they align with the national tree-growing strategy, the initiative not only contributes to the country’s environmental goals but also stands as a testament to the collective impact that can be achieved through strategic partnerships.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peacebuilding models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

For years, the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) has helped transform lives in Malaysia’s rural farming communities. GPF’s development and service model provides education and support to empower local people to become moral and innovative leaders who make the solutions for their communities. The following article from GPF tells the story of how volunteers and GPF staff have helped inspire villagers to improve their quality of life and provide much-needed resources for their communities.

Nothing encapsulates the feeling of familiarity and comfort like a home-cooked meal prepared by the women in our families. However, women’s roles do not just stop in the kitchen. Making up 43% of the global agricultural labor force, women are central to farming and play vital roles in food security and nutrition at both the household and community levels.

Throughout the years of working with Orang Asli (original peoples of Malaysia) communities, we are continuously inspired by the passion and drive of Orang Asli women as they strive to improve and diversify their livelihood through various income-generating opportunities. However, despite their interest and hard work, many of them continue to face complex challenges, such as a lack of knowledge, resources, and capital.

Syntropic Farming for Food Security

To address some of these challenges, we kickstarted a Syntropic Agroforestry project with the Orang Asli farmers. This food farming project aims to rejuvenate the ecosystem to allow a diverse variety of plants to grow. In the long term, we hope that these farms will become self-sufficient, providing villagers with nutrient-dense and organic food, as well as additional opportunities for income generation.

It has now been over one year since we started the Syntropic Farming project, and many of our Amai (“aunty” in Jakun) farmers have successfully harvested a variety of vegetables and fruits ranging from chili, corn, and ginger to bananas, sweet potatoes, and lemongrass.

Economic Empowerment: From Farming to Selling

However, as farmers begin to harvest their vegetable and fruit crops, they are now faced with another challenge–market access to sell their produce. Many farmers have difficulty selling their produce to nearby towns or markets due to the remoteness of the villages and lack of transportation. 

In order to bridge market access barriers, we set up the KebunAmai to support our farmers in marketing and selling their fresh produce.

Just last month, we partnered with a local consumer cooperative in Malaysia, to support the Orang Asli to sell their fresh produce in organic markets across the Klang Valley area. Selling an assortment of vegetables and fruits such as bananas, ginger, sengkuang, lemongrass, and more, this partnership not only brings renewed hope for the Orang Asli farmers but also opens the door for additional opportunities for income generation.

Through connections with wholesalers, grocers, and the communities within the Pahang and Klang Valley area, we hope to empower and support the farmers’ livelihood through income generation.

Meet Amai Normah and Amai Yati

In addition to selling their fresh produce, several Amai have also started experimenting with producing homemade products using harvested vegetables and fruits. As many of them expressed interest in making homemade chips, we organized a food production training session with the farmers. Additionally, we also provided the farmers with basic equipment to help them kickstart their homemade chips journey!

Amai Normah, an Orang Asli farmer from Kg. Pinang surprised our team with her creativity and initiative as she showed us her mouth-watering assortment of banana chips.

“Before this, I was disinterested in making chips and losing motivation in entrepreneurship. But after attending the chips making training, I tried to do it myself. I hope to start a mini market that focuses on selling chips with different flavours, and to innovate different variants of chips.” – Amai Normah, Kg. Pinang

With flavors ranging from sweet, salty, spicy, and even one with turmeric spices, Amai Normah uses the harvested bananas from her farm to make her homemade banana chips. The quality and taste of the chips are so good that even the team from Yayasan Hasanah could not resist buying Amai Normah’s banana chips after having the opportunity to taste them. 

Similarly, Amai Yati from Kg. Bukit Biru also specializes in homemade chips. Working diligently on her farm, Amai Yati is passionate about using her harvested produce to make chips. Since the food production training session, Amai Yati has made a variety of chips, though, her yam chips definitely take the top spot for best tasting!

New Hope for Orang Asli Amai 

There’s no better feeling than seeing the proud smiles of the Orang Asli Amai, as they boast fruitful farms and a renewed hope for the future. In the long term, we hope that the KebunAmai initiative will foster greater women’s entrepreneurship amongst the villagers, thus, opening the door for boundless opportunities for income generation.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peacebuilding models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

To live together in peace and prosperity we must understand that beyond these many differences, we are one family who share the same origin in the Creator God.  The vision of One Family under God can unite us since it shows the pathway to true global unity in diversity, as the American experiment aspires to do on a national level. The alternative is continued conflict and chaos among warring power groups based on identity-based politics, rooted in our differences; and, eventually, forced to live under the tyranny of whatever power group wins out in the end.

Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon
Global Peace Convention 2021

Today, societies everywhere have been dealing with the aftermath of the direct and indirect impacts of two years of grappling with a global pandemic.

While many have focused on economic and health impacts, the social consequences have also been alarming. According to a survey from Ipsos, of 20,000 people surveyed in 27 countries worldwide, only 21% feel “solid” in their sense of connectedness, social relations, or sense of the “common good.” Individually, this may not mean so much but attitudes of individuals are critical as they often translate into actions and behaviors that make up societal norms.

From a collection of Buddhist saying is a caution on the importance of thoughts and attitudes:

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

Likewise, the survey on the lack of social cohesion can become a catalyst toward a more positive social trend. During the pandemic, many came to realize the critical importance of social and familial relationships. Dr. Darrell Bricker of Ipsos noted that “Social cohesion is the bedrock for societies and economies to function. No country will evolve in a positive direction if its citizens are all rowing in different directions.” And while governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals may be working diligently to encourage cooperation, the resolution of many of our social issues cannot be bought, sold, packaged, or mandated.

The solutions are likely found in a different approach, one that works to engage people on the local and community levels. In fact, the problems we see today can be addressed in part by the approach taken in communities by the Global Peace Foundation throughout the last decade.

GPF has developed different peacebuilding models that help to, directly and indirectly, create social cohesion between people from different backgrounds. These models have been built in countries as different as Paraguay, Malaysia, Kenya, Nigeria, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Mongolia, and more. This provides evidence that the approach can be applied in different contexts. Moreover, each specific country model has also garnered unique lessons that can be shared, contributing to the global peacebuilding efforts.

One of the key reasons this approach can be applied to different contexts is that we focus first on a common vision and goals. This can then lead to healthy conversations around universal principles, shared values, and a solid foundation for building agreements between people from diverse backgrounds. While diversity in terms of race, religion, etc., is often considered divisive, a disciplined focus on our commonalities can bring us together into sustained dialogue and cooperation for the greater good.

In this, many of GPF’s natural peacebuilding partners are leaders from different faith traditions in these efforts. This inclusive approach provides a platform where people can engage as one human family – regardless of their specific religion or background.

Today, we can take what is a dismal situation or challenge to make it into an opportunity for development, as individuals and on the level of societies and nations. The good news is that local community engagement based on a shared vision and focused on universal principles can help strengthen families and transform communities towards a positive end. The decision to do so can start today.

We can have these important conversations around principles and values then affect attitudes and behaviors, setting the stage for greater social cohesion and more positive, pro-social behaviors and relationships. These can include healing or resolving issues – big or small; creating and building new relationships with our neighbors – new or old, and reaching out and getting to know our community by engaging with people in ordinary and everyday ways.

This day-to-day kind of peacebuilding work is something we can all engage in, and every person can be a peacebuilder.

The following are a compilation of excerpts from speeches from 2008 and 2012:

I believe that America’s true strength lies in its moral authority as a nation rooted in spiritual principles and values, which has championed human rights and freedoms at home and abroad. This is a nation with the aspiration to become “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

It was this vision that inspired millions from all corners of the world regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality and religion to make the long and perilous journey to a new nation filled with hope and opportunity. In order for the United States to exercise genuine global leadership in today’s more complex and fragmenting world, it must rekindle that position of true servant leadership, offering its inclusive national promise to the world.

Now more than ever, the United States must look to its unique founding ideals as the basis for a new Renaissance in the 21st century rooted in universally accepted aspirations, principles and values. Just as the European Renaissance gave rise to the Reformation and the Enlightenment and, thereby laid the groundwork for our modern world, a new global movement for change needs to arise, anchored in the past but bringing a fresh, new vision for the future.

In the course of the last century, the United States has been the catalyst for positive global change, challenging European colonial imperialism, and creating international assemblies to foster peace through dialogue and reason. The League of Nations after the First World War, and the United Nations after the Second World War, were created as a result.

We owe a great debt to the brave and selfless young men and women who were willing to pay any price for the American dream and its founding principles.

During the Cold War era, American leadership, and faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms, paved the way for the eventual collapse of totalitarian, communist regimes around the world. The historical role of the United States in shaping, and then leading, the world to where we are today, is undisputed.

The question then is: what should be America’s role going forward, as we look to this new century and the challenges that it brings.

As the world faces the COVID19 pandemic, clearly it has called every one, women and men, people of all faiths, nations, and ages, to come together to innovate new solutions. Recently, the women of Global Peace Women in the Republic of Korea demonstrated the power of civil society.

In South Korea, similar to many other nations, the marketplace has struggled to keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer and masks. Global Peace Women and partner civic groups and citizens made and donated handmade masks, food, and other necessary items.

Global Peace Women, a division of Global Peace Foundation, hoped to ease the anxiety, especially for the elderly population as the number of cases was rapidly increasing in February by crafting and delivering handmade masks to underprivileged families.

Volunteers in Seoul, along with regional branches in Korea, carried out a fundraiser in late February and collected 2 million won (around $1,600 USD). With the funding, GPW staff and volunteers gathered and made 600 disposable masks along with 500 masks gathered by a mask-making company in order to help the city of Daegu, where the confirmed COVID-19 cases are most severe.

“We originally planned to purchase and deliver large amounts of masks with the donations at the time of the campaign, but due to the heightened demand for masks we began planning our own means of production,” said Mihwa Kim, director of GPW Korea.  “We hope that even a little help can provide consolation and encouragement and that this crisis will be overcome as soon as possible.”

The masks were delivered to homes in Daegu. Yeonsook Park, Vice President of the GPW Daegu branch, was touched by the outpouring of support and said, “The best way to repay this help is for the people with the virus to recover and return to their daily lives from isolation as quickly as possible,” she said, adding that she will work as head of a community organization to overcome the disease.

The global impact of COVID-19 has been profound, affecting daily life on large and small scales. However, across the world, volunteers and the kindness of neighbors are demonstrating the best in our humanity. During these challenging times, it is important to remember that even during the most difficult experiences, there are opportunities to be the inspiration and strength that others need to move our world forward.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.  GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

As the world faces an unprecedented challenge together, we can learn from small acts of service taking place around the world. We live in strange and uncertain times, but there are many ways to continue to care for one another, spreading our human compassion to uplift each other and know that we will pull through together.

In February, allegedly the worst natural disaster in the past decade for Indonesia hit the greater Jakarta area. Heavy rainfall resulted in dangerous floods that affected tens of thousands of people overnight. Seeking to be a light in the sudden calamity, volunteers with Global Peace Foundation Indonesia visited orphanages affected by the flood. Calling it the “Small Action, Big Impact” service project, volunteers spent nearly a week teaching the orphans how to prepare emergency disaster bags to protect important items while also finding time to simply play games with and mentor the children. Over the course of the week, volunteers also distributed over 850 boxes of food donated by food and beverage companies in the local community.

Across the world, people have silently and diligently carried out other acts of compassion to uplift their neighbors out of everyday fears and provide for their most basic needs.

GPF volunteers in India are helping orphans and seniors affected by the inequalities resulting from remnants of caste discrimination through seemingly small actions like cleaning their centers and distributing pens and notebooks for children to learn math and writing. They demonstrate simple acts of service that will make a huge impact and leave an enormous imprint on their hearts and minds in the years to follow.

Volunteers set up water pipes around the village in Malaysia

Small actions like this one show the essential role we all play in uplifting each other as brothers and sisters of the same human family. No action is too small. Whatever challenges we face, it is important to remember that one of the quickest ways to draw ourselves out of our own self-pity, anxiety, and fear is to think of the people most in need around us.

What can we do today to help others?

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.  GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

“The deciding factor at such times is always moral and innovative leadership, on every level.”

The new year has already opened with many challenges.

Kim Jong Un has declared an end to North Korea’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear missile development and issued a threat to take “actual action” in the near future as U.S.–North Korea relations continue to deteriorate. This, taken with the situation unraveling in the Middle East, makes very real the possibility of a renewed Iran—North Korea nuclear alliance against the United States.

These challenges are a direct result of short-sighted decisions made over the past year, many of which Dr. Moon advised against. Alternatively, Dr. Moon has urged for leadership motivated by long-term vision, guided by time-honored principles and values, and harnesses human ingenuity to generate creative solutions for increasingly complex challenges. Needless to say, as the new decade begins in 2020, we can build on the pivotal milestones, partnerships and lessons learned in 2019, and transform daunting circumstances into opportunities with moral and innovative leadership.

The power of broad-based citizen-led movements inspired by a vision

“Don’t let anyone discount the passion and conviction of young people that are motivated by a dream.”
-Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, March 1 1919 Independence Movement Centennial Commemoration

Great social transformation requires the active engagement of a broad public united in pursuit of a common cause.

Much of the year drew upon lessons from the March 1st 1919 Korean Independence Movement. In celebrating the centenary, we took up the spirit of the movement to inform the way forward on the Korean peninsula and provide inspiration to the world. More than anything, we realized that there is nothing comparable to the power of a people united by a common vision. Just as the Koreans initiated the first peaceful, mass-civil movement for independence of the 20st century 100 years ago, the centennial drew Koreans from across the peninsula and globe to express their commitment to the dream of a unified Korea that brings peace and prosperity, not only to the Koreas, but the region and world.

At the March 1 100 Year Commemoration and the 74th Celebration of Korean Independence in August, we witnessed writers, academics, civil society and religious leaders, politicians, corner shop owners and corporate executives, grandparents and parents, students of all ages, making a solemn commitment to help realize a Korea that can bring benefit to the world. Each owner acts as a light, pushing against the darkness of the times. In a similar way, we have seen peacebuilders taking up the charge around the world in our GPF chapters, countering division and building connections in their communities, villages, cities and nations to cultivate peace.

The role of international support for grass-roots peacebuilding efforts

“The world will stand with us if only we take ownership and leadership.”
-Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon, Action for Korea United Festival 2019

In looking back to the Korean Independence movement, we can see that in many ways, the international community failed to support the Korean-led movement for self-determination in 1919. This only served to prolong colonial rule, ultimately leading to the eventual division in 1945.  Taking that lesson to heart, we worked to build a strong network of support in key nations like Japan, Mongolia, India, and the United States for the grassroots Korean-led efforts to secure a prosperous and free One Korea.

This same model is being applied to our other peacebuilding work. Our Global Peace Conventions have brought together cross-sectors from across the world to address challenging peacebuilding issues in innovative ways. One notable project has resulted in “Peacesharing Hubs,” which builds on the Irish and UK experience of peacemaking and peacebuilding to address conflicts in other regions. This meaningful connection has helped shape successful peacebuilding models in the U.S. and  Nigeria.

Additionally, our community-driven efforts in nations such as Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Paraguay have yielded innovative approaches to the unique local challenges of peace that are supported by a combination of local and international efforts. Among the accomplishments are: tree planting to counter desertification in Mongolia; All-Lights Village initiatives designed to support community-driven development, entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency in rural regions; and an information technology ‘boot camp’ in Kenya, and GPF’s Character and Creativity Initiative, Smart Workforce Readiness, and LeapHub Science and Entrepreneurship Incubators, which have sought to cultivate “future ready” moral and innovative leaders who are equipped with essential character competencies and real-world skills.

Our chapters work synergistically, supported by our growing global network of peacebuilders who forging new connections between people and nations to achieve the aspiration of peace shared by everyone, everywhere.

The importance of an inclusive, shared vision

“Now is the time for far-reaching vision, wise leadership, and bold action.”

-Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Global Peace Convention 2019  

The road to peace is illuminated by an inclusive, shared vision. In situation of conflict, defining a shared vision enables former foes to reconcile, letting go of past wrongs and envisioning a shared future.

The Korean Declaration of Independence has provided inspiration and insight. Despite years of fierce suppression by the Japanese, the drafters of the declaration cast a vision for a shared vision not driven by enmity. They wrote:

“Our task today is to build up our strength, not to destroy others. We must chart a new course for ourselves in accord with the solemn dictates of conscience, not malign and reject others for reasons of past enmity or momentary passions.”

Despite tense Japanese-Korean relations, rather than becoming victims of circumstance, our commemorations and celebrations sought forgiveness, friendship, and reconciliations. Koreans and supporters rose together to embrace a shared vision. The movement has continued to grow into every city in Korea.

As we open the year 2020 and the new decade ahead, we invite all of you as friends and partners to join in our efforts to build a world of One Family Under God.

In his book, “Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea,” Dr. Moon references the founding of the United States alongside the story of Genghis Khan and the creation of the Mongol Empire and the dream of the Korean people.

The principles and the dream that inspired the creation of America provide insights for the United States as well as the world today. Among clashing political, ideological, cultural differences we are all looking for a way to connect and engage and be one nation.

A recent workshop hosted by the Family Peace Association in the United States, organized by a high school student as his Eagle Scout project, explored universal principles of the American founding and how it applies to global citizenship.

The following post is based on the personal reflections of a participant and speaker:

Sometimes called the melting pot of all nations, America’s founding principles and shared values have enabled it to embrace diverse cultures and religions while maintaining some social cohesion. Its Declaration of Independence states that God the Creator grants all people inalienable rights. At the same time, it calls for each person to live their lives for a greater purpose because every person’s value and equal rights are given to us from a source greater than ourselves.

These founding values have formed the spirit of service based on human rights and the opportunity to build a culture and a society that transcends the  barriers of race, religion, and other divisions to find common ground in fundamental rights, the ideal of freedom, and to serve those who could not protect those freedoms for themselves.

Workshop participants explaining what “We hold these Truths to be self-evident” from the Declaration of Independence means.

The founding fathers of America recognized just how important these fundamental freedoms were. They willingly put their very lives on the line to protect the values that would be later articulated as the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The original phrase was “life, liberty, and property.” However, it was rewritten to the more appropriate “pursuit of happiness,” which conveys the spiritual pursuit of all humanity.

The pursuit of happiness rests not on the aspiration of one individual but depends on relationships founded in virtues. Happiness cannot be achieved alone; it is found only in dynamic relationships. It is a collective effort between people and within the family. Some of the most charitable efforts, from alleviating poverty to responding to natural disasters, are motivated by this spiritual pursuit of happiness.

It is this same spirit of service that motivates many military personals in the United States to champion human rights for all people, not just their own nation. This spirit of selfless service is what inspires servicewomen and men to get up every day, train, and work hard to not only protect the fundamental freedom of all people but to protect the ability to create a culture of values, raising healthy families with the potential to pursue happiness. In many ways, it is the legacy of the American story – “the pursuit of happiness” for all people.

Jeremy sharing his experience on service.

Jeremy is a serviceman who shared his testimony at a recent Family Peace Association family workshop. As a husband, father, graduate student, and Captain in the United States Army, the values he strives to build up in his own family are the same values that gives him the motivation and passion to serve his country, willing to even lay down his life to protect fundamental human rights and the founding ideals that made America a melting pot of people and cultures from every other nation around the world.

“I absolutely love the USA. What made me feel this way were the values that America’s founding represented.”

When he first became a cadet, Jeremy vowed that he would “not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” He described that standard and the values that come with it as more important than life itself. A values-based culture is what makes values a reality in everyday life.

There are ideals and values, like the sense of service to humanity, that is bigger than any one nation or organization. They are universal. Global citizenship is something all of us can practice with every generation as we continue the legacy of service through our families and communities around the world.

The original post appears on Family Peace Association. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder of the Family Peace Association.