The understanding that fundamental rights and freedoms are endowed to every human being by the Creator has endured. Just as Lincoln hearkened to the powerful assertions in the Declaration of Independence, so too did Martin Luther King Jr. a century later during the height of the Civil Rights movement in his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial.  They recognized the self-evident truth of God’s sovereignty as the source of all fundamental rights and freedoms; that regardless of human failures and contradictions in America’s history, surely, that idea will eventually prevail.

Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon
Global Peace Convention 2021

In 1630, a group of very determined people decided to move to the “New World” of the North American continent in search of a place to self-consciously build a “city upon a hill.” These famous lines from a sermon in 1630 by John Winthrop have since shaped American self-understanding. The idea originally came from Jesus’ Sermon on a Mount, encouraging followers to see themselves as models for others. And even before its official founding in 1776, this ideal that has shaped America in different ways through the years.

The American experiment started in the Old World, with a group dubbed the “Puritans” struggled with the local British government for their right to believe and worship as they saw fit. When they could no longer do so, they fled to the more religiously tolerant Netherlands, only to feel that the overly permissive social climate was detrimental to their spiritual lives.

For example, some scholars suggest that the first Puritan colony’s rules for self-governance, the Mayflower Compact, “undoubtedly played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule and shaping the nation that eventually became the United States of America.”

The text from the Mayflower Compact underscores how central God was in the establishment of those first colonies:

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith, and the honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another; covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic…

Later, the American Revolutionary War was fought against the British colonizers with the understanding that it was their God-given right to challenge the authorities at the time. The seminal U.S. Declaration of Independence laid out the case for their separation from the British Crown in the idea that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The basis of these “Rights” was laid squarely in the idea of a transcendent Creator. Because these rights are endowed by the Creator there was no institution that could take them away.

All men, as created beings, all were afforded “separate and equal station.” In short, no man had the right to rule over another except by the freely given consent of the governed.

This understanding that fundamental rights and freedoms are endowed to every human being by the Creator continued to guide and shape American political life throughout history. For example, on his way to the capital as the newly elected U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln stated that “I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” Even while he wished to avoid war and bloodshed, Lincoln felt it was his duty to protect the ideals of the Declaration, not only for the current generation of Americans but for “the world, for all future time.” He expressed his understanding that America existed not just for its own sake but as a model for the world and all future generations.

Roughly a century later, Martin Luther King Jr. saw himself furthering “God’s will” to ensure that America lived up to its promises. In his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, he proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Both Lincoln and King recognized the self-evident truth of God’s sovereignty as the source of all fundamental rights and freedoms; that regardless of human failures and contradictions in America’s history, surely, that idea will eventually prevail. Both men worked to further this dream, giving up their lives in that process.

All this has led to what people have dubbed “American exceptionalism,” and whatever the case, America, unlike most nations in the world, was founded on the ideal of building a model of what a nation could and should be.

Today, we can honor the sacrifices of the people who came before us by advancing and even expanding that same dream for America into in one which the whole world could – together – live in peace and harmony as One Family Under God.

Throughout history, God has inspired the founding of various faith and wisdom traditions to elevate human consciousness and cultivate ethical civilizations. And yet, continually, we see division and even conflict between people of different faiths, although the vast majority of moral precepts they seek to live by in daily life are exactly the same. The source of their contention is often rooted in differing institutional orthodoxies, doctrines and traditions. [W]hile they aspire to many of the same spiritual principles and goals, such as loving thy neighbor, living a moral life rooted in truth and righteousness, and, eventually, creating a world of peace.

– Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Global Peace Convention 2021

The world’s religious traditions generally uphold the same universal principles and values. Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, mused that “I have often said the problem is never the faith -– it is the faithful, and how they behave towards each other.” While religions might hold different liturgical and doctrinal positions, all of them uphold similar values such as compassion, respect, charity, peace, and more.

Understanding this, it becomes incumbent upon the faithful to take on a new or renewed mission in their communities and societies today. We, the faithful, should take up our faith to inspire peace and build harmony across the lines of difference in terms of religion, race, and social divides. It is becoming evident that we need this more than ever as the traditional moral framework of American life is undermined, and essential values are stripped from the American public square.

American Founding Father John Adams wrote that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” He wrote this because he believed that self-governance was only possible by those who could live following a mature conscience, which more often than not required the wisdom and guidance of the faith traditions. Not only this, the many social services and voluntary associations, and activities that came out of a religious motivation have fallen by the wayside. As a result, the social fabric has frayed, becoming both poorer and less vibrant across the country.

In his award-winning book, Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea, Dr. Moon uses other examples where people of faith changed the course of history. In many instances, it was people of faith who engaged with the broader public sphere to advance the cause of human rights and freedoms for all.

It is with this in mind that Dr. Moon encourages the faithful to be those to write the future:

Just as it was people of faith that engendered the American experiment, it should be the faithful that leads the world to peace by advocating the vision of One Family under God. All faiths should cooperate to build a world free of conflict, reflecting the highest spiritual ideals, rooted in universal principles and values that reflect God’s truth, righteousness, goodness, and love for all humanity. Only then could we harness the power of faith to truly transform the world and build true everlasting peace and harmony for all.

Faiths have always driven and inspired people to live for the sake of others and are essential to building a robust civil society. It’s time to reignite this tradition on the global scale, as Dr. Moon continues to inspire and remind us: 

For we, collectively, are the authors of this chapter in human history. Today our world is at a critical juncture, an inflection point. The choices we make, the standards we set, and the leadership we exhibit will have far-reaching implications for the future. Now is a time for clear vision and principled action. I hope that each one of you will become peacebuilders in your respective spheres of influence and join with us in the great movement for global peace.

…beyond these many differences, we are one family who shares 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. – Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon (Global Peace Convention, August 15, 2021)

Every year, American families in the United States gather to celebrate Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November.

A tradition that dates back far before the nation’s founding in 1776, the Thanksgiving story is about a Native American tribe, and a group of new settlers named the Puritans. The Puritans journeyed to the Americas in 1620 from Europe. They risked their lives on a perilous trip across the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of a dream to establish a polity that allowed them to live out their faith and build a model for the rest of the world.

The Puritans were clear that their journey was about much more than fortune. John Winthrop, a leader in the new society in 1631, declared, “Others may come to the New World for wealth and furs […] We have another goal, another end. We have entered into an explicit covenant with God to be His people in this New World.” Their intent to build a society as a “City on a Hill” has since left an indelible mark on the American psyche.

Moreover, the Thanksgiving story is not just about the Puritans. It is about two very different groups of people who could transcend their differences and work together for a greater purpose. Today, it’s easy to forget how astonishing this story was. To those involved, the story is a miraculous one that demonstrated God’s guiding hand. 

In their first year, without the help of the Native Americans, the Puritan settlers barely survived the harsh New England winter. What turned everything around was the Native American named Squanto, who played a pivotal role.  In his youth, Squanto had been kidnapped and taken to Spain. It was there that he was later evangelized and educated by monks. He also learned English, which was essential to his later role in brokering peace between the Mayflower community and the local Wampanoag tribe. Somehow, despite his experience of being sold into slavery to Europeans, Squanto aided the Puritans in their most dire time of need. Their cooperation came to the story of the first Thanksgiving, a celebration and thanksgiving to God for His many gifts and blessings.

Beyond the first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoag tribe and the Puritans built a peaceful partnership that lasted 50 years. 

That first Thanksgiving and its inclusion as part of the American legacy set a global precedent for a nation. Being of a different race, different history, religion, etc., need not divide. Instead, when God is at the center, superficial differences melt away. Moreover, the understanding of a deep interconnectedness in God creates room for cooperation and collaboration.

As we gather with our family and friends this Thanksgiving, let us remember again the miracle of that first Thanksgiving story and the many lessons that it holds for us today.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. – Seneca

We grow through challenges. It is a fundamental principle. If we want to grow in any particular area, we have to be challenged. If we are not, we are not going to grow.

If someone wants to be physically fit, they could work out with weights. What in essence are they doing? They are stressing their muscle fibers. That stress causes the muscles to break down. Eventually, after rest and recovery, the stress and breakdown result in more muscle. The same process applies to someone who wants to be a mathematician. They need continuously challenge themselves to master higher and higher levels of math. It is the same with someone who wants to be the most knowledgeable historian. They need to constantly challenge themselves.

How does this apply to parenting? All parents want their children to be better than them. How can we raise our children to be better than us? We help them overcome whatever challenges they have. Because we are there, we can help mentor them through that process so they are victorious. They can come out on the other end with a victory. Not only do they gain greater confidence in themselves; it also means they are growing on every level.

If we can digest and overcome the challenges of life, those same challenges can make us stronger and better overall. That is why an important tradition and standard for our families is to not make excuses. No matter how difficult something may appear to be, do not make excuses. We have the strength to overcome. Overcome, learn and grow.

You will notice that people who are very accomplished and who have exceeded the standards of most other people tend to be people with a very difficult past.

God teaches us through challenges if only we have the strength to overcome them. God moves in mysterious ways, and it is the challenges that we face that push us more and more towards God.

If we want to be good parents, we need to prepare our children for the challenges they will inevitably face. There will always be challenges in our lives and we should hold the view that we do not grow without them.

It is said that the battleground was still dark with the blood of the 15,000 – soldiers from both sides – on that crisp autumn day in November 1863, when Lincoln delivered a speech to consecrate the dead.

In his short speech, he emphasized the phrase that changed the world in 1776: “all men are created equal.” To the crowds in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Lincoln declared:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

He was referring to the lines written eighty-seven years prior by the then-33-year-old, red-headed Virginian, Thomas Jefferson. In many ways, Lincoln’s recitation of the phrase would further immortalize the lines written by Jefferson in the America creed:

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Jefferson managed to capture in a few lines the sentiment that had been growing out of the political, religious, and economic upheaval that had started in Europe. It was a period of absolute monarchs and a ruthless race between nation-states for wealth.

In this landscape, Jefferson expressed a revolutionary sentiment: every person is valuable, and is granted rights by a Creator, and thereby ought to be treated with dignity. He presented a concept of liberty that broke the mold of the day, placing liberty in the hands of the Creator, transcending every man-made institution. It was an argument that all governments are beholden to these principles and allowed to govern only through the “consent of the governed.”

Jefferson and the other 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were under no illusion that the great experiment they had embarked on would be easy, or even successful. They were keenly aware of the shortcomings of humanity and asserted that it would take an active civil society that engaged the people in constant moral and educational improvement that would sustain the new nation and enable it to grow into a nation that could bring these principles to life.

Lincoln understood this too. He would bring liberty one step further to reach “all men” during his presidency, in a difficult step that was hard-won and required the sacrifice of many. Lincoln honored these sacrifices, declaring:

We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Today, we must remember this history and strive to make it our own. The American ideals and values of a society that guarantees the human rights and freedoms endowed to all of us by the Creator must be studied, discussed, and shared to continue on into the next generation.

Let us be part of this great tradition by remembering and teaching about the words, sacrifices, and examples of those who came before us.

Two groups, Native and Non-native, are part of a unique project to build cohesion and a model of peaceful reconciliation in Montana, an American state that is home to seven Native American nations. The Cross-Community Reconciliation pilot program initiated by Global Peace Foundation incorporates powerful stories from native leaders who have experienced unimaginable trauma and transformed it into a method of healing for entire communities. GPF’s unique approach to peacebuilding starts with the affirmation that we are all one family under God, a vision that was incorporated throughout the program to accomplish dialogue and mutual understanding as a basis for reconciliation.

One member of the Crow Nation recently shared her story to a group of non-Native American Montanans. A survivor of the infamous boarding schools in which many native children were abused, she suffered domestic violence, sexual assault, and drug abuse before emerging from the darkness through a lifelong process of forgiveness. She now sees herself as an educator saying, “These experiences allowed me to see people as people.” While the room she addressed sat in stunned silence, her body language alone showcased her total openness and compassion to people who may have easily been descendants of her tormentors. Holding her arms open, she described her family of nine siblings and the people of all races and tribes that passed through her childhood home. She explained, “We had an inter-tribal house. People came from all over the world. It was a normal way of living to me.”

“We had an inter-tribal house.
People came from all over the world.
It was a normal way of living to me.”

This early exposure to diversity helped her judge people based on their good or evil actions rather than to judge them on their specific race or tribe. Instead, she developed a sense of gratitude for the blessings that the many different people of various backgrounds brought into her life.

Her own son is blonde-haired and blue-eyed: a product of two worlds. “I knew he would face so many challenges in his life. So, at first, I only taught him the Crow language.” She knew he would be challenged by his own tribe because of the way he looked. She also understood the importance of making sure he learned his identity and cultivated the virtues of perseverance and resilience.

As someone who has traveled the world several times over, she was constantly caught between the disparate cultures of the native and non-native world. Today, this has become her choice: “I go between worlds because I choose to.” From a young age, she knew she wanted to help mitigate racism and to build bridges between diverse groups. She uses her knowledge and culture to accomplish this, saying, “In the Crow language, how you talk is sacred. How you move, walk, talk, everything is connected. You have to be conscious of that.”

Being a peacebuilding leader requires deep compassion for humanity and respect for all people regardless of race, faith, or cultural traditions. In her culture, the Crow acknowledges the sacrifices of their ancestors to prepare for each descendant to come into the world. “People before me prayed for me so I could be here. I too pray for those that are yet to come, that they will be in a world that is better than the one we live in now.” This attitude and the idea that all people are connected not only across generations but across cultures is what binds humanity and allows reconciliation throughout painful histories.

“People before me prayed for me so I could be here.
I too pray for those that are yet to come, that they will
be in a world that is better than the one we live in now.”

“People sometimes ask me, ‘Why are you so kind?’ Why not? It’s like breathing. It’s so normal. It’s a way of life that you choose.” Her powerful words are desperately needed at this time. The common vision to become one global family can bring people together based on the values of mutual respect and compassion.

She left the group with a simple analogy of driftwood floating down a river. “We are all, each of us, flowing and finding our path and my hope is that we will find each other and hold on like driftwood. Because when each piece comes together, that structure becomes so strong, nothing can break it.”

The Right Attitude in Times of Challenge

The more we overcome, the more we gain in wisdom, understanding, and building a character that does not give way to panic in times of crisis.

In the US Pacific Northwest, spring is a big deal. From the dark, rainy, sometimes snowy winter, suddenly the sun emerges and everywhere splashes of color burst out in pink, white, yellow, purple, and red.

Driving through the mountain roads, the same roads that just a week ago were too perilous to cross without tire chains, the transformation is evident.  Such a drastic transition from cold and grey, to warm and colorful, makes us pause, and ask: did we use the winter to prepare to welcome spring?

Winter is hard. It challenges us, but how we weather it determines how we greet spring. Planters in the Northwest know that a cold snap is an important step for some seeds to begin gestation.

When we lose sight of the cycle of death and rebirth, and the opportunities for growth and learning that the hard times in life give us, then when the sun hides its face, when things are no longer joyfully colorful, when the warm breeze is replaced by a cold, wet squall, we lose a very important opportunity for reflection, cleansing, and reorientation.

This winter had more snow than usual, and it lasted through April. For many, there are moments where the feeling of being hopeless and empty in the face of the endless wet and cold start to seep in. In those moments of inner challenge, we have the opportunity to readjust our bearings and keep sight of what the experience of winter teaches us and does for us. Snow, for one, shows us a completely different viewpoint on the same landscape. And, there are so many things possible with snow. But also, in the cold, the unnecessary things, mold, critters in the house, are cleared, and we prepare for a new life – if we keep perspective.

It is the same in life. There will inevitably be challenges in life, patches of winter here, and there. But winter gives us an opportunity to check our attitude, connect with God, the source of our inspiration, strength, and wisdom, slough off excess growth and strip down to the essentials, and make room for new possibilities. If we allow it. And sometimes winters last longer than we want it to, but if we realize that maybe there is more to go through, we can take full advantage of the opportunity it presents. Then when the land warms up, and the buds peak their heads out of the thawing ground, and the birds begin to sing again, we can greet spring, without past baggage, transformed by winter, ready to face our next chapter in life.

We are living in an unprecedented time that has shaken traditional systems in our societies around the world—from economy to education. With social distancing and quarantines in place, many schools have closed and provided both children and their parents with what can be seen as a new, unique opportunity to build life-habits as a family.

The habits that you develop at an early age become a tremendous advantage for the rest of your life. And it starts in the family. Parents can provide this advantage for their children, instilling values through the habits they encourage their children to follow.

One of these habits is self-discipline. It’s not an easy habit to develop, however, it is an essential one for those who wish to accomplish big dreams. Success is not an overnight process; it is a long road of learning from mistakes and persisting in spite of setbacks. With focus and consistency, anyone can develop this life-altering habit to be successful.

Here is one way parents can help their children develop self-discipline:

Encourage children to participate in athletics outside of their academic ventures. Academics is primarily an individual endeavor. There are also some individual-type sports that teach children the self-discipline it takes to compete. But team sports are valuable for children to learn about leadership and how to work within a team. Becoming an athlete helps young people recognize that we are not all the same. People have different strengths and weaknesses and if you want to improve, you have to invest a lot of energy, effort, and hard work. Comparing athletic strength, talent, and ability is not to foster jealousy, rather, it is an opportunity to teach children a positive culture of wanting to learn from those who have more experience. A community of people like this, that want to learn from and help each other, is a community that can progress together.

Engaging in sports also teaches children how to deal with both victory and defeat. It’s a powerful lesson. There are winners and losers when they compete in sports. Young people need to be challenged. If parents want their children to grow up to be respectful, to be responsible, to not shirk away from challenges or difficulty, they have to learn to be a self-motivated engine that embraces what is in front of them.

It takes humility and intellectual honesty to grow. It takes a big man or woman to acknowledge their deficiencies and to actually want to grow and develop themselves. People tend to gravitate towards these kinds of people—people that want to develop themselves and their value system and add to our humanity.

Benjamin Franklin was once asked whether the United States was a democracy or a Republic. To this, he was purported to have said, “a Republic, if you can keep it…”

When the Founding Fathers established the United States of America, they designed it as a constitutional republic. They enshrined fundamental principles in the U.S. Constitution in a way that would protect certain inviolable rights for its citizens in perpetuity. In such a nation, even if a large majority of its citizens voted to restrict, for example, religious freedom, they would be unable to do so. This is in contrast to a pure democracy, in which the will of the people would override any and all things.

Why would such a feature be important for a self-governing society? And why would we need a check on the will of the people?

This makes sense when we understand the idea that there are certain inalienable rights and principles that go beyond the will of the people. What grounds this idea is found, quite simply, the fact of a Transcendent Creator. The Declaration of Independence drew on this simple truth as grounds to separate from one of the strongest empires of the time as explained in the Declaration’s preamble:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.

Although this same idea is not articulated with the same terms in the U.S. Constitution, the role that the Declaration of Independence played as providing a clear rationale for the founding of the United States is undeniable. The ideals in both the Declaration and the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Amendments all come from some understanding these natural rights come, not from government but a Transcendent Source. The founders knew that these fundamental principles and what they would mean for all humanity—overriding race, religion, and other affiliations—would take time to fully understand and incorporate. Thus establishing a process for the Amendments that would allow the people to discover their innate spiritual value and that of others over time as society developed.

It would seem that some in the United States have become uncomfortable with openly speaking about God, a Creator, religion and faith in the public sphere. This is a development that the Founding Fathers anticipated with trepidation. John Adams and George Washington emphasized that the lifeline of a self-governing people would be its virtue.

We need to be able to dialogue about these most important things. This nation was founded on the authority of the “Laws of Nature,” and most importantly, “Nature’s God,” who endows us with certain fundamental rights. It is with a deep and abiding faith in this idea that provides the basic platform for the people to come together, share, engage and renew these noble ideals – across racial, religious and ideological divides – into the next generation.

This is a time for deep introspection, reflection and, correspondingly, cultural renewal. Such things require us to reach across and work hand in hand in pursuit of the highest ideals and hopes of our nation.

World Interfaith Harmony week, celebrated the first week of February, gives us an opportunity to explore the universal principles and spiritual values upheld by the world’s great religious teachings.

Among these is the truth that good things don’t come easily.

We live in a time when so many people are seeking out fast and easy results. Surrounded by modern conveniences, it takes a lot for us to be able to step back and ask ourselves “at what cost?”

Does the convenience give us more time for the important things in life?

Or is it actually preventing us from an incredible opportunity for growth?

The truth is that a lot of opportunities for growth are not put in our lap as a neat package. Much of growth is wrapped in things that we do not want—many times, pain can be a precursor to growth; it all depends on the attitude we choose to have.

The opportunity to grow through challenges can be seen as a universal spiritual principle held by faith traditions around the world.

We can see in the age-old wisdom of the sages, there is a certain caution against the easy things in life. In the Christian scriptures, Romans 5:3-5 extolls the virtues of suffering and the potential it carries in making us better through the hardships:

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.

Similarly, in the Dhammapada of the Buddhist tradition, we see the comparison of becoming a person of character as a process that might be like that of tempering metal:

By degrees, little by little, from time to time, a wise person should remove his own impurities as a smith removes the dross from silver.

While most people are probably unfamiliar with the process of producing fine metals, it is the most intense heat that produces the best silver and gold. When we consider this, we might want to ask if the price of convenience – the automated teller machines, the opt-out button for anything and everything, the “set it and forget it” mentality – might be costing us more than we bargained for.

In fact, the Quran of the Islamic faith extolls the beauty that awaits one behind the pain of growth in that it brings one closer to God:

O man! Verily you are ever toiling on towards your Lord – painfully toiling – but you shall meet Him…

And in the Jewish Talmud we see the benefits of the struggle that comes with the inconvenience of something that we moderns might deem inconvenient or incompatible with our daily, busy lifestyle: the continual effort to refine one’s character:

The study of Torah leads to precision, precision to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to restraint, restraint to purity, purity to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to saintliness, saintliness to the holy spirit, and the holy spirit to life eternal.

From Hinduism, there is the caution against turning a blind eye from the challenges that life will inevitably come our way. By accepting my own personal responsibility to make the tough choices in life to grow and become the people we are meant to be, we become our best friend instead of our own worst enemy:

Man should discover his own reality and not thwart himself.
For he has his self as his only friend, or as his only enemy.
A person has the self as a friend
When he conquered himself
but if he rejects his own reality,
the self will war against him. Bhagavad Gita 6.5-6 (Hinduism)

And last but not least, Confucius reflected on the process of learning through his own life as one of training in order to become truly free:

The Master said, “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty I had planted my feet upon firm ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with a docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.”

All of these passages from the different wisdom traditions point to this truth about our human potential as rooted in the Divine. From this, we can deduce that the pivotal role personal growth – of our hearts, character, maturity, habits whatever pain that might come with it – helps us in fulfilling our divine potential.

So, in the many different choices, decisions that we come up against in our everyday lives, let’s begin to acquire the habit of asking: which are the choices that make us become better, help us to bring out the best in ourselves and which are the easy outs?