PEACE in your MIND

 

PEACE in your MIND

What comes to your mind when you think about the date March 14^th?

In Korea, March 14^th is called “White day” when women receive sweets, especially candies, from their lovers. It is like “Valentine’s day” but Koreans treat Valentine’s Day as the day of women giving chocolates to their lovers whereas on White days, they receive candies in return for Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately, many people still don’t know what happened on this very day 7 years ago. Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) proclaimed the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) on March 14^th, 2016. Drafted with the participation of international law experts from 15 countries, DPCW aims to achieve sustainable peace by promoting the universal values of the global community. DPCW consists of 10 articles and 38 clauses and embodies the principles and measures for preventing and resolving conflicts and sustaining a peaceful global society.

The year 2023 is the 7^th annual commemoration of the DPCW. With the theme of “Institutional Peace: Strengthening Communication to Build Trust,” the annual commemoration was celebrated by people from 41 countries and from various social fields. I would like to share my thoughts and impression I got from watching the commemoration through Youtube live stream.

First of all, I myself am not very far away from war. I neglect the fact that Korea is still in a state of war. I think the Korean War is still ongoing as we are in a state of truce. Meaning we are still in danger of war. As a generation who did not experience war, it is hard to imagine what it is like to be in a war. However, having been living a life without war does not mean that I am 100 percent safe from war. In the state of truce, I am actually living a life where the treat of war is always around me. If we can find an answer to realize and sustain peace, not only within Korea but also around the world, we can free ourselves from concerns about war.  

Secondly, I saw hope that peace is not of daydream. Mindanao has gone through 40 years of war and conflict. Think about it, can you imagine that this place could restore peace after 40 years of war? Many people would also doubt that peace would continue and remain even if they stopped the war. However, Mindanao ended its prolonged war which forced more than 120,000 innocent people to death. What is more surprising is that they are keeping this peace. How is this possible? Because citizens are actively taking part in keeping this peace. People know the value of peace because they are the living witnesses of war. People are the ones who suffered from war and they no longer sit and wait for others to give them peace. They are the main characters to keep the peace they have achieved because they know how precious this peace is for them. Referring to what has happened in Mindanao, I believe that I myself and other normal citizens should be the guardians of peace. In other words, we people have the power to make a global society with feasible and sustainable peace.

Lastly, I was so surprised how many people are so enthusiastic about peace. It is so amazing to see that the room was full of people to join the annual commemoration. What it means is that many people want peace and know the importance of realizing and keeping peace. Peace is a good thing. Because no one has ever lived in a world with peace guaranteed under any circumstances, we don’t know or understand how wonderful it is. I believe that people have a strong desire to seek and experience true peace in their hearts somewhere that these people gather together to support peace.

What I hope is that this annual commemoration gives our readers to think about “peace;” what is means to you and what do you feel about it? I hope the 7^th annual commemoration of DPCW provides opportunities to meditate on peace and helps you to sew a seed of seeking peace in your mind.