Reflections on the first One Million Global Rally for Hope: Looking in the Mirror!
The virtual audience from around the world cheering on screen during the Rally of Hope
On Saturday, August 8th I had the opportunity to attend a global virtual rally as an interactive participant (live streamed and telecast from Korea on August 9th, local time) which reached over one million viewers from around the world. It was a singular experience representing the United States and WFWP USA as a virtual audience. Each of our faces were projected on a giant screen set up in front of the stage and we interacted live with the speakers and performers. There were several prominent speakers (which you can read about here) including the main address from WFWP Founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
Reflecting on Dr. Moon’s speech, a few things stood out to me. She spoke about how human history has been a sad one filled with conflict. Conflict is continuously happening around the world, so it’s difficult to see a future filled with hope. She advocated that the major change that we have to make is to have God, our Heavenly Parent, at the center of all that we do; the self-centeredness which is rampant causes so much suffering. God created this world with so much love and wants us to live in harmony and happiness. Without understanding and connecting to our Creator, we continuously fail to bring about that world.
As I listened to all this, I also thought about how to translate these inspiring words into our daily lives. If the first major step, as Dr. Moon said, is to put God at the center, how do we do that in practical terms? How often do I think about God during the day? If I am honest, the answer would have to be not that often. How often do I take time to spiritually consult with our Creator, go inward and ask my divinely given intuition when making an important decision? Perhaps the answer would be even less. Pastor Paula White noted that since God is the author of peace, we can find that inner peace when our mind and hearts are focused on God. As Senegalese President Macky Sall stated in his keynote address, peace doesn’t happen by chance. It takes our intentional, daily effort to make it real.
What is the next step? All of the speakers echoed the need to work together in order to build peace. If history is any indication, “working together” has proven one of the most difficult things to accomplish. Too often our differences become a stumbling block to true collaboration. The rampant selfishness that Dr. Moon mentioned at best makes us complacent to the issues which require a unified solution and at worst makes us seek to benefit ourselves or our group at the expense of others. Too often, seeking to work together interdependently in practice means I want others to come over to my way of thinking.
I am reminded of a quote from Sephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: “Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are — or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open our mouths to describe what we see, we in effect describe ourselves, our perceptions, our paradigms. When other people disagree with us, we immediately think something is wrong with them.”
When someone describes a different perspective, however uncomfortable, maybe it’s a chance not to defend myself and how I must surely be right. Perhaps it’s a chance to know and understand that person — and others who have a similar perspective — on a deeper level. Listen not to judge or evaluate, but as Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh says, listen for the sake of understanding. Listen to also see how God is speaking uniquely to them. What life experiences have led them to this point? What trials, tribulations, or trauma may they have endured? How has their own walk with God led them to finding their inner strengths, talents, and abilities?
As I write this, I am also looking in the mirror and thinking of the things that I must also change. I feel it is high time to listen to the advice Dr. Moon gave, that in order to build a world that we all desire filled with happiness and without the pain and suffering we see on the news every single day, we cannot be satisfied with just leading our own comfortable lives. We must reach out to each other, share our blessings, understand each other with compassion, and live for each others’ sake. Any feeling of “I am right, you are wrong” is a block to truly caring for others. What can I do today, tomorrow, to understand the viewpoint of someone who is different than me? What are my own “colored glasses” which are creating a hindrance to connecting with and uplifting others? How can I see how God is working through others?
I hope you will join me to continuously reflect on ourselves, our thoughts, and actions, and never stop striving to critically adjust ourselves to being more in tune with God’s heart in our relationships, seeing from others’ viewpoints, and sharing heartistically with each other.