IGNITING A NEW CULTURE: LEADERSHIP OF "SOFT POWER" AND HEART

If I had to summarize in a few bullet points or paragraph my experience during a 10-day marathon of empowering, inspiring events related to our Co-Founders' birthdays, this is what I would say:

It is time to ignite a new culture, a culture of heart, peace, joy, innocence, and creativity as leaders -- young and older, men and women -- using our expertise and knowledge to create that culture together.

On the occasion of her 74th birthday and her late husband's 97th, the woman of action who is Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon not only celebrated her birthday with 25,000 people, dignitaries, and youth from around the world but also demonstrated her capable leadership as a woman who operates from a mother's heart, giving to others for the sake of all humanity.

Dr. Moon was personally involved in the planning and execution of eight huge, stellar events, ranging from the World Peace Summit of Parliamentarians for Peace to launching and relaunching relevant organizations, especially in the area of sciences and the arts, all for the sake of making world peace a reality -- with the highlight event being the awarding of the annual SunHak Peace Prize to two utterly outstanding recipients.

She encouraged the various audiences she addressed to be leaders who lead with the heart of a mother, a more feminine style of leadership based on "soft power" and leadership of the heart, and who guide the people they are responsible for and truly care for through their own examples and lifestyle of living for the sake of others.

Sakena Yacobi receiving the SunHak Peace Prize from Dr. Moon.

Dr. Moon believes that the sciences and the arts should be used to create a positive environment for peace, and that knowledge should be used to solve the many problems and ills of the world, creating a culture of what she calls "Hyo Jung" (Korean for "the filial heart of a child") -- in other words, a culture of innocence, authenticity, genuineness, and goodness without any shadows.

We all were able to experience that heart and culture, especially during her birthday celebration, when she had her and her late husband's favorite foods prepared in lunch boxes that each of the 20,000 people present received, along with a personal letter from Dr. Moon (please read). Then she ate together with the great assemblage.

As the leader ultimately responsible for everything at the festivities, Dr. Moon personally invested herself in all the events and programs, such as the World Summit, the SunHak Peace Prize award ceremony, the relaunching of the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences and the Professors World Peace Academy (two organizations founded by her husband decades ago), and also the launching of several entirely new organizations, such as the International Hyo Jung Cultural Center and the Hyo Jung Academic Center.

Gino Strada Receiving the SunHak Peace Prize from Dr. Moon.

In it and through it all, her motherly heart and touch was seen and profoundly felt, as she also used the opportunity to address several audiences in person, giving it her all. She modeled leadership through example by launching the new projects and reviving old ones, all of which are intended to work to bring to fruition and substantiation the vision her late husband had set out to accomplish some five decades ago. He invested every moment of his life and every ounce of energy to inspire others to become shining rays of hope around the world with a filial heart toward Heaven and exemplary citizens of peace.

Women's Federation for World Peace International also engaged in several meetings and discussions with our international president, Dr. Yeon Ah Moon; with WFWP International vice presidents from around the world; and with our Korean chapter leaders, with whom several smaller nations created sisterhood partnerships to synergize their efforts and resources in order to grow and develop in their countries.

Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon's example of simple elegance, depth of heart, prayer, and hard work inspired women and men during these 10-plus days to double and triple our efforts to be shining rays of hope in a troubled world. What a way to celebrate a birthday!!