WOMEN’S AND MOTHERS’ ROLE IN TODAY’S WORLD
WFWP USA President Angelika Selle Speaking
What is your challenge as a woman leader? How can men support women? How do you feel about being a woman? These were some of the questions WFWP USA President Angelika Selle posed during her engaging presentation, "Women's and Mothers' Role in Healing Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Nation," presented to the Northern Virginia Chapter on Saturday, October 18. These thought-provoking questions were discussed by the participants during the breakout sessions as well.
Mrs. Maria Rodriguez was the emcee and shared some enlightening statistics during her introduction. Among them: There have come to be 50 women CEOs in the world and 20 women presidents or prime ministers. She declared that women's leadership with a heart of reconciliation is the key to unlocking world peace.
Mrs. Selle gave two presentations: 1) what it means to be a woman in today's world and 2) the vision and goals of WFWP. Women, she said, are being called to heal themselves and then to work to heal the nation. The founders of WFWP and the organization's philosophy and teachings, she pointed out, are what make WFWP unique. She then proceeded to elucidate how that philosophy connects to women today.
Other points she made included the following:
Until recently, the world was mainly ruled by men and men's ways. Yet peace has not come to the world. Women have historically been considered a man's possession with no public voice. In many cultures, women are still dehumanized.
The first woman who wounded God's heart the most lost her innocence, creativity, and identity. And because of that, women have been struggling to regain what was lost, struggling to find their true place in society.
In 1992, the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon proclaimed the beginning of the era of women, and that God, our Heavenly Parent, had ordained that. The same year, he and his wife inaugurated Women's Federation for World Peace, and encouraged women to play the key role in peacemaking in the world, based on their innate qualities of compassion, empathy, nurturing, and leading through service.
The core of that change is the mother's heart, a heart that does not judge, but always finds a way to uplift. The mother has the authority and power from God to do this.
Women can play a key role in reversing the failures of the past and healing ourselves and then helping others heal. We need to let go of past resentments and hurts, and heal with a smile, a soft-spoken word, a song, or a poem.
Women alone cannot save the world; partnering with men can.
There were men, women, and young ladies present during the presentations and discussions. These participants gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman leader, of how leadership can often be done without a position or title, of the value of men's support for women, of how women can work to develop the confidence to lead with heart. They were able to connect with and understand more clearly the vision and mission of WFWP.
