A privilege is a responsibility

A privilege is something that is given to us, not necessarily based on merit, but on trust. Whether it's wealth, social status, popularity, influence, or even plain old good luck, these are privileges God has given us with the hope and trust that we will use them to serve the greater good. In this sense, privilege entails a certain responsibility to be a conduit whereby more people can receive benefit.

Th opposing attitude when receiving privilege is self-centered, where we think that we deserve the benefit ourselves and others do not. Yet if we reflect deeper, we recognize that ultimately nothing in this world was of our doing, but was given to us as a gift with no strings attached. With this view, how can we claim anything we receive as ours and ours alone?

The only sensible attitude is to offer everything with which we are privileged for the lofty purpose of benefiting mankind.

I was privileged to eat this delectable sushi with my parents on New Year's eve.
This is my way of sharing my precious experience with you!

The one person you must always check

The one person I must always watch out for is none other than myself. If I cannot release my own ambitions, greed, lust, and arrogance, how can I take care of or guide anyone else?

That is why the greatest battle is always inside oneself.

Do you respect your parents?

Mom and I at Route 2 in Washington, December 2014

Without our parents, we would not exist. Our parents not only give us our identity but they create the healthy environment that allow us to grow to maturity. In short, we should respect our parents, if only for these simple, fundamental reasons.

But how do we respect our parents? In the Eastern, Confucian tradition, it is emphasized that children strictly obey their parents instructions, yet in Western culture based on Enlightenment-era thinking, children are encouraged to become independent, self-sufficient and find their own sense of fulfillment, however they may choose to find it. As a son of a Japanese mom and American dad, I think there is a balance somewhere between those two, but I think there are also are aspects where both of these traditions are lacking. I believe what brings parents the greatest joy is to see their children fulfill their deepest held ideals.

Why do I believe that? Because, simply put, life is short. In one life, there is only so much that we can do and accomplish. But if our deepest held ideals and dreams can live on through our children and our children's children as a family tradition, how much more joy and happiness will that bring us?

And what could bring a child greater fulfillment, than to bring one's parents joy that lasts far beyond one lifetime? Especially if the ideals are noble and grand, making a family tradition of pursuing those ideals paints one of the most beautiful images I can think of.

Can you feel the winds of history?

 

The signing of the Declaration
of Independence, July 4th, 1776

It's interesting to read about 'historical people', because we can see what it was about their mindset that allowed them to make such a grand footprint in the backdrop of history. 

One thing I have noticed is that historical people usually recognize that they have been given unique and extra-ordinary responsibility and they tremble and cringe at the thought of taking on that responsibility, though in the end they do so full-heartedly. 

George Washington recognized that he was the best fitted American of his time to take the role of commander-in-chief of the American army, yet he acknowledged in private letters the weight of the task and his feeling of being unqualified for the tremendous role, though in the end by all accounts he performed the job spectacularly.

Similarly, I feel that we need to feel the winds of history in our daily actions, recognizing the significance and importance of each moment in the backdrop of eons of human endeavor, if we want to make a significant contribution worthy of being remembered. That perspective and prudence in daily life is the starting point for any historical achievement.

Perseverance and spirit

"Perseverance and spirit have one wonders in all ages" -General George Washington

I'm reading the book, "1776" by David McCullough, and I'm finding it remarkable how true this quote by George Washington is when looking at our nation's history. The "rag-tag" colonies and the farmers and country boys who volunteered for the American cause in the Revolution were surely out-skilled and under-equipped in comparison with the British forces.

Yet as time and time again history has shown, the greatest strength of any peoples is their passion and zeal for their cause. This is a reminder for daily life that we should put our whole effort into any cause we undertake if we want to live a meaningful legacy.

World Interfaith Harmony is only the beginning

"Faith is often criticized as an instigator of conflict.  However, Global Peace Foundation and many organizations that promote interfaith cooperation, believe in the moral imperative of faith leaders to be catalysts for peace and social cohesion." (quoted from GPF article "Every Week is Good for Interfaith"  

I could not agree more with the assertion being made by the Global Peace Foundation in this quote. In spite of the negative stigma of religion in mainstream media as the cause of conflict, in our personal experiences most people recognize that faith is what brings us together, that bonds our families, that is the moral glue of our communities.

Interfaith forum at the Global Peace Convention 2013 in Malaysia

In truth, it is a shame that as people of faith we have allowed the politicization of our core beliefs in some radical circles to justify horrendous violence and hatred. That is why during this 'World Interfaith Harmony Week', it is a fitting time to come together as faith leaders and re-affirm the common core ethical principles and shared values that we all profess to be the true nature of faith as a vehicle for peace.

That is why I was so happy to read about the work of GPF in Nigeria with interfaith retreats that remind faith and youth leaders of our most essential identity as 'One Family Under God', which is the basis to overcome prejudice and misunderstandings between disparate groups. Let's continue this type of positive efforts that faith leaders are best at as the most genuine and accurate expression of faith. In truth, "World Interfaith Harmony" is only the beginning. It is having people of faith work together to create a peaceful world that should be our greater aspiration.

Never do something half-hearted

I realized that if you are going to do something, you should put 100% of your effort into it. Otherwise, you don't get a full experience and you don't learn a full lesson from that experience.

If we go through life only giving half our effort in every task, we end up with a whole lot of meaningless experiences that don't really teach us anything, because we don't know what would have really happened if we put in our whole sincerity.