Don't take it personally

A lot of times things happen that are out of our control. Yet our natural tendency is to see everything in a narrow perspective based on our own perceptions. Often this leads to an emotional response to the situation - we feel guilt when things go bad and arrogance when things go well.

Yet if we can broaden our perspective and don't just respond out of emotion, we realize that there are many factors at play that are beyond our influence and control that are causing every situation, even in circumstances that seem like we have direct influence.

For example, many times I thought someone was angry at me, but it turns out they were just having personal issues and it wasn't about me. Or when I think I deserve all the credit for a great achievement without recognizing all those who did the heavy lifting for me along the way.

We should always have the wisdom to let our immediate emotional response pass with time and seek the full scope of what is actual happening in any given circumstance.

Meander Meadows - 9/28/14

Universal truths are constant

"Laws change. Social systems crumble. Universal truths are constant. It is a fact, it is a plain fact that what is true and right is true and right for all." -Brad Pitt, 12 Years a Slave

What struck me in this movie was how less than 150 years ago, a practice as inhumane as human slavery could be an accepted social custom.

It was interesting how the movie depicts two slave-owners that are both deeply religious, yet one applies his religion to affirm his belief in the dignity of all people in spite of his own contradictory situation, yet the other intently skews the scripture to support his own brutal treatment of slaves. In reality many slave-owners back then actually deluded themselves to believe, with religious fervor, that people of a certain skin color do not have a soul. It shows that religion or doctrine in itself is not inherently good or bad, it is up to the believers to decide whether or not to pursue a good purpose with sincerity.

This lesson from history also reminds me about the importance of strengthening our conscience to withstand the lies within social customs.

In spite of his own brutal treatment by the general society, the main character in this film clearly did not lose his dignity, but found solace in the soulful hymns that strengthened his conviction in justice based on universal truths.

In the same way we should constantly check our moral compass through investing in our spiritual lives and seeking for universal truths established by God.

Paraguay-Korea cooperation

I was inspired by a recent symposium on a Paraguay-Korea alliance that I had the opportunity to listen in on last week. (You can read about it on the Global Peace Foundation website's landing page here.)

The main topic of the symposium was about building an alliance between Korea and Paraguay for the development and prosperity of both nations.

What struck me was to see how having a strong vision, principles, and values is essential to the success of even a complex task like nation-building. Without a foundation of a common ethical code, even a nation's development is hindered because its companies are less likely to receive foreign investment due to a lack of trust in the long-term stability of that company.

Carlos Gustavo Fernandez Valdovinos, President of Central Bank of Paraguay

I realized that modern developed countries (including the United States and Korea), have gradually forfeited their moral foundations rooted in traditional family values and culture in the hastened pursuit of economic advancement and development.

Recognizing this demerit, I’m very intrigued with the solution presented in this symposium of pursuing moral and economic development in tandem. I believe this will be a historic symposium in solving the ethical and humanitarian challenges facing our world.

One step at a time

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" -Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Usually it's hard to feel the significance of the small things we do to achieve a larger goal because they don't immediately show their impact. Yet looking back after we have reached our goal, we can recognize clearly the significance of every ounce of effort we made.

That's why when we're in the thick of a great undertaking and we're getting discouraged by constant challenges, we should remember the end goal we are striving for and recognize that our perseverance is not in vain.

I realize this especially in nature when climbing a big mountain and then looking back at the distance I crossed. It's amazing to see what can be accomplished with time and steady effort.

It's the same in life. By putting one foot in front of the other, eventually we find ourselves at our destination.

Spider Gap, Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA - July 7th, 2013

Appreciating our heritage

Recently I reflected about the importance of appreciating the investment made by those who paved the path that we now stand on. Countless of our ancestors and past heroes must have been through the same and greater challenges that I myself am facing in my time. Thinking about their sacrifices, it puts into perspective how small the challenges that I face really are and it leaves no room for complaint.

Tobacco Root Mountains, Montana - Summer 2012

Sincerity moves mountains

Nothing is more powerful than a person with a sincere mind to accomplish a certain ideal. That is why putting ourselves in situations that help us cultivate and solidify a sincere mind is so important.

The best environment to cultivate sincerity is in a challenging environment that tests our will and threatens our personal comforts. We should seek out these environments as our training ground where we set aside personal comforts to center our thoughts on fulfilling a greater objective.

One such place I like to go for this training is in nature. Nature is a place that is uncompromising in its lessons yet always consistent in the principles that it teaches.

Tobacco Root Moutains - Summer 2011

Agape love and One Family Under God

"Certainly I would hope that agape is the driving force in our movement. It is certainly the ideal for which we aim."

-Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., Letter to Robert Epstein, 1962

The most noble ideal professed by all the major faith traditions and implemented in great civil movements is that of agape love, which is a love that is not only unconditional in motive but which is indiscriminate regardless of situation or affiliation.

This is precisely the ideal that will allow the vision of One Family Under God to be realized, because it is the driving force that can allow all of humanity to be embraced within it's breadth to bring the human family into unity.

My friends of diverse faiths and ethnicities advancing solidarity during the Global Peace Convention 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last December