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SGI Quarterly A Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education ISSN 1341-6510 Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine Number 58 IN THIS ISSUE: The Passion and Energy of Youth October 2009

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Page 1: Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine … Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine Number 58 ... Getting connected for peace (p. 14) Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine

SGIQuarterlyA Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education

ISSN 1341-6510

Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine Number 58

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Passion andEnergy of Youth

October 2009

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Getting connected for peace (p. 14)

Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine Number 58

SGIQuarterly

The SGI Quarterly aims to highlight initiatives and perspectives onpeace, education and culture and to provide information about theSGI’s activities around the world. The views expressed are not nec-essarily those of the SGI. The editorial team (see inside back cover)welcomes ideas and comments from readers.

C O N T E N T SFeature:

The Passion and Energy of Youth .......................................1Living Your Commitment: A Discussion with Kimmie Weeks ............................................................2An Active ProfileInterview with Melanie Poole .............................................5Making a Difference From an Interview with Tanawat Phaovibul ........................7Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainabilityby Dominic Stucker .............................................................8Telling Earth’s Stories Prioritizing Climate Awareness by Ssekika Edward ........10Colombia, Witness to Climate Change by Maria C. Valencia ........................................................11

A Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education

October 2009

Finding a way to make a difference (p. 2)H

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The Other Person’s Point of View ....................................12Blogging for a ChangeA Discussion with Mona Eltahawy ...................................14New Perspectives From an Interview with Tian Yuan ...................................15

People:A Piece of Ourselves by Julie Bygraves ...........................16Acting Locally by Yongjie Yon ........................................17

Portraits of Global Citizens: ....................................................18Rajiv Gandhi—A Life of Selfless Commitment to the People by Daisaku Ikeda

Around the World: ..................................................................20Preparing for the Parliament; Interfaith Dialogue inSingapore; Typhoon Relief in Taiwan; Art Exhibitions inHong Kong and Malaysia; Human Rights Training; NuclearAbolition Proposal; “Victory Over Violence” Exhibitions;Speakers on Climate Change and Nonviolence Address SGI-USA; Tree Planting in Mexico

Beyond Borders: .....................................................................24China—Restoring an Ancient Bond

On Vocation: ...........................................................................26Young Entrepreneurs

Buddhism in Daily Life: ...........................................................28Youthfulness

Rising concern in Colombia (p. 11)

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Josei Toda (1900–58), the second president of the Soka Gakkai, declared toward the end of his life thatthe 21st century would be created by the power and passion of youth. Having witnessed the tragic riseof Japanese militarism and the devastation of World War II, Toda saw in the qualities of youth—

conviction, courage, hope, revolt against injustice, the inherent energy of change—the possibility ofredirecting the current of history toward a universal ideal of peace. He knew that this could only happen ifyoung people were given the chance to exercise responsibility and the opportunity to display and developtheir potential; if they were inspired by humane ideals and life-to-life encouragement. This hope and trust inthe capabilities of youth continues to underlie the SGI’s global movement for peace, culture and education.

“Youth” does not signify simply a particular age range. As the poet Samuel Ullman wrote, “Youth is nota time of life; it is a state of mind . . . Nobody grows old by merely a number of years. We grow old bydeserting our ideals.” To believe in youth is to believe in human potential—that it is never too early, or toolate, to begin to live an engaged life, and never time to cease doing so.

It is in the belief that now, more than ever, the world requires of each of us the energetic, youthfulpursuit of creative and constructive ideals, that this issue of the SGI Quarterly looks at how young peoplearound the world today are discovering and giving expression to a spirit of activism and socialcontribution.

1SGI Quarterly October 2009

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SGI-USA Youth: I also want to make acontribution to society, especially toyoung people. Day to day, the mostchallenging thing is to maintain mydetermination. How do you maintainyours?Kimmie Weeks: I remember veryclearly my time together in the civilwar with my mother. Now, I was 10years old when the war was going on,a greedy kid! Whatever tiny little bitof food was available, my mom wouldpass it to me before she ate anything.Of course, as a kid I wasn’t thinking,“Oh, wait, my mom hasn’t eaten any-thing; let me ration this and leavesome for her.” It wasn’t until later thatI looked back and could see the sacri-fice she made every day. That, andlooking at all the other women who gothrough what my mom wentthrough—all the women in war, allthe fathers in war—that’s a drivingforce for me, because if I can impact afamily so that a mother doesn’t haveto go through what my mother wentthrough, a father doesn’t have towatch his children die, then that

always feels like I am paying back mymom for all the times that I ate all thefood.

But the second thing—I could givea hundred speeches and you couldwatch all the videos on YouTube, butno experience is as powerful as actu-ally going and seeing. That is whatgives me the greatest hope: meetingpeople in the poorest communitieswho have hope, people in the mostextreme circumstances who are say-

“All I remember is feeling mymom shaking my body, and me

waking up. I had no idea that I was lying on a pile

of dead bodies.”

2 SGI Quarterly October 2009

Living Your Commitment: A Discussion with Kimmie WeeksLiving Your Commitment: A Discussion with Kimmie WeeksLiving Your Commitment: A Discussion with Kimmie Weeks

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Kimmie Weeks, born in 1981, was nine years old when Liberia’s brutal civil war began. He and his mother tookrefuge in a displacement center, where many people died from hunger and disease. Kimmie became so ill that hispulse seemed to have stopped. Staff at the center believed he was dead and put his body with those of scores of otherchildren who had died. His mother, refusing to believe he was dead, searched through the bodies to find him andsucceeded in reviving him. Kimmie describes how, shortly after that, he made a personal vow to dedicate his life toensuring other children would not have to endure similar conditions. At the age of 13, Kimmie began organizing with other young people in Liberia to promote child rights. WhileLiberia’s war continued to rage, he developed an organization called the Children’s Disarmament Campaign, whichlobbied for the disarmament of the thousands of children being used as soldiers by various factions in the war. As the campaign grew, the Liberian government of Charles Taylor attempted to have Kimmie assassinated. Kimmie,now 17, was able to escape over the border to Cote d’Ivoire, and was granted political asylum in the United States.There, he founded Youth Action International (www.youthactioninternational.org), a nonprofit organizationworking to rebuild war-torn African communities.In January 2009, Kimmie was a speaker in SGI-USA’s Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series, in New YorkCity. As part of the series, speakers engage in a Q&A with SGI-USA youth representatives prior to delivering theirspeeches. Below is an excerpt of that discussion.

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3SGI Quarterly October 2009

ing, “I know there’s a better tomor-row, and I’ll fight and do everythingI can to see that tomorrow.” If theycan be hopeful, why can’t we whohave been blessed with so manyresources? You must see a lot of things you wantto try and fix. What advice do youhave for getting things accomplishedand not just being overwhelmed?

Each year Youth Action Interna-tional interns travel and work with usin various parts of Africa. It’s usuallytheir first trip to a postwar Africancountry. For the first week, they’re justtrying to get over the fact that they’vecome into a community whereabsolutely nothing’s working, andwherever you turn there is an issue.Imagine the burden of that; becausewe have particular projects we do,and we can’t solve all the problems inthe countries that we’re working in.So for them it’s very frustrating.

Over time, it sinks in that even ifyou’re doing what you would con-sider the smallest thing, it’s a part ofa larger picture—and being comfort-able about that. The strength is in thatrealization.

When Youth Action Internationalstarted, we were just trying to doeverything everywhere. And I real-

ized at some point that we have tofocus and narrow it down, and I haveto reach the point where I am at easeknowing that I can’t do everything,but that we are doing something. Thekey is to do something.Do you have any memory of that expe-rience when your mother found you ona pile of dead bodies?

Yes, that was the critical turningpoint. I didn’t realize what had hap-pened; all I remember is feeling mymom shaking my body, and me wak-ing up. I had no idea that I was lyingon a pile of dead bodies, or anythinglike that.

It was after that, when sheexplained to me what had happened,there was this sense of “You can liveyour life to make sure nobody goesthrough this.” And that’s been thejourney ever since. So whenever Itravel to a poor community and I seethe children who are suffering, it hitsme in a very personal way—I knowwhat they’re going through, I knowwhat it feels like. And that’s an addi-tional push to want to do more. And

yes, it’s very difficult going to a placesometimes and realizing that we don’thave the resources to help everybody. Can you talk about your experience ofconfronting the injustice in Liberia? Itmust have required a lot of courage.

When I started the first organizationin 1994, we were a bunch of kids.When it came to funding, nobodyknew how to deal with kids writingand asking for money. We wrote lotsof letters to UNICEF asking for differ-ent kinds of aid and were alwaysrejected, because they thought, “It’s abunch of kids; they’re going to go buycandy.”

Then finally, a group of us startedtalking about children’s disarmament,saying if we can’t get the guns awayfrom everybody, let’s try to get themaway from the children. So we startedwriting proposals, thinking they weregoing to be rejected. Then UNICEFdecided they would support that par-ticular project. Of course we allthought, “Oh no, now we’ve got to goand talk to rebel leaders and war-lords!” But we did.

It was very, very scary. We hadnever done this before. We had theoption of not doing it—we could havejust walked away from it and nothingwould have happened. For us it was

An impromptu peace rally in the Liberian capital of Monrovia in 2003, during the country’s civil war

“The energy and passion that asmall group of us had, started tobecome almost viral and spread

to kids across the country.”

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about building up the strength to doit, and the integrity to keep on. I wasabout 16 at that time. Ultimately thekey was realizing that our goal wasbeing achieved. The rebel leaders thatwe met were signing our petition andrecording messages saying that thekids fighting for them should disarmby the end of 1996; which was justincredible, because they had neverdone it before.

I think the energy and passion that asmall group of us had, started tobecome almost viral and spread to kidsacross the country who, because theysaw someone standingup and setting an exam-ple, were willing tostand up and do thesame. I think that’s hap-pened in every massmovement. If a personbelieves in somethingstrongly, they can castenough energy and lightthat other people canconnect with and join in,and it starts to build.And people don’t seethat coming. That’s thebeauty of grassrootsorganizing.What can each of us doin our lives, right now,for countries like Liberia?

I often tell people thatI think there are answersto that question withineverybody. Everybody has a differentcalling—a different purpose, or mis-sion. If I said to everyone here, I wantyou all to go out and start makingspeeches because that will change theworld—maybe that’s not your thing.You might do it for a few weeks, butafter a while it’s going to dwindleaway and stop altogether. But if youfind that thing that moves you anddrives you, and go and do it, thechances of you burning out will beslim, because there will always be thisinternal thing driving you. It’s aboutpeople finding that and connecting.

In the Children’s Disarmament

Campaign in Liberia, we never said topeople, “You must be a part of thiscampaign.” Our very first peacefuldemonstrations were just the mem-bers of our organization—5 or 10 peo-ple—then we had 20, and then we had30. And then more people started toget involved.

I think there is tremendous powerand potential in young people, ifyoung people could unite and moveforward together.

Can you share a little more about thevow you made, and about the impor-tance of having a vow?

The interesting thing is that when Imade that vow I was very young, so Ididn’t know what I was going to do. Imean, now, when I say I am going todo something, I set a goal and I worktoward it. But at that point—at 10—Ihad no idea what I would be doing. Ijust said that if I survive, this will bemy life’s commitment.

The second aspect of that wasbeing able to follow through after thewar. Because it would have been veryeasy after we came back to normalcy

to have said to myself, “Well, I was10, I was hungry, and I didn’t knowbetter,” and made an excuse to dosomething else. And I think that isthe key for everybody who makes avow, or a promise, whatever youwant to call it: to follow through.Because you can make as many vowsas you want, and it doesn’t matterunless you follow through. You dealt with rebel leaders who putweapons in the hands of children, andyou speak about people who are com-pletely oblivious of poverty—which ismore of a threat in the world, people

who are evil, or peoplewho don’t even want toknow about the prob-lems?

During the first post-war Liberian elections,the American ambas-sador to Liberia at thattime said something tothe effect that there aremore good people inLiberia than bad people,and it’s time for thegood people to win.And I think that holdstrue for this scenario.There are people whodo a lot of evil. If youtake the Liberian war,you could probablyname about 10 to 15people, probably less,who had the most to do

with engineering that conflict. Andthat happens across the world, wherethere are just a handful of bad people,whereas the good people who areasleep number millions. So I think thekey issue is waking up those peoplewho are sleeping. Because that’s prob-ably doing more harm to the world. Ithink that once everybody awakens—awakens to this brilliance that’s insideeveryone—then we’ll be able to shinesuch a bright light that we will knockout the evil guys! Because they are sofew. We’ve got power in numbers; butit’s realizing that, coming together.We’d be able to do so much.�

4 SGI Quarterly October 2009

“Find that thing that moves youand drives you, and go and do it.”

Kimmie during a tour of refugee camps in Sierra Leone in 2005, his first trip back to Africasince being forced into exile

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SGI Quarterly: How did you getinvolved in the UN youth delegateprogram?Melanie Poole: I was involved in alot of community activities in highschool, and afterwards I worked andtraveled in developing countries. Inever imagined that these experienceswould result in me one day address-ing the General Assembly, but I havelearned that through doing things thatfeel meaningful, one inevitably seemsto land in the right place.SGIQ:What happens once you’ve

been selected as a delegate, inAustralia?MP: It’s a one-year position,

with eight weeks at theUN Headquarters in

New York. You spend half of the yeardoing a consultation in Australia, cov-ering every state and territory, inorder to build a mandate from whichto represent young people. I was ableto spend a whole month of my con-sultation visiting indigenous commu-nities. It was an amazing opportunityto connect with people and hear theirstories. I think it’s very important tohave that emotional experience tocomplement your intellectual under-standing.SGIQ: What were your first impres-sions when you arrived at the UN?MP: The first couple of weeks weresimply surreal. I’d be walking downthe hallway and bumping shoulderswith people like Tony Blair,Ahmadinejad, Bono . . . all sorts ofpeople. There were seminars in small

rooms along the hallway constantly,and people like Jeffrey Sachs would begiving talks, and you could go in andhave quite a lengthy chat with themafterwards.

Our focus was working on the ThirdCommittee of the General Assembly,which deals with human rights issues.The focus last year was indigenousissues, women’s issues and youthissues.

The key opportunities to be ayouth advocate at the UN were first-ly a seven-minute speech that eachcountry’s youth representativemakes to the Third Committee of the

General Assembly.

Melanie on the Pakistan/Tajikistan border

An Active ProfileInterview with Melanie PooleAs one way of involving youth in its processes, the United Nations allows for the inclusion of youth delegates ineach country’s official delegation. Melanie Poole, 25, was one of two Australian youth delegates to the 63rd sessionof the UN General Assembly in 2008. Since finishing high school, Melanie’s interest in community and volunteerwork has led to her working with AIDS orphans and refugees in Kenya, young women in Pakistan and indigenousyouth in Australia. She is currently finishing her degrees in Law and Arts at the Australian National University.

5SGI Quarterly October 2009

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I did feel some disconnect between allof the information I had collected inAustralia and the level to which Icould actually communicate any ofthat. But we were able to get across themain things that young people wereconcerned about—things like climatechange and women’s equality andindigenous issues—and also we usedthe speech to really make the case foryouth participation in internationaldecision-making.

But it was a side event that I orga-nized along with the Dutch youthrepresentative that was the mostmeaningful thing I did over there. Myview of why the UN needs youngpeople is that young people can bevery honest and candid. There is somuch political speak there, and theycan cut through some of that and sug-gest bold ideas. So I got as ourkeynote speaker a young African-American woman from Harlem, Aja-Monet Bacquie, whom I had met at awomen’s conference. She is a youthactivist for a lot of young people fromthe housing projects and is also amoving and bold spoken-word poet.

I was quite nervous about how shewas going to be received, because theUN is such a formal setting. No oneever claps for anyone, but when shefinished speaking the whole roomburst into applause.

The UN is its own little world—diplomats rarely have time to stepoutside of it. So it was very moving tohave this young woman come andsay, “If you get on the subway and

travel for 15 minutes, then these arethe lives that you would be comingacross,” and to talk about what life islike for young African-American peo-ple in Harlem in the housing projects.

And because we were having a dis-cussion about the Millennium Devel-opment Goals, she was able to say,“That all sounds great, but if you wentto the project I lived in and you asked

people there what poverty was, theywouldn’t talk about any of the thingsyou’ve mentioned.” And then shegave a much broader description ofwhat poverty was, that brought inthings like a lack of control over yourlife, lack of a voice, lack of an ability toparticipate. She was saying things thatwere so intuitive, but no one had eventhought about them.

I think part of the downside of theUN is that, as much as I have a lot ofoptimism in its ability to provide aforum for progressive change, I alsoencountered a lot of cynicism andrigidity and politics there. I think thatyoung people standing up and pre-senting those candid perspectives canserve to remind people what they’redoing there. SGIQ: What was your impression ofthe way that the youth delegates areseen and listened to?MP: The main problem is that we arenot very visible. If there were 192youth representatives, I think thatwould make a huge difference. Lastyear we were a group of about 17.People don’t know who we are; theyjust assume that we’re interns.

I was also worried that young peo-ple in developing countries were notwell represented. SGIQ: There are a lot of young peoplewho want to be involved in making adifference in the world, but who doubtthey are able to make a difference. MP: Being involved in communityprograms gives you a really tangiblesense of the difference you can make.For example, when I was in Pakistanin 2007 interviewing young women, Icame across so many overwhelming-ly inspirational people doing amazingthings. They were so isolated and dis-advantaged, and yet they made allthese incredible things happen. Thosestories keep you motivated. Gettingout there and connecting with peoplewho are creating change can convinceyou that you can make a difference.For example, when I met youngwomen who were running girls’schools despite the threat of reprisalfrom Taliban leaders, I thought tomyself, “Well, I really have noexcuse—if they can create changeunder these conditions then surely I,with all the resources and privilegesat my disposal, can too!”

I think we all want to create change,people just get disillusioned. I’verecently started a position in the polit-ical science program at the Australian

6 SGI Quarterly October 2009

“Getting out there andconnecting with people who are

creating change can convinceyou that you can make

a difference.”

With UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Young Kalasha women with Melanie in Pakistan, 2007

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I got involved in the Thai youthdelegate program when I was juststarting my sophomore year atMahidol University. I had beeninvolved in a lot of national andregional public speaking competi-tions and was constantly checkingthe Thai Ministry of Education’swebsite, which is how I came acrosstheir announcement on the searchfor two Thai youth delegates. Theprogram was especially attractiveto me as an international relationsmajor, but I was skeptical about mychances of getting in, because of myinexperience. I applied without muchexpectation, with the determinationthat if I did get in, I’d do my best tobring issues concerning Thai youthand youth in general to the interna-tional stage, and to learn. To my sur-prise, I was accepted.

As I studied international relations,I came to perceive the UN as an orga-nization whose large bureaucracyhampered its ability to fulfill its poten-tial. So, before going, I felt mildlyskeptical about the UN and unsure ifthe voices of the youth would beheard there. I found, however, thatthere were many people, from statesand governmental and nongovern-mental organizations alike, that caredvery much about the perspectives thatyouth were bringing to the UN.

I wanted to convey the Thai youths’

message about developing the qualityof general education (as opposed tosimply expanding access to education)and the desire for greater youth par-ticipation. The opportunity to addressthe Third Committee of the GeneralAssembly and to meet and talk brieflywith the Secretary-General were themost memorable moments for me.

I believe that youth, above all, bringcredibility to the UN. If the UN isgoing to be making decisions thatimpact youth, then it only makes sensethat youth be included in the decision-making process. I realized that youthhave a powerful voice. I was awed bythe skill of some of the more experi-enced youth delegates in navigatingthe UN system in order to put the

youth message across. It inspiredme to think that if young people cando this much at the internationallevel, then it shouldn’t be too hardto do the same on the national level.

After returning to Thailand Ibegan working hard with formerThai youth delegates to pull togeth-er a formal youth delegation net-work to promote and supportyouth participation in this program.I’ve also become more active inspeaking to other youth about whatthey can do to be a part of the deci-

sion-making processes on issues thataffect them.

My experience at the UN has mademe more hopeful about the prospectsof tackling global problems. Althoughthe UN has its own obstacles to over-come, the very fact that there is concernabout the well-being of youth is enoughto keep my hopes up. At the end of theday, I think that’s the single mostimportant thing: people who care.

The problems of the planet are anaccumulation of the small problemsaround each of us—things that we caneach have an impact on. The power ofmaking a difference on a small scale issomething that youth should neverunderestimate.�

Learn more about youth delegates at theUnited Nations and how to become one:www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/youthrep.htm

7SGI Quarterly October 2009

National University focusing onyoung people and climate change.Research has found that the assump-tion that there are particular people insociety who will always be disinter-ested in joining political dialogue, orapathetic about human rights or envi-ronmental issues, for example, isactually a myth. Research hasrevealed a transformation of people’sattitudes when they are asked to par-ticipate in a forum by people who

genuinely want to listen to them.SGIQ: How did you start having thekinds of experiences you’ve talkedabout?MP: I had decided when I was abouteight years old that I was going toAfrica as soon as I finished school, andwhen I was about 16, I started readingabout every volunteer group I couldfind out about.

I was raised in a single-parent fam-ily with a very low income, and I cer-

tainly couldn’t ask my parents to payfor me to go overseas. It was justthrough wanting to do it enough thatI was willing to work the hours I need-ed to save up the money.

The other big thing that I havelearned over and over again is that ifyou ask people for help, generallythey want to help you. And when youdo something that feels meaningful, itreally does seem that that leads you tothe next thing and the next.�

“I believe that youth, above all,bring credibility to the UN.”

Making a DifferenceFrom an interview with Tanawat Phaovibul, aged 19, Thailand

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M ore than 27 percent of theworld’s population isbetween the ages of 10 and

24. There is great untapped potentialin young people that, if activelyengaged, nurtured and connected toresources, is one of the biggest forcesfor change in the world. It is often saidthat youth are the leaders of tomor-row; but this is a myth. In many ways,youth are already leading the way.

As the Earth Charter InternationalYouth Coordinator for over two years,I was privileged to work and interactwith a wide range of young peoplefrom around the world. There are anumber of other myths about youththat I confronted during this time.

A second myth is that there is oneunified youth voice. I have seenactivists go to great lengths to have“the youth voice” heard. Unfortu-nately—in the rare cases when theyget a chance to speak—they are notalways informed about theissues at hand and thereforeend up repeating the demandthat youth be heard. This ispainful for me to watch. Speak-ing of a unified youth voicedoes disservice to the diversityof young people and the rangeof skills, knowledge and valuesthey possess. It is a great losswhen these strengths are notrespected and integrated intootherwise adult-centric organi-zations and processes.

A third myth is that the pres-ence of youth will in itself makethe difference. Yet, young peo-ple are often segregated andmarginalized, even in the mostwell-intentioned processes. Atan international environmentaleducation conference in India,

for example, I initially thought it laud-able that the organizers had estab-lished one of the 30 working groups tofocus on youth. Each working groupwas to contribute recommendations tothe conference declaration, with theexception of the one on youth, whichwas to write its own. The other groupsfocused on content issues: climatechange, sustainable livelihoods, waterand sanitation, World Heritage Sites,fragile ecosystems, etc. Our groupbecame more and more restless, won-dering how our voices would be heardby the other participants and feelingleft out of the larger process.

On the second day of the confer-ence, we could see that we were ontrack to fulfill the quintessential

“inclusion of youth at a conference”model: (1) separate the young peopleto write their own statement, (2) havethem select a representative to readthe youth statement in the final ple-nary and (3) cause adults to weep,applaud and then carry on with theirprevious priorities. This may soundharsh, but it is often true—and stillbetter than not including youth at all.

In This TogetherOur youth working group took

action and made the strategic decisionto go beyond the role prescribed forus. While carrying on with our ownyouth-designed sessions and draftingrecommendations on education forsustainability, we worked with con-ference organizers to get seven youngpeople onto high leverage plenarypanels and two onto the conferencedeclaration drafting committee. Oth-ers, based on their interest and knowl-

edge, joined “adult” workinggroups, bringing their uniqueskills and perspective andreporting back periodically. Inthis way, we contributed aninformed youth voice to manykey working groups, enhancingthe efforts that were under way.The results were a high-qualityyouth declaration and a confer-ence declaration enriched byyoung people’s contributions.

A fourth myth: Youth are ourhope for the future. Yes and no.This is a nice-sounding senti-ment, but I feel this places theburden of past social, environ-mental and economic wrongsunfairly on young people’sshoulders. What would be moreaccurate and inspiring to say isthat we are in this together and,

8 SGI Quarterly October 2009

Intergenerational Partnership forSustainabilityBy Dominic Stucker

Participants in an IPS workshop in India

“The sustainability challenges weface today are so complex that

they are best addressed bydiverse, intergenerational teams.”

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in that togetherness, there is hope forthe future.

It is not enough to dispel myths. Wemust create a shared vision for ourfuture and effective strategies for itsrealization. One such strategy is inter-generational partnership for sustain-ability (IPS). IPS confronts the abovemyths by supporting emerging sus-tainability leaders; celebrating thediversity and special strengths of dif-ferent generations; and engagingyoung people with respect and a will-ingness to envision a common futureand to take action to get there.

The IPS concept was developed in2007 and 2008 through workshops ata number of international environ-ment and sustainability conferences,culminating in a resolution adoptedby the International Union for Con-servation of Nature (IUCN) in whichIPS is defined as: A collaborationbetween people of different genera-tions, geographies and genders, work-ing toward the common vision of a”just, sustainable, and peaceful”world (Earth Charter, 2000). IPS con-sists of the exchange of ideas andexperiences, mutual learning andengaged action, seeking to bridgeintergenerational differences based onrespect for the community of life, theEarth and future generations.

The central goal of IPS is to con-tribute to enhancing current andemerging leadership to helpaddress complex global chal-lenges, especially climate

change, biodiversity loss, poverty andgender inequity.

To help bring IPS out of the realm ofabstract ideal, Frits Hesselink—for-mer chair of the IUCN’s Commissionon Education and Communication(CEC)—and I co-coordinated a“Buddy Experiment” to demonstrateone form of intergenerational part-nership in action. I had met Frits at thelaunch IPS workshop in Ahmedabad,India, in 2007, where the buddy ideawas proposed by one of the partici-pants. Our Buddy Experiment paired80 youth with 80 CEC members forfive months leading up to the IUCNWorld Conservation Congress.

Buddy Experiment participantsreported that they valued the newinspiration, ideas and cross-culturalunderstanding; capacity building,skills development and increased con-fidence; and collaboration on jointprojects that they gained from engag-ing with one another.

The Buddy ExperimentAs we designed, implemented and

evaluated the Buddy Experiment,Frits and I came to see one another asbuddies as well. We drafted the con-

cept paper and application together,with real respect for one another’sideas; we both encouraged partici-pants with monthly discussion topicsuggestions; and we both contributedto the evaluation and report of theExperiment, calling for its furtherimprovement and use by other IUCNCommissions. Importantly, weapproached our project as learners,not fearful of admitting our limita-tions or making mistakes.

Other forms of intergenerationalpartnership include collaborationbetween students and professors;young people engaged in meaningfulinternships, employment or leader-ship positions within an NGO, gov-ernment or business; young peoplebeing integrated in NGO and countrydelegations in global governanceprocesses for sustainability; youthorganizations consulting and work-ing in collaboration with senior col-leagues on peacebuilding and sus-tainability projects; local and indige-nous communities in which exchangeis practiced between generations;and families that actively learn andgrow together.

Intergenerational partnerships canimprove communication and under-standing between different genera-tions; help sustain the values in society,while allowing flexibility for change;enhance sustainability decision-mak-ing and action; and improve intergen-erational equity.

I am convinced that the sustainabil-ity challenges we face today are socomplex that they are best addressedby diverse, intergenerational teamsand communities.�

9SGI Quarterly October 2009

Dominic Stucker isthe Fellows NetworkCoordinator at theS u s t a i n a b i l i t yInstitute in Vermont,

U.S.A., and former Earth CharterInternational Youth Coordinator. Learnmore about IPS and get involved:http://intergenerationalpartner-ship.wikispaces.com/Overview

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I n Uganda, few journalists havereceived any training aroundissues of the environment and cli-

mate change. Ugandan media, espe-cially radio, which serves over 90 per-cent of the population, concentrate onEuropean soccer, politics and comedyrather than educating the local popu-lation on climate change mitigation ordocumenting adaptation.

I have been a science and environ-mental reporter since 2008, havingspent five years working in the media.At one point I was interested in politicsand the environment, but, when Iattended a workshop on climatechange early this year I saw climate asan issue that affects all of us, so I decid-ed to prioritize raising awarenessthrough the media of the negativeimpacts of climate change, as well as ofadaptation and mitigation mecha-nisms. I attended a climate changetraining workshop in Kampala in Aprilthis year, organized by Panos Eastern

Africa with support fromOxfam, and was selected to bepart of a three-month-longmedia fellowship on climatechange.

Uganda and ClimateChange

Prolonged dry spells across Ugandahave been responsible for a severefamine now ravaging 51 districts. Sev-enteen people have died of starvationin the Acholi subregion alone, and atotal of 37 people have been killed byhunger and hunger-related illness inUganda. Hunger is also ravaging theentire Horn of Africa includingKenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Dji-bouti. Environmentalists have attrib-uted this severe famine and starvationto man’s activities.

The destruction of forests and wet-lands, the burning of fossil fuels andcarbon emissions from industries have

been responsible forhuge emissions ofgreenhouse gases intothe atmosphere caus-ing climate change.Charcoal burning hasgreatly contributed tothe destruction offorests. Ninety-five

percent of Uganda’s 30 million peopledepend on wood for cooking.

Climate change has also causedwater shortages in Uganda. In Bulisadistrict, for example, pastoralists areexperiencing difficulty finding waterfor their animals, while in the neigh-boring Hoima district more than 50percent of the boreholes have dried upas a result of the lowering of the watertable caused by prolonged drought.Uganda’s Water and EnvironmentMinister Maria Mutagamba recentlyconfirmed that the country hasbecome water-stressed.

Earth journalism is of paramountimportance, and as a young journalistI am in a position to write climatechange stories. Journalists need to cre-ate a media network and enhance ourcapabilities for environmental report-ing. This can raise awareness and helpdecision makers make informed deci-sions. The increased civic competenceamong the population can help miti-gate the negative effects of climatechange. Journalists are conduits ofpublic information, and the publicmakes decisions based on the infor-mation they have available.�

Ssekika Edward, age 28, writes for TheObserver, Uganda’s leading biweeklynewspaper.

SGI Quarterly October 2009

Telling Earth’s StoriesIn June 2009, the Internews Network, a global media development organization, launched the Earth JournalismAwards to honor professional or nonprofessional journalists promoting awareness of climate change issues. Thewinners will be announced at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen in December. Here, two young earth journalistswho are part of the Internews Network report on the situation in their countries.

Prioritizing Climate AwarenessBy Ssekika Edward

Temperature increases have dramatically changedthe lives of farmers in western Uganda

Walter A

strada/A

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I feel I have a responsibility to warnpeople about the expectedimpacts of climate change. If they

understand its impact on the popula-tion and how this may affect themdirectly, many people would start tobe proactive. However, it requirescommitted journalists who are able todo serious reporting and not just to fol-low scandals and tragedies. I havenoticed a change, with the mediabecoming more focused on in-depthreporting. If the media creates net-works and exchanges information forbetter reporting, there will also bemore pressure on international climatechange discussions for real compro-mises from every country.

Hope in IndigenousPractices

Over the past 10 years, José Domin-go Caldon, a leader of the CoconucoIndian community from the Caucaregion in the southwest of Colombia,has seen how the dry and rainy sea-sons are getting longer all the time.

Before, he says, the indigenous lead-ers could predict winter and summer,as well as the best time to cultivate andharvest fruits. Now, it is very different,as the weather changes from one dayto the next and people can no longerpredict when the best time to cultivateis. Many crops have been damaged. Inresponse, this community is develop-ing an adaptation plan to reduce theimpact of climate change, with sup-port from the United Nations andsome local authorities. People will no

longer be able to growsome of the crops theyused to grow, which isencouraging a return tosome of the traditionalpractices of cultivation.

“During the long sum-mer there’s no water, assome springs andstreams have dried up,”says José. He is veryworried, but he also seesthe situation as an opportunity forpeople to start respecting nature andreestablishing a balance with it.

“This is the responsibility ofhumans for not caring for and respect-ing the environment,” he points out.

Colombia is significantly affected byclimate change because of the warm-ing of the Pacific Ocean. Increasingtemperatures, rising sea levels andchanging rain cycles are some of thechanges the country is facing. Whileawareness of the threats posed by cli-mate change may not yet be wide-spread among Colombians, it is anissue that affects everyone.

According to Colombia’s Institute ofHydrology, Meteorology and Environ-mental Studies, natural disasters suchas flooding, landslides, storms andfires impacted almost two million peo-ple in Colombia during 2008. Thecomplex effects of climate change willincrease and intensify the incidence ofsuch extreme events, and the moststrongly impacted will be the poorest

and most vulnerable insociety. The seriousnessof this issue—and theimportance of adaptationand mitigation efforts—becomes clear when oneconsiders the human tollthreatened by naturaldisasters.

Climate change is alsochanging the pattern andnature of agriculture in

the high mountains, and there will bean increase in areas where mosquitoesthat transmit malaria and other dis-eases can thrive. Coastal areas, hometo some of the poorest communities inColombia, are threatened by flooding.

For these reasons I try to focus onclimate change in my reporting; thisisn’t just a matter for environmental-ists to focus on, but also for civil soci-ety in general, economists, businessesand, of course, government. TheCopenhagen climate summit inDecember 2009 offers a great challengeto every nation.

I have also modified my personalbehavior as I learn about this phe-nomenon. I now try to use energymore efficiently and to recycle. Ibelieve that if more people learn aboutwhat they can do at home to protectthe environment, they will choose tochange, especially young people, forwhom changing habits might be easi-er and who, in the end, will be mostaffected by climate change.�

Maria C. Valencia, age 33, is a ClimateChange Media Partner and writes for ElTiempo in Bogotá, Colombia.

11SGI Quarterly October 2009

“This isn’t just a matter forenvironmentalists.”

Sea level rise will affect the coastal population,the poorest in Colombia

Colombia, Witness to Climate ChangeBy Maria C. Valencia

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Learning to QuestionZuber Mohamed, age 19, Muslim At the beginning, we didn’t really

know what was going on; we werejust going along with it. None of usknew what the actual aim of the pro-ject was. One of the things that welearned is that all human beings arecurious; when you are a little child,you are able to ask questions withoutthinking, “I wonder how he willreact?” But, as you get older, you maystill want to learn about things, butyou find it hard to ask questions. Inthis project, we brought out all theissues that the media focus on but wedon’t want to talk about—for exam-ple, women wearing hijab; priests andpedophilia; Buddhists and self-harm.Everybody brings the stereotypes outin the open, and it is much easier totalk about them. Then people aremore comfortable asking questionsabout the real issues.

In multi-faith groups, people mightsay, “You shouldn’t have stereo-types.” But that won’t really help youget rid of your stereotypes. The pro-ject helped bring everyone back tobasics: “We are all human, we are allworking together, we have a lot morethings in common than differences.”Through this we became a well-con-nected group able to talk openly withone another.

When you ask questions, people canget defensive and think, “Why is he

asking me that sort of question? Whatis he trying to say?” We covered cer-tain topical issues such as the war inIraq. We started to understand, “OK,so that’s why you lot are saying this,and that’s why we’re saying this.” Itwas face-to-face.

The main intention, in mostdebates, is about getting your pointacross, but the point of appreciativeinquiry is to understand the otherperson’s point of view. One personhardly spoke at all, but he was just lis-tening to everybody, and he was ableto give more rounded opinions. Ilearned that to give the best answer,you have to get everybody’s opinion,ask what everybody’s saying andthen give your answer.

I am studying at university for an

economics and finance degree, and Imanufacture perfume and designclothing. Learning about groupdynamics, how to speak and listen topeople, has helped me a lot. When Ispeak to people of other faiths, I nor-mally get defensive; after going to theThree Faiths workshop I don’t.

Getting to the TruthSharlette Reid, age 25, Christian I learned how to discuss with other

people on a deeper level. Many of usare very knowledgeable about ourown ideologies, but the facilitatorsbreak down the barriers in order todiscover the commonalities betweendifferent faiths. The more you get toknow individuals, experiences andopinions from other faiths, the moreyou get past media stereotypes. Weengaged in topical debates, and wefound we were also divided withinour faith groups over different issues.After all, we are still individuals what-ever faith we belong to.

12 SGI Quarterly October 2009

The Other Person’s Point of View The Three Faiths Community Project in London, U.K., aims to create a new and dynamic kind of active citizenshipby helping young people transcend differences and develop a vision for the transformation of their communities. Agovernment-funded SGI-UK initiative set up with Tooting and Balham Mosques, the New Testament AssemblyCentre in Tooting and the South London National Centre of SGI-UK in March 2008, the project involves youngpeople in workshops and discussions that confront religious and racial polarization. Three participants reflect ontheir involvement in the initiative.

“The project helped bringeveryone back to basics: ‘We are

all human, we have a lot morethings in common than

differences.’”

Zuber Mohamed Sharlette Reid Gemma Novis

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13SGI Quarterly October 2009

The more we learn about one anoth-er, the more we learn to appreciate thatwe don’t know it all. And you learn toappreciate that another person’s truthdoesn’t have to be your truth.

Today there are many divided cul-tural experiences. We need to spendtime getting to know one another, tostart to become more open to oneanother without people takingoffense or getting alienated. We needto learn the truth behind our faith orreligion.

I am a teaching assistant workingin a school, and I am about to do anMA in Education, Society and Policy.Cohesion is a huge topic. We can useThree Faiths as a template in schoolsto give people from other culturalbackgrounds more of an insight.With Three Faiths we are not afraidto challenge other people about whatthey believe. At work and at school,we receive a lot of information, butwe are often passive hearers andlearners of information.

The group started in March 2008and is still meeting now. We are orga-nizing a conference with Sadiq Khan,the first Muslim cabinet minister inBritain, with members of other faithsas well.

A Courageous EndeavorGemma Novis, age 29, Buddhist We were asked to share our person-

al histories with the whole group.

From past experience and the media Iunderstood that both Christians andMuslims rejected same-sex relation-ships, and felt quite fearful of disclos-ing my relationship status in thatenvironment. However, in the end Ichose to share my personal history,and in that moment my experiencetransformed. By overcoming my fears,I was able to form friendships withmembers of the group, which provedmy fears of rejection completelyungrounded. From this experience Ilearned that dialogue is a courageousendeavor.

I work as an Equality and DiversityCoordinator for the National HealthService (NHS) in Lewisham. I amaware that we each have the potentialto label different groups of peoplenegatively, absorb stereotypes via themedia, become fearful of differences,feel inferior or superior toward othersand, as a result, become angry with orplace blame upon whole groups ofpeople. These feelings all limit howfar we can connect with one anotherin society. Appreciative inquiry is theaction of asking ourselves if we areletting anything dominate our expe-riences of interacting with others; ask-ing what has shaped our context, ourviews of others, how we feel, act orreact around certain individuals orgroups; how we behave and responddifferentially to various individualsor groups for any reason. Theanswers to the questions we ask of

ourselves then allow us the choice toeither change our thoughts, wordsand actions, or not.

I realized that I should not allowmyself to be dominated by stereotyp-ical thinking, as this separates mefrom others. I should be courageous inbeing myself in all circumstances.Through the opportunity to spendmore time reflecting on the part I mayhave played in allowing racism tocontinue in society, I have now chosenand committed myself to enable oth-ers to learn about appreciative inquiryand to speak out against negativemessages. I am inspired to never becomplacent and to make efforts tochallenge myself in order to see dis-criminatory thinking and behaviorscome to an end.

I think the methodology used in theproject is suited to people of all agesbut would like to see it used withyoung people in particular. The pro-ject has shown me how young peopleof different faiths can join togetherand challenge social injustice—allthree faiths can work toward the cre-ation of peace in society.

It is important that as young peopleof faith we use our energy to create abetter way of doing and being whichbenefits all people. For example, if allyoung people who practice a religionunite together and take action to seean end to racism in society, then Ibelieve we will see magnificent shiftsin how society and institutions oper-ate. Young people are also the leadersof the future, so the impact of this pro-ject will be far-reaching and, hopeful-ly, sustained.�

“We need to start to becomemore open to one another

without people taking offense orgetting alienated.”

“Young people of different faithscan join together and challenge

social injustice.”

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SGI-USA Youth: Can youdescribe the course thatyou’re teaching?Mona Eltahawy: It looks atmedia in the Arab world. Mycontention is that the groupsthat are most marginalized inthe Arab world—young peo-ple and women—are rarelyrepresented in the media andin power, so they have creat-ed a new space in the virtualworld, and the virtual worldis now beginning to impactand influence the real world.

Facebook, for example, hasbecome not just a place tomeet and make friends, butmany young people in the Arab worldare using it as a platform for activism.They’ll do all the things that you do—have parties and put pictures up thenext day—but they will also organizestrikes, or they will organize charita-ble drives. For example, there was arockslide in Egypt last September in avery poor neighborhood, and a lot ofyoung people on Facebook organizedto get blankets and food and to go andhelp, because the government was notable to meet that demand.

Do any of you blog?I have a personal blog. I write aboutthings I learned during the day. It’sjust personal stuff.

During the feminist movement inthe 60s and 70s, the phrase “the per-sonal is political” became very popu-lar, and I believe that this is what is atthe heart of blogging. You said it’s just

personal, but that’s very important,because when you blog about “justthe personal,” you matter, you count.When you take that into the context ofthe parts of the world that I writeabout—which has always been aboutthe leaders, about the family, or thetribe or the group that you belong to—when you as the individual start toblog, you’re saying, “I count.” Andthat is very political, because you arechallenging the power structure thattells you, “You don’t count.” What can we as individuals do tocontribute to the blossoming of a cul-ture of peace in the Middle East—where does that effort start?

You are lucky because yourgeneration can be in touchwith your peers in ways thatmy generation never could,because you can go onlinenow and meet them on Face-book and talk to them on theirblogs. You can communicatewith these activists who arefighting for human rights,education, freedom of wor-ship, gay and lesbian rights—these are all being fought forright now; it’s a very excitingtime. You can meet them andask, “As an American wholives in New York, what can Ido?” And I think that some of

the things that they will tell you willbe “Try to influence your officials,who are allies of our government.”But there are also joint projects thatyou can do. You can blog together.You can have virtual conferencestogether. The Internet is a virtualworld amazing in its possibilities. You speak at many universities—what is it that you hope to impart toyoung people?

The world is for young people. Youhave to make it the world that youwant. And what excites me aboutyoung people is this idea of “what canI do?” Every person has the power tobring about change. For me words arevery important, because that’s what Ido. Muslims are taught that the firstword from God was “read.” So it’sintegral to my idea of religion andspirituality to read and express your-

14 SGI Quarterly October 2009

Blogging for a ChangeA Discussion With Mona EltahawyMona Eltahawy is a syndicated columnist and public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues, one of a few writerswhose essays appear regularly in both the western and Arab press. Egyptian by birth, she grew up in London andSaudi Arabia, and has lived in the U.S.A. since 2000. She taught a course on Media and the Arab World at The NewSchool in New York City in the 2009 spring semester and will teach a course on Women and New Media in the ArabWorld at the University for Peace in Costa Rica for the fall 2009 semester. In February 2009, she was a speaker in theSGI-USA Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series in New York City. Speakers also customarily hold adiscussion with SGI-USA youth members. Below are some excerpts from this discussion, focusing on the influence ofblogging and social network sites on the Internet.

“When you start to blog, you’resaying, ‘I count’; you are

challenging the power structurethat tells you, ‘You don’t count.’”

Mona, center foreground, at the SGI-USA New York Culture Center

Man

uel E

lias

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Our generation—born in the1980s—is quite different from othergenerations. From the time we were inprimary school we were under a lot ofpressure to study. Our lives were verylimited, between school and home.Your view, your knowledge, every-thing was very limited. You lived inyour small, isolated world. We’d getup at 6 in the morning, go to school at7, and go back home at 8 or 9 p.m. It’slike doing a very stressful, demandingoffice job. You’re always worriedabout examinations, which is like aconstant fear of being fired.

That time was very dark and veryimportant to me, so when I graduatedfrom high school, I decided to writeabout it. At the time, it felt to me likebeing underwater. I wanted to see theworld but I could not. I just saw a veryvague image of the world. But when Igraduated and went to Beijing, it waslike coming out of the water andclimbing up a hill. I could see moreand more, and became more andmore open and happy. I guess a lot of

young people had that kind of experi-ence. You look at yourself and askyourself what happened during thattime, and think about what to do inthe future.

China’s developing very quickly—maybe too fast. There may be a lot ofproblems now, but, on the other hand,

I feel confident that China can changevery quickly. The speed is astonishing.

When I was 10 or 11, I didn’t evenknow what a computer was, but twoyears later it felt like we were living inthe Internet. Everything in our liveswas connected to the Internet andcomputers.

Our generation grew up in a multi-media environment, so I think wehave more passion and more ways toexpress ourselves. There are a lot ofother young people like me whowrite, or act, or sing or do art. Thereare more and more young peopledoing different things. You see a lot ofindependent labels and music, andindependent brands, and there arevirtual communities developingaround people’s interests. It’s not like10 years ago when most people likedone thing; the choice was very limit-ed. Music, culture, writing is moreand more private and personal now.

Our generation is increasinglyactive. Little by little, we’re shapingthe way society is developing.�

15SGI Quarterly October 2009

self. It’s very important,because that’s how weknow each other, byexpressing ourselves.Now you can do that onthis very powerful medi-um that can connect youto someone in Malaysia, inEgypt, in South Africa—that’s an amazing net-work that was never evendreamed of when I wasyour age.

I met a blogger inMalaysia who told mesomething that really gaveme insight into how blogscan break down barriers.

He said to me that for a long time hewas very anti-Semitic—he hated Israeland hated Jews. But during theLebanon war in 2006, he began to hearabout Israeli bloggers and started totalk to them online. He had never com-municated with a Jewish personbefore, and he said it changed hismind completely. He began to under-stand how Israelis think, and what it’slike to be Jewish. He’s not anti-Semiticanymore and wants to visit Israel oneof these days. So look what happenedwhen this young man went online andmet other young people that he wouldnormally never have the chance tomeet, and they began to talk. Look atthe barriers they broke down.�

New PerspectivesTian Yuan, born in 1985, is a Chinese novelist, singer (previously lead singer and lyricist for the group Hopscotch),and award-winning actress (Butterfly, Gao Xing) living in Beijing. Her second and most recent novel, DoubleMono, was published in 2007. She spoke to the SGI Quarterly about the inspiration for her writing and how a newgeneration of Chinese youth are defining themselves.

The blogosphere is becoming a bastion of free speech in the Arab world

Caroline Taix/A

FP

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SGI members experiences in faith

16 SGI Quarterly October 2009

W hen I started to practiceBuddhism while at theUniversity of Manchester,

my ideas about my longer-termcareer started to crystallize into adesire to work in environmentalconservation. I was studying ecolo-gy and Spanish, and my courseincluded a year in Barcelona study-ing forest growth, gaining fluencyin Spanish.

After graduating, despite a lackof financial resources, I found waysto undertake some voluntary workin Madagascar, where I conductedecological researchon coral reefs andhelped provideinformation to sup-port local people’scalls for the protec-tion of their naturalresources. I saw herethat the key to pro-tecting the coralreefs was to workwith people. Otherwork for a researchorganization broad-ened my perspec-tive on the linksbetween conflict,threats to humanrights, the land and the environment.I saw that the areas with the richestwildlife and natural resources areoften areas where there are complexemergencies and humanitarian crisescaused by conflict and extremepoverty. These experiences helpedme understand more clearly thanever the importance of the humanelement in environmental protection.

I returned to university to com-plete a Master’s degree in Environ-mental Policy, and left for the secondtime in 2004, at the age of 25, excitedabout the prospect of working forenvironmental conservation. Butthis excitement soon gave way to asense of frustration at the difficulty

of finding paid work in this field. Iworked in some short-term jobs, andcontinued to hold onto my determi-nation to work in environmentalpolicy, but often struggled with thefeeling that things weren’t changingor moving forward for me.

I knew that change had to startfrom me. I began to develop the atti-tude that my life isn’t just about sur-viving or solving problems thatarise, it’s about taking a proactiveapproach to life, where I set out todo something and continue comewhat may, focusing all the time on

my long-term aims, seeing setbacksin their longer-term context.

My great treasure from this timeis the encouragement I receivedfrom people I met through SGI-UK,who helped me see that, wherever Iworked, I could find joy there and away of making a positive contribu-tion to society, and that this trans-formation would enable me to moveforward.

Through my Buddhist practice Ialso developed my confidence andability to encourage others and sup-port them in fulfilling their owndreams.

I believe a fulfilling life is aboutstriving to create happiness, among

friends, family, the local communityand the workplace. I started to takeaction and build joy in every area ofmy life, for example through talkingto my local council about the localpark, which resulted in childrenfrom the local school becominginvolved in a tree-planting day.

I have now worked for a centralgovernment agency for four years,and find it amazing that in manyways what I do builds on the skills Ideveloped at times when my jobseemed most irrelevant. I started ina short-term support role, which

developed intoworking now in anarea which I havealways felt mostpassionate about:forest protectionand restoration. Mywork includes help-ing bring in newapproaches to pre-vent illegal logging,which is a majordriver of tropicaldeforestation, aswell as helping tobring colleaguestogether to solveproblems, making

new links between our work areasand putting policies into a broadercontext. My ability to do this hasemerged from having worked withpeople from all walks of life in jobsthroughout my career.

I am motivated by the wish tochange the tendency to see wildlifesimply in terms of its value in main-taining human livelihoods and secu-rity. While this is important, Ibelieve we need to recognize that inlosing habitats and wildlife in ourenvironment, we are losing a pieceof ourselves. With this motivation, Iwould like to ensure space is madefor nature and wildlife in every cor-ner of our lives.�

A Piece of Ourselves By Julie Bygraves, U.K.

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17SGI Quarterly October 2009

G rowing up in Singapore, Ifound the highly competi-tive educational environ-

ment very difficult. Being often atthe bottom of my class and some-times even my school, I had no con-fidence and was very timid and shyaround people. It was during thistime that my parents, being mem-bers of the SGI, encouraged me topractice Nichiren Buddhism. I beganto take more responsibility in mystudies and gradually improved mygrades; however, I was still very self-conscious and lacked the confidenceto aspire for anything.

Although I was quiteyoung, I clearly rememberhearing SGI PresidentDaisaku Ikeda’s encourage-ment to believe in ourunique abilities and contri-butions. At the time, I didn’treally understand what hemeant, or believe that a per-son like me could contributeto society. But as I grewolder, his words and exam-ple inspired me to want tobecome more involved inthe community.

In 1996, when I was in10th grade, my family and Iemigrated to Canada. There,together with the SGI Vancouveryouth, I helped found the SGI-Cana-da Vancouver Youth Earth CharterCommittee in the summer of 2003.My determination was to buildfriendship and trust in the commu-nity.

Although I was still a shy and self-conscious person, I forced myself tovisit a number of organizations inVancouver to introduce the vision ofthe Earth Charter, which is a decla-ration of fundamental ethical princi-ples for building a just, sustainableand peaceful global society.

The experience of speaking to like-minded people inspired me to start

thinking about a career in which Icould work for the betterment ofsociety. However, I didn’t knowwhere to begin or what to do exceptto continue supporting the EarthCharter and volunteering in the com-munity. Through this engagement, Ihave been involved in many simplegrassroots projects, from organizingstreet cleaning, recycling campaignsand movie forums on sustainabilityto organizing conferences, exhibi-tions and workshops.

I have also had the privilege ofmeeting many incredible individu-

als who have showed me the great-ness of the human heart and havereminded me what I heard manyyears ago about the preciousness oflife and the unique mission of everyindividual.

I believe strongly that environ-mental devastation originates fromthe minds of human beings, and Iam fully convinced that through dia-logue and engagement we canunlock life’s unlimited potential andimprove society. As Mr. Ikedawrites, “No matter how complexglobal challenges may seem, wemust remember that it is we our-selves who have given rise to them.

It is therefore impossible that theyare beyond our power as humanbeings to resolve. Returning to ourhumanity, reforming and openingup the inner capacities of our lives,can enable reform and empower-ment on a global scale.”

My own experiences and an inter-est in the issues around care for theelderly came together in my deci-sion to study gerontology at SimonFraser University (SFU) in Vancou-ver, researching ageism and elderabuse. My background of workingwith youth gave me the possibility

to explore intergenerationalprojects with seniors in mycommunity, and, togetherwith my colleagues, I havefounded a not-for-profitorganization to encouragecollaborative intergenera-tional projects with the goalof empowering seniors andyouth.

While completing mydegree, I am also interningwith the government ofCanada in the Departmentof Human Resources andSkills Development as ajunior social research policyanalyst.

In 2007, I was awarded aFederal Scholarship. I still tend tosee myself as the shy, unconfidentand struggling student, but duringthe awards reception I was intro-duced by the President of SFU asone of Canada’s top, brightest schol-ars. This is a world away from beinglabeled one of the dumbest studentsin the school.

Looking back, I feel deep appreci-ation for all my experiences of work-ing for sustainability. I am deter-mined to continue to act on theinspiration I received from SGI Pres-ident Ikeda to open the path of peacethrough dialogue and communityengagement.�

Acting Locally By Yongjie Yon, Canada

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T he first time I met the late IndianPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi(1944–91), he struck me as a man

of unshakable determination, a manwho was prepared to risk his life for hisbeliefs.

His grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru(1889–1964), the first prime minister ofindependent India, and his mother wasIndira Gandhi (1917–84), Nehru’sdaughter and India’s third prime minis-ter. The destiny of India, the world’slargest democracy, had rested in thisfamily’s hands for many years. From thetime Indira was four or five years old,her entire family was actively involvedin the Indian independence movementunder the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi(1869–1948).

The police were constant visitors toher home. Indira’s father and grandfa-ther, and eventually even her mother,were arrested. Then, at the age of 24,Indira herself was imprisoned. Shespent 11 months in a stifling hot, dirtycell, mistreated by her captors. Theauthorities took a particularly harsh atti-tude toward women offenders, becausethey feared the resistance movementgaining widespread support amongwomen as well.

Rajiv, Indira’s eldest son, was born theyear after she was released. Her father,Nehru, still in prison, was overjoyed. Itwas he who named the boy Rajiv, whichmeans “lotus” in Hindi. True to hisnamesake, the boy was a loving, nobleand purehearted child.

On January 29, 1948, Indira visitedMahatma Gandhi, bringing along three-and-a-half-year-old Rajiv. Gandhigreeted them warmly, jauntily wearing aBengali straw hat. As Gandhi squatted onthe floor, Rajiv played with the Mahatma’sfeet, putting flowers on his toes.

It was the very next day that Mahat-ma Gandhi was assassinated, gunneddown by a young Hindu fanatic.

Later, Indira Gandhi wrote, “Littledid we guess that we would never see

his wide, toothless smile again, nor feelthe glow of his protection.”

Another thing that none of themcould have guessed was that all threegathered there on that day were fated tomeet violent deaths at the hands ofassassins.

When Destiny CallsRajiv Gandhi grew up and became a

pilot for Indian Airlines. He lovednature and the arts, and he did notseem inclined toward a career in poli-tics. In 1968, he married Sonia, a youngItalian woman he had met while theywere both studying at Cambridge Uni-versity. They seemed destined to lead a

peaceful and happy life. But in 1980, fate took a sudden and

unexpected turn. Rajiv’s younger broth-er Sanjay, a representative in India’slower house of parliament, was killed inan airplane crash. The death of Sanjay,who was to have been his mother’spolitical successor, propelled Rajiv intomaking the decision to enter politics.

Just four years later, on October 31,1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi waskilled by her Sikh bodyguards.

When her last will and testament werediscovered, it was clear that she hadanticipated the possibility of an untime-ly death. Yet she wrote: “No hate is darkenough to overshadow the extent of mylove for my people and my country; noforce is strong enough to divert me frommy purpose and my endeavor to takethis country forward.” And as an expres-sion of that love, she said: “I wouldrather die standing up than lying down.”

SGI Quarterly October 200918

An essay by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda from a series based on his meetingswith inspiring individuals from around the world

Rajiv Gandhi—A Life of SelflessCommitment to the People

“Let us remove the mentalpartitions which obstruct the

ennobling vision of the humanfamily linked together inpeace and prosperity.”

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After his mother’s death, Rajiv Gandhiwas considered the most suitable candi-date to fill the office of prime minister.He was 40 years old at the time.

When he had decided to accept themandate that had been passed on tohim in this tragic fashion, he took thehand of his wife, Sonia, hugged her andtold her that he had no choice. He alsowrote out a will, stating as his final wishthat no matter what happened to him,he wanted to rest in eternity beside hisdear wife.

Farsighted ViewA man who is prepared to die is afraid

of nothing. The young prime ministerset his sights on the 21st century, andscored one achievement after another.He liberalized the economy, bringing inforeign capital and technology, leadingto considerable economic growth. Hemade peace with China and Pakistan,with which relations had beenstrained for a long time. While he wasprime minister, Mikhail Gorbachevbecame secretary-general of the Sovi-et Union, and the experiment to cre-ate a new century by a new genera-tion of leaders began to change theworld.

The year after his inauguration, Imet Prime Minister Gandhi for thefirst time at the State Guesthouse inTokyo, immediately after he had fin-ished delivering a speech before theJapanese Diet on November 29, 1985.

In his speech, he said: “Let usremove the mental partitions whichobstruct the ennobling vision of thehuman family linked together in peaceand prosperity. The Buddha’s mes-sage of compassion is the very condi-tion of human survival in our age.”

I told him that as a Buddhist I feltgreat concord with this message fromIndia. The prime minister alwaysemphasized his conviction thatIndia’s ethos of nonviolence and tol-erance would benefit the world in its

quest for peace and justice. His smile was warm,

and his large eyes wereclear and luminous. Hisbearing was dignified andgraceful—he had a sub-lime charisma. When hespoke of his high hopes foryouth and his belief in theimportance of improvingthe role of women in soci-ety, I saw the illuminationof the coming century. Iwas struck by the enor-mous possibilities he encompassed.

And then, in May 1991, a tragedystruck that shook the world. During anelection tour, a suicide bomber killedRajiv Gandhi. On this campaign, thoughknowing the danger he faced anddespite the warnings of his advisers, heinsisted on going out among the people.

Across India, time stopped. Flags werelowered to half-mast around the world,as people everywhere mourned his loss.Dr. B. N. Pande, Mahatma Gandhi’sdirect disciple, commented: “The besttribute to Rajiv is to foster communalharmony, fraternal feelings among allthe communities and safeguard the

country’s unity and integrity.” The following year, in February

1992, I visited India and laid flowersat Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial. I also vis-ited Sonia Gandhi at her home.

Though there may be torrentialdownpours and dark nights, if oneweathers them, one will be greeted bya dazzling morning aglow with hap-piness. The deeper your suffering, thebrighter and more luminous the hap-piness that will greet you on thedawn. The lives of those who havesuffered the greatest tragedy willshine with the greatest brilliance. Aswe spoke about her husband, I sharedthese sentiments with Sonia Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi gave himself whole-heartedly to his country to the very lastmoment. In the same way, we our-selves can decide whether what befallsus is our fate or our mission. The mostimportant question, therefore, is whatwe dedicate our life to. The strength orweakness of our determination iswhat makes the difference between alife at the mercy of fate and a noble lifeshining with purpose.�

19SGI Quarterly October 2009

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (center) with her sons Rajiv (left) and Sanjay, in 1977

SGI President Ikeda and Rajiv Gandhi in Tokyo, November 29, 1985

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20 SGI Quarterly October 2009

SGI’s global activities for peace,education and culture

In December 2009, the city of Mel-bourne, Australia, will play host to theworld’s largest interfaith gathering, theParliament of the World’s Religions.During the months of April throughJune, SGI organizations in the UnitedStates and Spain participated in a vari-ety of preparatory events for this fifthparliament.

On April 19, SGI-USA’s World PeaceIkeda Auditorium in Santa Monica,California, hosted the Los AngelesPre-Parliament Event of the SouthernCalifornia Committee for a Parliament ofthe World’s Religions (SCCPWR). Some300 people representing 20 religiousgroups attended.

The forum, whose theme was “Hear-ing Each Other, Healing the Earth”—the official theme of the Melbourne par-liament—offered a unique opportunityto address the pressing concerns of

humanity from religiousand spiritual perspectives.It featured musical perfor-mances, an interfaith ser-vice, interactive workshopsand an art exhibition.

SGI-Spain cohosted asimilar event, the fourthCatalan Parliament of Reli-gions, on June 14, at theUniversity of Lleida (UdL)in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. Titled “Spir-ituality, Women and Society: Unity inDiversity,” the gathering was organizedby the UNESCO Association of Lleidaand attended by 800 people.

As an opening event for the CatalanParliament, “The Lotus Sutra—A Mes-sage of Peace and Harmonious Coexis-tence” exhibition was on display at theLleida Public Library from April 28 to

May 16. Some 5,000 citizens visited theexhibition, which was cosponsored byUdL, the UNESCO Association of Llei-da, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy(IOP), the Institute of Oriental Manu-scripts of the Russian Academy of Sci-ences and SGI-Spain.

The exhibition displayed facsimilesand romanized texts of Lotus Sutramanuscripts published by the SokaGakkai, including a recently publishededition of a Sanskrit Lotus Sutra manu-script from the British Library, as well as52 photographic panels and displays ofitems such as relics, documents, manu-scripts and different editions of theLotus Sutra.

In conjunction with the exhibition,representatives of the IOP participatedin a symposium entitled “A Dialoguebetween East and West—Toward SocialCohesion and Harmonious Coexistence”on April 29, which was held at UdL.

Two Singapore Soka Association(SSA) youth division representativesengaged in an interfaith session orga-nized by the Islamic Religious Councilof Singapore (MUIS) at the HarmonyCentre on May 23. The special sessionwas held in conjunction with a visit bydistinguished guest the Grand Mufti ofSyria, Sheikh Ahmad Badr Al-DinHassoun, a well-known promoter ofinterfaith dialogue, under MUIS’s Dis-tinguished Visitor Programme. Hisaddress at the event, attended by local

youth leaders from various religiousgroups, focused on the role of youth inpromoting interfaith exchanges.

During a question-and-answer ses-sion, one SSA representative asked howto enable the present generation of Sin-gaporean youth to understand theimportance of promoting racial and reli-gious harmony when they had not per-sonally experienced such disputes orconflicts. In response, the Grand Muftistressed the importance of dialogue andtaking the initiative to understand dif-ferent religions and cultures, especiallywithin the multiracial, multireligiouscontext of Singapore.

SGI-USA Peace and Community Relations DirectorIan McIlraith at the SCCPWR event

Preparing for the Parliament

Interfaith Dialogue in Singapore

Symposium at the University of Lleida, Spain

Lotus Sutra exhibition in Lleida

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Art Exhibitionsin Hong Kongand Malaysia

On June 5, the exhibition “Works byMasters of Chinese Painting and Callig-raphy from Guangzhou” opened at theSGI-Hong Kong Culture Center. Theevent, cohosted by SGI-Hong Kong, the

Guangzhou Federation of Literary andArt Circles and the Guangzhou People’sAssociation for Friendship with ForeignCountries, featured the works of 80artists from the city of Guangzhou inChina. Organizers also held an exchangemeeting for artists from Hong Kong andGuangzhou on June 6.

The Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM)group in the state of Melaka cohostedthe 17th “International Calligraphy JointExhibition” with the Malaysian Con-

temporary Chinese Painting andCalligraphy Association and theInternational Calligraphy Alliancefrom June 27 to July 5. The event,held at the SGM Melaka CultureCenter, showcased the works ofcalligraphers from Asia and Ocea-nia. Malaysia’s Minister ofTourism Dato’ Seri Dr. Ng YenYen attended the opening.

SGM Secretary-General Koh SiaFeai expressed his belief that cul-ture links the hearts of people, andhis hope that the exhibition wouldfoster international friendship andcultural enrichment.

Human RightsTraining

SGI representative to the UnitedNations in Geneva, Kazunari Fujii, gavea lecture at an Asia-Europe trainingsession for youth leaders on “The Roleof Human Rights Education in Intercul-tural Dialogue—an Asia-Europe per-spective,” held from May 17 to 24 at theCouncil of Europe European YouthCentre in Budapest, Hungary. Thecourse was co-organized by the Singa-pore-based Asia-Europe Foundation.

On May 19, Mr. Fujii spoke on “HumanRights Education and Learning from anAsian Perspective—International Stan-dards of Human Rights and Diversities,”followed by an interactive discussionwith some 30 youth leaders from Europeand Asia who are active in the fields ofculture, peace and human rights.

He focused on overcoming the nega-tive impacts of diversity in multiculturalsocieties and creating a universal cultureof human rights through education.

21SGI Quarterly October 2009

In response to the devastation causedby Typhoon Morakot, which causedheavy flooding and landslides in thecentral and southern parts of Taiwan onAugust 7 and 8, SGI organizations inTaiwan, Macau and Hong Kongresponded with humanitarian assistanceand donations.

On August 9, the Taiwan Soka Asso-ciation (TSA) created temporary Emer-gency Centers in five of its communitycenters in cities in the disaster area suchas Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung. LocalTSA members traveled on bamboo raftsto help people escape their floodedhomes; some distributed food anddrinking water to the victims, othersdonated first-aid materials and somehelped victims clean their homes of mudfrom the flooding. Hundreds of peopleparticipated in these relief activities overa five-day period.

On August 13, TSA General DirectorLin Chao donated 1,000,000 New Tai-wan Dollars (US$30,300) on behalf of

TSA members to Taiwan’s Ministry ofthe Interior to support relief efforts.Members of SGI-Hong Kong also raisedHK$402,000 (US$51,900) in support of

Taiwanese government relief activities. On August 17, SGI-Macau presented

HK$100,000 (US$12,900) to the MacauRed Cross in support of relief in Taiwan.

TSA volunteers Cleaning mud from homes

TSA volunteers walk through flooded streetsP

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Young calligraphers practice the art at the InternationalCalligraphy Joint Exhibition in Malaysia

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“Victory Over Violence” (VOV) is anSGI youth initiative aimed at educatingyoung people so that they can betteridentify and counteract the root causesof violence in their daily lives.

On May 1, 2009, in Waianae on theisland of Oahu, Hawaii, U.S.A., youth

members of SGI-USA’s Westside Areahosted SGI-USA’s VOV exhibition atNanakuli High and IntermediateSchool’s Lei Day Festival.

In addition to explaining exhibit pan-els, youth members engaged festivalgoers in small group discussions cen-tered on how each person can havea positive impact in their immedi-ate environment. The youth alsodonated VOV brochures, buttonsand bookmarks to the school.

SGI-South Africa youth mem-bers also held a VOV event inSoweto, Johannesburg, on June 16in conjunction with the city’s cele-bration of South Africa’s YouthDay. At a public commemorativeevent attended by several thou-sand local residents, SGI-SA youth

hosted an exhibition of South Africanheroes of human rights and presentedmaterials showing the links between thepassive violence of individuals and socialviolence. Dance and song performancesby SGI-SA’s Gauteng Chapter accom-panied the event.

“Victory Over Violence” Exhibitions

22 SGI Quarterly October 2009

Youth at a VOV booth in Hawaii

SGI-South Africa youth members

On September 8, commemorat-ing the 52nd anniversary of secondSoka Gakkai President Josei Toda’santinuclear declaration, SGI Pres-ident Daisaku Ikeda issued a pro-posal outlining concrete stepstoward nuclear abolition.

He stressed that we now have aunique opportunity to strengthengrassroots solidarity and break outof the stagnation which hasdogged the nuclear disarmamentprocess.

Ikeda’s proposal, titled “BuildingGlobal Solidarity Toward NuclearAbolition,” outlines five key steps:

1. The five declared nuclear-weapon states to announce theircommitment to a shared vision of aworld without nuclear weapons atnext year’s NPT (Nuclear Non-Pro-liferation Treaty) Review Conference.

2. The United Nations to establish apanel of experts on nuclear aboli-tion, strengthening collaborativerelations with civil society in the dis-armament process.

3. The states parties to the NPT tostrengthen nonproliferation mecha-nisms and remove obstacles to theelimination of nuclear weapons bythe year 2015.

4. All states to actively cooperate toreduce the role of nuclear weaponsin national security and to advanceon a global scale toward the estab-lishment of security arrangements

that are not dependent onnuclear weapons by the year2015.

5. The world’s people to clearlymanifest their will for the out-lawing of nuclear weaponsand to establish, by the year2015, the international normthat will serve as the founda-tion for a Nuclear WeaponsConvention.

The proposal was highlightedon September 10 at a showing ofthe “Transforming the HumanSpirit” exhibition during the 62ndannual UN Department of PublicInformation/NGO conference in

Mexico City. Ikeda states that in the struggle for

nuclear abolition, “the real enemy thatwe must confront is the way of thinkingthat justifies nuclear weapons; the readi-ness to annihilate others when they areseen as a threat or as a hindrance to therealization of our objectives.”

To read the proposal, go to www.sgi.org/an_proposal0908

The SGI’s “Transforming the Human Spirit” exhition is part of its globalcampaign to promote nuclear abolition

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23SGI Quarterly October 2009

The SGI-USA Culture of Peace Dis-tinguished Speakers Series aims to fos-ter a culture that rejects violence andaddresses the root causes of conflictthrough the power of dialogue. It com-menced in 2007, with lecturers focusingon one or more of the eight action areasdefined by the 1999 UN Declarationand Program of Action on a Culture ofPeace. Speaker events are held in NewYork, Washington D.C. and SantaMonica, California.

Dr. Habiba Gitay, senior environmen-tal specialist at the World Bank Institute,spoke at SGI-USA’s Washington D.C.Culture Center on June 2.

Involved in climate change researchsince the early 1990s, Dr. Gitay is amember of the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, which won theNobel Peace Prize in 2007 together withformer U.S. Vice President Al Gore, for

raising awareness of the social effects ofglobal climate change.

In her lecture, Dr. Gitay emphasizedthat “In our own lives, subtle changescan make a big difference,” and present-ed practical steps that people can take topreserve the environment, such asswitching to more efficient heating andcooling systems, recycling, using publictransportation and buying locally grownproduce. She also noted cases of gov-ernments and ordinary citizens takingaction to safeguard the environment,including the “No Waste by 2010” wastemanagement strategy for Canberra,Australia, and the Special Program forSoil and Water Conservation and Agro-forestry in Burkina Faso.

Dr. Gitay encouraged the audiencemembers to initiate programs in theirown communities to promote environ-mental protection, such as creating recy-cling programs and raising awarenessfor energy conservation in their schoolsor workplaces.

Peace activist the Reverend JamesLawson gave a speech entitled “Strivingto Create the Will to Peace” at the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Resource Center inSanta Monica on June 20. His talk out-lined ways of refocusing America’sresources toward contributing to peace,beginning with individual efforts.

After being imprisoned in 1951 forrefusing to be drafted during the Kore-an War, Rev. Lawson traveled to Indiato study the teachings of nonviolence of

Mahatma Gandhi. In the 1960s, at theurging of Martin Luther King Jr., Rev.Lawson moved to the southern UnitedStates to teach nonviolence. He led Hol-man United Methodist Church in LosAngeles for 25 years, retiring in 1999.Today, he continues to speak out andtrain activists in nonviolence.

In his lecture, Rev. Lawson talkedabout the power of individuals to fosterpeace, and encouraged his listeners totake action in their own spheres ofactivity, including writing to leaders insociety.

Dr. Habiba Gitay

Reverend James Lawson

Speakers on Climate Change and Nonviolence Address SGI-USA

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On June 6, municipal authoritiesand members of SGI-Mexico com-memorated World Environment Day(June 5) by gathering at the ManuelJ. Clouthier Park in San Miguel deAllende and planting an ahuehuetetree (Montezuma Cypress)—nativeto Mexico and famous for living up to400 years and growing to heights of30 to 40 meters.

Donald Patherson, Director ofEnvironment and Ecology of SanMiguel de Allende, welcomed partic-ipants on behalf of the mayor and

announced that, including the plant-ing of the ahuehuete tree, the localadministration has accomplished thegoal of planting 19,000 trees in thecity in one year.

Romualdo Hernández, Director ofthe Municipal Commission of Sportsand Youth Care, thanked SGI-Mex-ico on behalf of the city for plantingsuch a historic tree.

Children who attended the treeplanting tied their wishes to thebranches of the tree to make a com-mitment to caring for it. SGI-Mexico members participate in tree planting

Tree Planting in Mexico

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During the 1960s, the relationshipbetween Japan and China was full oftensions. The two countries had neverconcluded a peace treaty followingWorld War II—Japan did not officiallyrecognize the People’s Republic ofChina, but backed Taiwan as represent-ing the Chinese at the United Nationsand other international forums. By theend of the decade, China itself was in thethroes of the tumultuous Cultural Revo-lution, and the ideological gulf betweenthe two nations was pronounced.

It was against this backdrop thatDaisaku Ikeda issued a proposal on Sep-tember 8, 1968, outlining concrete stepstoward the normalization of diplomaticties between China and Japan. This wasbased on his belief that ending China’sisolation within the international com-munity was an absolute requirement notonly for the stability of Asia, but also forglobal peace. “In today’s nuclear age,”Ikeda said, “it is no exaggeration to saythat whether humanity will be savedfrom total annihilation rests entirely onwhether ties of friendship that transcendnational boundaries can be forged.”

Ikeda was one of the first major fig-ures in Japan to make such a call, and hisspeech met with fierce criticism accus-ing him of pandering to communism.

In October 1969, Ikeda wrote of theimportance of Japan and China signinga peace and friendship treaty. Althoughthe door to restored diplomatic relations

had by then been opened, Ikeda wasconvinced that true normalization couldnot occur as long as it was restricted tothe governmental level. It was necessaryto forge heart-to-heart bonds betweenthe Chinese and Japanese people bycreating bridges of trust and friendship.

As Ikeda writes, “The people are likethe sea. Only when the sea of humanexchange is truly open can vessels of allkinds of exchange sail freely back andforth. Now is the time to promote cul-tural and educational exchange, grass-roots exchange.”

Ikeda made his first visit to China inMay 1974, two years after normalizationof diplomatic relations. It was on his sec-ond visit, on December 5 of the sameyear, that he had the opportunity tomeet with Zhou Enlai (1898–1976).

Premier Zhou had recognized that theSoka Gakkai was an organization thathad arisen from among the people. Heno doubt appreciated the fact that theSoka Gakkai had resisted Japanese mil-itarism during the war and suffered gov-ernment oppression as a result. In hisdealings with Japan, he paid keen atten-tion to whether the individuals or orga-nizations involved could rise above thenarrow framework of nationalism. For aperiod of 10 years before their meeting,Premier Zhou had been in contact withIkeda through such intermediaries asthe statesman Tatsunosuke Takasakiand popular author Sawako Ariyoshi—

both of whom had long been working topromote friendly ties between Japan andChina.

Premier Zhou was in hospital whenIkeda met him, and his condition wasserious. Nevertheless, he was standingat the entrance to the hospital waitingwhen Ikeda arrived. During their dia-logue, Premier Zhou expressed his hopefor an early conclusion of a China-Japanpeace and friendship treaty. Ikeda,struck by the sincerity of Zhou’s words,determined to devote his life to buildingan indestructible bridge of friendshipbetween Japan and China.

A Bridge of FriendshipA few months later, in the spring of

1975, the first exchange students fromthe People’s Republic of China werewelcomed to Soka University, foundedby Ikeda in 1971. The six Chinese stu-dents were the first to formally study inJapan since the establishment of thePeople’s Republic of China in 1949.

As of 2009, Soka University has acad-emic exchange agreements with a totalof 28 Chinese universities includingPeking, Fudan, Wuhan, Shenzhen andShanghai Universities; hundreds of stu-dents and researchers have taken part inthese exchanges over the years.

SGI President Ikeda has visited China10 times since his first trip in 1974. Inaddition, more than 20 delegations fromthe Soka Gakkai’s Youth Division and

SGI Quarterly October 2009

A series chronicling cultural and educational exchange

China—Restoring an Ancient BondChina—Restoring an Ancient BondChina—Restoring an Ancient Bond

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SGI President Ikeda (right) and Mrs. Ikeda (left) with Chinese writer Ba Jin and his family at his home in Shanghai (June 1984); with Chinese exchange students to Soka University in 1998

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Women’s Division have visited Chinasince 1979, while the Doctors’ Divisionhas traveled to China to visit hospitalsand provide medical services. The All-China Youth Federation has visitedJapan 17 times and conductedexchanges with youth representatives ofthe Soka Gakkai.

The 84 honorary doctorates and otheracademic honors that have been award-ed to Ikeda by Chinese universi-ties and the 23 Chinese researchcenters dedicated to studying hislife and philosophy are an indi-cation of the broad impact ofIkeda’s activities to fosterexchange.

Ikeda has always insisted thatthe Japanese acknowledge theextent of their cultural debt toChina, which manifests not onlyin literature and art, but in everywalk of life from the Japanesewriting system, through agricul-ture and technology, to Bud-dhism itself, which was intro-duced to Japan from China viaKorea. Such insistence confronts a still-widespread Japanese nationalism that isantagonistic toward China.

Exhibitions by the Tokyo Fuji ArtMuseum (TFAM), founded by Ikeda,have featured collections of ancientceramics, calligraphy and painting andcan be seen as a form of public educa-tion against such attitudes, demonstrat-ing the shared cultural heritage of thetwo countries.

The most recent exhibition, in 2008, ofitems associated with the famous Chi-nese historical novel The Romance of theThree Kingdoms, included artifacts loanedfrom Chinese and Japanese culturalinstitutions and museums, including 53

designated as Class A Heritage/CulturalProperties of China, displayed togetherfor the first time.

In October 1985, TFAM launched anexhibition titled ”Treasures from Dun-huang, China.” The exhibits consisted ofancient Lotus Sutra manuscripts andantiquities unearthed from the areassurrounding the 2,000-year-old Dun-huang ruins and Mogao Caves, anancient center of Buddhist activity alongthe Silk Road. The excavated articles andLotus Sutra manuscripts were exhibitedoutside of China for the first time. Muchof the credit for the survival of thisunique cultural heritage belongs toChang Shuhong (1904–94), with whom

Ikeda met and conducted numerous dis-cussions. Their dialogue has been pub-lished under the title Tonko no kosai (TheBrilliance of Dunhuang).

Min-On, a cultural organization alsofounded by Ikeda, has been instrumen-tal in fostering exchanges between thetwo countries for many years. The firstof more than 40 Chinese acts to visitJapan at Min-On’s invitation was the

Beijing Artist Group in 1975;they have been followed bynumerous artists representativeof the cultural and ethnic diver-sity of China and the Silk Road,as well as acrobatic troupes andChinese opera.

Ikeda has met with manyChinese literary and culturalfigures, and has published 11dialogues with leading Chinesethinkers. One recently pub-lished dialogue was with therenowned linguist and histori-an Ji Xianlin (1911–2009) inwhich they discuss the natureof Eastern civilization and wis-

dom and responses to the issues facingmodern civilization.

As Ikeda stated in his lecture at PekingUniversity, Beijing, in May 1990: “It isimportant to possess a sense of obliga-tion and to repay our debts. That is whyI believe that Japan must devote its bestefforts to the development and well-being of China, a country to which itowes an incalculable cultural debt . . .We share a long tradition of friendship,and there is much promise that we canwork together to forge a dynamic andgenuine era of peace and stability. Sucha partnership will contribute not only toour own welfare, but to the cause ofpeace in Asia and the entire world.”�

25SGI Quarterly October 2009

“The people are like the sea.Only when the sea of human

exchange is truly open canvessels of all kinds of

exchange sail freely back andforth. Now is the time to

promote cultural andeducational exchange,grassroots exchange.”

Mr. Ikeda and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing, December 1974

Members of a Soka Gakkai friendship exchange delegation with Chinese youth in Shanghai in 2006; the Treasures from Dunhuang exhibition in Tokyo (1985)

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Yow Siow Kooi, 32, from Kedah,Malaysia, has run a stationerywholesale business for the past 10years, employing five people. Shesupplies schools and governmentdepartments.

Rajan Handa, 33, is from NewDelhi, India. For the past nine yearshe has run a business importingand selling state-of-the-art high-tech ambulances and special utilityvehicles, and has recently added ahealth and emergencymanagement solutionsoftware developingcompany.What are the mostenjoyable aspects of yourwork, and what are themost challenging?Rajan Handa: I trulylove my work, and I’mpassionate about achieving thetargets I set for myself each day.Through my job, I get to interactwith people who are leaders intheir field, even meeting heads ofstate, and that gives me immenseprofessional gratification. I also getto travel to different countries andinteract with people of diversebusiness cultures; this is a hugelearning experience for me. Havingsaid that, I face numerouschallenges, like back-to-back travelwithin and outside my country. Iam perpetually on the move andget very little time to spend in oneplace. Yow Siow Kooi: I enjoycontinuing to learn new things,learning the process of building abusiness, developing the skills ofdialogue, developing faith in myselfand my actions. The recenteconomic downturn has been achallenge. Other challengingaspects for me are maintaininggood communication andrelationships with customers, which

includes solvingconflicts, and managingmy time. What elements ofBuddhist philosophy aremost useful to you inyour day-to-day work?RH: I like to buildbridges betweenpeople; I strive to be ethical,hardworking and driven by my passionand not money. I like to dream big and

then go about finding ways tomake my dreams come true,and to grow as a humanbeing first and then as anentrepreneur. I have nocompetitors, as I only competewith myself. My aspiration isto bring recognition to mymentor SGI President Ikedathrough my work.

YSK: I attribute mysuccess to mypractice of Buddhism.I believe in theprinciple of “turningpoison intomedicine”—that nomatter how bad thecircumstances, they

can be transformed into benefit andhappiness. Whenever problems occur, Itry to persist single-mindedly until Iovercome them. This is my philosophyof victory. I try to continue to learnnew things and be versatile. The spiritof hard work and the ability to adaptto change are important, and whetherit is a staff member or a customer, weneed to treat each other sincerely. Ialways bear in mind SGI PresidentIkeda’s guidance that it is not people’scircumstances that make them

unfortunate, but their pessimismand loss of hope.Why did you decide to start yourown business?YSK: I lost my father when I wasyoung, and my mother had to raiseme and my elder sister by sewingclothes. Because of our poverty, Imade a deep determination tochange the financial circumstancesof my family. With the assistance offriends, I began operating awholesale stationery supplybusiness. I lacked experience, butluckily I met with a stationerywholesaler who advised me to starta wholesale business for schools.RH: When I was 18, I left homefeeling very angry and dejected.Three years later I was hopeless andpenniless and broken down. Mymother introduced me to thephilosophy of Nichiren Buddhism,and soon after that, I decided toventure out as a businessman.

To begin with, it was a hugelearning curve. I had no workingcapital, no experience and, being

26 SGI Quarterly October 2009

On VocationOn Vocation A series in which SGI members discusstheir approach to their profession

Yow Siow Kooi

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Young EntrepreneursYoung Entrepreneurs

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young, no one took meseriously. Through myBuddhist practice and readingPresident Ikeda’s writings, Irealized the need to create myown niche and stand on myown feet no matter what. Imade lots of mistakes andpaid very heavily for them by runninginto debt, but I continued to perseverebased on the Buddhist principle of“faith equals daily life.” How do you see the mission ofentrepreneurs in society?YSK: Entrepreneurs must be able tobenefit the consumers, for example, byselling products at affordable prices.Fostering employees to becomecapable people and expanding thenetwork of friendship with businesspartners are also important. RH: I see entrepreneurs as possessingthe ability to take calculated risks,thereby creating organizations for thebenefit of human beings at large.Building an organization which cancontribute to the growth of itsemployees by fostering security andhappiness in their lives—whereby theemployees can genuinely contribute to

the company’sgrowth—isperhaps themission of anentrepreneur,in my view.However, therecenteconomic

meltdown has shown howorganizations have used theiremployees as expendable resources, asa means to an end. In fact, my missionis to create a robust organizationsteeped in the fundamentals of worldpeace. As an entrepreneur, I amdetermined to contribute to society byall means. What challenges have you encounteredas a young entrepreneur?RH: Being young in my field is in itselfa huge challenge, as youth issynonymous with inexperience.

Countering that stereotypeis a big struggle, so I have toconstantly work my wayuphill and gradually make aname for myself.Operational challenges arelack of working capital andcommercial work space,

managing and inspiring my employeesand, most of all, managing timebetween family and work.

Once I dream of a project I like toimplement it, and duringthat process I face manyhurdles. This learningprocess helps meconfront my inefficienciesand as a result I grow.This is what successmeans for me.YSK: At one time, due to a lack ofexperience, my business was destroyed.I tried to keep going with a “never giveup” spirit and prayed that I couldcreate value in society through mycareer. As a result of this mind-set,things shifted. I met a food supplierwho persuaded me to make a newattempt by supplying food as well asstationery to schools. It was an unusualidea, but unexpectedly successful; and Ibecame the sole authorized agent innorthern Malaysia. This gave meconfidence toventure into thestationery industryagain, and Ilearned how tostand firm in themarket.

I realized laterthat this problemhelped me developmyself as well asmy business. Ilearned the valueof having achallenging spiritin the face of myproblems, and oftackling firstsimple goals thenbigger ones.

What kind of advice can you give toyouth who are interested in startingtheir own business?YSK: I would advise people to win thetrust of customers through beingsincere, tolerant and confident, and tohave courage and persevere. I think it isimportant to see that whatever wegain today is due to people andsociety, and so we must repay thatdebt of gratitude to people.

Start from what interests you, and aslong as you feel thatwhat you do is right,then you shouldadvance courageously.The more obstaclesyou encounter, themore you need totackle them with

courage. You must do better than yourbest in everything, learn whatever youare able to, develop your abilities inproblem solving and understandmarket demand well. RH: Be ethical, keep commitments.There are no short cuts to hard work.Choose something you are passionateabout and persevere. Be prudent, butdon’t forget to dream big, and besincere to your customers. I learned allof this through Daisaku Ikeda’sencouragement.�

27SGI Quarterly October 2009

Rajan Handa

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B uddhism squarely faces the reality of the “foursufferings” of birth, aging, sickness and death,but as SGI President Daisaku Ikeda comments,

“It is important to remember that aging and growing oldare not necessarily the same thing . . . There are certainlymany people who, as they age, become increasingly vig-orous and energetic, more broad-minded and tolerant,living with a greater sense of freedom and assurance.”

Such people remain youthful by developing and hold-ing onto hope, enthusiasm, optimism and forwardmotion, and they seem tohave suffered no erosionof the spirit with the pass-ing of time. Sadly, thereare also younger peoplewho have already losthope and seem prema-turely old.

Perhaps, Ikeda sug-gests, in order to acquiretrue youthfulness, wemust repeatedly makefresh determinations rightup until the last momentof our lives. He draws onthe message of the LotusSutra to show that it is inour commitment to thehappiness and well-beingof others that we experi-ence this kind of “extension” or expansion of our lives.

The Lotus Sutra is unique among Buddhist scripturesin that it promises that those who hear it can find per-petual youth and eternal life. Happiness is not found ina heaven-like afterworld, but amidst the trials and chal-lenges of real life. By developing and deepening ourcompassion for others, it is possible to attain an innerstate of life which touches the eternal and seems to tran-scend death.

Shakyamuni describes the quality of his own enlight-enment as an eternal and enduring life-state character-ized by constant vitality and rejuvenation. He thenstresses that it is his unchanging wish to enable all peo-ple to experience this elevated condition of life. Thequestion, then, is just how we can attain that same eter-nally fresh and youthful state of life.

The Lotus Sutra provides the model of BodhisattvaNever Disparaging who, through his deeply respectfulattitude toward everyone he met, sought to awaken oth-ers to the inherent Buddhahood within their lives, evenas he was mocked and vilified for this. The result of hisactions and his attitude was the attainment of theenlightened life condition of a Buddha. Similarly, the wayto elevate our own state of life is through a personal com-mitment to taking action for the happiness of both our-selves and others.

Nichiren, the 13th-cen-tury Japanese founder ofthe Lotus Sutra-basedschool of Buddhism prac-ticed by the members ofthe SGI, believed that afundamental desire tocontribute to the happi-ness of self and others issomething already sharedat the deepest level by allpeople, but that often ourown preoccupations andproblems prevent us fromperceiving it.

When we wholeheart-edly commit ourselves to“remembering” or retriev-ing that wish or vow fromour subconscious mind

and living an engaged and contributive life, we can tappreviously unknown resources of wisdom, courage andcompassion—in other words, the Buddha state. Thisdoes not literally mean that our physical lives will nec-essarily become longer, but when we awaken to andattune our lives to this deeper compassionate purpose,the whole quality and experience of living will beenhanced so that a single moment can become a pro-found and joyful experience in which we discover lim-itless energy and vitality.

Through such an awakening, people who have beenoverwhelmed by their own suffering can begin to live apurposeful life in which their own compassion, creativi-ty and will determine their direction. This, rather than anycounting of years or days, is what Buddhism means by astate in which we can enjoy perpetual youthfulness.�

28 SGI Quarterly October 2009

“When we awaken to and attune our lives to thisdeeper compassionate purpose, the whole quality

and experience of living will be enhanced.”

Mic

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BUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFEBUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFE

Youthfulness

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Editorial team:Joan Anderson, Anthony George, Elizabeth Ingrams, Motoki Kawamorita,

Keiko Kishino, Yoshinori Miyagawa, Tomoaki Noyama, Marisa Stenson, Satoko Suzuki, Richard Walker

Published by Soka Gakkai International©2009 Soka Gakkai International. All rights reserved. Printed in Japan.

Printed on recycled paper.

To view back issues of the SGI Quarterly, please visitwww.sgiquarterly.org

SGI Quarterly WebsiteSince 1995, the SGI Quarterly has covered a broad range of themes and issues from

nonviolence to poetry, nuclear abolition to parenting, depression to buildingsustainable cities. These have been explored in articles by key international public

figures and expert contributors. The SGI Quarterly website currently contains issues dating back to 2004 and is searchable by section or issue.

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The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a worldwideassociation of 82 constituent organizations withmembership in 192 countries and territories. In theservice of its members and of society at large, the SGIcenters its activities on developing positive humanpotentialities for hope, courage and altruistic action.

Rooted in the life-affirming philosophy of NichirenBuddhism, members of the SGI share a commitment tothe promotion of peace, culture and education. Thescope and nature of the activities conducted in each

country vary in accordance with the culture andcharacteristics of that society. They all grow, however,from a shared understanding of the inseparable linkagesthat exist between individual happiness and the peaceand development of all humanity.

As a nongovernmental organization (NGO) withformal ties to the United Nations, the SGI is active inthe fields of humanitarian relief and public education,with a focus on peace, sustainable development andhuman rights.

SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL15-3 Samoncho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0017, Japan

Telephone: +81-3-5360-9830 Facsimile: +81-3-5360-9885Email: [email protected] Website: www.sgi.org

SGI Quarterly Website: www.sgiquarterly.org

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