ipyg - Israel Gaza air strike.

Indication their positions about Israel Gaza air strike.

(a satire on them)

Israel : I will say nothing.

USA : I see nothing.

UN: I hear nothing.

what will they have to do for stopping wars in our world?

ipyg-Hope for someone and a pole of prayer

A pole of prayer named Sotdae in Korean is originated from a popular belief in Korea. This is from the period of the three Han States for the sacred district to serve the gods of heaven and earth.  
That is a pole which is erected in the sacred district, Sodo. There is a story that the Korean pronunciation of Sodo had changed into the pronunciation of a pole Sotdae. 


People prayed for a good harvest in villages every year, and a pole was also used with a pocket of rice seeds hung high.  
People would sing and play music on the First Full Moon day.
When they did that, people believed that they would have a good harvest that year.  
It was also used to guard the village along with a totem pole at the village entrance. 
Besides, when there were events like passing the exam for civil service in the past, people painted a pole with the orange color and the top with blue, and tied a dragon at the tip of it. 
It is not too much to say that the pole has gone through joys and sorrows with villagers. 


Even though the pole started from the period of the three Han States, it was a hope for civilians before that period.
Through Korean history, the pole has given hope and courage to be connected with God. 
It was set toward East for getting energy to be straight and fresh, toward North for getting strength to go through crisis and disaster, toward South for getting capability to be in harmony and communication, and toward West for getting power for productivity and wealth.
Also the pole was a symbol to prevent the fire and flood, and involved the hopes of people who look for living in peace. 
It is always straight up toward the sky and gives us the power “Those hopes make us do the best.”
The pole is looking down from the top or looking up toward the sky.



What if you are a person like a pole?
It gives everyone hope, but it might also be hard because it has to stand up under the burning sunlight and wild wind sometimes. 
However, it is true that harmony, good communication and peace require someone’s effort and sacrifice. 
While I am looking at the pole, I thought IPYG and I would be that kind of organization and myself that will bring peace.
I wish effort of IPYG and I would make the world safer and happier.

ipyg-Making World Peace with Children Part 2 - CISV

As the proverb goes, “Bend the willow while it is young.” This tells an importance of education in childhood. Based on a thought that more just and peaceful world can be made through the education and opportunities to meet friends from different cultures in their childhood, Doris Allen, a progressive child psychologist, established a global association called CISV.

 

CISV was founded in 1950, and now it is a federation which has 60 member associations all over the world. This organization currently belongs to various international organizations such as UNESCO, EC, ESC and so on. The prime value CISV is pursuing are friendship, inclusiveness, enthusiasm, engagement, and cooperation. Based on these five values, international education programs have been implemented for 60 years to give many children and youths the opportunities to understand and exchange different cultures. So, these efforts for world peace, mutual understanding and cooperation for 60 years have become a global movement. They educated many children and youths, made them realize their potential through education, and inspired them to make a better world.

 

In 2014, this organization's slogan is ‘2014 CISV Year of Diversity’. Diversity can exist when the difference between you and I is accepted. When we think that wars and conflicts takes place in this world due to the thought that I am only correct, this slogan has a very special meaning. As CISV and IPYG are making great efforts to make world peace, it would be much better for many more people and organizations to work for peace.

Refer to site : http://www.cisv.org/about-us/

ipyg-Before the Winter Chill-Lassitude makes daily life distressed

Lassitude makes daily life distressed

I read a book named 'A philosophy of boredom' a few days ago. It is an essay by a Norwegian, Lars Fr. H. Svendsen. It deals with a relationship between modern people and an emotion, 'boredom'. People think they can be free of hating someone or getting angry at something even though they live their lives without knowing their daily lives are serene or boring. But if they feel embarrassed by recognizing that they are feeling it, they would examine themselves. Certainly, these emotions will be a problem to ordinary people who are eager to pursue their 'happy' lives. Paul has been through the same things in the movie that I'd like to introduce today.

 

It seems perfect for a neurosurgeon, Paul (Daniel Auteuil) and his wife, Lucy (Kristin Scott Thomas) to live their lives. However, one day, a bunch of roses is delivered to Paul and the relationship between Paul and Lucy is getting broken. Paul is wondering who is sending him the roses. He points out Lou as the one who sends him the roses, and interrogates her in the flower shop. Though he failed to get a clue, he suspects and keeps meeting her. As they meet each other frequently, they become to share their stories in their hearts. Paul starts not to suspect her and to have an affection towards her. Then, his wife, Lucy notices it and the story begins.

 

Paul and Lucy were not able to find something new from familiarity. They were getting bored with each other, so that drives them into a crisis. This films shows us how people who feel ennui desires something new in their unconsciousness. The regularly delivered roses like Paul's daily routine are soaked with his life and make his life shattered. Also, even though Lucy notices Paul's conflict, she doesn't reveal it and just deals with her inner conflict. This film focuses on the sequence of inner crises. It elicits empathy sharing compassion, mysterious emotion, and embarrassment among Paul, Lou, Lucy and Gerard.

 

Paul is getting obsessed over Lou. They just meet each other with no reason and spend their time on sharing casual talks. But, Lou is a mysterious woman who doesn't uncover herself clearly. And she even just disappears one day. Paul is getting anxious, so that he looks for her as if he gets back to basics. After all secrets and mysteries are solved, the audience can get realized. what matters most is not their relationship itself, is the reason that they had to be like that. Especially, as life of modern people is getting influenced by material richness, conflicts among them came from a mind wanting to be compensated for their pleasure. I think the thirst like a bottomless pit might make all the people in this age feel ennui. Having watched this movie, it was a good time to feel the essence of human being once more deeply through the characters, events, and what they found.

ipyg-Damages at Tripoli International Airport in Libya

 After the outbreak of battle at Tripoli International Airport on 13 July 2014, the airport was closed for a while. 

The battle continued even though a lot of people were stuck at the airport. Most of planes were destroyed and it seemed to be the worst situation. The fact that nobody could help this terrible situation makes me feel painful. Even “UN Peace-Keeping Forces” can't also intervene in this dispute, because it was not between their government and citizens but among the citizens. 

That is, people have fought each other without any promise of ending the war. As a global citizen and a member of International Peace Youth Group (“IPYG”), I was very sorry to hear of this tragedy.

After kicking out Libyan autocratic ruler Muammar al- Qaddafi in 2012, Libya has taken steps for democratization.

 Many Libyan people had believed the economic troubles such as economic recession and chronic unemployment would begin to get better after the fall of the autocrat. 

But there was still one more barrier to overcome aside from economic one; it is a religious problem. 

Libya's political power is divided into two: secularism and Islamic fundamentalism. “Secularism” has a tendency to maintain the value of their religion but to exclude the aggressive aspects of some offshoots.

 But that was annoying for “Islamic fundamentalism (Sunni and Shi`ah)” which supports a doctrine of the Koran and its religious principle. In 2012, Libya's National Transitional Council (“NTC”) kicked out Muammar al- Qaddafi and began to govern Libya. Then “Muslim Brotherhood” rose up against this situation. To sum up, this battle occurred between supporters of government and supporters of “Muslim Brotherhood.”

But religion was used as an only excuse for them. What they really wanted was Tripoli which is the center of major traffic points, all movement of supplies and economic activities of Libya. 

As each tribe had their own culture and interest, people had no choice but to be divided and stuck to their own religions and cultures. 

There are so many tribes in Africa. If they fail to live in harmony or to communicate each other, such a catastrophe will happen again. The purposes of most of wars which have broken out in Africa are usually to gain wealth, authority and religious power.

 All of these have grown since people exploited the Africans for several centuries. 

In other words, the contributors to these wars were not African but someone else. Their greed and irresponsibility lead to the death of innocent people.

As we can see this battle for Libya airport, wars are usually broken out by religion and people’s greed. So now the entire world is in a state of chaos and confusion. 

Maybe one of the reasons why this kind of disputes happen is that religion is losing their original purpose and aim. 

I think something dreadful can happen when religious people become blinded by their greed. I think, however, that true peace can be achieved if we have a sense of humanity and love, irrespective of religion, race, and culture. So we, IPYG, strive to make the better world in which there are no wars but love and peace everywhere.

ipyg-IPYG will be in the center of peace

The pain which will never fade away, War.

<Korean women who were taken away as sexual slaveries>

A comedian, Jae-seok Yu of ‘The Infinite Challenge’ which is a famous program in Korea attended Korea Speed Festival to assist old ladies in the House of Sharing.

The House of Sharing is the place where the old ladies who had been taken as sexual slaveries and suffered in Japanese colonial era live.
To inform the pain of the history and the recent fault of Japanese exercising of a right to collective self-defense, Mr. Yu promised to run the whole course with the logo of the House of Sharing on his car.
Although he did his best, he couldn’t finish it. So, Mr. Yu donated $10,000 to the House of Sharing, feeling sorry for that.

Donation is good. But, I want to say another thing, not his donating.
Through an entertainment show, and the act of a comedian, we can think of the terrible moments of the old ladies.
We remember some terrible accidents just as history about past that we learned in a textbook.
So, we can’t know how deep the victims’ scars are.

I don’t know if you are aware of this, the old ladies were just ordinary girls who desired to earn money for their family and they were not voluntary as Japan is insisting.
Also, they were dragged into the field of wars by force without any explanation to serve the Japanese soldiers.

War deprived them of hopes, dreams, and lives.
As the pain and suffering still remain in their mind and those cannot be washed away, the old ladies cry out with signs that says,
‘Things happened to us must not be repeated anymore, and many youths shouldn’t be faded away like a fog in wars.
I think we need to remind ourselves not to think that we don’t have nothing to do with those accidents, and not to hurt the old ladies with indifference, thinking it was just passed.
We should look back of ourselves whether we are saying peace just with lips or not.

IPYG is trying to help youths all over the world to think about peace and help them to put it into practice.
As we’ve ever been, IPYG will be in the center of peace.
Please be with us, IPYG, if you are a youth who loves and wants to work for peace.

ipyg-Dreaming peace for all the children in the world

 While I was surfing the Internet, I by accident saw a photo of a young boy whose sad eyes seem to want to say something. The boy’s name is Majed, and he is 16 years old.
Just a few years ago, Majed lived peacefully farming tomatoes with his family.
But now Majed, a 16-year-old boy, is a child soldier. He was forced to enter in wars without any reason and is struggling to survive.

  Although UN internationally prohibits recruiting child soldiers under 18 years old, the number of child soldiers has reached 250~300 thousand throughout the world. The children work as  sniper, suicide bomber and secret agent. Girls are said to be treated more terrible. About 40% of girls have to be sexual slaveries, the modern comfort women. Like that way, the children are sacrificed and used in war that adults started.

 The children who have a lot of dreams and wishes to do are dying, even they can’t have a chance to bloom in their youth. Now we must no longer push them in war which is like hell. Children are our future. To make the future bright and happy, we, adults, must desire for peace first, and practice and behave to bring a life of peace, not war. You who read this article now, are ready to take part in ?

ipyg- Breath of Peace, Asia's future

<Emblem of the 17th Incheon Asian Games>

  <Slogan of the 17th Incheon Asian Games>

  Breath of Peace, Asia's future  

The 17th Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Incheon, Republic of Korea for 16 days. Asian Games are Asian's festival like the Olympics are World's festival. Athletes will play their own sports and the people will enjoy  this festival getting together for cheering. The athletes and board members from 45 countries will participate in the Asian games and the media in each country will report this. 

When I see this festival's purposes, as a member of IPYG who loves peace, there was one thing that caught my eye. It meant to make a community for communication and harmony with the games of peace which resolve conflict of ideology, religion and ethnics. Its goal made me feel warm in my heart.

  

Furthermore, this games' motto is also "the breath of peace, the future of Asia (Diversity Shines Here)". It contains a meaning to display(shine) splendid and diverse history, culture, tradition, religion throughout Asia, pursue peace of humanity with harmony and friendship, and make shining future of Asia.

Since the history of human being begins, there has been consistent wars and it is on-going even now. Although the Asian games will be held with so good goal and motto, it cannot put an end to war at once. However, I am sure that peace and harmony can be realized over the world, if this spreads over everyone's mind like the goal and motto of Incheon Asian Games. And I really hope it could be as a member of IPYG.

ipyg - For whom is the right of collective self-defense

In July 14, 2014, Japan decided to alter the interpretation of the Constitution, "Exercising the right of collective self-defense doesn't run counter to the Constitution of Japan". The right of collective self-defense is the right to counterattack or deter attack when the countries in intimate relations are under armed attack. With this, Japan turned to a country that can attack though Japan is not directly attacked from a country that can attack when they are attacked. If you are a Korean, you probably know the Eulsa Treaty (Japan-Korea Protectorate Treaty). But it was just called a treaty, actually it was concluded by force. Like when the Qing dynasty, Russia and Japan had a fierce battle for occupying the territory of Joseon (Korea), this right of collective self-defense seems quite ominous.

It is a very important matter to East Asia. The resistance of the countries near Japan (South Korea, North Korea, China, etc.) is increasing and the voices of people who love peace and hate war in Japan is rising. Especially, Matsusaka Mayor in Yamanaka Mitsushige Mie established an organization, "peace wing" so that he tried to take class action suit. Likewise, the voice of opposition is getting rising. I think there will be a lot of changes of Japanese consciousness through this event. Japan had succeeded in various areas so that there are still lots of people who cling to former Japan among the old generation and politicians. However, more people than that are objecting to wars without justification.

If war happens, it goes without saying that youth people must be dragged to the field of war and be sacrificed. How sad is it if youths die in the field of war without having a chance to bloom? Japanese people would know through the international situations and the needs of the times that peace which can make everyone alive is more precious than wars which can kill everyone. "No war, Yes peace!