Dreaming of a Peaceful World

For years I have called for a world where all religions live together
as one, all races live as one, and all nations exist as one. For
thousands of years history has seen the continuous increase of
divisions. Each time a different religion was adopted or a new regime
came into power, more boundaries were drawn and wars were fought.
Now, however, we live in an age of globalism. For the sake of the future
we must become one.
One way I propose to facilitate that is through the International
Peace Highway, a huge undertaking. It will link Korea and Japan by
an undersea tunnel and create a bridge across the Bering Strait that
separates Russia and North America. These great links can unify the
world. When the highway is completed it will be possible to travel by
car from Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to Santiago, Chile, and from London
to New York. There will be no roadblocks; the entire world will be
interconnected as if by capillary vessels.
The world will become one integrated community, and everyone will
be able to travel freely across international borders. Borders that give
free passage to anyone will lose their significance as borders. Something
similar will be true for religion. As the frequency of exchanges among
religions increases, greater mutual understanding will arise, conflict
will disappear, and the walls of separation will crumble. When different
types of people live together in a single global community, barriers
between races will come down. Interaction between races will occur
despite differences in appearance and language. This cultural revolution
will bring the world into one.
The Silk Road was not simply a trade route that people used in order
to sell silk and buy spices. It was also a vehicle for the peoples of the East
and West to meet and for Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity to meet.
These different cultures intermingled and gave rise to a new culture.
The International Peace Highway will play a similar role in the twentyfirst
century.
Rome could thrive because all roads led to Rome. This illustrates the
importance of roads. When a road is built, people use it to travel. It is
used to transport culture and ideology. That is why when a road is built
it changes the course of history. When the International Peace Highway
is completed, the world can be physically bound together as one. The
road will make this possible. I cannot overemphasize the importance of
bringing the world together. Some may think that this is an idea ahead
of its time. Religious people, however, foresee the future and prepare for
it. So it is only natural that we are ahead of our time. The world may not
understand us and may cause us to suffer, but religious believers must
persevere to lead the way to the future.
Completing the International Peace Highway will require the
cooperation of many nations. China, which was a victim of Japanese
aggression, may not welcome the idea of being connected to Japan by
a highway. Japan and Korea, however, cannot connect to the rest of the
world without going through China, so we need to make efforts to win
China’s trust. Who will do this? Those of us who will take spiritual ownership
over the International Peace Highway in the twenty-first century
need to take the lead in this effort.
How about bridging the Bering Strait? It will cost a great deal, but
this should not cause concern. The amount of money that the United
States has spent in Iraq would be more than enough to build such a
bridge. We must stop waging war and forcing people to suffer. It is
perverse to start wars and squander hundreds of billions of dollars. The
time has come for us to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears
into pruning hooks.
The International Peace Highway is a project to bring the world
together as one. To become one means more than simply connecting
continents by tunnels and bridges. It refers to an equalization of the
world’s standards of living. When someone monopolizes a technology
and keeps the profit for himself, the balance of the world is upset. The
International Peace Highway will rearrange the current inequality by
creating access to existing natural and human resources. This will bring
about a leveling of wealth. Leveling means that a little is taken off places
that are high and added to places that are low. As a result, the two have
the same height. This will require sacrifice from those with greater material
possessions or knowledge. Building a world of peace cannot be
done with one-time charitable acts or donations. Only sincere love and
continuous sacrifice is capable of creating a world of peace. We must be
willing to offer everything.
Building the International Peace Highway does more than just provide
the world with a physical means of communication. Human beings
are created so that their mind and body become one. Something similar
is true for the world we live in. The world can be completely unified
only when there is both physical communication and communication
of heart.
The United Nations has done much for world peace. More than sixty
years after its founding, however, the United Nations is losing sight
of its original purpose and is now an organization that works for the
interests of a few powerful countries. The U.N. was created to solve
the conflicts that arise in the world, so it must put the world’s interests
before the interests of one side or the other. It only leads to further
conflict when a powerful country insists on its own way and uses force
to pursue it. Unfortunately, the U.N. today is unable to do much about
such situations.
In this light, I have proposed a restructuring of the United Nations
as a bicameral institution. In addition to the General Assembly there
would be a religious, or cultural, assembly or council. This body would
consist of respected spiritual leaders in fields such as religion, culture,
and education. The members of this interreligious assembly would need
to demonstrate an ability to transcend the limited interests of particular
religions and cultures and to speak for the spiritual and moral purposes
of all humanity. I maintain that the two chambers, working together in
mutual respect and cooperation, will be able to make great advances in
ushering in a world of peace.
Some may oppose this, saying, “Why should religious people become
involved in world affairs?” My answer is that the world today is
in a period when the participation of religious people is crucial. Those
who have achieved deep self-awareness through religious practice are
needed now more than ever. It is only truly religious people who can
stand up to the unrighteousness and evil of the world and practice true
love. It is only when the knowledge and experience of political leaders
are combined with the wisdom of interreligious leaders that the world
will be able to find the path to true peace.
Again today I set out on my path with renewed determination to
achieve that goal. My prayer is that every person on earth will be reborn
as a peace-loving global citizen, transcending barriers of religion,
ideology, and race.