transformation, so we applaud all theactivities we hear about, especially thoseinvolving young people.”

The involvement of young peoplehas been a key concern of the EarthCharter Initiative from the beginning.Recently, a special Earth CharterEducation Advisory Committee wasformed under the leadership ofBrendan Mackey of Australian NationalUniversity to develop educational mate-rials and strategies for bringing the fullmeaning of the Earth Charter intoschools. UNESCO is also working onEarth Charter curricula as part of anonline teacher training program entitled“Educating for a Sustainable Future.”

THE FINAL DRAFT of the Earth Charterwas approved at a meeting of the EarthCharter Commission at UNESCOheadquarters in Paris in March of 2000.But there is nothing final about theEarth Charter Initiative or the imple-mentation phase of what StevenRockefeller refers to as a document with “many incarnations.” (See GuestInterview, page 6.) As public supportbuilds toward the hope of UN endorse-ment of the Earth Charter in the autumnof 2002, the Earth Charter is findingnew friends around the world and manyof them are under 21 years of age.

“The Earth Charter could become a stepping stone for a renewed UN inwhich global civil society takes its place

N E W S L E T T E R : F A L L 2 0 0 1 / W I N T E R 2 0 0 2 : N U M B E R 1 8

Boston Research Centerfor the 21st Century

Inside:

Director’s Message .........................page 2

Women’s Lecture Series ................page 4

Guest Interview ............................page 6

Guest Commentary ....................page 11

Book Talk ..................................page 14

A NEW KIND OF EDUCATION IN AMERICA

continued on page 12

BRC FOUNDER DAISAKU IKEDA has been turning dreamsof peace into reality for over fifty years with his tirelessefforts to develop institutions, cross-cultural relationships,and philosophical positions inspired by Buddhist human-ism. As the first freshman class of Soka University inAmerica heads to class this fall, yet another dream hascome true: a four-year, liberal arts college in Americadesigned to foster leaders of culture in the community,

leaders of humanism in society, leaders of pacifism in the world, and leaders for thecreative coexistence of nature and humanity. For 125 students from 17 Americanstates and 19 foreign countries, this mandate holds the promise of a new beginningand a bright future.

At the May 3 dedication ceremony in Aliso Viejo, California, President Ikeda sent a message to the 2,500 attendees: “It is my hope and desire that an unbroken

continued on page 5

For Love of Earth, A Celebration of the EarthCharter in Shelburne Farms, Vermont.

EARTH CHARTER IN ACTION......................

CHILDREN AND YOUTH AS AMBASSADORS OF SUSTAINABILITY

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

ON THE SEPTEMBER 11TH

TERRORIST ATTACKS

See page 3

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as an equal partner with the govern-ments of the world, acting as a co-shaper of international law and policy,”said BRC executive director VirginiaStraus. “But governments and NGOscan’t do it all. Ethics and sustainabilitycan only come about with personal

I write this message just one month after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Much of this newsletter was written before that fateful day, and updated to reflect the

new sense of urgency we bring to our peacemaking task.

In response to the tragic events of September 11th, we’ve included two perspectives on

the opposite page —by Prince Hassan of Jordan and by Dr. Arun Gandhi. In addition,

you’ll find a new section on our Web site under Resources, providing nonviolent perspec-

tives on the current crisis. Most of these analyses won’t be found in the mainstream media, so I expect these

commentaries will be of great interest to our readers.

Personally, as a result of the aftermath of the horrific attacks, I’ve realized how significant is the Center’s new

focus on peace education. As U.S. political leaders developed their response to the attacks, which so quickly put

us on a war footing and gained overwhelming support from the American public, I felt acutely the limits of our

educational experience in the United States. In most schools in this country, we learn from our history classes

that war is inevitable, not that peace is inherent in each of us and therefore possible on a global scale. We learn

from our civics classes about U.S. citizenship, but very little about global citizenship. We learn from our science

classes to objectify the natural world, not to feel the depth and mystery of our connection with Earth. And we

rarely learn anything about the religions of the world, not nearly enough to know how to guard against the

“holy war” tradition that can be found in each. With all of this in mind, our next book project is tentatively

entitled Educating the Global Citizen.

It is clearly a time when educators will want to look beneath the current preoccupation of policymakers with

measurable outcomes and reconsider, fundamentally, the content of the educational experience in the United

States. Surely the violence in our schools and now all around us is compelling evidence of the need to focus

much more attention on moral and spiritual development. At the BRC, we will be deeply considering how

the Center can contribute to such an effort in the coming years. Our work will be guided by the educational

vision of BRC’s founder, Daisaku Ikeda. Central to this vision are three character traits of a global citizen:

• The wisdom to perceive the interdependence of all life;

• The courage to respect cultural difference and learn from it; and

• The compassion to feel imaginative empathy with the sufferings of others, even in distant places.

In this 18th issue of the BRC newsletter, you’ll find thought-provoking articles on two other important aspects of the

Center’s work—promotion of the Earth Charter as a blueprint for a global culture of peace and women’s leader-

ship for human values. I hope you’ll join us on February 12, 2002, as we collaborate with the Wellesley Centers

for Women on the inaugural lecture in our new series honoring American women of courage (see pages 4-5).

As you seek to join with others in your peacework in the coming months, please consider using BRC books to

ground your discussions: Subverting Hatred for interfaith gatherings, Abolishing War for developing grassroots

peace strategies, the Earth Charter for forging multicultural understandings of global values, and Buddhist

Peacework for building spiritually-based cultures of peace. To order these books, see the back page of this

newsletter or go to BRC Books at www.brc21.org.

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Virginia Straus, Executive Director

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In the days following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Center wasinundated with letters, statements, com-mentaries, analyses, and perspectives frompeace-seeking people throughout the world.To read some of the best of these nonvio-lent approaches to resolving global conflictsand addressing the threat of terrorism,please check out our Resources section of www.brc21.org. The excerpts below convey the essence of two of those messages.We offer these words, and our Web siteinformation, in hopes that they willinspire our readers to reaffirm their commitment to peace.

A Muslim Calls for SanityHRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of TheHashemite Kingdom ofJordan, Moderator ofthe World Conferenceon Religion and Peace

The world’s faithful stand aghastat the tragedy that has befallen ordi-nary people of all nations and faithswho live within the United States,and I condemn unequivocally thisoutrage against humanity.

Respecting the sanctity of life is thecornerstone of all great faiths. Such actsof extreme violence, in which inno-cent men, women and children areboth the targets and the pawns, aretotally unjustifiable. No religious tra-dition can or will tolerate such behav-ior and all will loudly condemn it.

Terrorism is by nature indiscrimi-nate, killing civilians of all ages, colorsand persuasions; it intimidates indi-viduals and communities the worldover; its very existence depends uponits ability to perpetuate fear; it is per-haps the most dreadful tool used toexpress violence.

I urge the United States and the

international community to exerciserestraint in the face of this dauntingchallenge. And I urge that this chal-lenge be seen as a global challenge,for terrorism affects all nations, largeand small.

In the aftermath of this heinouscrime, there is the risk that specificcommunities, such as the Muslims,will face violent repercussions;Islamophobia is not, alas, an uncom-mon form of xenophobia and intoler-ance. So it must be emphasized thatall ordinary Muslims stand togetherin condemning such acts of terror.

The tragic events of September 11,2001, serve to remind us that theworld today is increasingly intercon-nected. And as borders come to losetheir meaning, no nation can affordto isolate itself. We are movingtoward a single world with a singleagenda and that agenda must be setwith a view to fostering reconciliationand understanding.

The full text of this essay is available at www.princehassan.gov.jo

Terrorism and NonviolenceArun Gandhi, Founderand Director, M. K.Gandhi Institute forNonviolence andGrandson of Mahatma Gandhi

We must understand that non-violence is not a strategy that we canuse in a moment of crisis and discardin times of peace. Nonviolence isabout personal attitudes, aboutbecoming the change we wish to seein the world, because a nation’s col-lective attitude is based on the atti-tude of the individual.

Nonviolence is about buildingpositive relationships with all human

beings. Nonviolence is also about notjudging people as we perceive them tobe. A murderer is not born a murderer;a terrorist is not born a terrorist. Peoplebecome murderers, robbers, and terror-ists because of circumstances andexperiences in life. What we need todo is to analyze dispassionately thosecircumstances that create such mon-sters and ask how can we help elimi-nate those circumstances, not themonsters. Justice should mean refor-mation and not revenge.

All of this brings us back to thequestion: How do we respond non–violently to terrorism?

We must acknowledge our role inhelping create monsters in the worldand then find ways to contain thesemonsters without hurting more inno-cent people and then redefine ourrole in the world. I think we mustmove from seeking to be respected forour military strength to being respect-ed for our moral strength.

To those who have lost loved onesin this and other terrorist acts, I say Ishare your grief. But let this sad episodenot make you vengeful because noamount of violence and killing isgoing to bring you inner peace. Angerand hate never do. The memory ofthose victims who have died in thisand other violent incidents aroundthe world will be better preserved andmeaningfully commemorated if we alllearn to forgive and dedicate our livesto helping create a peaceful, respect-ful, and understanding world.

The full text of this essay is available at www.gandhiinstitute.org

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE SEPTEMBER 11TH

TERRORIST ATTACKS

There are a number of short-term

measures that may be implemented

to combat violence and terrorism, but

the only viable long-term solution is

education. There is no other alternative

but to educate people on the loftiest

humanitarian values and views of life in

order to establish a foundation of peace

and stability for humankind in these

times of tumultuous change.

— Daisaku Ikeda

ON FEBRUARY 12, 2002, the WellesleyCenters for Women and the BostonResearch Center for the 21st Centurywill launch a Women’s Lecture Serieson Human Values that focuses onAmerican women who have made significant contributions to lastingpeace. Women’s leadership in the areasof nonviolence, human rights, envi-ronmental ethics, and economic jus-tice has altered the fabric of Americanlife. For this reason, each lecture will honor a courageous woman andpresent a speaker whose own contri-butions to peace and justice are exem-plary. The first program in the serieswill honor civil rights activist FannieLou Hamer, an intrepid daughter ofsharecroppers whose courage and elo-quence helped to assure voting rightsand justice for black Americans.

Fannie Lou Hamer was describedby civil rights activist and formermayor of Atlanta Andrew Young as thewoman who “shook the foundationsof this nation.” She worked passion-ately to change a racist system which,in much of the South, did not allowAfrican-Americans to vote and wasparticularly hostile to black women.She was brutally beaten for her efforts,a beating she described to the nationat the 1964 Democratic NationalConvention. Her words roused muchof the nation to a new awareness ofthe consequences of racism and thenecessity of guaranteeing the civilrights of all Americans. In addition,she organized grassroots initiatives in Mississippi, helped found theNational Women’s Political Caucus,and worked tirelessly for low-incomehousing, quality day care, economicdevelopment, and school desegregation.

“I’m sick and tired of being sickand tired,” she told the nation. Thesewords, for which she was well knownall her life, are now emblazoned onher headstone.

Linda Stout, the author of Bridgingthe Class Divide and Other Lessons forGrassroots Organizing, will provide theinaugural lecture in the new series.Ms. Stout’s life and work echoes thatof Fannie Lou Hamer in many ways.Like Hamer, Stout has triumphedover personal tragedies and becomethe organizer of successful multiracialgrassroots organizations such as thePiedmont Peace Project which bringspoor people of both races together inthe same organization to work forsocial, economic, and political justice.She has also directed the Massachusetts-based Peace Development Fund andcurrently serves as project director ofSpirit in Action, a peace initiative

Ms. Stout founded in 1999. For manyyears, she has worked to dismantlethe barriers that keep poor peoplesegregated, disenfranchised, and with-out access to the resources they need.

Of her hopes for the lecture series,Susan Bailey, executive director of theWellesley Centers for Women, said,“This is one way to heighten aware-ness of the important work womenare doing to resolve critical problemsconfronting our society. Too often,”she continued, “women’s pioneeringefforts are lost. We hope this serieswill celebrate women’s leadership inways that will inspire and support allthe women and men who are workingfor a more just and peaceful world.”

BRC founder Daisaku Ikeda hasobserved that “the conversation ofwomen of keen perception who aresensitive to the feelings of others has thepower to open even the most heavilybarricaded heart. It is invariablywomen’s cries for justice that movepeople to action and change the times.”

From its beginnings, the BRC has underscored the importance ofwomen’s leadership for peace. BRCexecutive director Virginia Straus isconvinced that women will lead theway to establishing a culture of peacein the twenty-first century. “We choseFannie Lou Hamer as the subject ofour first lecture because she neverbecame defeated. In fact, her strugglesonly strengthened her determination.Like Hamer, Linda Stout has success-fully worked to improve the lives ofcountless others.”

Both Susan Bailey and GinnyStraus look forward to having the collaborative lecture series create asense of inter-generational connected-ness and inspiration among the scholars, activists, civic leaders, andstudents who attend. “We are delight-ed to be working together to bringthe special peacemaking skills ofwomen to the forefront,” Straus said.

—Helen Marie Casey

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. “If we are to truly change school education, empowerment of teachers must be a component.” —DAISAKU IKEDA

LECTURE SERIES CELEBRATESWOMEN OF COURAGE

.....................

WOMEN’S LECTURESERIES ON

HUMAN VALUESSPONSORED BY

WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN

AND THE BRC

Tuesday Evening, February 12, 2002

In Honor of Fannie Lou Hamer(1917–1977)

GUEST SPEAKER:

Linda Stoutauthor of Bridging the Class

Divide, and Other Lessons forGrassroots Organizing

Watch for your flyer in the mail!

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For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer BY CHANA KAI LEE

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS,1999. PAPERBACK EDITION, 2000

Fannie LouHamer madehistory inAugust of l964when she mesmerized the DemocraticNationalConvention

with her vivid account of being beatenby the police in Winona, Mississippi,after attending a voter registrationworkshop. “Is this America where wehave to sleep with our telephones offthe hook because our lives are threat-ened daily because we want to live as

decent human beings? Is this the land of the free and the home of thebrave?” she asked.

Fannie Lou Hamer lived a life of hard work and marginalization.From those margins she encouragedsharecroppers, hairdressers, postalclerks, small store owners, and tenantfarmers to join the MississippiFreedom Democratic Party. After her memorable appearance at the1964 Democratic Convention, theMississippi political structure wasnever the same nor, for that matter,was the Democratic Party.

This biography of Hamer’s lifeemphasizes the personal costs of herpublic role and raises important questions of class, race, and genderin America. The portrait of Hamer by University of Georgia professorChana Kai Lee is a compassionate

rendering of a woman devoted to jus-tice. In a world where drive-by shoot-ings by the Klu Klux Klan and bomb-ings of black churches by the WhiteKnights were commonplace, FannieLou Hamer is remembered as aninspiring example of courage.

But Hamer’s struggles were notconfined to race. Within the CivilRights movement she found littlesupport from an all-male black Baptistclergy, famously negligent in givingrecognition or voice to women lead-ers. More background and contextabout white supremacist Mississippiand the male African-American leadership would add depth to thispoignant life story, but Lee’s work fills an important gap in the historyof the two-pronged struggle of blackwomen in the 1960s. As a founder of the National Women’s PoliticalCaucus, not only did Fannie LouHamer preach the ideals of the move-ment, she lived them by asking thehard questions and always expectinghonest answers. — Judith Nies

New Kind of Educationcontinued from page 1succession of outstanding leaders will depart from these gates to servehumanity in the twenty-first century.It is my hope and desire that thesewaves of world citizens, united andawakened to a genuine global ethic,will spread without cease into an evermore brilliant future.”

For further information, pleaseexplore the Soka University inAmerica Web site at www.soka.edu orcontact the Admissions Departmentat 888-600-SOKA.

Education Proposal IISpeaks Out Against School ViolenceDaisaku Ikeda’s Year 2000 EducationProposal called for a “new paradigmshift” in the field of education andaddressed a variety of complex issues.(See BRC Newsletter, Spring 2001).

In his second public statement oneducation, Reviving Education: The Brilliance of the Inner Spirit thewell-known leader of Soka GakkaiInternational has focused his thoughtson the importance of developing “auniversal sense of empathy for others”by developing one’s inner life, moralcharacter, and self-awareness in thecontext of humanity.

“The ‘self ’ lacking identificationwith the ‘other’ is insensitive to thepain, anguish, and suffering of the‘other.’ It tends to confine itself to itsown world, either sensing threat inthe slightest provocation and trigger-ing violent behavior, or nonrespon-sively turning away in detachment,”Ikeda writes.

In addition to referencing Americanpsychologist Abraham Maslow andthe work of Victor Kazanjian ofWellesley College, President Ikedaalso writes eloquently of the impor-

tance of literature as a means of creat-ing compassion for other lives andother beings. The 2001 educationproposal also advocates reading greatliterature, particularly when sharedwith others, as an important activityfor young people and a way to coun-terattack the depersonalizing effects oftechnology.

Ikeda credits his mentor, JoseiToda, for encouraging him to becomean active and avid reader. “A masterof life, he taught me through his atti-tude and words this invaluable lesson:The way we relate to books is the waywe relate to people, and encounteringa good book is the same as encounter-ing a good mentor or a good friend.”

The full text of Reviving Education:The Brilliance of the Inner Spirit isavailable online at www.sgi.org or bycontacting the publications office ofthe BRC at 617-491-1090.

......................BOOK REVIEW

What is the Earth Charter and how is it different from existing laws andtreaties?

The Earth Charter is a declaration offundamental principles for building ajust, sustainable, and peaceful globalcommunity. It is a people’s treaty cre-ated by civil society under the over-sight of an Earth Charter Commission.In the language of the lawyers, it canbe described as a soft law document—a statement of widely shared valuesand aspirations as opposed to aninternational treaty or hard law docu-ment that is legally binding on thenations that adopt it. Soft law docu-ments often do, however, exercise astrong influence on the developmentof international law.

The Earth Charter can be adoptedand used by governments as well as bycivil society, organizations, and busi-nesses. The document is being circu-lated to all these groups. A growingnumber of NGOs have endorsed thedocument as have many local govern-ments. For example, the Sierra Club,the World Wide Fund for Nature

(WWF), and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have endorsed the EarthCharter. We hope that the UNGeneral Assembly will endorse or insome way recognize the Earth Charterat the World Summit for SustainableDevelopment in 2002.

It is also important to recognizethat the Earth Charter contains amore inclusive vision than most inter-national treaties, which tend to focuson a particular issue, such as humanrights, biodiversity, or peace. Eventhough the Earth Charter is centrallyconcerned about the environment, itwas recognized early on in the draft-ing process that if the document wasto gain wide support in both theNorth and the South, it would haveto address issues of human rights anddevelopment as well as environmentalprotection. The Earth Charter affirmsthe interdependence of the environ-mental, economic, social, and culturalchallenges facing humanity. In thisregard, it provides a broad integratedvision of sustainable living and sus-tainable development.

You have spoken elsewhere of theimportance of intergenerationalresponsibility. How might the EarthCharter bring generations togetherand offer an ethical vision that cutsacross time?

When the World Commission onEnvironment and Development issuedits report Our Common Future (1987)focusing international attention onthe concept of sustainable develop-ment, the chair of the Commission,Gro Harlem Brundtland, commentedthat fundamental to achievement ofsustainable development is adoptionof an ethic of intergenerationalresponsibility. Environmental con-cerns have generated a heightenedsense of responsibility with regard tofuture generations. It is a matter ofintergenerational equity. The well-being and rights of future generationsprovide one compelling reason whysustainable development is essential.

You have also spoken about ethics as a path to the development of theself and the expansion of spiritual life. How does the Earth Charterencourage this?

There are two different ways of look-ing at ethics. On the one hand, fromthe point of view of society, ethicsprovide a set of values and principlesthat promote cooperation and thecommon good. On the other hand,one may approach ethics from a psychological point of view and con-sider ethics in terms of its significancefor the development of the self.Commitment to ethical values pro-motes the growth of the self becauseit leads to the identification of the selfwith the larger community or com-munities to which one belongs. Inthis regard, some philosophers like to

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ETHICS AND THE EARTH CHARTER: A CONVERSATION WITH STEVEN ROCKEFELLER

......................I N T E R V I E W

Steven C. Rockefeller is professor emeritus of religionat Middlebury College, Vermont. He received hisMaster of Divinity from Union Theological Seminaryin New York City and his Ph.D. in the Philosophy ofReligion from Columbia University. Professor Rockefelleris the author of John Dewey: Religious Faith andDemocratic Humanism (Columbia, 1991) and co-editorof The Christ and the Bodhisattva (SUNY, 1987) andSpirit and Nature: Why the Environment is a ReligiousIssue (Beacon, 1992). From 1997 to 2000 he chaired

the international Earth Charter drafting committee. He serves as a member ofthe Earth Charter Commission. Active in the field of philanthropy, Dr. Rockefelleris chairman of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a trustee of the Asian CulturalCouncil, and a member of the Council of the UN University for Peace in CostaRica. He was interviewed at the BRC by newsletter editor Patti M. Sides.

“Nature is our first teacher.” —ELISE BOULDING

talk about the democratic self, theecological self, or the universal self.The Earth Charter ethic encouragesus to identify ourselves not only withthe human communities of which weare members, but also with the largercommunity of life of which we are apart. This is implied in the concept ofuniversal responsibility.

Under the impact of rapid socialand cultural change, there is greatmoral confusion in the world, and itis very important ecologically, socially,and spiritually that we clarify our moralvalues. Moral values are the way wedefine what we choose to be as indi-viduals and as a community. Thequality of our lives is shaped by ourethical commitments and decisions.The loss of moral vision and convic-tion is a very serious matter. TheEarth Charter is designed to addressthis challenge. The decade-long EarthCharter consultation process revealedthat people throughout the world aresearching for moral direction, andthey want to participate in construct-ing a new moral vision adequate tothe challenges of the time.

Does the final draft of the EarthCharter provide that kind of ethicaland moral vision?

The Earth Charter is a product of aglobal dialogue on fundamental val-ues and principles for sustainable liv-ing. It reflects the new consensus onshared values that is taking form inthe emerging global civil society. Itsets forth the kind of integrated ethi-cal vision that is so urgently needed.

However, all of us who worked onthe drafting of the Earth Charter rec-ognize that it is not a perfect documentand that the global dialogue on com-mon values must continue. The EarthCharter goes far in accomplishing theethical reorientation necessary, andcommunities can build on it as theyclarify their understanding of sustain-able living and implement the vision.

The Earth Charter process has been a story in itself. Looking back, whatwere some of the turning points?

The first critical turning point camewhen the governmental effort to draft an Earth Charter failed. Thisoccurred during the UN Conferenceon Environment and Development(UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in1992. When the Earth Charterprocess was started up again in 1994by Mikhail Gorbachev and MauriceStrong, the secretary general ofUNCED, it became a civil societyinitiative. It did, however, receivesome critical financial support at thisjuncture from Prime Minister RuudLubbers and the Dutch government.

There was a critical debate aboutthe nature and length of the documentin 1997 when the drafting processbegan in earnest. Many peoplestrongly favored a short poetic docu-ment of a few hundred words thatcould be printed on one page. Theywanted a text with eight or ten prin-ciples that could be easily memorizedor put on a wall poster. However, thedrafting committee soon discoveredthat many other groups—particularlythose in the developing world wherepeople were struggling on the frontlines of social change—urgently need-ed a more substantial document.

In the light of these considerationsthe structure and content of the doc-ument gradually evolved. After threeyears of international consultations, itwas decided that the Earth Charterwould have a Preamble and sixteenmain principles that could be easilyprinted on one page or a poster. Over60 supporting principles were addedto the main principles in an effort tospell out more fully their meaning,and a conclusion to the Charter wasdrafted. In addition, in order to makethe big organizing ideas in theCharter readily understandable, the16 main principles were divided intofour parts with four main principles

each. The four main principles in Part Ihave been constructed as very broadand general principles that can be usedas a concise summary of the EarthCharter vision as a whole. In this waywe tried to address the concern ofthose who were looking for a succinctformulation of basic principles.

How did you manage the process ofwhat became, in effect, a conversationwith the world?

The Earth Charter Commission anddrafting committee were determinedto do everything possible to producea document that people from all cul-tures and regions around the worldcould support. The Earth CharterSecretariat in Costa Rica has a rela-tively small staff with limited resources.However, they did a remarkable job,and hundreds of individuals andgroups around the world volunteeredtheir time and support. Over fiftyEarth Charter national committeeswere organized in different regions ofthe world. Local, national, and regionalEarth Charter conferences were con-ducted in Africa, the Americas, Asia,Australia, Europe, and the MiddleEast. An Earth Charter Web site wascreated, and a number of online forumswere held that involved intensive dia-logues with the drafting committee.One ten-day online conference in1998 attracted participants from 72countries and 300 universities. TheEarth Charter drafting committeeworked with an international network

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The Earth Charter is a product of a global dialogue

on fundamental values and

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and circulated new drafts of the EarthCharter throughout the world as thedocument evolved

The first text of the Earth Charterwas produced in March 1997 at theend of the Rio+5 Forum, whichbrought to Rio de Janeiro over 500NGO and government leaders. Duringthe six days of the Rio+5 Forum, thedrafting committee issued a new textevery day and conducted an open dia-logue with anyone at the Forum whowished to become involved. TheEarth Charter Commission met dur-ing the final two days of the Forum.The final text of the first draft—theBenchmark Draft—was finished at4:30 a.m. on the final day of theForum and was presented to the mediaby the Commission shortly thereafter.

There were times when it took asmuch as two years to work out howbest to address a particular issue andto find acceptable language. And therewere times when we had to abandoncertain ideas simply because disagree-ments persisted, and there was not aconsensus. In most cases, however, wewere able to find common ground.Some groups remain unhappy withcertain formulations in the Charter,but it is impossible in a document of

this nature to satisfy everyone. TheCommission and drafting committeewere clear with all who participatedin the consultation process that theEarth Charter could not retreat fromany principle that had been estab-lished in international law and UnitedNations summit meetings.

Could you share some experiences inyour life pre-Earth Charter that pre-pared you for this task and allowedyou to stay with it, believe in it, workthrough it?

What prepared me intellectually wasover 35 years of work in the fields of religion, philosophy, and ethics.Reinhold Niebuhr’s Christian realismand democratic social ethics and John Dewey’s philosophical natural-ism and democratic humanism wereespecially helpful. A significantamount of my teaching over the last20 years had focused on the ethics ofenvironment and development, thesearch for global ethics, and the inter-relation of democracy, ecology, andspirituality. In addition, the Zen train-ing that I underwent, which includedmeditation practice and working onkoans, developed powers of concen-tration and persistent inquiry. I alsobenefited greatly from my study ofBuddhist philosophy and otherEastern religions.

continued from page 7 My family has many internationalinterests, and by the time I graduatedfrom college, I had traveled extensive-ly throughout the world. In addition,I have had a certain amount of expe-rience in politics. My father wasNelson Rockefeller, and during the1960s, I participated in a number ofhis political campaigns when he wasrunning for governor of New Yorkand was seeking the Republican partynomination for president.

The Earth Charter provided mewith an opportunity to work on aproject that reflected many of myinternational, democratic, environ-mental, ethical, and spiritual interests.

What lessons have you come awaywith regarding peacemaking, compro-mise, and conflict resolution?

First, listen carefully and sympatheti-cally to all sides and points of view.Be clear about the problems at hand.Be open, flexible, and imaginative. Be patient. Think through the long-term consequences of any compro-mise before agreeing to it. Be persist-ent in seeking common ground andsolutions. When significant problems are confronted in a process like theEarth Charter Initiative, there mustbe people involved who are firmlycommitted to sorting out the issues,and they must have staying power. It was very important to the EarthCharter process that there were anumber of individuals who had thiskind of commitment.

Who were some of those people whowere instrumental in the developmentof the Earth Charter?

The success of the Earth CharterInitiative has been the result of thecollaboration of thousands of people.However, some individuals haveplayed particularly significant roles.Maurice Strong, Mikhail Gorbachev,and Ruud Lubbers launched the new

A NOTE ON THE EC AND SEPTEMBER 11, 2001… FROM STEVEN ROCKEFELLER

THE EARTH CHARTER MAKES CLEAR that the only long-term answer

to the problem of terrorism is to build a global culture of tolerance,

nonviolence, and peace. This will require a world wide partnership of

all nations, all religions, and all peoples. The United States must ensure

that whatever military or other action it takes to fight terrorism will

serve in the long run as a means to the end of creating a planetary

culture of peace. The Earth Charter also recognizes that there will be

no enduring peace in the world without freedom and justice, which

includes the eradication of poverty. Finally, the only firm foundation

for freedom, justice, economic well-being, and peace is respect for

nature and ecological security. This is the message of the Earth Charter.

Earth Charter Initiative in 1994 andcreated a framework for the consulta-tion and drafting process. Theirvision and leadership have been criti-cal. Ambassador Mohamed Sahnounfrom Algeria served as the first execu-tive director of the new Earth CharterInitiative and has been a very effectivesupporter of the Initiative all along.Kamla Chowdhry of India andWangari Maathai of Kenya have madeespecially important contributions as Earth Charter Commissioners.

The Earth Charter Secretariat,which is located in Costa Rica, hasbeen led by Maximo Kalaw of thePhilippines and Mirian Vilela fromBrazil. They both have played veryimportant roles. The support andguidance of Nick Robinson, the chair of the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental Law and of ParvezHassan, the former chair of theCommission, has been invaluable.

The drafting committee includeda number of very dedicated individu-als, including Mirian Vilela, Christinevon Weiszäcker from Germany,Brendan Mackey from Australia, andAbelardo Brenes from Costa Rica.Johannah Bernstein from Canada,and Ron Engel from the U.S., werealso very helpful to the drafting com-mittee. There were many other indi-viduals who have made substantialcontributions.

The guidance and support ofPresident Ikeda during the consulta-tion and drafting process was veryhelpful and deeply appreciated. TheBoston Research Center, under theleadership of Virginia Straus, is a verygood example of the many organiza-tions who have provided the EarthCharter process with wonderful sup-port by organizing conferences andgenerating publications that haveeducated and informed the publicabout the Earth Charter.

Now that the document is written,how do you envision the EarthCharter becoming a living reality?

First of all, the Earth Charter isincreasingly being used in schools,colleges, and universities as an effec-tive teaching tool. The Earth CharterSecretariat is in the process of prepar-ing Earth Charter teaching resourcematerials to support use of the docu-ment in elementary and secondaryschools. In Vermont, for example, theEarth Charter has been integratedinto classroom activities in over 40elementary and high schools, and theEarth Charter is being used in manycollege courses that deal with environ-mental ethics, global ethics, and relat-ed issues.

Secondly, local governmentsaround the world are beginning touse the Earth Charter as a guide forsustainable development planningand assessment. I mentioned earlierthat the U.S. Conference of Mayorshas endorsed the Earth Charter. Inaddition, the document has beenendorsed by the InternationalCouncil of Local EnvironmentalInitiatives (ICLEI), which representsover 350 municipalities around theworld, including cities like CapeTown, South Africa, and Heidelberg,Germany. The Earth CharterInitiative is working to develop goalsand measures for each Earth Charterprinciple in order to help local gov-ernments use the document effective-ly. Earth Charter national committeesand national councils of sustainabledevelopment in dozens of countriesare encouraging national governmentsto use and implement the EarthCharter.

Thirdly, hundreds of organizationsand institutions in different regions ofthe world have endorsed the EarthCharter and are beginning to use it as an educational tool and guide tosustainable living.

Nobody has a copyright on theEarth Charter. It is a public docu-ment and people can use it as theywish. It is already beginning to have asignificant life of its own. It has beentranslated into over 20 languages. We hope that artists, business people,educators, environmental activists,and government leaders—people inall sectors of society—will use thedocument imaginatively and creatively.

Apart from educational value, how might other sectors of societyimplement the Earth Charter?

The Earth Charter principles are relevant to all sectors of society. Everyindividual, family, institution, busi-ness, and government faces the chal-lenge of living sustainably. The EarthCharter sets forth the ethical princi-ples and strategic guidelines requiredto meet this challenge. Its principles,however, do not identify the mecha-nisms and instruments that are neces-sary to attain the goal of sustainability.This would require a document ofseveral hundred pages. Each cultureand organization must take on theresponsibility for developing appro-priate mechanisms and instruments,and there are many resources availabletoday that can be used to assistgroups in this task.

What are its applications to the worldof business?

The major source of environmentaldegradation today is contemporarypatterns of production and consump-tion. Industry and business mustundergo a sustainability revolution inorder to address this problem. TheEarth Charter provides fundamentalguidelines for accomplishing thistransformation of the economy.Principles 5, 6, 7, and 8 are especiallyimportant in this regard.

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.“The highest result of education is tolerance.” —HELEN KELLER

continued on next page

In addition, one of the fundamen-tal problems facing the world is wide-spread poverty and the growing gapbetween rich and poor. As stated inPrinciples 9 and 10, the economyshould be designed to “eradicatepoverty” and to “promote humandevelopment in an equitable and sustainable manner.”

In short, a primary purpose of theEarth Charter is to set forth guide-lines for building local communitiesand a global economy that protectecological integrity and promotessocial and economic justice. As statedin the Preamble, the principles of theEarth Charter have been drafted as “a common standard by which theconduct of all individuals, organiza-tions, businesses, governments, andtransnational institutions is to beguided and assessed.” The documentis not just a poetic vision of the ideal.It is intended as a tool to assesswhether groups, including businesses,are living sustainably. We hope that asgrowing numbers of organizationsand governments endorse and use theEarth Charter, the business commu-nity will also take it seriously as aguide to sustainable development.

Even though it is a people’s treaty, UN endorsement still matters. Why?

Endorsement of the Earth Charter bythe United Nations would enhance itsstanding as a soft law document, thatis, as a statement of common moralvalues and aspirations, and it wouldincrease the likelihood that it woulddirectly influence the future develop-ment of international law.

The United Nations only “adopts”documents that it has negotiated anddrafted. It is, however, possible thatthe UN General Assembly at theWorld Summit on SustainableDevelopment in 2002 might endorsethe document if there is a strongdemonstration of support for it as a

moral framework for sustainable living in the twenty-first century.

In Elise Boulding’s recent book,Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side ofHistory, she states, “The Earth Charterbrings together all the values andpractices that a twenty-first centuryculture of peace would embody.” Do you agree with that statement?

Elise Boulding has developed adeep understanding of the history ofcultures of peace and of how they arecreated. I very much appreciate herevaluation of the Earth Charter. Wecertainly tried to make it a documentthat identifies what is essential forpeace. The Earth Charter Commissionand drafting committee recognizedthat environmental protection,human rights, equitable development,and a culture of peace are interde-pendent and indivisible. When werefer to peace in the Charter in rela-tion to other critical values, peace isalways listed last, because enduringpeace requires, for example, justiceand sustainability. Indeed, we canonly establish peace on Earth byimplementing all the principles in theEarth Charter. At the same time, itmust be said that justice and ecologi-cal sustainability cannot be madesecure in a world wracked by violenceand war. As we work to secure humanrights and to restore the environment,we must promote tolerance and non-violent conflict resolution.

At one point the main principleon peace stated: “Be an instrument of peace and practice nonviolence.”This was a combination of the teach-ings of St. Francis of Assisi andGandhi, West and East. Then KamlaChowdhry, co-chair of the EarthCharter Commission, pointed outthat nonviolence is the method andpeace is the goal. So we began to usethe term “nonviolence” more andemphasized peace as the comprehen-sive goal that includes all the otherelements in the Charter.

The final main principle in theEarth Charter is now a call to “pro-mote a culture of tolerance, nonvio-lence, and peace.” The last principleof the Charter defines peace as “thewholeness created by right relation-ships with oneself, other persons,other cultures, other life, Earth, andthe larger whole of which all are apart.” With this broad definition ofpeace in mind, it is possible to under-stand peace as the long-range goal ofthe Earth Charter. The ethical andspiritual vision in the Earth Charteremphasizes the importance of rela-tionship and community, and theEarth Charter lays out a path forbuilding lasting peace.

The complete text of the EarthCharter is available on the BRC Web site: www.brc21.org

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Mary Moody Emerson and the Origins ofTranscendentalism

A LECTURE BY PHYLLIS COLE

Coponsored by the BRC and the Thoreau Society

May 23, 7:30 pmat The Concord Museum

in Concord, Massachusetts

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

AND JOIN US IN 2002!

Phyllis Cole brings a feministperspective to her work as ascholar of American Letters.

This lecture is part of the 2002 Thoreau Society

Lecture Series entitled“Character References:

Considering ThoreauvianValues.”

For further information, contact Jody Stern, ConcordMuseum, at 978-369-9763.

continued from page 9

n

well as economic, social, and culturalrights—have not even been ratified by the U.S Congress. In the end, thethree seats reserved for Western nationson the UNCHR went to states withstrong human rights records.

Why was the U.S. excluded? Theanswer is simple: the United Stateshas failed to live up to a principlewhich is central to its very founding:“A decent respect for the opinions of[hu]mankind.”

This principle conforms withhuman nature and expresses humanrights. Rooted in human nature is thebasic need on the part of humans inany community (and we are dealinghere with the global community) tobe included in that community’s

deliberations. In accord with humanrights, matters affecting members ofthe human family (the foundation ofhuman rights) cannot be left to theself-defined interest of any singlestate. When both of these conditionsare met, the norm of equality isachieved.

THE UNITED NATIONS created theUnited Nations Commission onHuman Rights (UNCHR) in 1946,through its Economic and SocialCouncil (ECOSOC). Since then,in accordance with its mandate, theUNCHR has been concerned withdefining, promoting, and protectinghuman rights. In discharging its role,the Commission has become one ofthe most important moral voicesthroughout the world. And in citingor condemning states that violate thenorms of human rights, it has becomeimportant to the international stancesthat have had a rather weighty impactworldwide. From 1947 to May 3,2001, the U.S. played a major role in helping to shape that voice andthose stances as a member of theCommission. But last May, the 54-member ECOSOC voted to excludethe U.S. from the Commission.

Many reasons have been advancedto explain the exclusion of the U.S.One claim is that the U.S. had prob-lems counting the votes for supportof its candidacy. A “conspiracy theory”argues that the U.S. can and didcount accurately, but was betrayed bystates which previously had given firmpromises of support. Finally, somecontend that the exclusion of the U.S.was the result of Washington’s loss ofpower and influence in the realm ofinternational relations.

As plausible as these reasons mayappear, none withstand critical scrutiny.The U.S. may be the most verbal supporter of human rights, but it isnot the most vital. Many of the mostimportant human rights instruments—those dealing with the rights ofwomen, children, and prisoners, as

The U.S. was voted off theUNCHR because its conduct, inrecent years, has been seen as a viola-tion of human nature, human rights,and the norm of equality. In the firstcase, it has often disregarded theopinions of humankind by unilaterallyrejecting —or threatening to reject—a number of international agreements.Among these, the Kyoto Protocol waspainstakingly created to help protectthe global environment. The U.S. hasalso shown disdain for the UN itselfby refusing, until recently, to pay itsUN dues which had accumulated tomore than $2 billion. In regard tohuman rights, by failing to support theagreement to establish an InternationalCriminal Court the U.S. has rejectedthe single most promising globalmechanism to enforce human rights.On the matter of equality, manycountries see Washington as indulgingitself while criticizing others; forexample, condemning human rightsviolations in China and Cuba, whileoverlooking violations at home in theareas of housing, education, andhealthcare, not to mention disregard-ing the human rights of innocentpeople throughout the world as aresult of policies, sanctions, and theuse of military force.

As I conclude these comments, theU.S., writhing from terrorist attacks inNew York and Washington, is seekinginternational support for a counterat-tack against suspected terrorists. Onehopes that Washington will learn twolessons from this effort to gain thecooperation of other countries: thatpeace and security require continuousrespectful engagement with the rest ofthe world. It also requires the removalof the social inequalities that breedterrorism and other forms of socialand political behavior threatening tohuman well-being.

— Winston LangleyProfessor, International Relations & Political Science, University ofMassachusetts-Boston

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.“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” —JOHN F. KENNEDY

......................

GUEST COMMENTARY:

WHY THE U.S. FAILED TO WIN REELECTION

TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Why was the U.S. excluded? The answer is simple: the UnitedStates has failed to live up to a

principle which is central to its veryfounding: “A decent respect forthe opinions of [hu]mankind.”

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The 25-module course provides 100hours of professional development forteachers and includes a substantialsection on the Earth Charter.

A remarkable symbol of the closeconnection between children, youth,and the Earth Charter was unveiledin 1998 at the Earth CharterContinental Conference of theAmericas held in the State of MatoGrosso, Brazil. This event attractedone hundred delegates from over 20countries under the sponsorship ofthe Earth Council, the Governmentof Mato Grosso, UNICEF, andUNESCO. At the closing ceremonyof the conference, participants wereinvited to be part of a mobilizationeffort involving the schoolchildren ofCuiabá, Brazil. Four thousand stu-dents stood hand-in-hand to form ahuman chain of students and teachersthat stretched over 3.5 kilometersaround a mountain in a symbolicembrace of Earth. The Mayor ofCuiabá then presented the first EarthCharter monument which depicts fivechildren, representing the five conti-nents, surrounding a tree trunk tosymbolize protection and security ofthe planet. The monument was creat-ed by artist Jonas Correa.

Artistic expression of EarthCharter principles holds a strong

Earth Charter in Actioncontinued from page 1

appeal for young citizens worldwide.Since 1998, over a half million stu-dents and teachers have taken part inAnnual Earth Charter Youth ArtContests sponsored by Green CrossInternational. Contest participantscome from the 18 countries whereGreen Cross offices are located underthe leadership of the Green Cross inItaly. Every year the final prize cere-mony includes a multi-sector interna-tional roundtable on the world’s envi-ronmental problems, education, peace,and rights of future generations.

Another exciting internationalprogram is Pole-to-Pole, an organiza-tion founded by Martyn Williamswhose mission is to deliver interactivepresentations to young people through-out North and South America.Through workshops, curriculumdevelopment, and events—such ashoisting the Earth Charter flag at theSouth Pole in 2000—this organiza-tion has reached thousands of youngpeople. “Our experience is that youthembrace something when they haveownership,” said Williams on theEarth Charter Initiative OnlineForum that took place last July onwww.earthcharter.org.

Young Americans are also becom-ing ambassadors of the Earth Charter.Vermont has been particularly activein bringing the Earth Charter to lifewith a range of activities that cutacross school/community boundaries.In September, an Earth CharterCelebration entitled For Love ofEarth, A Celebration of the EarthCharter attracted over 1,000 people toShelburne Farms, Vermont, for a fullday of song, art, poetry, and globalhealing inspired by the Earth Charterand coordinated by two Vermont artists,Sally Linder and Cami Davis. As partof the concept for this multi-facetedevent, Linder and Davis developedthe Temenos Project: Temenos Booksand Temenos Earth Masks months inadvance in order to work with hun-dreds of schoolchildren throughout

the state. This project, which borrowsthe word temenos or ‘magic circle’from ancient Greek thought, engagedschoolchildren throughout the stateof Vermont in creating masks and 8” x 8” temenos books filled withvisual affirmations for global healing,peace, and gratitude.

“Through the powers of pilgrim-age, ritual, voice, visual art, music,dance, and the communal sharing ofa meal, we desire to bring the wordsof the Charter into our hearts,”Linder explained.

As part of this celebration, theVermont Natural Resources Council,Vermont Businesses for SocialResponsibility, the Vermont Peace

First Steps walkers setting out from SokaUniversity on January 1, 2001.

The first Earth Charter monument, Cuiabá,Brazil.

and Justice Center, and the VermontChildren’s Forum co-signed a resolu-tion to endorse Earth Charter Principlesand, furthermore, encourage the UNGeneral Assembly to do the same.

A few weeks after this remarkableintergenerational event, a series of tenEarth Charter Community Summitslinked by satellite were held through-out the U.S. on September 29, 2001.The purpose of the concurrent sum-mits was to gather signatures on a setof visual banners known collectively

There is no “morality-free” school, no valueless teaching. —NANCY AND TED SIZER

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as the Earth Charter Declaration ofInterdependence. The summit held inPortland, Maine, focused on the EarthCharter and youth. When asked tocomment on what young people haveto teach older generations, Mainesummit organizer Anne Zill of theCenter for Ethics and Action at theUniversity of New England said,“Young people take chances. Theymight even take a chance on tendingthe health of Earth. Earth Charterinvolvement is very ‘grown up’ foryouth but may be too ‘grown up’ fortheir set-in-their-patterns parents.”

College students are also taking akeen interest in the Earth Charter. In1999, the Earth Forum Web site, aproject of the Earth Council, hostedtwo international online conferences.The first, held in English in April of1999, was entitled Global Ethics,Sustainable Development and the EarthCharter. Online participants included

over 1,000 students from 300 univer-sities in 76 countries. Later that year,a Spanish and Portuguese online con-ference offered 12 presentations to350 students from 25 universities.Thirty university professors and oth-ers have participated as speakers sofar. (To learn more, go to www.earthforum.org.)

Sometimes, students create small-scale projects that bring the EarthCharter to life such as the First Stepswalk that set off from Soka Universityin Hachioji, Japan, on the morning ofJanuary 1, 2001. A group of approxi-mately 15 student members of SokaGakkai International gathered on New Year’s Day, plastic bags in hand,determined to climb a nearby hill andcollect as much litter as possible alongthe way. It wasn’t long before they foundthemselves carrying garbage bagsbulging with polystyrene packagingdesigned for instant meals, a real-life

Tufts Summer InternFocuses on EarthCharter and Youth

WHEN IT COMES to the EarthCharter and youth, where are theexperts? This past summer, theBRC tapped into the younger gen-eration by offering an internshipfocused on the Earth Charter,thereby bringing energy and newideas to our developing programsin this area. A collaboration withTufts University’s Summer Peace

reminder of how personal our respectfor the environment must be if we areto alter patterns of consumption.

It is heartening to know of thegrowing interest among youth in theEarth Charter worldwide, especiallyin light of the September 11, 2001,terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter and the Pentagon. As wesearch for language to describe ourfeelings and ways to envision a betterworld for our children, let us returnto the language of the Earth Charterwhere the reality and hope of thefuture is clearly articulated under the heading, The Challenges Ahead:“The choice is ours: form a globalpartnership to care for Earth and oneanother or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life.”

For further information on the Earth Charter Youth Initiative, please explore www.earthcharter.org/community/youth

and Justice Institute provided theframework while Vinay Reddy, arecent college graduate, providedthe hard work.

Reddy was awarded his Bachelorof Arts degree in political scienceand philosophy in May 2001fromMiami University in Oxford, Ohio,where he studied Gandhian non-violence and later visited India on a research stipend. His interest inworld peace led him to the BRCinternship which focused on build-ing awareness of the Earth Charteramong youth organizations in theBoston area. While creating a data-base of youth organizations, Reddyalso worked with BRC staff onmaterials and strategies for engagingyoung people in the Earth CharterInitiative.

While in Boston, Reddy alsoattended classes at the Tufts SummerInstitute in Strategic Nonviolence and

Social Movements: An ExperientialInquiry Into Peace Action. This program explored the limits andpotential of strategic nonviolence in peace movements as it combinedclassroom seminars with work expe-rience. “This intentional linkageand interrogation of theory andpractice should enable participantsto better understand both concreteactivism and academic analyses,”said Summer Institute director Dr. Dale Bryan.

Relying on his strong interest in global ethics, Reddy hopes toapply this summer experiencetoward his personal goal of promot-ing a global awareness of commonvalues. When asked how his workat the BRC might connect to thatgoal, Reddy said, “The EarthCharter’s principles and the BRC’sapproach have given me a guidingframework for relating my values to social action.”

Vinay Reddy at work in the publicationsoffice.

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Forthcoming BRC Books

ORBIS TO PUBLISH

SUBVERTING GREED IN 2002The publications office at the BRCwas a nerve center of internationalactivity this summer as contributionsto Subverting Greed: ReligiousPerspectives on the Global Economy(working title) flowed in fromAustralia, Canada, England, India,Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and theU.S. The manuscript is now at OrbisBooks with an anticipated publicationdate of November 2002.

BRC DEVELOPS EDUCATION BOOK

Peace education begins with self-awareness, trusting relationships, andcompassion for humanity. As the BRCfocuses on education, these importantvalues will be studied and shaped intoour next book: Educating the GlobalCitizen (working title).

“We are deeply impressed with thework of twentieth century educationalphilosophers John Dewey andTsunesaburo Makiguchi,” saidVirginia Straus. “We plan to lookclosely at their ideas as points ofdeparture and consider practicalapplications for how those ideas speakto the challenges of education today.”

Educating the Global Citizen will bedeveloped in 2002 with an anticipatedpublication date of fall 2003.

......................BOOK TALK

In Memoriam

VITTORIO FALSINA

OCTOBER 11, 1962 - AUGUST 24, 2001

The Center’s forthcoming book,Subverting Greed: ReligiousPerspectives on the Global Economy,will be dedicated to the memory of Vittorio Falsina whose untimelydeath on August 24, 2001, saddenedus all. Vittorio provided a graciousand stimulating Guest Interview in our Spring 2001 Newsletter and will be long remembered as an eloquent spokesman for com-passionate globalization.

Buddhist Peacework Update

With course adoptions from over a dozen colleges and universities andstrong sales to non-academic markets since it was published in 1999,Buddhist Peacework is one of the BRC’s most successful titles. Because of its market potential, the Center and Wisdom Publications have decided to reprint this title in 2002.

SELECTED YEAR 2001 REVIEWS OF BUDDHIST PEACEWORK

“Helpful, inspiring, instructive and exemplary. Buddhist Peacework is thesort of book one reads reflectively over some time, reading an essay, thinkingabout it, reading another, going back to the first, taking notes, evaluatingand sharing ideas... I am grateful to Wisdom Publications for being willingto give us a volume like this.” —ZOKETSU NORMAN FISCHER, JANUARY 2001 ISSUE OF SHAMBALA SUN

“Buddhist Peacework is a collection of essays that is bound to create hopeand give inspiration… While Buddhist history is not without episodes ofviolence, and not all contemporary Buddhists are dedicated to the bodhisattvaway, Buddhist Peacework provides ample examples and fresh ideas for thosewho want to work toward a culture of peace.”—BARBARA HIRSHKOWITZ, WINTER 2001 ISSUE OF TURNING WHEEL

“This is the talk from those who are out there doing the walk; these arethe monks and Buddhist lay people who are actively and purposefully pursuing the path of peace, easing the suffering of other sentient beings.The world’s most respected Buddhist peaceworkers have contributed tothis inspiring essay collection that reaches far and wide with a deep mes-sage of hope and peace.”—NAPRA REVIEW (NETWORKING ALTERNATIVES FOR PUBLISHERS, RETAILERS, AND

ARTISTS), 2001

To order your copy of Buddhist Peacework, contact Wisdom Publications atwww.wisdompubs. org or call 1-800-462-6420.

Words Worth Repeating

In order to be able to evaluate our personal values correctly,we need self-awareness and other-awareness working in unison.This self-realization is not merely the self-recognition thatone exists, nor is it the sense of individuality stressed throughcomparing one’s own qualities with those of others. Rather, it is the personal value of oneself as a whole engaged in the

greater whole of society that matters here. —TSUNESABURO MAKIGUCHI, FROM EDUCATION FOR CREATIVE LIVING:

IDEAS AND PROPOSALS OF TSUNESABURO MAKIGUCHI, EDITED BY DAYLE M. BETHEL

AND PUBLISHED BY IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1989.

Did You Know?

The BRC Web site has summaries and order information for all of our books.Check it out today: www.brc21.org

“To study many other subjects without studying the total society is like building a house on sand.” —TSUNESABURO MAKIGUCHI

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The Mission Statementof the Boston Research Center

The Boston Research Center for

the 21st Century is an interna-

tional peace institute that fosters

dialogue among scholars and

activists on common values

across cultures and religions.

We seek in this way to support

an evolving global ethic for a

peaceful twenty-first century.

The Center collaborates with

universities and citizen groups to

sponsor symposia, conferences,

lectures, and other dialogues that

bring attention to constructive

ideas for the development of

civil society and peace cultures

worldwide. Focal points of the

Center’s work include global

ethics, women’s leadership, and

peace education. The Center was

founded in 1993 by Daisaku

Ikeda, a Buddhist peace activist

and President of Soka Gakkai

International (SGI), a religious

association with members in 163

countries.

How to Reach UsWE WELCOME YOUR ADVICE, IDEAS,and comments, as well as requests for complimentary exam copies or general information. Individual staffmembers can be reached by calling617-491-1090 or via fax at 617-491-1169. Extensions and email addressesare listed below:

Virginia Straus, Executive Director,Ext. 223, vstraus@brc21.org

Shirley Chandl, Office Manager, Ext. 224, schandl@brc21.org

Masashiro Hagiya, Administrative and Financial Manager, Ext. 221,mhagiya@brc21.org

Patti Marxsen Sides, PublicationsManager, Ext. 235, psides@brc21.org

Publications Dept., Fax: 617-492-5850

Beth Zimmerman, Events Manager,Ext. 226, bzimmerman@brc21.org

General Email Address:center@brc21.org

Newsletter

Editor: Patti Marxsen Sides

Contributors: Helen Marie Casey,Arun Gandhi, Judith Nies, His RoyalHighness El Hassan Bin Talal,Winston Langley, Virginia Straus, anda special thanks to Mirian Vilela ofthe Earth Charter Secretariat and toProfessor Steven Rockefeller

Desktop Publishing: Carol Dirga

Photo Credits: BRC Staff, SGI, MajlisEl Hassan and Carol Faraj for PrinceHassan, University of Illinois Press for permission to reproduce the book cover of For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer

Printing Services: Atlantic Printing,Needham, www.atlanticprinting.com

AS WE TURN OUR FOCUS TO THE

world of education, we find ourselvesthinking about the relationshipbetween self and society… and howthis delicate balance takes shape in ayoung person’s mind. We also findourselves comparing today’s chal-lenges to those of our own youth.

After the shocking events ofSeptember 11, 2001, we realize morethan ever that we are, indeed, livingin a frightening new world where, in the words of educator BarbaraMossberg, “we are called to an aware-ness of competing and conflictingrealities.” More than ever, we need towork together to help our young peo-ple develop an ethic of social respon-sibility in a global context. From ourplans to support Earth Charter youthactivities to our forthcoming educa-tion book, we see our missionexpanding to encompass the ideasand energy of new generations in thequest for peace.

We encourage you to share thecontent of this newsletter with ayoung person in your life, or maybewith someone who works closely withyoung people. Through active listen-ing and intergenerational learning, wehope to create a new vision together.

— Patti Marxsen Sides, Publications Manager

......................EDITOR’S NOTE

News from www.brc21.org

DID YOU KNOW that this newsletter is posted as a downloadable

.pdf file on our Web site within a week of publication? Check it out

at www.brc21.org! And, by the way, if you prefer the electronic .pdf

version to receiving the printed version via snail mail, please send us

your email address at pubs@brc21.org. We’ll delete your name from

the mailing list and, instead, send a reminder as each newsletter

becomes available online.

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Please let us know…If the information on your mailing label is incorrect or you wish to be removed from our mailing list. Thanks!

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Buddhist Peacework can be purchased from Wisdom Publications. Visit their Web site atwww.wisdompubs.org or call 1-800-272-4050.

Subverting Hatred can be purchased from Orbis Books. Visit their Web site at www.orbisbooks.com or call 1-800-258-5838.

Please contact the BRC to order a complimentary printed copy of Daisaku Ikeda’s 2001 Peace Proposal entitled Creating andSustaining a Century of Life: Challenges for a New Era, or downloadthis publication from www.sokagakkai.or.jp.

BRC PUBLICATIONS ORDER FORM

BRC books have been adopted for course use at over 100 colleges and universities.Contact the Center for complimentary examination copies of our publications.

You can order the Center’s books by sending this form with a check, or contact us byphone, fax, or e-mail and we will be happy to send your order with an invoice.

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