| “Think of Peace Now.” “Now” is not meant here to be “now at the
beginning of the 21st century.” Neither is it meant to be “now in the
50th anniversary year of Japan’s admission to UNESCO.” It is meant “now
after the incident of September 11, 2001.” After September 11, the words,
“Think of Peace Now,” carry much heavier significance than before. On September 17, the Board meeting of Meguro UNESCO Association decided to hold a UNESCO course with the theme “Think of Peace Now,” in December. We then thought that by December things would have settled down so that we could foresee the future. But the “incident,” involving the entire world, went into a maze, darkening people’s minds. How difficult it is to “Think of Peace Now.” The Taliban destroyed the great stone Buddha of Bamiyan in March. Despite petitions from all over the world, they destroyed it. We censured them for the deed and deplored the loss of the beautiful stone Buddha. But how much did we realize then the severe reality of millions of “hunger cases” and “diseases,” behind it. Now I feel that we should have realized the grief and appeals of not only of the Islam but also people of the rest of “the third world.” The background of the incident is now gradually becoming clear. It is said that centuries-old inequality and unfairness are at the bottom of the cause of the incident. It started with the history of treating people as slaves, or “commodities,” and was followed by the customs of taking it for granted that one system of civilization, religion, nation, politics, and so on can conquer and destroy the other system. When I realize that we are not fully aware of that sin and, if we are, we are so foolish that we cannot find even a clue for the solution, I am shocked. The Board meeting of Meguro UNESCO Association entrusted the planning for the coming UNESCO course substantially to the young people, as they began, soon after the incident, to study it to find out what they can do about it. I would like to give high praise to the young people’s efforts to tackle with the problem sincerely. A solution will certainly call for patience and endurance on our part. May I then suggest that as many members as possible join the UNESCO course on December 1 and find out even the smallest clue to tackle the problems of peace in your own way? Vice-President, Meguro UNESCO Association |