NO.１８３
2002.2.13

My First Dream of the New Year

This is the Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology. Horses have long attracted me with their graceful figures and gentle eyes. I have a collection of horses in my house. On top of my collection list is a white Chagu-chagu pony, a souvenir given by my parents to their then-three-year-old grandchild when they participated the National Assembly of Japan UNESCO movements held in Morioka, in 1969. Also on the list are little dolls of Scandinavian horses painted in blue or red along with trays and plates with motifs of horses. And last but not the least is an oil painting of a prairie with horses running around in the distance, which was given to me by a student from Mongolia. And nowadays, we often see horses on the TV screen telecast from Afghanistan. 　More than fifty years have passed since UNESCO was established as a result of people's self-examination of the World War II. Japan has celebrated the 50th anniversary of joining UNESCO. Unfortunately the 20th Century turned out to be the “century of wars.” The 21st Century started with the hope of constructing “cultures for peace.” The hope, however, was sadly betrayed and the world became the site of wars again despite the United Nations’ calling for the “year of communication among civilizations.” 　In reality, the human being has moved away from true peace at the beginning of the 21st Century. In a sense we are experiencing the same pain as we had half a century ago. The only difference is that it was then a dispute among nations and now it is partly a dispute among races and religions. A “dialogue among civilizations” must be urgently established. Although we all talk about “peace” and “love”, differences exist among races and religions as to what the words mean. It is highly hoped that people try to be more tolerant and come close to the UNESCO concept of these words. It is my firm belief that peace can only be realized on the earth when the principles based on different ideals compromise with the UNESCO principles and all people accept the compromise. This problem is connected not only with religious beliefs but also with how widely basic education is spread among people. 　In our world of the Terakoya movement of spreading basic education among people we are inclined to think, “the purpose of basic education is to secure basic human rights through learning reading, writing and calculating abilities.” But it is only a part of the purpose. The more important part is “education of attitudes for living together,” or, in other words, “education of the mind to love peace.” The purpose of basic education should be, besides teaching how to read, write and calculate, to bring up people who can communicate with people of different civilizations. I believe that it is the responsibility of UNESCO to arrange an environment where people can receive education based on UNESCO principles regardless of the level of literacy. I'd like to find such philosophy spread among educators, religious leaders, ideologists, intellectuals, and politicians as well as among parents who are in the midst of rearing children. 　I hope that my first dream of the year is to see, besides wild horses wandering around the wilderness, as many “seeds of peace” sowed and sprouting. I should not forget, of course, to add on my dream list seeing the United States returning to UNESCO.

183-2へ