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"The
University is established with a clear determination to
provide humanity with an international institution of higher
education for peace. In addition, it aims to promote among
all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and
peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples
and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and
progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed
in the Charter of the United Nations. To
this end, the University shall contribute to the great
universal task of educating for peace by engaging in
teaching, research, postgraduate training and dissemination
of knowledge, fundamental to the full development of the
human person and societies through the interdisciplinary
study of all matters relating to peace." (From the Charter
of the University for Peace.)
Goodbye
my beloved UN. Farewell. May you grow, flourish and produce
many more good deeds and seeds for this miraculous planet
and its proud human race. May every person on Earth love
you, understand you, support you and pray for you as I do.
May this testament widen the eyes, the minds, the hearts and
souls of the world's peoples, of their leaders and of their
representatives on the occasion of the 50th golden
anniversary of the UN in 1995, and pave the way to our
proper entry into the third millennium. This
testament was started on an April's fool day (1 April,
1984). Isn't it up to all of us, including you dear reader,
to transform our wildest dreams of humanity into realities?
This is what the UN is all about. Like
the spring of a New Era, a new philosophy, spirituality and
global civilization are slowly but surely emerging from the
UN. This is visible only to a few people today, but in the
next century it will be crystal-clear to all. As
we celebrate the fortieth and each successive anniversary of
the UN, we must remember all those who for more than 2000
years, beginning with Confucius, the Buddha, Jesus and the
Greeks have dreamt of a united human family and later of a
league of nations. Among the latter were Abbe' de St Pierre,
Benjamin Franklin, Simon Bolivar, Immanuel Kant, Andrew
Carnegie, Woodrow Wilson and last but not least Franklin
Roosevelt who completed the historical process on American
soil. The
only limits of the UN are our doubts and hesitations of
today. The
UN is now universal. Practically all nations of Earth are
members of it. This is unprecedented in human history. The
divine plan of one place on Earth where all nations would
meet has materialized. As Pope Paul VI said: "You
are the end of a journey which started 2000 years
ago." Einstein
predicted: "We
shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if
humankind is to survive." No
organization on Earth has contributed more to a new thinking
than the UN. An
isolationist American group has published a
pamphlet: 'A
World without the UN." Strangely
enough its cover shows the UN emerging from an egg, symbol
of birth rather than demise. Through
the UN humanity progressively acquires a collective way of
looking at things, thus entering a new phase of evolution:
the phase of planethood, the global age. At
the beginning the UN was only a hope. Today
it is a political reality. Tomorrow
it will be the world's religion. The
UN is the most important new moral force in the world.
Historians will some day be astonished by its role in
ushering humanity into the third millennium. The
most important division on this planet is not between East
and West and between North and South. The most important
division is between those who want human unity and world
order and those who want the supremacy of their group at the
expense of the planet and of humanity. The
faith, love and hope of humanity are waiting for something
new. a great, beautiful vision of what this world could be.
It is the role of the UN to fashion that image as a normal
step in the evolution of this planet, as a collective mould
of the dreams, perceptions and experiences of all
peoples. In
the new era of peace, all humans must be respected as divine
manifestations of the universe, as unique, unrepeatable
cosmic units endowed with the absolute right not to kill and
not to be killed, not even in the name of a
nation. We
will henceforth live in a world obsessed with peace and
demilitarization until these objectives are achieved. And
they will be achieved sooner than we dare to
think. Peace,
order, justice, equity, freedom, well-being and happiness
are basic human cravings. The UN is the first attempt ever
to achieve these aims world-wide. It is one of the greatest
advances in human evolution. History
tells us that what seems utopian today will be a reality
tomorrow. That reality will depend on what we do for utopia
at the UN today. "As
all associations aim at some good, that association which is
the most sovereign among them all and embraces A others will
aim highest, i.e. at the most sovereign of all
goods." Aristotle This
could be the definition of the UN. These
words of the prophet Isaiah apply to the UN: "Do
not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it." The
present human society is a product of the past and also a
producer of the future. The UN and its agencies are the main
harbingers of that future. Confucius
said that forty is the age of consolidation. The UN, thank
God, has been able to reach that age, twice the age of its
defunct predecessor, the League of Nations. The
UN is the center of things, the vortex, the point of
convergence of human evolution. It is the first and sole
political institution on Earth that cares for the entire
planet and for all humanity. And these are the two
fundamental imperatives of our time. Due
to the fast growing irrelevance and harmfulness of national
sovereignty in a global world that cries out for care and
proper management, we live in a negative sociological era.
The UN is the only cradle of hope for a new, positive
era. We
are all "pontifices maximi", great bridge-builders. Our most
important duty at this stage is to communicate, to exchange
ideas, to adapt, to seek, to try, to network, to learn to
evolve in a global environment. Perhaps the greatest
contribution of the UN is to be a place on Earth where all
nations can talk to each other, learn from each other and
engage into the most comprehensive socratic dialogue
ever. The
UN is sometimes called a jungle. Yes, it is as rich and
life-teeming as a jungle, for it reflects the richness,
bio-diversity and complexity of our planetary home and human
beings. It is a perfect mirror of the cosmic realities of
our planet. The
UN is the first significant victory over war. That victory
will soon be decisive. The
UN sometimes seems to me one vast planetary prayer,
interspersed with many sins and falls. The
UN is the New Genesis. The
UN's tall glass building elevates high into the sky the
dreams, hopes and loves of humanity, and channels down to
Earth the cosmic messages of God and of the
universe. The
UN is a new paradigm, probably the greatest ever in human
history. It is the product and instrument of very deep
evolutionary changes. Its role has accelerated in the last
decades. For nations, for religions, for business, for the
media, for educators, for professions, for all peoples of
the Earth there is nothing more important than to find out
what emerges from this first world-wide global observatory,
warning-tower and light-house of planet Earth. The
UN is the sole universal organization on Earth. What luck
that we have at least one above the myriads of national,
local and group establishments! The
fundamental tasks of the UN are to ensure peace and justice,
to provide planetary information, to develop planetary
consciousness, to give voice to planetary concerns, to
create planetary networks, to issue planetary warnings, to
establish planetary institutions, to organize planetary
events and to pave the way to proper planetary governance.
No institution on Earth has ever had such mind-boggling
tasks. If
there is one accomplishment humanity can be proud of, it is
the UN. It
is the UN's lofty, unprecedented role to transform the whole
world into a peaceful, well-ordered society. It is the
world's greatest peace engine. Its imperfections will be
corrected and forgotten with time. Archbishop
Helder Camara said to me: "I
love the United Nations, it does such an important work.
Pope Paul VI also loved the UN and once commented to me: 'Of
course it has its defects and makes mistakes. But doesn't
the Catholic Church have its defects too and haven't we made
many mistakes over the last 2000 years?' And doesn't this
apply to many other groups and efforts on this
planet?" He
then embraced me and said: "God
bless the United Nations" These
were the same words of Pope John Paul 11 when he visited the
United Nations. Imperfect
UN? Why not? How could it be otherwise? Given the national
differences and idiosyncrasies of this planet, how could a
first, small, powerless organization, dealing with all the
miseries of our Earth be perfect? Its critics must be
joking. If
the big powers continue with their hesitation towards the
UN, it is quite possible that they will miss one of the
greatest opportunities ever in history: the creation of the
first universal world order. Everything
on this Earth becomes "organized" or "institutionalized",
for it is the way of the human species. This is true both of
good and evil, of love and hatred. The great challenge of
our time is to institutionalize and organize well-being and
cooperation on a planetary scale and to de-institutionalize
war and hatred. This is the deeper meaning of the United
Nations. The
dinosaurs disappeared from the Earth possibly because their
brains were too small. The human race may also disappear if
it does not develop its global brain - the UN - to the
required size. The
people of the world are left without a sense of direction.
They are assaulted every day by torrents of news, views,
values, marketing and advertisements. Their life is not
whole. The human society is not whole. The United Nations is
the only place on Earth which can give humanity a new sense
of direction, a general holistic philosophy and vision of a
global, planetary civilization. All
people in the world want the same things: peace, justice,
good health and a happy, satisfying life. All
people in the world strive for the same things: they study
and work hard to obtain the good things in life. All
peoples in the world abhor the same things: war, violence,
injustice, sickness, poverty, lack of freedom,
etc. It
is no little achievement that humanity at long last has
defined what
it wants and what it rejects. We are now trying to achieve
these objectives for all humanity. That is the great
historical challenge of our
time, the duty of our generation and the momentous task of
the UN. May all people of the world make it their objective
too, and be members of the UN whose Charter begins with the
words: 'We,
the Peoples of the United Nations..." Is
it possible that despite our thousands of years of history,
our religions,
our research, our sciences, our penetration into the
infinitely large and infinitely small, humankind has never
really tried to understand the meaning of life? Yes, it is
quite possible. It is even a fact. Is
it possible that we have never tried to understand the
history of the universe and of our role in it? Yes, it is
quite possible. It is even a fact. Is
it possible that seeing now this Earth as one globe, knowing
all its elements, resources and limits, no one is wondering
how it should be managed, cared for, preserved and loved?
Yes, it is quite possible. It is even a fact. Is
it possible that having lived so long and knowing fairly
well our paleontology, archaeology and history, no one is
trying to visualize seriously the future? Yes, it is quite
possible. This too is even a fact. Well,
if all this is possible, is it not vital that someone should
come along who would do it for us? Yes, and this someone is
the UN and its agencies, nurtured by all cultures, beliefs,
learning, experiences and efforts of all nations, by the
hopes, dreams and faith of all people, by the thoughts of
all great men and women, living and dead. And
is it possible that you and I have a responsibility and role
to play? Yes, it is possible. It is even certain. Therefore
we should know the UN, care for the UN, preach the UN, teach
the UN, love the UN and advocate the UN until our death and
even beyond. Yes,
the UN is just and necessary. History,
evolution are nothing but the slow progressive flowering of
all Earth people into full humaneness. Cultures are the ways
and means of that progress. Today, in a world become global,
the United Nations is the first momentous attempt to fashion
a world culture of peace, justice and humaneness for
all. The
UN reflects the stage and dynamics of human
progress: -
As a universal political organization it is the culmination
of 2000 years of history and dreams for a world
organization; -
While war has always been the rule in history, the UN
asserts peace as the dominant new rule of civilized
behavior; -
The UN has begun the decisive battle against armaments, the
military and violence; -
It has subdued the trade and financial rivalries which have
led to so many wars; -
It has started novel histories of world cooperation in
development, the environment, education, health,
outer-space, the seas and oceans, population, children,
women, the handicapped, the elderly, races, etc; -
It has started the world-wide defense and protection
of individual
human rights; Feeble
and unsupported as it is, the UN will some day receive the
universal, astonished acclaim and thanks of the human
race. Why
do I feel so at ease and happy in the UN? Because it is the
place on Earth where the world's problems are being worked
out. it is the great, new, exciting frontier of human
progress. I see the UN as Columbus saw a new
shore. If
power is defined as the ability to create the stage and the
script in which others will act, then the UN is certainly
the most powerful organization on Earth. If
influence is the new power, then the UN is again the most
powerful organization on Earth. Humanity
must frontally and seriously attack the problem of violence
in all its forms: Violent action Violent speech and
communications Violent thoughts We
therefore need a science and art of peace to vigorously
promote: Peaceful
behavior and actions Peaceful
speech and communications Peaceful thoughts The
UN and its agencies are humanity's first universal
instruments of peace and non-violence. The
UN is an unprecedented world-wide effort to make humanity
think in unison, care in unison, feel in unison, act in
unison, in other words to become unison (unisono: the same
sound), i.e. one united nation. We
must love the UN with a fire in our heart, the fire of the
upcoming human and planetary unity, the fire of a new,
world-wide, peaceful human society. A
reader quotes these words of U Thant: "The
Charter of the United Nations is the first, most daring code
of behavior addressed to the most powerful of all
institutions of this planet: armed nations." And
she continues: "Many
disappointments have led people to question the value of the
United Nations but much of this skepticism is the result of
lack of understanding about what the UN can and cannot do.
As U Thant said, the Charter is a "code of behavior", not a
constitution with the force of law. It can only be effective
if the signatories live up to its terms". The
UN should be loved for its defense of the great causes of
humanity. Even its weaknesses and failures should be loved,
as we love the weaknesses and frailties of a
child. The
UN is the cradle of universal human values and truths on our
global, cosmic journey. The
UN is the greatest school or laboratory on Earth for the
study of entities and their relationships in a universal and
total time dimension. All
the great truths of our cosmic journey and planetary
evolution will emerge from the UN. Few are those on Earth
who fathom its evolutionary importance. The
United Nations Charter will survive and gain incessant
ground in the world, even if the UN should disappear. The
Oath of Strasbourg between the sons of Charlemagne,
forerunner of the European Community, survived Lotharingia
and all Franco-German wars. The Magna Carta survived
feudalism and blossomed centuries later into the
Declarations of Independence and Human Rights. The
Declaration of Human Rights survived the French Revolution
and Napoleon. Similarly, the UN Charter and declarations
will survive and win. And history will be astonished how
rapidly this will take place. The UN is scoring victory
after victory for independence, for peace, for development,
for freedom, for justice, for quality of life, for the
environment, for human rights, for racial equality, for the
rights of women, of children, of the elderly, of the
handicapped, etc. Even the most stubborn contemporary
issues, namely the cold war, armaments, militarism and
national sovereignty have or will succumb to the power of
this new bold paradigm. The UN is the latest and greatest
landmark in the ascent, progress and further evolution of
humankind towards the fulfillment of its intended role on
this miraculous planet in the vast universe. Right
here, right now, this planet is our heaven, our paradise,
our home. It is time that all humans and entities realize
it, be well educated and informed about it and take good
care of it. What
is the pattern, what is the philosophy, what is the great
stream of upward thought and vision that should guide our
next phase of evolution? The
answer will come from humanity's biggest crucible of
thoughts: the United Nations. This
text addressed to Jerusalem applies, as well, to the United
Nations, the new Jerusalem: "Rise
up in splendor, your light has come, the glory of God shines
upon you. See, darkness covers the Earth and thick clouds
cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over
you appears His glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and
kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look
about: they all gather and come to you; your sons come from
afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then
you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb
and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out
before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of people shall fill you, coming from East and
West, from North and South, bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the Lord." Isaiah "Dag
Hammarsjkold once predicted that the day would come when
people would see the United Nations for what it really is,
not the abstract painting of some artist, but a drawing done
by the peoples of the world. It is not the perfect
institution of the dreamers who saw it as the only true road
to world harmony, and not the evil instrument of world
domination that the isolationists once made it out to
be." Henry
Kissinger The
UN, the eternal human dreams at long last incarnated in a
political institution of planetary dimension, and in its
living servants. it
is strange that we have not even asked ourselves the
fundamental questions on this planet, namely: what is our
purpose? What does the cosmos or God have in mind for us?
Why are we born, why do we die? Since leaders and thinkers
do not ask themselves these questions, the world is in
disarray. It is high time to start that debate on a
planetary scale, benefiting from the perceptions, beliefs
and best minds of all cultures. We need a UN world
conference on the meaning of life and another on the meaning
of death. The
UN is the most momentous event in modern history. It is the
first universal political instrument which makes us realize
that we are universal beings. If
the UN did not exist, it would have to be
invented. The
UN is a living model of the search for peace on this
planet. Few
believed in past centuries that slavery could be
abolished. Yet,
it was abolished. Few
believe in this century that armaments can be
abolished. Yet,
they will be abolished. Few
believe that militarism can be suppressed. Yet,
it will be suppressed. Few
believe that national sovereignty will disappear. Yet,
it will disappear. "If
there is an evolution, however slow, in the direction of
world community,
it will probably owe a great deal to the presence of
thousands of trained people in every part of the globe whose
calling as diplomats requires them to look over their own
fence in an effort to understand how other peoples' minds
and consciences work. In
a world of more than 160 nation-states, the number of
potential armed conflicts is far greater than the number of
those that have actually broken out. Diplomacy must be
judged by what it prevents and not only by what it achieves.
Much of it is a holding action designed to avoid explosion
until the unifying forces of history take us into their
embrace." Abba
Eban The
tremendous symbolism of the birthplace of the UN: San
Francisco: St.
Francis, the saint of the poor, of peace, of the environment
and of joy. The
Mission of Madre de las Dolores: The
Mother of Pains, the UN born in pains. Indeed,
the UN reflects the birth of a new society: an
interdependent, world-wide human society. Like any birth, it
takes place in pain and in joy and only the joy will be
remembered. The
crazy, chaotic, incomprehensible world of today is but a
giant evolutionary readjustment in search for higher
world-wide human fulfillment and a better world society. We
will all gain from the process. There
is a philosophy of peace, justice, development and quality
of life emerging from the UN. In the past, religions, kings
and nations enlisted God to justify their cause and sanctify
their path: Abraham came down from the mountain,
proclaiming: "God is with us!" Moses got the ten
commandments from God. Mohammed read the Koran straight from
the lips of God. The Germans fought under the motto "Gott
mit uns" and the Russians with "Bog snami". Today,
nations, rulers, religions and many causes try to enlist the
UN, "The UN mit uns", but when one group succeeds, the
losers proclaim: "The UN is no good." Immense,
deep, incredible changes are taking place on this planet and
in the human society. They all press for peace, cooperation
and a sense of wonder at our beautiful planet and at the
miracle of life. Why
don't people realize that the UN is one of the greatest,
most exciting, unprecedented new frontiers of human
endeavors? Study the UN and its specialized agencies and you
will see with fascination our current transformation, hopes,
life forces at work and metamorphosis. The UN might well be
called the Great Transformation. "It
is to the spirit and mind of man, to his ideas and his
attitudes that we must devote considerable attention if the
peace is going to be truly won. Unless we secure the right
conditions for spiritual and intellectual health and unless
we determine the right positive ideas for which we should
five, I am afraid all our work may prove to have been in
vain." Ambassador
Charles Malik Signer
of the original UN Charter Day
after day, thanks to the UN, our epoch is becoming one of
growing international understanding, cooperation and
friendship. Our
present, turbulent era is but the childhood of human unity.
The UN is its kindergarten. Centers
of power and influence never remain the same. There were
Egypt, Athens, Rome, Spain, London, and Paris. Today, there
are Moscow and Washington. They never last, because power is
unable to adapt itself to new evolutionary trends. Power
believes it will always remain and that it must do
everything to remain. It then misses evolution and falls
aside it. Power is locked into its own internal and external
logic, incapable of lifting itself into new trends, visions
and solutions. In my view, the powerless UN is the great new
womb of evolutionary change and adaptation on this planet,
the nations' only chance to survive. Fundamental
questions of our time: -
What are the main trends and reasons of world evolution,
past, present and future? -
What is the universe trying to achieve on this
planet? -
What is the meaning of our senses, of our consciousness, of
our mind, now vastly expanded by science and
technology? -
Why do we want to know, why do we want to change this
planet? -
How are we going to manage this Earth and the human society
in times to come.) These
questions are beginning to be raised in the UN. They must be
accelerated urgently. No
one can stop evolution. However giant a power may be,
whatever cause it might defend, whatever missiles and arms
it may possess in the air, on the seas, in the soils and in
the heavens, it will not be able to counter evolution. On
the contrary, non-adaptation will cause its demise like that
of the dinosaurs. A
new world is being born in the UN. UN
lamentation: "Oh,
my children, how can you ever forget that 30 million dead
were my father and the atom bomb my mother?" The
UN is the only realistic hope left for this planet. It is
rightly called the "House of Hope". We
are all instruments of the great march of time. We do not
see the strategy and the direction, but we are all part of
it. Out of trends the UN will fashion destiny. If
we believe in the rising tide of evolution and of human
destiny, all nations and peoples will gain and riseThis is
the cornerstone of the United Nations. it
is not the US, Russia, freedom or equality which are at
stake. The entire human anthill is at stake. When
the famous Glenn Miller orchestra performed at the UN to
celebrate the UN's fortieth anniversary and its own
forty-fifth anniversary, they played "Sentimental Journey",
"Serenade in Blue", and "Rhapsody in Blue". I thanked them
and said: "As
you played those tunes I was thinking that despite many dark
days and pitfalls, the UN is the greatest sentimental
journey on Earth, the journey towards universal love for our
planet and humanity. That despite many thorny bushes, the UN
is a serenade in blue chanting the Garden of Eden on Earth.
That despite many false notes, the UN is a rhapsody in blue
in the vast starry universe. May
God allow you to come back in 1995 to celebrate the UN's
fiftieth anniversary and in the year 2000 to celebrate the
Bimillennium. May our great sentimental journal be completed
by that time, enabling us to hold the most beautiful
world-wide Bimillennium Celebration of Life ever on this
planet." Ethical
rules do not relate only to behavior between nations. They
relate to God's whole Creation: our planetary home, our
animal brothers, the heavens and the stars,
ourselves. Years
ago when I was stationed in Geneva, I prayed that the world
would produce another Montesquieu, Voltaire or Rousseau to
guide humanity on its way. Today I realize that they were
products of their time, of their history and of the
notorious role of their countries. Today the only place on
Earth which can produce the right new thinkers, world
philosophers and visionaries is the United Nations. Dag
Hammarskjold and U Thant were the first. How
come that nations have such difficulty to unite for good,
common causes and have such astonishing resourcefulness and
endless imagination for division and destruction? Huge
armaments and the vast national military establishments on
the one hand and the poor little UN on the other hand,
dramatically illustrate this evolutionary aberration. What a
loss of precious time we indulge in! The
UN is the first organization in history which defends, world
wide, the rights of the Earth, of humanity and of the
individual. This is its sacred role, its threefold agenda.
UN documents should start with the words: In
the name of the Earth In the name of humanity In the name of
the human person. Someone
sent me a horoscope of the UN on its fortieth anniversary.
According to the stars, the UN is the Noah's Ark, the
structure through which humankind can salvage the best it
has created. The
UN will be the sacred shore where our drifting planet will
be moored. Not Washington, not Moscow, nor any other
'capital'. The
UN grounds were considered a sacred place by the Manhattan
Indians who called it Turtle Bay. The prophecy was that on
these grounds streams of blood would flow, but that later it
would be the meeting ground of all the tribes of Earth.
Indeed, this is where the slaughter-houses of New York city
were located and where the UN was built, born from the blood
of the thirty million dead of World War 11. The
UN is not the UN building. The UN is not even the idea which
gave it birth. The UN is the manifestation of evolution
wanting humanity to become one nation. The
fundamental problem of the human race is not the avoidance
of war and the riddance of nuclear weapons. It is to find
our right cosmic destiny on this planet in the
universe. The
United Nations should not be a compromise between nations
but a guiding light for humanity, the cradle of the world of
tomorrow, a world seat of learning, a school of nations and
heads of states. We
need a new vision, a new ideology for the next stage of the
human journey on this planet. The UN shows us the following
paths: Harmony
with the Earth Harmony among all groups and peoples Harmony
with the heavens Harmony with the past and the future
Harmony of the individual with total Creation. By
its Charter, the UN is called upon to "harmonize the actions
of nations". But it is already deeply involved in the
development of these vast harmonies, far beyond the fences
of nations. In
the UN, humanity seeks for the first time to define the
universal laws which ought to rule our behavior on this
planet. The United Nations Charter and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights were the first step. The Law of
the Sea was the second. And there are innumerable others. As
Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar pointed out, the UN has
created and codified more international and world law than
the entire previous human history. It
took more than 500 years for the ideals of the Magna Carta
to permeate the western world and to culminate in the French
Declaration of Human Rights and the US Declaration of
Independence. It took the Oath of Strasbourg over 1000 years
to become the European Community. It took the UN only forty
years to become universal and to exercise momentous effects
on the course of history. Just think what influence it will
have over the next 500 or 1000 years! God bless the UN, this
miracle of modern times, perhaps of all times. The
UN is a new form of evolution which should occupy the
attention of the best minds of this planet. It is a
comprehensive evolving network: a system of innumerable,
interacting sub-systems, from nations to individuals, from
the infinitely large to the infinitely small, within an
ever-expanding time framework. It is an entirely new,
fundamental biological phenomenon which will wipe out all
former political science. We need more biologists as
political leaders. The
crazy, incomprehensible world of today is but a giant
readjustment in search of the next great step in our
evolution. The UN is humanity's Holy Grail. Black
Elk, the Oglala Indian tells the story of the appearance of
a beautiful woman-spirit, dressed in white buckskin, who
predicted that a big tepee would be built in the center of
the human nation. The hall of the UN General Assembly has
the form of a tepee. The
kiwas or sacred meeting places of the Hopi Indians (the
Peaceful Ones), are built in the form of domes with an
opening at the center of the cupola, and right under it a
hole in the ground. When a meeting takes place, a stone slab
covering the hole in the ground is removed,
and the elders know that they are sitting around a line
which reaches from the universe to the center of the Earth.
This forces them to think and deliberate with a cosmic
consciousness. The
UN General Assembly Hall is built in the form of a kiwa,
with an opening to the skies, but a hole remains to be dug
into the ground to remind the elders of the world to think
and deliberate in cosmic terms like the Hopis. Humanity
is one body, one brain, one heart, one soul. That is the new
biology of civilization. It goes far beyond international
cooperation. it encompasses each of us as the living cells
of one vast human body. Humanity
wanders through errors and sorrows. But there is a great
guiding hand behind it all. Our tribulations produce
experience, experience produces hope and hope is the pathway
to success. After my many years at the UN I have become
convinced of the ultimate success of the human
species. A
French professor of sociology at Vassar said in a lecture
that during his youth the word international had a
despicable connotation and that the League of Nations was
considered as a club of lunatics. Today,
on the contrary, international relations and the United
Nations have become solid, accepted realities. The
sum total of human wisdom and enlightenments slowly gained
over the millennia will have a vastly greater impact on our
future than all the arms, material wealth, and skyscrapers
of today. Beyond
uniting nations we must become a united people. Nothing on
Earth can prevent us from becoming what we want and must
become for our own sake and good. Our
first great global chapter of history is over. We know at
long last our planet and human family and their problems
from every angle. The rest of this century will be devoted
to the next great chapters: The
global governance of the planet Its administrative
management The new forms of human society on
Earth. 23
What a world it would be if we were all bent on giving joy
and happiness to others! That is the ideal offered to us by
Beethoven in his "Ode to loy". That is the peak of evolution
we must aim at, the main purpose of the blue building of the
United Nations jutting into the universe to receive God's
messages of peace and happiness. Positive
affirmations uproot negative thoughts in us. They influence
the subconscious which breeds success or failure, and
shields us against external, dismal influences. This is true
of individuals as it is for groups. Therefore,
if humanity repeats consistently its affirmations of peace,
justice, kindness, love and brotherhood, they will become
realities. This is why the UN will not fail. It is the right
universal affirmative organization, miraculously born at
this moment of our evolution. Former
Secretary-General U Thant was once asked by a journalist
what he considered to be the most important event of the
twentieth century. He answered: "The
birth of the United Nations on 24 October 1945." I
would even say that it was the most important event in the
entire human history. Far
too many people and groups, especially nations, are spending
their time to prove and increase their greatness instead of
cooperating for the greatness of the Earth and of humanity.
If God, or a team of visitors from outer space, descended on
Earth, they would not be looking for the greatness of any
group or person, but only for the general state of the
planet and of its inhabitants. The whole world must adopt
this outlook which is that of the United Nations and of its
agencies. The
two biggest questions henceforth on this planet
are: How
do we visualize our future? How will we govern and manage
our planetary home? And
almost no one on Earth devotes any attention to them. The
United Nations has prepared a lot of ground on the first
question, but very little on the second which seems to be
taboo. In
the past, cultures and political identities were used to
seed hatred and wage war. The UN has turned around this
course and proclaimed: use your culture and identity for
peace, use your power to serve, contribute your diversity to
a richer world. Throughout
history, great wise people of all cultures have defined and
proclaimed the fundamental values which should guide humans
on this planet: love, truth, peace, happiness, kindness,
understanding, altruism, service, cooperation, gratitude,
etc. They derived their teachings from a deep understanding
of the laws of the cosmos, from a mystical relation with the
universe. Some considered themselves to be messengers or
spokespeople of the universe or God. Today,
these same values are being affirmed, defined, advocated,
promoted and progressively implemented by the first
universal political organization in human history: the
United Nations. This is a great momentous event in the
evolution of the human race. You
therefore help the UN and the birth of a new civilization
when you adopt these values in your own life and behavior
and radiate them around you. You the people are the most
important members and helpers of the UN. "I
believe without a shadow of doubt that science and peace
will finally triumph over ignorance and war, and that the
nations of the Earth will ultimately agree not to destroy,
but to build up." Louis
Pasteur A
human being is something so miraculous, so well-built, so
extraordinary, so incredible, that God or evolution or the
cosmos must have had a reason for creating and developing
us. To find that reason should be our main concern if we are
to progress in our cosmic evolution. The
next great question, as so vividly evidenced by the United
Nations is therefore: how are all the groups we have formed
and all the institutions we have built going to help fulfill
that purpose? The
world's relentless transformation is infinitely more
important and deeper than any revolution ever conceived by
humans. Revolutions are kid stuff compared with what is now
going on every day. There will be no longer any revolutions
on this planet, only one gigantic evolution bigger than any
revolutions of the past. That is one conclusion I have drawn
after four decades of observation and study of humanity at
the United Nations. There
is no life without analysis. There
is no life without synthesis. The
United Nations is the supreme organ of both analysis and
synthesis. It is a true paradigm in human evolution. But
only future generations will fully understand
that. At
the core of each human being there is a power house, a
center of command, a chip of cosmic memory, a genetic bank
which judges all our actions, successes and errors in trying
to be fully human, i.e. to fulfill the cosmic function for
which we were born on this planet in the
universe. In
the end, each human being is therefore the judge of his or
her own actions. Life is basically a personal story between
the universe and us. At the core of humanity too there is a
power house, a center of command, a cosmic memory, a genetic
bank which judges all of humanity's actions, successes and
errors in trying to further evolve and to fulfill the cosmic
function for which humans were created on this planet in the
universe. Henceforth
human evolution on this planet will be basically a story
between the United Nations and the universe. I
once said to John Denver that in my view peacemakers and
peace-institutions were marginal and powerless because
evolution did not want us to go too fast. He
responded: "This
is no longer true. There is such an upswelling of
con sciousness
in people all around the world today that peacemakers
and peace-institutions
will soon have the upper hand." Indeed,
he is right. Only individuals have life. Without
them institutions
are empty shells. The main agents of peace and
coopera tion
are therefore the five billion people inhabiting this
planet. "I
think that people want peace so much that one of these days
government had better get out of their way and let them have
it." Dwight
David Eisenhower, 1959 Introduction
to a course on Planetics at the Institute of Political
Science, Sorbonne, Paris "
The United Nations system is a unique phenomenon in human
history. In 1945, after about 2 million years of existence,
the human species has equipped itself with a system of
management of life in all its forms on our planet. Its
impact on the evolution of ideas, of research and of the
application of science, of technology and of education, has
not only created a new style of diplomatic relations between
countries, but has also favored the emergence of a planetary
culture in which the Rights of the Living are beginning to
succeed the Rights of Man. The United Nations is one of the
greatest human adventures since the discovery of the New
World." Claudine
Brelet I
see the UN as the most knowledgeable, inspiring,
transforming, galvanizing organization for the further
evolution of humanity and of planet Earth in the cosmos.
When
I joined the UN in 1948 as a young man after World War 11, 1
was not giving the world more than twenty years before a new
world war would break out. Coming from Alsace-Lorraine where
my poor grandfather knew three wars and had five successive
nationalities, where my family wore either French or German
uniforms, it seemed inconceivable to me that blacks and
whites, rich and poor, communists and capitalists,
Europeans, Africans, Asians, Americans, 5000 religions,
languages and innumerable minorities would ever get along.
How could they if two white, highly cultivated and educated,
advanced countries like France and Germany could not? There
were hundreds of potential seeds for a third world war on
this planet. Yet, half a century later, I am still alive and
we had no world war! Despite many conflicts and troubles,
the world did not go under. In 1948, 1 was a very
pessimistic young man. Today I am an optimistic old man,
almost sure that the human race will succeed. And this is
very largely due to the UN. When
I joined the UN everyone thought that the decolonization of
Asia and of Africa would take from 100 to 150 years. Yet it
was accomplished in less than forty years! Perhaps the same
will be true of other world issues, such as peace and
disarmament. We usually underestimate the will and capacity
of the human race to solve its problems. National leaders
are only beginning to learn how to cope
UN
of the United Nations
Table
of Contents
I have tried to do my best as a faithful instrument of God
and cosmic unit fulfilling its intended role on Earth in
humanity's first world organization. I will now retire on
the beautiful, inspiring hills of the University of Peace
created by the UN in Costa Rica. There I will write,
conclude, teach and try to bring to fruition the last seeds
that might still be in me. May the remaining time granted to
me contribute further building blocks to an era of peace,
justice and happiness for all humans in the next
millennium.