HARMONY COMMENTS ON UNITED NATIONS WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

HARMONY COMMENTS ON UNITED NATIONS WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Dear Rene and Norman,

I appreciate your efforts towards harmony on the World Day of Social Justice.

Harmony is the most embracing, inclusive, all encompassing and universal common value of mankind. Therefore, I suggest that we, and as many as will concur, propose Harmony Day to the United Nations to add to World Peace, World Tolerance, and Social Justice Days, etc. Harmony belongs to the universe. No one culture can claim harmony as its own. Without harmony the universe will not be eternal.

Social justice, in a broader sense, can also mean social rights along with human rights. Peace cannot last without harmony. Social rights and human rights are insufficient when the mankind has no harmony. Social rights can mean the rights to health care, livelihood, society security, and so on for the developing world. To the developed capitalist world these are assumed as opportunities, rather than rights. In the West we have taken upon ourselves to criticize the developing world for lack of the democracy and human rights that we hold dear, such as rights to legal and political representation and the right to freedom of speech. We maintain that the developing world must practice what we value now and forget that our democracy and human rights were also hard earned in the past.

The truth is that all cultures of the developing world must go through their stages of development at their own paces and in concert with their cultural heritages. For each of the developing nations, the most appropriate system is most likely its own distinct harmonious system. To the developing world during their rise in the 21st century, social rights may be more relevant and pressing than the Western version of democracy and human rights. Notwithstanding that fact, “We are the best because we have democracy” is the end-all statement to end all value debates by some Americans.

From a broad human prospective, the three main pillars of human civilization that are highly valued are harmony, major world religions, and democracy in that order. Harmony, as the most ancient culture as well as the most universal common value, is priceless. Confucius, Laotzi, and other like-minded world philosophers predate Christ, Buddha, and Mohammad. Harmony between the government and the governed is more desirable and more stable than any brand of democracy without harmony and likely will include grass-roots representation. Harmony with nature as taught by the ancients means mankind is part of nature, as in Laotzi’s “Tien Ren Ha Yi”.

The fact that China, as an ancient culture, did not create a national religion of her own, but adopted Buddhism from India and accepted Christianity and Islam, demonstrates that she is practicing harmony. Because of Western domination of the past 150 years, one cannot blame China for sensitivity to Western interference in her practice of religious freedom.

A world practicing harmony within oneself, within all nations, among the nations, and with nature will be most precious. The coming of Harmony Renaissance and Harmony Civilization are inevitable. They are the next wave of creative energy that mankind is waiting for to unshackle us from religious and ideological strife. Harmony faith is the ultimate self-salvation and the resurrection of mankind from global destruction caused by war and unsustainable development.

Francis C W Fung, Ph.D.
Director General
World Harmony Organization
San Francisco, CA