HWPL Peace Education, Lesson 7.

HWPL Peace Education

Lesson 7. A Sacrifice without Compensation 

“Could you patent the sun?” 

Who said this and why? 

The answer is in Lesson 7

You can see why he's asking this question.

Shall we take a closer look at it together?

Peace Expedition
Chapter 7. A Sacrifice without Compensation

Section 1. Sacrifice

A key foundation for the modern perspective on human rights began with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). For the declaration to be universally acknowledged, many have poured in much effort. When eight members of the drafting committee first began making the declaration, there was no intention to do so but it was written centered on a western perspective. That is when non-western countries such as Chile, China, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Panama, the Philippines, and Uruguay began to turn their eyes to the declaration and actively promoted perspectives of non-westerners. The drafting committee accommodated the opinions from non-western countries as well, and had put to vote over 1,4000 times to determine each word and article of the declaration, which took over two years to complete. Rather than thinking about convenience or efficiency, they drafted the declaration with the mindset that they will safeguard the life and human rights of all humanity. On the back of their devotion, the UDHR was unanimously adopted by UN members at the UN General Assembly held in Paris on 10 December 1948. 

Section 2. Sacrifice and Peace 

In the 1940s, the world suffered from polio outbreaks, which caused patients to suffer from muscle shrinking, paralysis in limbs, and when progressed further, even death. At the time polio broke out, there was no treatment yet, so the whole world feared the disease. In this situation, Dr. Jonas Edward Salk devoted his time and effort into developing a vaccine for polio. From 1948, he took not a day off, as he spent 16 hours a day into the development, and his devotion continued for years. Finally, in November 1953, he succeeded in developing a vaccine. However, at the time, it was difficult to find those who would take part in clinical trials so he began with himself. After additional clinical trials ended, he proved by 1955 that the vaccine is not only effective but safe. Afterward, various pharmaceutical companies offered a fortune for the patent rights to the vaccine. However, as Dr. Salk believed vaccines shouldn’t be owned by individuals, he distributed the vaccines for free, replying to the offers by saying, “Could you patent the sun?” Dr. Salk knew that the vaccine that saved lives was not only valuable but priceless. His love for humanity and sacrifice enabled the prevention of polio and near eradication of the disease from the world. As we can see from this example, true sacrifice doesn’t ask for a reward, and the result of the sacrifice benefits countless people.  

Section 3. Sacrifice and Peace that Begin with Me 

The value of sacrifice continues to live among us today, as there are people who are devoting themselves for the sake of others. In different eras, people corrupted with greed would appear, invade others, and start wars, but the reason we can pursue world peace is thanks to the efforts of those who never gave up their passion and efforts for peace. As of 2015, the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are non-profit reach around 10 million globally. People who carried out humanitarian activities in places unseen while not asking for any sort of repayment have served as the axis of good throughout human history. According to the UN Volunteers, the number of volunteers worldwide is estimated to be around 970 million, and the hours they put into volunteering activities are equivalent to the working hours of 125 million full-time workers. Also, when the value of volunteering is converted into money, it amounts to 1 trillion 348 million dollars, around 2.4% of the world’s economy. Of course, it would be impossible to put a price tag on the endeavors as this is the priceless result derived from time and effort put into realizing peace and love. In addition to these, there are sacrifices and devotion around the world in places unseen, such as homes, schools, and regional society, which put up strong fences around the world of peace for protection.  

As we have seen, selfless sacrifices have been the engine for growth and development in the history of mankind. The sacrifice of parents protected the children, that of teachers and scholars provided a bright future for education and learning, that of leaders protected nations and civilization over and over again in times of crises. On the other hand, a family without the sacrifice of parents broke apart, education and learning with the sacrifice of teachers and scholars regressed, and society and nation without the sacrifice of leaders resulted in corruption and division. We can see this through the rise and fall of countless civilizations and nations in history. In the 21st century, humanity has been enjoying unprecedented prosperity with excelling scientific and technological development, but the mental culture seems to be weakening or even deteriorating. At a time when greed and selfishness undermine the value of sacrifice, we need to objectively think about how to achieve sustainable development and peace by reflecting upon our history. 

Although they may be small, when seemingly little sacrifices gather, they become the force of energy big enough to change the world. Of course, when we look at ourselves, our sacrifices may seem small and even lacking. However, as small lights gather to form a huge light, when our willingness to sacrifice for each other gathers, we can make it into a light bright enough to shed light onto the path of peace. 

HWPL Peace Education, Lesson 6.

HWPL Peace Education 

Lesson 6. Being Considerate of the Benefit of Others 

“Mother Theresa Effect.”

What is the Mother Teresa effect?

What would be the impact on us?

How much do you think the Mother Teresa effect can have on us?

The answer can be found along with the research results in Lesson 6.

Peace Expedition
Lesson 6. Being Considerate of the Benefit of Others

✋ Wait a minute, let me ask you a question.

Q) What do you consider as the greatest factor impacting your success?

1. Competence

2. Networking

3. (considerate) manners

How would you like to answer?

The reason is that?

Shall we take a closer look at it together?

Section 1. Being Considerate 

In 1998, a medical research team from Harvard released interesting results from an experiment, in which they examined immune antibodies in human saliva. After checking the level of the antibodies in 132 Harvard students, they showed the group a documentary on Mother Theresa, who practiced love and consideration for others. The findings showed that surprisingly, the level of antibodies had a significant surge of 50%. Hence, the effect of boosting the immune system by showing or thinking about good actions is dubbed, the “Mother Theresa Effect.” 

There is also a similar study illustrating that being considerate toward others helps individuals achieve social success. CEOs of excelling companies taking an MBA course at Columbia University in the US were asked what they consider as the greatest factor impacting their success. 93% of the respondents said it is not competence or networking, but having (considerate) manners. The virtue of being considerate is that it not only gives joy and health to the self but also makes others around them feel good, which becomes a factor in gaining social success. 

Humanity has prospered thus far by surviving and forming society based on consideration and collaboration. Only when we overcome individual and collective selfishness and help a considerate culture take root, can society enjoy peace and sustainable development.  

Section 2. Being Considerate and Building Peace 

According to the 2018 report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), around 152 million children aged five to 14 are in child labor, which is one-tenth of the world’s children. A cause for concern is that many children still work in mining sites in African for cobalt, which is a raw material used to make batteries for cell phones, laptops, electric vehicles, etc.

The BBC, a UK media, covered how children are either injured or buried alive when cobalt mines collapse. The fundamental reason behind all this is that there is a lack of social consideration for children. Young children are not able to fully protect themselves yet, and making rational judgments may be hard. Hence, they require protection and guidance from adults. What children need the most for them to grow both internally and externally are a stable family environment and social atmosphere, and above all, a sufficient level of education. The consideration for children will reflect on the next generation’s prosperity and peace.  

Section 3. Being Considerate and Building Peace Starts with Me

The Bible, a Christian scripture, tells a story of a Jew who was half dead after meeting robbers. A religious leader and another Jewish person passed by, ignoring the person, while a Samaritan, who was looked down on by Jews at the time, took pity on the person, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The expression “Good Samaritan,” derived from this story is often used to describe “people who help their neighbors out of goodwill.” 

In 1978, professors of Princeton University and social psychologists, John M. Darley and Daniel Batson, conducted a study with theology students as the subjects. From the subject group, half the students were told to give a sermon on the topic of Good Samaritan, while the other half were told they could choose any topic. As the students are on their way to give a sermon, they would see a person who seemed to have been attacked by a robber lie on the floor. 

Would those who prepared to preach on Good Samaritan help the person more than those who had free topics? This was not the case. Irrelevant to the sermon topic, 63% of students, who had plenty of time before the sermon, helped the person while only 10%, those who were told they were late, did the same. Even if the theology students prepared to cover the Good Samaritan story, they didn’t help the person fallen before their eyes when they were in a hurry. 

An important lesson from this experiment is that taking what you know into action is more important than simply knowing. As being thankful and forgiving others are actions for myself before they become actions for others, it is meaningful to be thankful and forgiving. However, consideration is about being willing selfless for the benefit of others, so being considerate inside is not as meaningful. Let’s imagine a situation a person tells me he was being considerate toward me while I never felt it. This is what being considerate only on the inside is. A Good Samaritan is a person who is considerate through actions, not only inside. 

For survival, people focus on fulfilling their desires, but at the same time, they think about and consider the benefits of others as members of society. Being considerate has a big impact on an individual’s health and social success. Furthermore, the affectionate respect and bond created through the consideration make our society a sustainable community based on cooperation. That is why consideration can be called a fundamental value in practicing love and peace. A key point in being considerate is to make sure that the other party on the receiving end feels that we are being considerate toward them. This is because consideration takes place within interactions between people, and the primary purpose of being considerate is to think about the convenience of others. A one-sided consideration that doesn’t take into account what the other party wants may offend or even hurt the person. On the other hand, an appropriate level of consideration creates a mutually benefitting cycle that is virtuous, builds trust, strengthens solidarity in a community, and plays a vital role in helping a culture of peace take root. A place where we overcome selfishness and distrust to be considerate toward each other is, in itself, a world of peace.