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 The
Goi Peace Foundation Forum 2004 took place on November 21, 2004
at Bunkyo Civic Hall in Tokyo. Supported by the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, the annual event
was attended by over 1000 people including diplomats and guests
from various fields.
This year's Forum focused on the theme "Harnessing the Power
of the Individual for a Better World." Recognizing the need
for transformation in every level of our society and the role of
the individual, we explored how each of us has the potential to
discover and bring out our essential power within and contribute
to the creation of global peace and a sustainable future.
During the Forum, a commemorative address by the 2004
Goi Peace Award laureate Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez, former President
of Costa Rica, was presented on video. Dr. Arias stressed that "the
future of peace depends on the development of empathetic, creative
and ethical citizens," and that "ideal and reason, thought
and deed, are dual aspects of a total obligation we have to our
fellow human beings." Prof. Dr. Ervin Laszlo, President of
the Club of Budapest and the laureate of the 2001 Goi Peace Award,
attended the Forum as special guest and offered his congratulatory
message.
In the following section, ideas and opinions of the youth were
heard. First prize winners of the 2004
International Essay Contest for Young People: Tomohiro Alexander Nibe (Japan/USA) and Ms. Hang
Su (China) recited their essays on the theme "Making the most
of my qualities," in which they focused on their own unique
qualities and how they can best make use of their positive attributes
for the benefit of society.
 In the Panel Discussion "Unfolding the Power Within," experts
from various disciplines including biogenetics, health counseling
and education helped us find our hidden inner power and discussed
how we may further develop and demonstrate it.
Dr. Tsunetsugu Munakata, Professor of Health Sociology and Health
Counseling at the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences
of the University of Tsukuba, introduced his Structured Association
Technique (SAT) with which a patient can learn to transform his
or her mental problem into energy for self-growth.
Mr. Kenji Tomioka, President of Gunma Prefectural Women's University,
discussed about youth empowerment in light of the various challenges
facing children in today's society.
Goi Peace Chairperson Masami Saionji emphasized the innate wisdom
and infinite possibility of human beings and the importance of
our consciousness, while the panel coordinator Dr. Kazuo Murakami,
Emeritus Professor of the University of Tsukuba, offered examples
based on his current research on the relationship between positive
emotion and gene regulation.
The final part of the program was a live performance by TINGARA,
an Okinawan musical unit celebrated for its creative sound production.
The World Peace Flag Ceremony was part of the concert, with members
of the Ayame-Yuka Ballet School carrying all nations' flags, creating
a spiritual world of music, dance and prayer.
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