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Harmony Forum

Peace from Harmony
Letters to political, religious, cultural and business figures with invitation to support and to join to Harmonious Era Calendar

January 25, 2007

 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

United Nations

38th Floor

New York, NY 10017


Your Excellency:

 

I am pleased to send you the book "Harmonious Era Calendar: Address to Children, Youth and Future Generations" o­n behalf of 27 authors from 12 countries and translated into 12 languages. We stronglyfeel and understand a need for a new, harmonious, peace culture for a global information society.The traditional peace culture of the industrial society is based o­n a principle of “want peace, but prepare for war.” This attitude subordinates peace to war. In contrast, in an information society, the harmonious culture of peace prevents wars because it is based o­n a principle "want peace, therefore create harmony" between groups,ethnicities and civilizations. Our Calendar expresses this, harmonious, peace culture, which prevents wars, poverty, humiliation and injustice.

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar is born at the crossroads of many cultures of the world.These cultures are interconnected and share a basic nucleus of values whose focus is harmony.Twenty seven scientists and activists in fields of culture and art from 12 countries created this calendar, which includes 27 commemorative and holiday dates. It includes also all dates established by the UN. It has been published in 12 languages, allowing it to be a bridge forpeace, understanding and dialogue among cultures and civilizations. The Calendar teaches children and youth about harmony and peace, instead of about war and enmity. We want each day of year to be a day of peace with no remaining days for war and enmity.

 

This project is o­ne of long-term development because it will be constantly enriched by new ideas, dates, authors, cultures and languages. In this connection, we invite you to support and to join our Harmonious Era Calendar endeavor. By doing so, you willbe setting a good example for peace that could unite political leaders of conflicting civilizations in the modern world. We ask you to offer the Harmonious Era Calendar for discussion in the UN organizations of UNESCO, UNICEF and others. We offer for the UN to lead the World Peace Summit in 2010, when the current UN Decade o­n Peace Culture will conclude and to establish the new CULTURE DECADE of the HARMONIOUS Peace FOR CHILDREN, which will last from 2011 to 2020.

 

Please, welcome this Calendar and give an example of junction to culture of harmonious peace! Please, give to youth a hope for harmonious peace preventing wars, poverty and enmity!


We shall be happy to publish your welcome for this Calendar in its subsequent reprints worldwide.

 

On behalf of the 27 Calendar co-authors,


With deep respect,

 

Dr Leo Semashko:

St. Petersburg State Councilor;
Director: Tetrasociological Institute and Russia IFLAC;

Founder and President, International Website "A New Culture of Peace from Social Harmony and Children’s Priority" www.peacefromharmony.org, uniting now 180 authors from 33 countries;
Initiator and Manager, Harmonious Era Calendar Project.

Address: 7/4-42 Ho-Shi-Min Street, St. Petersburg 194356, Russia.

Tel 7 (812) 513-3863 ;
Email:
leo44442006@yandex.ru


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October 11, 2006

 

"The mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities …. " http://www.cpwr.org/

 

An open letter to Leaders of the World's Religious and Spiritual Communities

 

This letter is published at the address: http://peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=236

 

Dear religious and spiritual leaders,

 

Your Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions proclaims mission "to cultivate HARMONY among the world's religious and spiritual communities". It is an urgent and worthy mission for all religions at this critical time of the interconfessional conflicts!

 

We, 27 authors of the different religious creeds from 12 countries of the world, have begun to develop a "Harmonious Era Calendar: Address to children, youth and future generations". Its first edition is published in 12 languages of the world in o­ne book (2006, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University: St. Petersburg, Russia, 384 pages) and o­n our site "A New Culture of Peace from Social Harmony and Children’s Priority" at the address: http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=131.

 

The Calendar expresses universal values of harmony inherent to all cultures and religions. It celebrates dates that are shared in their key meaning by various cultures and religions, moving them in a general way toward a culture of harmonious peace, to eliminate wars, poverty and injustice.


As you can see, your Mission and our Calendar coincide in aspirations of harmony. Therefore, we would like to send to each of you, according to your request, our book "Harmonious Era Calendar", which can be useful for your
peaceful efforts and your members.

 

We invite you to join with us in becoming spiritual trustees and guardians of this long-term project ofharmonious peace for children, youth and future generations. Your co-sponsorship ofthis global peace project will give a new hope and energy to your young believers (your  young flock). It will serve to improve and harmonize relations among the world religions, overcoming their enmity, which remains, unfortunately, a source for many warfare and never-ending conflicts.

 

We address these questions to you:


- Could you and your churches support the Harmonious Era Calendar?

- Will you add to it any dates that you commemorate with other world religions?

- Could you accept January 1st as a global Golden-Rule Day of Religions?(This Day, has been

     included in our Calendar for January 1st, is offered as a New Year's celebration for all religions)

- Will you co-sponsor publication and world-wide distribution of the Calendar?

- Could you be interested in supporting andtaking part in creating an International Interfaith

    University of Harmonious Peace Culture?

 

Please, give an  example of joining to culture of harmonious peace to your flock!


Please, give to youth and future generations a hope for harmonious peace preventing wars, poverty and injustice!

 

We shall be happy to publish your welcomes, responses and suggestions to the Harmonious Era Calendar in its subsequent reprints worldwide.

 

On behalf of the Calendar co-authors,


With deep respect,

 

Dr Leo Semashko:

 

Director: Tetrasociological Institute and IFLAC Russia;

Founder and President, International Website "A New Culture of Peace from Social Harmony and Children’s Priority" www.peacefromharmony.org, uniting now 165 co-authors from 32 countries of the world;

Initiator and Manager, Harmonious Era Calendar Project.

Address: 7/4-42 Ho-Shi-Min Street, St. Petersburg 194356, Russia.

Tel 7 (812) 513-3863

Email: leo44442006@yandex.ru

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September 9, 2006

 

To: President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin

 

Subject:

Harmonious Era Calendar

 

Dear Mr. Putin,

 

Yesterday (September 8, 2006) I sent you by mail o­n your address: Moscow, Old Square, 4, the book "Harmonious Era Calendar: Address to Children, Youth and Future Generations by 27 authors from 12 countries in 12 languages" (St.-Petersburg, 2006, Publishing house of Polytechnic University, p. 384). This project of a new, harmonious, culture of peace creates ALTERNATIVES to traditional culture of "peace", the principle of which was formulated by the Romans: "want peace, but prepare for war". For thousands of years nothing changed. Today, as before, each day of "peace" is filled with the pressing preparation for wars. Each day, billions of dollars are spent o­n warsand preparation for wars! Each day! And how much is spentfor peace? This question is not discussed at all, for today there is no worthyglobal project of the true peace acceptable to ALL civilizations and culturesthat would prevent wars, poverty, terror and so o­n.

In our book, you willfind the first such project in the world. In the Calendar, each day is filledwith peace. It is an ALTERNATIVE to traditional culture of peace,” which,per se, is culture of war and preparation for war.But the modern people,who have been brought up in the traditional culture of "peace" (read - war), arecapable to comprehend this alternative?! Here wherein is Hamlet’s question ofmodern humankind. The authors of the alternative want to see this bookdispatched and used in schools, universities, libraries, and publicorganizations. It is being directed to the Government Heads ofItaly, USA,France and other countries.It will be directed to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, toreligious leaders and to Laureates of the Nobel PeacePrize. To all of thesepeople, we make o­ne request: to support and join this alternative; that is, toshow a new consciousness and understanding of peace and to submit an example toall other leaders as well as simple people. This project will be put forward tothe Nobel Peace Prize with the same purpose: to involve public attention and toinduce the people, first of all youth, to join it so they bring about the end ofwars and death through war. We send this project, which originated in Russia,to you with the following dedication:

 

"To Dear Mr. Putin, the first in theworld a global project of harmonious peace culture for an information societywith hope for your support. Please join us. You could be the first President toshare this culture of harmonious peace and, thus, give an example to otherpolitical leaders who seek peace. We feel this is very important for Russiabecause of conditions for a catastrophic deepening of interethnic enmity in ourcountry capable to split it.

Project Manager: LeoSemashko

September 8, 2006,

St.-Petersburg "

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar by 27 authors is published also o­n the International site "A New Culture of Peace from Social Harmony and Children’sPriority" (shortly: "Peace from Harmony") in 12 languages of the world to the address: www.peacefromharmony.org . We shall be grateful to you for any response, which will mean, that you not passed by constructive alternative to traditional "peace" culture, that is identicalto eternal war.

 

This book is also our gift to you o­n September 21 - International Day of Peace.

 

Dr Leo Semashko,

 Founder and President of the international site "Peace from Harmony", o­n which arisen the project of culture of harmonious peace.

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I thank American writer Robert Weir and Dr Martha Ross DeWitt, the site co-authors, for the help in editing the English texts of published here letters

Leo Semashko

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July 10, 2006
 

To: President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin

 

Subject:

Harmonious Era Calendar as a gift for G-8 members

 

Dear Mr. Putin,

 

Before the G-8 Summit in July 14-17, 2006  in St. Petersburg, Russia, please let me bring to your attention o­n our global educational and multicultural project, Harmonious Era Calendar: Address to children, youth and future generations.

 

Authors and Countries

 

This Calendar contains the writing of 27 scientists and activists in fields of culture and art from 12 countries, including seven countries of the G-8: Russia (eight authors), USA (six authors), Japan (one author), Italy (one author), France (one author), England (one author), Canada (one author).

 

Among its authors are such world famous people as:

·John McConnell, 91 of USA, founder of the Earth Day in 1970, which was accepted by United Nations Secretaries-General U Thant and Kurt Waldheim, and has been celebrated at the UN since 1971;

·Ada Aharoni of Israel, poet, professor and president of the International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace (IFLAC);

·Renato Corsetti of Italy, president of the World Esperanto Association;

·Guy Crequie of France, poet, honorary doctor of the World Academy of the Culture and Arts;

·Reimon Bachika, Japanese professor of sociology ;

·Rudolf Siebert, American professor of religion;

·Igor Shadkhan, Russian television producer; and

·many others.

 

Concept

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar, in its initial form, includes 27 commemorative and holiday dates, including days to celebrate Love, Harmony, Earth, Justice, Priority of Children, Reconciliation, Peace Culture, and many others. Each date is a global holiday of harmonious peace for all people and nations. In addition, the Harmonious Era Calendar includes all International days established by the United Nations. These include Day of Peace (September 21), Women Day (March 8) and others.

 

A basis of the Calendar is harmony as a measure of each person’s worth in a global information society. The Calendar was born by crossing the basic cultures of the world, by expressing people’s connection, and by recognizing each person’s value as a nucleus of harmony.

Our Goal

 

Our goal for this Calendar is to make every day of the year a celebration or memorial for harmony in all of its manifestations: love, happiness, justice, friendship, freedom, equality, brotherhood, priority of children and so o­n. We want the year to be so full of celebration that there remains no more days for war, enmity and humiliation.

 

Unprecedented “Era of Harmony”

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar is a historically unprecedented multicultural and peaceful document. It opens an “Era of Harmony,” as magnificent as the "Golden Age," which has been the dream of people throughout human history.

 

This “Era of Harmony” would establish a different priority of life than that found in cultures of “traditional peace,” which is not really peace but, rather, a step toward war or a break between wars. In contrast, this “Era of Harmony” would bring about “harmonious peace” as realization of the true eternal peace.

 

Many thinkers have written about eternal peace. Among them are William Penn in England, Immanuel Kant in Germany, Jan Jack Russo in France, Vasily Malinovsky in Russia, and many others from around the world.

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar continues this world-historical cultural tradition and brings an extraordinary contribution to the development of a harmonious (eternal) peace.

 

Children and Education

 

Because we live in a global information society, the Calendar begins a new chronology of peace dates and peace events for our children and grandchildren. Thus, it will have a huge positive impact o­n future generations.

 

The authors of the Address to children, youth and future generations, as representatives of the senior generation, recommend the Harmonious Era Calendar to children and youths of the new generation as a positive alternative to war, as an entrance into the future harmonious order. The Calendar teaches children and youth to celebrate harmony and peace rather than war and enmity.

 

We consider it necessary that all schools and universities create special learning course about The Harmonious Era Calendar. We also offer to create at the UN and in all countries the Universities "Harmonious Peace Culture" for preparation of the appropriate school teachers. We want school children to realize the increased quality and efficiency of life that comes from eternal peace. We want school children to understand the values of harmony. We want school children to know that eternal peace can be o­nly harmonious and that harmony can o­nly come from eternal peace and from people, harmoniously educated from childhood. Therefore, the Calendar would be an important item for G-8 countries to discuss within the framework of "Education."

 

“Peace from Harmony” web site

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar is published o­n our “Peace from Harmony” web site (http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=131), in 12 languages (English, Esperanto, Russian, Spanish, French, Greek, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Arabian and Hebrew). By being o­n our web site, it is a bridge for peace, understanding and dialogue between the world’s basic cultures and civilizations.

 

Russian Influence

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar is a unique cultural document, initiated in Russia by Russian scientists and activists in fields of culture and art. The Calendar is a striking example of peace cultural cooperation among the G-8 countries. It deserves attention by participants at the G-8 Summit in July 2006.

 

The Calendar has special meaning, first of all for Russia, for improvement of its international image and world humanitarian authority. This project shows our country as the initiator of the global, peace and cultural initiative, which can have large historical significance.

 

Looking to the near future, Russia could offer to discuss the Harmonious Era Calendar project during the following G-8 Summit in 2007.

 

Russia could also lead discussion of the Harmonious Era Calendar at the United Nations; the purpose of that discussion would be to gain acceptance of a resolution to establish the years 2011 through 2020 as the “UN Decade of Harmonious Peace for Children.”

 

Summary and Request

 

Dear Mr. Putin, the Harmonious Era Calendar was published July 10 as the book. I respectfully ask that you present this book Calendar to G-8 Summit participants at the Summit in July. I shall be happy to give eight copies, o­ne for each G-8 country, to you or your representative.

 

Your presentation of the Harmonious Era Calendar would be a unique international cultural gift with the large human sense and political context.

 

Your presentation would also call upon other G-8 leaders for similar peaceful actions in the future. This would continue the great historical search for ways to attain eternal peace.

 

The Harmonious Era Calendar in 12 languages is an example of the new, fair globalism that is extending from Russia. Therefore, your gift will offer to the world leaders an invitation, not to compete for military refinements and secret plans for world domination, but to search for peace and cultural cooperation and the building of a new, harmonious multipolar world order that is free from wars, poverty, pollution and injustice.

 

Your gift will be an original and noble gesture by Russia in support of the peaceful global innovations of intercultural and intercivilization cooperation.

 

Your gift will freshen and give a new, deep historical sense to humanitarian and cultural measurements of the Summits.

 

Because you are the host of the G-8 Summit, your delivery of this gift will give the Harmonious Era Calendar a special national, spiritual and friendly colour. Your presentation of the Calendar at the G-8 Summit will promote Russia’s success at the Summit, making it a good example for subsequent Summits.

 

I hope you will take advantage of this favorable opportunity.

 

On behalf of more than 140 co-authors from 28 countries, with deep respect,

 

I am Dr Leo Semashko,

 

State Councillor of St. Petersburg; and Director of Tetrasociological Institute, IFLAC Russia and International Website "A New Culture of Peace from Social Harmony and Children’s Priority" (www.peacefromharmony.org ).

July 10, 2006

 

DR. SEMASHKO’S LETTER, EDITED BY ROBERT WEIR

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