Take Action

 

As explained in our Mission Statement: TRIUNE members seek to discover not only the root causes of the suffering, pain and injustices which continue to plague the world, but also the reasons for humanity’s seeming inability to end these problems. We work to abolish suffering, while educating others about ways to help advance the human race in its spiritual development, bringing it into an age of Light.

On this page you will find concrete ways to take actions that benefit humanity, our animal brethren, the environment and more. Here we will feature free, simple actions in which you can participate to help bring about positive change. If you have a suggestion for an action which you would like us to post, please feel free to e-mail us the information.

 

Religious tolerance is more important than ever. Please read the following beautiful entry by one of our TRIUNE members and then feel free to duplicate and distribute the religious tolerance cards below. Pledge today to support and promote religious tolerance.

As Many Paths...So Many Faiths

by Heathclyff St. James Deville

"The Truth shall set you free" can only be found in the Temple of God, and we are that "Temple" and the "Kingdom of God" is within each of us. All life-forms share a common denominator. Many folk find their Truth in the more established religions and faiths. Some go to hear the sweet nectar of Truth pour from the lips of a priest or minister. Others sit upon the earth, catching pearls of wisdom as they emanate from the Holy Men or Gurus in front of them. Yet others "go within" to catch the whispers of the small voice within their hearts, gaining inspiration there. Many are the ways available for each Soul to glimpse Truth. Do not fall prey to thinking that another's way is invalid when differing from that which you believe. Just because another does not seek to emulate your way does not make it wrong.

I challenge all to open the door of their hearts and minds, to reflect that we all are One Life, interrelated, each a spark striving to rejoin the Universal Fire. We must learn to develop tolerance. Allow others to worship as each is moved. As long as each individual Soul strives toward at-one-ment with Deity and treats others as he would be treated, then we begin to grow as a real Humanity. From the humble unicellular protozoa to that of man, all is an aspect of Deity. When this is grasped, there can be no room for shunning others on the basis of species, race, color, gender or creed. We are all of the One and the One presides in all.


Download a printable PDF version of the cards.

 

Steps toward the resolution of armed conflicts
in Syria-Iraq

by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens

In keeping with the Holy Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis on 8 December 2015, and in the spirit of Kuan Yin, the goddess of Mercy, the Association of World Citizens sets out a three-point approach to conflict resolution of the armed conflict in Iraq-Syria which is involving an ever-greater number of groups and States.

  1. The first step is a generalized cease-fire. The Holy Year of Mercy recalls the 11th century Truce of God in France when fighting would stop to help create a space in which communal gatherings could take place to re-establish community relations. Kuan Yin as the feminine aspect of the Spirit recalls a cease-fire time of year among the Germanic tribes in honor of Nerthus, the goddess of the earth.
  2. The second step must be negotiations in good faith among all the parties and factions in Syria and Iraq. While the Association of World Citizens welcomes the talks in Vienna among the representatives of concerned States, it is only the organized groups and government forces in Syria and Iraq who can negotiate in good faith new, more inclusive State structures.
  3. The third step is the orderly and planned return of any refugees who wish to return to Syria and Iraq. The degree of destruction and the violent divisions of communities makes the return of refugees now living in neighboring countries or in Europe difficult. The return must be planned and carried out in an orderly way. The United Nations can be an important agent for resettlement and healing of the traumas caused by the years of violence.


The spirit of Kuan Yin is that of harmony which includes tolerance, acceptance, and forgiveness of past pains and conflicts. This spirit leads to gentleness, patience, kindness, to inner peace and outward relations based on respect.

TAKE ACTION: If you agree with Rene and would like to notify the U.N., please send a postal letter to the following address:

United Nations, 2 United Nations Plaza, New York 10017, USA,
or send an e-mail via their contact page at http://www.un.org/en/contactus/

 

2014: The International Year of Family Farming

by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens
(www.worldcitizensunited.org)

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming to highlight the double need of feeding the world and caring for the Earth.

The Year will highlight the important role of women and men as family farmers with the aim of stimulating policies for the ecologically-sound development of farmer families, fishing families, indigenous groups and cooperatives.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the lead UN Agency for the Year of Family Farming. It is estimated that there are some 500 million farm families, defined as farms which rely primarily on family for labour and management.

A goal of the Year is to build awareness that family farming is at the center of sound agricultural, environmental, and social policies. During the Year, research and studies should indicate gaps and opportunities in efforts to reach a more equal and balanced development for smallholders.

The Association of World Citizens is building on early world citizen efforts, such as those of Lord Boyd-Orr, an active world citizen and first Director-General of FAO. The Association of World Citizens has been urging a comprehensive world food policy based on ecologically-sound development. 2014 presents a real opportunity for looking at food-related issues including land tenure, landless farmers, malnutrition, and child labour on farms.

A central theme which citizens of the world have stressed is that there needs to be a true world food policy and that a world food policy is more than the sum of national food security programs. The focus on the formulation of only national plans is clearly inadequate. There is a need for a world plan of action with strong attention to the role that the United Nations and regional institutions must play if hunger is to be sharply reduced.

For the formulation of a dynamic world food policy, world economic trends and structures need to be analysed including climate change, energy costs, export policies of major agricultural production States, and the role of speculation in commodities. A world food policy for the welfare of all requires a close look at world institutions and patterns of production and trade. The Year of Family Farming offers an important opportunity to analyse the many elements necessary for a sound world food policy.

My emphasis here is on the policy and efforts of the Association of World Citizens, but obviously, the structure of agricultural production and trade is of concern to many organizations and research centers. The value of UN-designated Years is to build awareness so that creative action may be taken. There is a three-step process in awareness-building:

  1. Factually-correct information needs to be gathered and analysed so that trends can be determined.
  2. There needs to be a wave of energy created both by emotion and reflection that builds a demand for change.
  3. There needs to be a plan of action which outlines paths and steps to be taken.

In practice, the emotional energy wave may come first as people react to highly publicised events and only afterwards is data collected and analysed. However, data, energy, plan would be the ideal pattern.

(In the United States, one organization which is working towards these ends is Family Farm Defenders, based out of Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.familyfarmers.org ).

 

Now for the Good News

by Heathclyff St. James-Deville

Year after year, we hear how our world is disintegrating due to -

  • WAR: Wars and terrorism are on the increase.
  • WORLD FAMINE: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that nearly 870 million people, or one in eight people in the world, were suffering from chronic under-nourishment in 2010-2012. Almost all the hungry people, 852 million, live in developing countries, representing 15% of the population of developing countries.
  • WATER SHORTAGE: Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including wars. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 3.6% of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.
  • ANIMAL SUFFERING: In sports and entertainment, cosmetics testing, vivisection and dissection, food industry, in various religious traditions, fashion industry, etc.
  • LOSS OF HABITAT: Affecting animal species around the world as people increase in population and seek more land for agricultural or living space. I include here also marine environments. Please do not overlook the plant kingdom as insects are dependent on such for their survival.
  • HEALTH CONCERNS: Such as NIV/AIDS, diseases from contaminated food and water and from parasites. Worldwide, as many as 13 million deaths could be prevented every year by making our environments healthier (according to the WHO).
  • WASTE: A huge build-up of rubbish; for instance, Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The patch, northwest of Hawaii, was discovered in 1999 by researchers who found that its waters contained tens of thousands of pieces of plastic per square mile, the remains of rubbish caught in the region's circulating ocean currents. This pollution is now devastating populations of seabirds and fish that live in the region.

 

I could go on, but you get the point: THE PLANET IN SUFFERING and the people and animals dependent on a healthy planet are the ones suffering. We need to heal the Planet for every living being.

And the GOOD NEWS is...?

Around the world, people are becoming more and more motivated and making their voices heard. There are so many campaigns that you only have to think of an issue of concern to you and jump on the Internet to find one that you wish to help resolve. Sometimes I think we are fed so much negative information that it can make us depressed and can turn us away from helping – ‘It’s all so hard; so gloomy.’ That is right but only to a degree. So please, get behind an issue that is impacting negatively on people, animals and/or the planet, and BECOME INVOLVED. Let’s not turn away, for when we do, another positive voice is lost from assisting to decrease negativity; and thus, more people and animals suffer in the outcome.

 

Fire of Reconciliation in the Wider Middle East

by Rene Wadlow
President and Representative to the UN, Geneva, Association of World Citizens

The fiery attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, leading to the death of the US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others and the burning of the US flag at the US Embassy in Cairo are symbolic of a fire of hate, mistrust, and violence that sweeps from Afghanistan through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria to North Africa.

Obviously, there are outer plane measures that need to be taken to reach compromises and negotiated settlements in each country. Such efforts to encourage good-faith negotiations need wide support on the part of governments within the United Nations and support from non-governmental organizations. There needs to be a willingness to work with all groups involved so that none feel left out of the negotiations.

Also no new oil should be poured on the fires such as the posting on YouTube of the segment of the crude film “Innocence of Muslims” which has set off some of the current violent protests. The motives of making the film and posting it at this time are unclear, but the violent results could be seen in advance. Thus there is no justification for the posting of the film or of its creation in the first place.

If there are important outer place efforts, there should be inner plane efforts to transform the outer fire of violence to a fire of reconciliation and harmony. We may be able by an inner alchemy to develop a fire of the heart by using the chakras and then to project the fire of a transformed quality outward into the noosphere and thus transform the fires of violence.

Working on the inner plane in coordination with outer efforts is an important contribution. There are increasing efforts at world-wide coordinated meditations for peace, some related to 21 September, the UN-sponsored Day of Peace, other efforts timed for the end of December to make the end of 2012 a path toward the New Age.

Fire may be a potentially powerful force for transformation. Fire is the heart of transformation in many traditions of alchemy. Thus, the use of inner fire to transform the quality of outer fires may be a symbolism understandable within different cultures. Your participation is appreciated.

 

The Green Economy: Linking the Local and the Global

by Rene Wadlow
Senior Vice-President and Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Association of World Citizens

The Second Earth Summit — Rio plus 20— held in Rio de Janeiro in June, 2012, highlighted the ecological challenges which face humanity. The Summit, officially called the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, reaffirmed the commitment of States to counter global warming and to set in motion an international climate diplomacy by restraining global carbon emissions, limiting oceanic pollution and deforestation.

In addition to the efforts of government leaders and diplomats, the representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) set the stage for the development of a global citizens’ movement for a transition toward a just and sustainable future on earth. At the level of the individual, the community, the State, and the world society, there is a need to take firm action to formulate an effective response to the ecological challenges.

Advancing sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods on the part of all is necessary to develop sustainable societies. This must be done within individual families and villages or neighbourhoods of cities. At the same time, we need to create a more effective, responsible and democratic system of global governance by strengthening the ecological capacity of regional organizations such as the African Union and of the United Nations. We must find ways to link efforts from the local to the global level.

Thus, as Citizens of the World, we champion the principle of the right to participate in the making of fundamental global decisions that directly affect our lives. The future is not determined. The future depends on what we do today. In the face of great challenges, there is always a choice — both individual and collective. Change starts with new visions and creative leadership.

Ecological wholeness requires that we embrace our interrelationship with Mother Earth, have compassion and practice non-violence. We need to find ways to manage better our common resources: the oceans, atmosphere, forests, waterways and the rich diversity of life.

World Citizens help to set universal, sustainable development goals on issues such as energy, food security, sanitation, urban planning and poverty reduction. Setting goals will help mobilize individual action to meet these goals. Rio plus 20 has been an important step in this common effort.

For further information on the United Nations, please visit their website at: http://www.un.org/en/

 

STOP MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING

We are working to help people, animals and the environment, by addressing the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining, taking place in the Eastern United States. Heathclyff St. James Deville, an Australian TRIUNE member who proposed this action, explains:

Coal companies in the Appalachian Mountains are blowing up mountain tops to get at the coal underneath, several hundred feet underground. The name for this destructive mining is Mountaintop Removal (MTR) Coal Mining. It causes monumental damage to the environment, animals dependent on that environment and the people of the local communities. This mining takes place in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia, with more than 500 mountains and 1.2 million acres of ancient hardwood forests blown to bits. The Appalachians have remained geologically stable since the Paleozoic Era, more than 245 million years ago. More than 158 tree species can be found here, ranking this eco-region among the highest in North America for plant diversity. First, the trees are cut down and removed by bulldozers. Explosives are laid, the mountaintops are blown off, and the debris that accumulates is dumped into the surrounding valleys. Top soil is lost in the process, and plants and flowers are destroyed. Blasting leads to the death of animals and birds which no longer have a place to live. Debris that is dumped into the valleys contributes to stream and river pollution, and fish and other aquatic animals are killed. People from the local communities no longer have clean water and have reported an increase in illnesses.

The devastation sadly continues. Despite pleas from concerned residents of these regions, coal companies are applying for new mountaintop removal mining permits at an alarming rate. Additionally, the movement to stop MTR recently suffered a severe blow when a federal court overturned a ruling in which the Environmental Protection Agency vetoed the Spruce Mine in West Virginia, one of the largest mountaintop removal mines ever proposed. Without further action to stop the process, this mine will go forward in spite of environmental concerns.

You can find a wealth of background information and resources at www.ilovemountains.org. To participate in this action, go to that website’s “Take Action” page and find the names/addresses of appropriate persons to contact. Read about the Appalachia Restoration Act, a bill currently in the U.S. Senate that would dramatically reduce MTR. U.S. residents can write to your Senators and Representatives. If you live outside the U.S., you can send letters to President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20500, U.S.A.

 

 

End Human Trafficking, a Modern-day Slave Trade

by Rene Wadlow, President and Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Association of World Citizens

January 11 was in some countries a “National Day of Awareness on Human Trafficking." While awareness is always a first step, it is action that is needed, as was underlined by the Association of World Citizens in a message to the Chairman of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The recent increase in the scope, intensity and sophistication of trafficking of human beings around the world threatens the safety of citizens everywhere and hinders countries in their social, economic and cultural development.

The smuggling of migrants and the trafficking of human beings for prostitution and slave labor have become two of the fastest growing worldwide problems of recent years. From Himalayan villages to Eastern European cities — especially women and girls — are attracted by the prospects of a well-paid job as a domestic servant, waitress or factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake advertisements, mail-order bride catalogs, casual acquaintances and even family members.

However, trafficking in human beings is not confined to the “sex industry." Children are trafficked to work in sweatshops and men to work in the “three D's jobs” — dirty, difficult, and dangerous. The lack of economic, political and social structures providing women with equal job opportunities has also contributed to the feminization of poverty, which in turn has given rise to the feminization of migration, as women leave their homes to look for viable economic solutions. In addition, political instability, militarism, civil unrest, internal armed conflicts and natural catastrophes increase women's vulnerability and can contribute to the development of trafficking.

Trafficking impacts the lives of millions of people — those trafficked and their family members — especially from poorer countries or the poor sections of countries. Trafficking of persons has become a multibillion dollar business and ranks right after the trade in drugs and guns. Trafficking is often an activity of organized crime. In some cases, it is the same organization which deals in drugs, guns and people. In other cases, there is a “division of labor," but the groups are usually in contact.

Thus, drugs, guns, illegal immigration — these form a nightmare vision of the dark side of globalization with untold human costs. Human trafficking affects women, men and children in their deepest being. It strikes at what is most precious in them: their dignity and their value as individuals. Trafficked persons experience painful and traumatizing situations which can be with them for the rest of their lives. From recruitment to exploitation, they lose their identity and desperately struggle against a situation that reduces them to objects.

The Association of World Citizens stresses that the fight against human trafficking must be waged in a global and multidimensional way by the United Nations, regional intergovernmental organizations, by national governments and by non-governmental organizations so that countries of origin, transit and destination develop cooperative strategies and practical action against trade in human beings. One of the foundations of cooperation is mutual trust. When mutual trust is established, cooperation becomes a natural way to act.

As trafficking in people is more often tolerated by the law enforcement agencies than drugs or guns, there has been a shift of criminal organizations toward trafficking in people. 116 governments have signed a UN-promoted 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking, Especially Women and Children which entered into force in December, 2003. However, trafficking in persons is often not a priority for national governments. Some countries which are important links in the trade of persons such as India, Pakistan and Japan have not yet signed.

For many governments, trafficking is considered a question of illegal migration, and there is relatively little (in some cases no) consideration of the problems of the individual being trafficked. Human concern for those caught in the web is a prime contribution of non-governmental organizations. Concern for physical and mental health is crucial. There is also an obvious need to deal with the issues which have created these pools of people from which traffickers can draw. The large number of refugees from Iraq — over two million in Jordan and Syria — await better political and economic conditions in Iraq so they can return home.

Thus, one of the aspects of trafficking in which non-governmental organizations can play a crucial role is the psychological healing of the victims. Unfortunately, the victim’s psychological health is often ignored by governments. Victims often suffer a strong psychological shock that disrupts their psychological integrity. The result is a lack of self-esteem after having experienced such traumatizing events. Within the Association of World Citizens, we must not underestimate the difficulties and dangers which exist in the struggle against trafficking in persons nor the hard efforts which are needed for the psychological healing of victims. However, as World Citizens, we have the opportunity of dealing with a crucial world issue.

TAKE ACTION: If you would like the U.N. to address the ending of human trafficking as one of their top priorities, please send a postal letter to the following address:

Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2 United Nations Plaza, New York 10017, USA, or send an e-mail via their contact page at http://www.un.org/en/contactus/

 

 

Support Those Who Desire Freedom.....

In Washington, D.C., there is a fascinating museum -- the "Newseum" -- which chronicles the history of journalism and the media, from the time of the invention of the printing press to today's new electronic media. Six floors contain exhibits, many of them emotionally stirring, but two exhibits in particular are quite striking. One features a section of the Berlin Wall, which had separated East and West Berlin from the end of the Second World War till 1989 and epitomized the struggle between the ideologies of personal freedom versus totalitarian control. The second is a huge map showing which countries of the world have a free and open press, as well as the amazingly large majority of countries which still don't. These two exhibits, combined with the recent events taking place in North Africa and the Middle East, bring to mind the idea of -- FREEDOM.

In order for the dawn of the New Era and the cultural and spiritual advancement of the entire human race, it is essential that all people be free to make their own choices -- that they have, at the very least, freedom of speech, assembly, religion and the press.On a practical level, you can send letters of solidarity to the embassies of those countries where citizens are currently struggling to practice their God-given freedoms. Addresses are easily found by doing an internet search for each country's embassy. A brief and simple, polite statement of your support of liberty and freedom is all that is needed.

There are also things you can do on other levels. Freedom is as necessary to the life of the Soul as air is to the life of the physical body. Think about/pray/meditate upon these thoughts. When you feel you have an understanding of those divine energies and vibrations associated with freedom, imagine yourself actually sending those energies out into the atmosphere of our planet, particularly to those troubled spots where citizens are struggling with repressive regimes who would deny them their basic rights.

How is it possible to approach the New World with an outworn consciousness? New consciousness cannot be put into old vessels. The approach to the Teaching of Life, which will be laid in the foundation of the New World, requires a clear and incisive consciousness. One cannot suppress achievements; the thirst for true freedom, which dwells in freedom of thought and conscience, has awakened in the midst of the masses. -- Helena Roerich

 

 

Please download and sign our declaration of unity and synthesis.

You may distribute the following document electronically. However, we strongly encourage you to also distribute hard copies of the document, which you have physically handled yourself. We are able to mentally infuse the actual sheets of paper with our own psychic energy -- the fuel, so to speak, which will power the declaration and impress the individuals who read them. No mechanical procedure is necessary. Rather, we use of the power of our minds and our higher spiritual natures. Simply hold a copy of the declaration in your hands and concentrate upon bringing down from the higher spiritual planes the energies of synthesis. Let the energies enter your being and exit through your hands and into the papers you are holding. Hold in your mind the intention that the energies of unity and synthesis and these pieces of paper themselves are meant solely for the highest spiritual good and the positive development of the human race.

 

 

Declaration of Unity and Synthesis

 

(download a printable PDF version of this declaration)

(Spanish version of the declaration)

 

unity (n.) oneness; agreement

synthesis (n.) the putting together of parts to form a whole

 

I, ________________________________ , citizen of Earth, believe

( your name here )

 

that all Life on this planet exists as one interdependent whole. Understanding this, I declare that it is both my right and my desire to live in peace, unity and synthesis with all other living Beings.

To this end:

  • I will accept and respect all people as my brothers and sisters, equal and loved as children of the Divine Creator and having
  • unique talents and gifts to enrich the world.
  • I will treat Mother Earth and all her creatures with love, respect, gratitude and reverence.
  • I will be a vessel for the energies of peace, unity and synthesis and will extend love to all I meet.
  • I will use my talents in some concrete way to work for the betterment of the entire human race and this living planet which I call my home.

 

(If you have any additions or conditions to this declaration, you may add them here.)

 

Please visit us at www.triuneoflight.org. Direct questions to: info@triuneoflight.org.