By Rev. Deborah Moldow, Founder, Garden of Light
The stars had already begun to peek through the clouds overhanging the Taihang Mountains when the piano finally appeared on the patio that would serve as our stage for the little concert. Would the sound system work? Could I sing through my jet lag? Would the Chinese guests enjoy the Broadway selections? There was no time for all of these thoughts: it was show time! And one thing I knew I could count on was that my accompanist would be right there for me, playing skillfully with great joy and giving everything he had. He was not just a gifted musician, but the visionary Rick Ulfik, whose 11 Days of Global Unity campaign has been changing the world since 2004.
I first met Rick at the Interfaith Center of New York in the office of Diane Williams, who was organizing a program at the United Nations celebrating “A Season for Nonviolence” between the dates of the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi (Jan. 30) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4). I got to know Rick as a student of (image) Rabbi Michael Lerner and a teacher of nonviolent communication. I was surprised to hear in 1998 that he was starting an organization called “We, The World.” Really? This lone fellow with a dream is calling his nonprofit “We, The World”?
And yet he moved forward in powerful ways, enlisting voices that could be heard over the din of social media noise: Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra and more. These luminaries resonated with the concept of moving from “me” to “we.” Rick, with his winning smile and a natural humility that his organization’s name belies, worked with everyone, bringing together the activist community in New York City, the NGOs at the United Nations and civil society organizations around the world into a coherent movement based on the deceptively simple concept that we need to work together for the world we want. And he didn’t stop at advancing his own project but made himself available to promote and energize a wide range of campaigns and events for outstanding causes, earning devoted friends and partners along the way.
But it was the tragic events of September 11, 2001 that moved Rick Ulfik to a new level of inspiration. The shock of the attacks produced innumerable prayer services and memorial events across America, but Rick was (image) seeking something more. He had been part of many efforts among the NGOs working with the United Nations to promote the annual International Day of Peace which, by cosmic coincidence, had just been moved in 2001 from the opening day of the UN General Assembly to the set date of September 21 by a new resolution that also called for a ceasefire. Rick envisioned a bridge to take people from the grief and heartache of September 11th to the celebration of the International Day of Peace on September 21st: 11 Days of Global Unity – 11 Ways to Transform Your World.
Rick’s idea was to choose eleven aspects of a culture of peace, a term used at the United Nations that can be considered the ultimate goal of the UN itself, which was designed by its Charter “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” He consulted with me, as U.N. Representative for The World Peace Prayer Society, and Monica Willard, representing the United Religions Initiative, to shape the themes he had in mind into a coherent trajectory from fear to hope.
Launched by We, The World and its global partners in 2004, 11 Days of Global Unity has grown into an array of hundreds of events and programs promoting peace, justice, sustainability and transformation in more than 60 countries, culminating on September 21st, the U.N. International Day of Peace. What is the attractor for hundreds of thousands of socially concerned people, organizations and coalitions working on all the vital issues of our time to come together around the 11 Days?
(image) From the very birth of We, The World twenty years ago, Rick Ulfik has tapped into the key concept of unity. At a time when humanity is awakening to the wholeness of our planetary home, Rick’s vision of moving from “me” – a society based on the fear of scarcity, to “we” – an emergent culture of peace, love and unity – speaks to something deep within us all. Yet those who yearn to be part of this transformation are challenged as to how to make it happen. The themes for the 11 Days provide a kind of blueprint for achieving a culture of peace. What would we need to get there? To proclaim our unity. To recognize our interdependence. To take care of the environment. To provide economic justice. To promote global health. To nurture children and youth. To empower women. To assure universal human rights. To protect freedom. To achieve disarmament and rid the world of the insanity of nuclear weapons. And, finally, to attain the highest goal of humanity, peace on Earth.
In this troubling time, when national, religious and racial issues we thought we’d left behind us in the war-drenched 20th century are once again threatening our future, the clarion call of global unity is needed more than ever. The world can count on Rick Ulfik to sound the note loud and true.
About the Author
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Rev. Deborah Moldow is an ordained interfaith minister committed to assisting in the transformation of human consciousness. She is the founder of the Garden of Light, providing an online platform for the emerging global spirituality so that this community can become visible as a powerful force in uplifting the human spirit.
She served for more than 20 years as the Representative to the United Nations of the World Peace Prayer Society, which promotes the universal prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Deborah is Co-Director with Diane Williams of the Evolutionary Leaders circle, a project of the Source of Synergy Foundation that brings together visionaries committed to the acceleration of the conscious evolution of humanity. She is also a Creative Consultant at Unity.Earth.
Rev. Deborah leads monthly Interfaith Sundays at the Chapel at Croton Falls.