Circles and Squares

Tonight’s seminar by Hope Elizabeth May brought together a collection of academics, diplomats, reporters and concerned citizens for a deeper consideration of what is necessary for true peace in Korea and in Northeast Asia. Dr. May focused on the tradition of peace making that dates back to the Hague Conference of 1907. The seminar suggested how the history of peace, and the tradition of “positive history” could inspire us to use our imaginations to come up with new solutions to today’s challenges.

She Hope May professor of philosophy at Central Michigan University, cited two remarkable quotes.

“The world progresses, in the slow and halting manner in which it does progress, only in proportion to the moral energy exerted by the men and women living in it.”

Jane Addams

Nobel Peace Prize Winner

1931

“Souls interact across time and space. The decisions people make in a difficult hour, the principles they either abide by or abandon in moments of truth, have consequences not just for their own lives, but well beyond.”

Natan Saransky

Soviet dissident