Sept. 22, 2012
Dear Gangjeong Villagers,
Our brief visit with you renew our faith that the people of Earth can learn to live in peace, that we can respect the beauty of all Earth’s creatures, our dependence upon them, and their right to flourish.
We cannot thank you enough for your courage, determination, generosity, and uplifting expressions of joy, perhaps led by Mi-Kyoung, would ass this scarf to the ones on the Great Tree, and say a prayer to the four winds for your village and for ours, for the children of Earth and for Earth itself.
In love.
Joan and Ron
Ron and Joan Engel is a couple member of the Center for Human and Nature (CHN), a member group of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), who have often visited the Gangjeong village during the period of the 2012 WCC (World Conservation Congress) Jeju, Sept. 6 to 15 and passionately supported the Gangjeong villagers’ struggle against the Jeju naval base. Ron Engel, a respected lawyer from many members of the IUCN has made a touching speech on why the CHN has initiated a Motion 181: Protection of the People, Nature, Culture and Heritage of Gangjeong Village on the last day of the WCC. Please see here.
About three weeks ago, we have received a grateful gift from them. The content was to ask us to let Ms. Kang Mi-Kyung and villagers to specially hang a scarf that Joan has enclosed on a more than 1,000 years sacred tree (a giant Elaeocarpus sylvestris var. ellipticus, probably the 2nd oldest tree in Korea) in the Netgiriso shrine and pray for the peace of the village and world. The above are the cards, writings and photos what they sent.
On Oct. 13, last Saturday, though we could not have chance to tell villagers who were busy for preparation for the nationwide march and farming, we visiting the Netgiriso with Ms. Kang Mi-Kyung (a spiritual meditation leader) and friends in the world and hung Joan’s scarf, bowed under her lead, toward four directions of east, west, south and north and prayed for peace. Please understand a late post.
Even though invisible, we don’t forget that there are always grateful people in the world who always greatly support us.
Korean script: Click here
