I specifically remember one event of my childhood. One of my friends asked me once „ If you were to imagine a forest, do you imagine a silent and calm forest or a loud, stormy forest?". I imagined in a second a stormy, loud forest since I liked such forests. My friend told me that it was a kind of future-telling and because I imagined a loud, stormy forest my life would be similar. Although I did not believe in it at that time, I reflect upon my friend’s words now and I would say, I wish to live my life creating and working, in other words a "silent" life is not for me, it should be "stormy".
I think, the nature has given each of us a great present – life. We are lucky to see the beauty of a winter night with bright stars, we are happy feeling love of our mother or a loving person, we are given the ability to imagine so that we can think of the Universe with all its planets no matter how extense it could be ... Given such a precious present - life, I think, we should have reverence for life and try to make it better, and not only for us, but for our future generations. The more we can give and the less we take, the more meaningful would be the life of each of us. Life lived for own‘ s sake is not different from that of a stone. Even a flower lives supplying us with oxygen or bringing joy admiring us with its beauty. Having consiousness a human being is able to give more than a simple flower and can even protect other living creatures. Even a sincere smile or one inspiring word could make other person happy and give him or her power.
Respecting life of all living creatures and being responsible for their existence we come inevitably to the understanding that peace, noninjury or nonviolence are the most important fundamentals of life. Peace is nothing else than your love and care for other person, for a group of persons, and lately for the mankind. So I believe, no matter what you do, no matter how small this could be, every good action you do is your contribution to peace and to life.
What I want to say by all this is not that you should have such ideals. I just believe that the most important engine of any action is the inner power. It means everyone needs at first to develop his or her own philosophy, own beliefs and strong willings and only basing on them one can do with success and can overcome all difficulties with ease.
Starting your own activity: Risk!
As soon as you think you have a good background and you feel you can it, don‘t hesitate to risk and start. It does not need to be necessary a broad activity; the first step you make will give you the hint how to make the second one.
I consider myself very lucky living in such a rapidly changing and integrating world. Additionally, being a Mongolian, I have had the opportunity to witness the turning point in the history of my country – the 1990s democratic movement and transition to a free market economy. We have so much to do; life is only interesting when you discover it actively. I want to quote here W.Churchill : „ I never worry about action, but inaction." My creed is therefore is never to stop!
My goal is to be actively engaged in the political and social development of Mongolia as a nation as well as that of the world in general. I believe that the most important basis for that is my education. The more you know, the wider you see. I agree absolutely with the statement of F. Bacon "Knowledge is power". The development of intellectual awareness of mankind is very important since it is ultimately the only guaranty for peace and immunity against dictatorship, war and violation. So I see the meaning of my life in contributing this process.
I won a Human Unity Award in 1999 in Munich and the 18th International Peace Conference to which I was invited in that year so inspired me that I initiated a project to support education in Mongolia. At that Conference I met so many wonderful people who were very optimistic in what they do and among them were members of the World Peace Prayer Society. I started to introduce my ideas to different organisations and many of them gave me very useful suggestions and at last I could begin to implement my project with concrete activities.
As a part of this project two Universities in Germany and Mongolia are now affiliated. At present we are working also on a book which is to be distributed among the youth in Mongolia. I have come to conclude that the more you do the more you learn. Being a student at Bonn University, I am learning how to cope with time and organise effectively my study and the project work on the other hand. Therefore I am also very thankful to the project myself.
Taivankhuu ALTANGEREL
