When the European, considered as “white people” set their feet in the land of America, the Native Americans were already occupying the land. The white people had rifles and the Natives, bows. It was a no match to begin with. The Natives had no choice but to give away their land to the white people. At the time, there were many Native tribes. One of their leaders was called “Seattle” and he was very renowned. Listening to his speeches, it is easy to notice how he was a deep thinking leader. Let me introduce a part of his speech given in 1854.
“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family. The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.
If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.
Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother. What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.
As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know—there is only one God. No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all.”*
*On 11th of March, 1854, in the final stage of the war between the Native Americans and white people, the chief of Duwamish tribe, Seattle gave a speech. It was in fact the response to President Pierce who dispatched a delegation and offered him to sell their land. Today’s Seattle city in America was named after Chief Seattle by President Pierce to commemorate his spirit as he was moved by his speech.
Chief Seattle expressed his love toward the land where he lived and misfortune of losing the land through his speech. It was said that everyone who heard his speech was moved. Thus, the one of the cities in America was named “Seattle” to pay tribute to him.
Long ago, the Native Americans mainly survived by hunting and it was tough. They had a policy that they would not hunt young animals. Moreover, they anticipated the worst case by training themselves to starve deliberately and self-control. Thus, their life was sound and full of appreciation.
However, after the establishment of America in their own land, the gentle Americans practiced protection policies for the Natives. To take share of the land where the Native Americans were living, the white Americans built them homes and paid them the living expenses to give comfort in their lives. Before, they had to struggle to survive but after the execution of the new policies, they did not feel the necessity of working at all. People began to live a comfortable life without doing any works. They had nothing much to do. They started gambling and even used drugs. Gradually, they came to the state where they could not control themselves anymore.
They lost the sense of accomplishment which was attained by working, the joy of succeeding in hunting and the satisfaction of harvest. Their hearts grew more and more desolate and they began to enter in to a dark path. Continuous indulgence in alcohol, gambling and crime led them to lose hope and many of their young people these days choose to kill themselves. It has been known lately that there were about 100 suicide attempts in one of the villages of the Native Americans which had a population of about 2,000. It shows clearly how their lives had seriously come to the bottom.
All great leaders like Chief Seattle passed away from this world and a hundred years have passed. As prophesied by their former leaders, their descendants are living being deprived of strength. Meanwhile, the Good News Corps branch in Toronto Canada visited one of their villages with the overseas volunteer students. It was a remote place only accessible via airplane. These Good News Corps volunteers sang songs for the students who were in despair, corrected their crooked thoughts and delivered the love of Jesus. The hearts and faces of those young people who were living in darkness began to become brighter. Happiness started to shine on their lives. To me, those overseas volunteer students who returned from the villages of the Native Americans felt like they were angels.
Once, I was giving a lecture in the LA World Camp. Some students started to go up the stage in the middle of the lecture. I thought, “What are they doing? That could be a disruption to other people.” Soon, I realized that they were students from one of the Native American’s villages. The overseas volunteer students invited them to the LA Camp and those students were enjoying the beautiful sceneries together with those who invited them there.
After the LA Camp, the camp was continued in Mexico and New York. The Native students continued to attend all the camps. I met them again at the New York Camp. To my surprise, their faces looked so much brighter than when I met them in LA. Even when I was lecturing, they sat on their seats still and concentrated to listen. They were changing. As I spend time together with them, I saw that their lives were changing. One of those Native American student had attempted to commit suicide before. However, they all changed and ceaselessly shared their stories with me. As I was listening, I had an inexplicable joy in my heart.
Looking at the Good News Corps students who worked as volunteers for Native Americans, it made me wonder, “How were they able to have hearts to become overseas volunteers during the golden time of their life?” A year is definitely not a short period of time. As they spent time with the Natives, at times, they were hungry, went through a lot of difficulties. Also, they must have seen people who were in pain and they comforted them and cared for them. They were able to experience how their hearts flowed together with them as they shared their hearts. In such ways, the heart of Jesus which was in the hearts of those Good News Corps students must have been passed onto the Native young people.
In that village of the Natives, where youths who were supposed to be dreaming of their future became sick with incurable sicknesses such as gambling, drugs, promiscuous life and suicide. No matter how much they tried to break free from such things, they were not able to. Nevertheless, when they became connected with the hope and positivity which Good News Corps students have, they were able to come out of darkness in their lives. This is such a beautiful and precious thing. We may have many other precious things in our lives but I don’t think there will be anything more precious that this. I would like to share such beautiful stories all month and all year. Through the performances of the Good News Corps students, I would like to show people how a new world is formed by heart through meeting with another heart.
These young people spared a precious year of their lives and went to the jungles of Africa, Native Americans’ villages, hot tropics of the Southeast Asia and far away countries of the South America. As they sacrificed themselves in the foreign countries, many people were able to encounter hope and discover new world.
The Good News Corps students have now become shining stars in the dark night and have become young people who can deliver true joy and hope to the people. Their hearts are so beautiful that I call them the “Stars of the world.” Whenever they remember the times they volunteered in overseas, the countries they have been to and recall the precious moments they had in such places, they will become purer and happier. I do hope that many more students go overseas as volunteers so that the youth of this country may sleep in joy and wake up in hope.
Ock Soo Park
Pastor and founder of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF). As the world’s first founder of mind lectures, he lectures around the world as an expert of youth problems. After discovering the way a person’s heart flows, i.e., the world of the heart in the Bible, he believes his calling is to teach the youth, not the material world, but the world of the heart.