Peace Pole and Flag Ceremony at the Fourth Global Forum
June 14 – 16 2017
Conscious business leaders from 32 countries traveled to Cleveland, Ohio to attend the Fourth Global Forum hosted by the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. The three day Forum was held June 14th through 16th on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. The World Peace Prayer Society and sister organization the Goi Peace Foundation were invited to present a Peace Pole and World Peace Flag Ceremony during the Grand Reception which was held on the last evening of the Forum.
The Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management – Case Western Reserve University exists to advance the research, education and practice of flourishing enterprise. Since it’s founding in 2002, The Fowler Center has become the leading edge research and educational institution with the philosophy of “do well and do good” teaching students to become agents of world benefit making a positive impact on society and the natural world. The Center is also an industry leader in the practice of “appreciative inquiry”.
The two and a half day Forum with the theme, Discovering Flourishing Enterprise, started with inspirational speeches by business leaders and educators including billionaire Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of Priceline.com, Dr. Peter Senge, senior lecturer at M.I.T., and Dr. Barbara Frederickson known for her theory of positive emotions.
Throughout the afternoon, the Forum invited participants to breakaway into 7 working groups each led by business partners and their areas of focus. The overarching task of the Forum was to explore the best of what has been, already is, and could be, full-spectrum flourishing enterprises on the individual, organizational and systemic levels.
The Fourth Global Forum this year inaugurated the first Flourish Prizes, recognizing and awarding 17 innovations from around the world that align with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
On the final evening of the Forum, the Grand Reception took place at the open atrium of the Cleveland Art Museum. Chris Laszlo, faculty research director of the Fowler Center opened the evening by praising the success of the Forum. He then introduced WPPS, the Goi Peace Foundation and the Fuji Declaration and invited us to lead the Peace Pole Ceremony. The Peace Pole was then unveiled by Chris Laszlo, Chuck Fowler and Fumi Johns Stewart of WPPS.
Following the Peace Pole dedication, everyone gathered in a circle around the Peace Pole to prepare for the World Peace Flag Ceremony. A lot of excitement was in the air as attendees picked up flags to carry and send peace to every region of the world. Each of the business leaders representing 32 countries of the world stepped up enthusiastically to hold the flags of their respective countries.
With one voice and one heart, the symphony of prayers for peace rang out through the Art Museum as participants sent their prayers for peace to prevail in each country of the world. To close the ceremony, the message, May Peace Prevail On Earth, was spoken in all the languages represented at the Forum.
The grand reception ended on a very high note with participants joyfully connecting around the Peace Pole with their flags. Everyone communed as one global family in the spirit of the flourishing enterprise movement committed to becoming agents of world benefit.
May Peace Prevail On Earth