Programme Mark Opening of 32nd Session of General Assembly

Filed under UN Anniversaries

reported in: ” Meditation at UN” – Vo 05, No 09; 27 Sep 1977, Bulletin

Content Highlights:

On 19 September 1977, to mark the opening of this year’s General Assembly, United Nations delegates, staff and NGO representatives met in Conference Room 1 to reflect on the theme:

“United Nations:

the Heart-Home of the World-Body.“

Speakers explored the continually expanding role the United Nations plays at the heart of the global community.

In the tradition of the silent meditation which opens each session of the General Assembly, the Conference opened and closed with a short meditation led by Sri Chinmoy.

The programme also included music and short recordings of all the Secretaries-General.

Speakers included :

Mr. Robert Chittenden, Chairman of the Staff Committee ;
Mr. Ervin Laszlo, Special Fellow, UNITAR and Director of the Report of th e Club of Rome, “The Goals for Mankind” ;
Mr. Ghandikota V. Subba Rao, Senior Officer, Department of Economic and Social Affairs ; and
Mr. William Angel, Associate Officer, U.N. Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs.

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Mr. Ervin Laszlo, Special Fellow, UNITAR: We come across this concept of national government over three hundred years ago as being somehow the necessary and perhaps the ultimate form of administrating and coordinating the affairs of human societies. But the true meaning of today’s interdependence is that nations also need each other ; they can not manage entirely by themselves.

I think that the growth of human societies, the growth of complexity, the growth of interaction …all of this calls for today the kind of a body that the United Nations is in the process of becoming.

I think this realisation should give even the most commonplace and everyday chore or task that we may have to do, a new meaning , a new significance, because we are in a way at the hub, at the very centre of this new, emerging centre- a brain, a mind and a heart for the evolving societies of our times.

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Mr. Robert Chittenden, Chairman of the Staff Committee: The Secretariat was recognised by the Charter as one of th e principal organs. Today, as before, the Secretariat remains the heart of this Organisation.

It was recognised from the beginning that the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity must be met. It was also recognised that jf it is to enjoy the confidence of all member States, the Secretariat must be truly international in character, and cannot be composed of national representatives responsible to governments. I firmly believe that an international civil service is a fundamental pillar of the Organisation.

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Mr. Ghandikota V. Subba Rao, Senior Officer, Economic and Social Affairs : There has been the search for codes of conduct in the United Nations in the economic and social as well as in the political fields. In the final analysis, how do you judge these codes of conduct? In the case of individuals, it is by their inner perceptions. . . .

This is precisely what is being done through the instrumentality here of the group for meditation led by Sri Chinmoy. These processes take place in the heart; you must think with the heart. It may be a contradiction in a certain sense, but this is basically at the very root of our approaches, our evolving and emerging approaches even to the world economic and social problems.

International institutions and groups of this nature-spiritual or material, psychic or mystic have a great harmonizing role to play; and beyond the role of harmonization, the role of real integration … and diffusion of the teachings of love and brotherhood. If this is not relevant to the U.N ., I don’ t know what is really relevant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The United Nations is not a thing to appreciate, admire or adore.

Rather, it is the way, the way of oneness, that leads us to the Supreme Oneness.

It is like a rive r flowing toward the source, the Ultimate Source.

The United Nations is the way that wants to lead the world to the destined Goal. (*1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mr. William Angel, Associate Officer, Planning and Evaluation, United Nations Centre for Social. Development and Humanitarian Affairs: I do believe that the U.N. is the heart-home of the world body. Some people think it is a rather sacrilegious heart. I think it is a very sacred heart. In fact, for me it is the sacred heart, but I think the heartbeat is far from adequate . . ..

Besides being an incipient brain and nervous system for the world-body, I believe the United Nations embodies the heart of this emerging universal religion of which the historical, sacred and contemporary secular faces are but branches. And I believe that the U.N. presently is working out this larger synthesis. In fact, I might add on a personal note that the United Nations is my religion and I’m committed to its evolution in this direction via physical, mental, moral and spiritual ways.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The United Nations is the seed.
World union is the fruit.
God-Vision embodies the seed.
God-Reality reveals the fruit. (*2)

* * *
The United Nations is the morning. World union is the day .
When the heart of the morning is flooded with inner light, divine light, the Light of God, then is not only possible but almost certain that the entire day will be flooded with light. (*3)

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*Source reference for short Quotes above.

(*1) From a talk on “The United Nations As An Instrument Of Human Unification” by Sri Chinmoy in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, May 9, 1974. Also appears in “The Tears Of Nation-Hearts,” published by Agni Press, 1974.

(#2) and (*3) From a talk on “The United Nations And World Union” by Sri Chinmoy in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, 18 October 1974 . Also appears in “Union-Vision”,published by Agni Press, 1975.

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