Masami Saionji
The chapters in this book address larger questions of human capability
and the meaning of life and death with guidance on a range of everyday
topics, from love and marriage, to health and personal troubles, to the
education of children.
Showing us the ways in which we readily violate our own freedom and
hand over control of our lives to others, Masami Saionji then offers
practical tips on how we can change our habits, make the best use of
our life-energy, and draw our our latent power to create an entirely
new self.
Descended from the Royal Ryuku Family of Okinawa, Masami Saionji was born in Tokyo, Japan. She was educated in Japan at Gakushuin Women’s Junior College and studied English in the United States at Michigan State and Stanford Universities. At an early age she became a Master (Shihan) of Japanese Classical Dance, and taught students for more than ten years.
While in her teens, she came in touch with the peace vision of philosopher Masahisa Goi, who later designated her as his successor and adopted daughter. She heads several peace organizations, including the Goi Peace Foundation, founded in Japan, and the World Peace Prayer Society, headquartered in New York. She is perhaps best known for her leadership of the international Peace Pole Initiative, which places visual reminders of peace in key locations around the world. In November 2001, she was named an honorary member of the Club of Budapest in recognition of her exceptional efforts for world peace.
Masami Saionji has authored twenty books in Japanese and seven in English and other languages. She has lived in North America and Europe, and travels extensively on speaking and seminar tours. She and her husband, the descendant of a Japanese prime minister, have three daughters. They currently live in Tokyo.
The future of this world is now in the hands of today's young people. They are the ones who must guide humanity forward, and they must shoulder the responsibility of building a new civilization for their descendants and for all people on Earth.
What can be done to ensure that these young people will not repeat the same tragic mistakes made by previous generations? How can they carve out a new path of human creativity and evolution that will lead society to a life of happiness, harmony, and respect?
If we continue to live with 20th century values, humanity will not be able to survive in the 21st century. What the world needs now, more than anything else, is a total revolution in consciousness. It is time for us to shift our focus from a belief in what is external, short-term, and ephemeral, to an exploration of what is internal, lasting, and essential. My hope is for the 21st century to be an 'age of the individual,' an age in which each of us inquires deeply into to our intrinsic nature and potential.
Masami Saionji
