The title of this essay is from a book by Thomas Lickona of the same name.  Raising a good child is perhaps the most challenging and rewarding activity in life.  Parents see a child go through dramatic changes from year to year and sometimes from moment to moment.  Psychologists and educators give us a framework of child development that can enable us to understand that there are stages of moral reasoning and moral behavior. 

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A world that realizes universally shared values resembles a perfect human body. All the various organs in the body work in harmony for a common purpose according to the commands of the brain. In the same way, directives from the hearts of mature people will produce goodness and righteousness. Universally shared values are common ethical and moral social guides centered on our Heavenly Parent’s true love and heart.

From a biblical perspective, each person is created in the image of God and has great potential for love, reason, and creativity. From a secular point of view each person has, in potential, the same nature. Psychologists speak of the 24 strengths in each person that can be developed by taking responsibility to cultivate those strengths. These are often the virtues described by the Judeo-Christian worldview: prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude (courage).

While preparing for our wedding, we [Josiah and Sandra Larson] discussed possible ideas for our honeymoon. Separately, we had talked about traveling, possibly for work or for volunteering internationally. With nursing and engineering as our professions, we were looking into how we could offer our skills to another community.

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Mutual prosperity is like the term peace. Almost anyone wants it but how it comes about is the question. We’ve seen governments plan and control its people but still there isn’t equal living conditions for all. Especially in advanced countries, there is destructive competition and self-promoting aggressive tactics to gain wealth without regard to the public safety or well-being. I’ve pondered the question of mutual prosperity and have concluded it’s only possible with true love.

For me, one of the core values of Unificationism is transcending differences. It doesn’t mean we don’t have clear beliefs and ideals of our own. It means we continue to value, respect and love others who may be different from ourselves. It means we actively find ways to connect with “the other” and work together with “the other” until there is no longer a feeling of “otherness.” This may be just my interpretation, but I believe in it strongly.

The World Summit 2020 Assembly, which was sponsored by UPF, took place February 3-8, 2020, in Seoul, Korea.  The summit was aimed at addressing critical challenges facing humanity, from climate change to poverty and conflict, bringing together a wide range of experts and stakeholders to deliberate collaboratively, offering insights and recommendations that contribute to building a world of lasting peace. 

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Interdependence in politics is best served when people are united in their hearts, minds, and actions. The only way for this unity to be realized is when there is a higher purpose. Interdependence is like a family of true love. When there is true love in the relationship, each party is equal. Participation is balanced. Parties interacting with true love will naturally cede control to each other.

Although The Principled Academy aspires to be the character education school of the Bay Area, we do not overlook the importance of a core curriculum.  There is significant knowledge that students must learn from preschool through middle school.  

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We long for peak experiences or great moments in life. Natural highs are intense, exhilarating experiences that affirm the best in us. They do not depend on substances and are physically, emotionally, and mentally empowering. They serve as rewards for our accomplishments and confirm that we are on the path to maturity, love, and mastery.