The Words of the Amano Family |
Dhaka, Bangladesh -- As social beings, our ultimate happiness and peace are very much connected to learning how to develop healthy relationships with others. No doubt, the most important healthy relationships in our life involve our own marriage and family centering on God's purpose of creation. Peace begins at home! The seminar on "Marriage and Family Peace Initiative" was organized by UPF and the Women's Federation for World Peace in Bangladesh at the Sundarban Hotel on December 1. There were about 35 participants, including representatives of religions, NGOs, and student associations.
After the UPF presentation about marriage and family relationship by Rev. Tetsuya Amano (Assistant Secretary General of UPF-Bangladesh), Prof. Dalem CH. Barman (Founder and Chairman of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Dhaka University) and Prof. M. Golam Rahman (Dean of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Daffodil University) made observations about the presentation from their professional viewpoint. Prof. Barman said that without addressing the root cause of family breakdown, little can be done to actually remedy problems. All our social ills can be traced to this dysfunction in the family. Prof. Rahman introduced some tips to bring peace in the family, mentioning that the love going from parent to child is the trunk line of love.
Participants enjoyed the seminar contents and took part in a lively discussion. Finally the moderator, Prof. Kazi Nurl Islam (Founder and Chairman of the Department of World Religions and Culture, Dhaka University) concluded that the family values must be restored as many religions and moral traditions equate honorable and loving relationships in the family with a template for a person's right relationship with God. It was also decided to translate into Bengali the 10th volume of the UPF Discovering the Real Me character education curriculum on "Building Successful Relationships."