Ultimately, all of Ilchi Lee’s work has been motivated by a deep love for humanity and a desire to create a peaceful, sustainable way of life on the planet. Believing that lasting peace begins in the hearts and minds of individuals, he has reached out to people in ways that improve their lives. The most effective form of peace activism, according to Ilchi Lee, is less about political process and more about healing one person at a time by reaching out with love and compassion, and enabling others to do the same.
Ilchi Lee has initiated strategies to lift people’s spirits in the face of tragedy, helping them to regain inner peace. In 2003, he offered Dae-Gu, South Korea, a unique approach to revitalize the citizens’ low morale. While suffering from a long economic depression, the public’s pain was intensified by a subway station fire that killed 200 people and injured 140 more. In response, he created the Power Brain Dance, a set of fun movements that many people used in greeting one another. As a result, more and more Dae-Gu citizens smiled again and started to recover a sense of hope for their lives.
Likewise, after the September 11 tragedies, Ilchi Lee sought to offer optimism to the American people. At the time, he was in the middle of a multi-city speaking tour in the United States. When airport closures prevented him from flying from Los Angeles to Boston, rather than cancel the speech, he drove 48 hours non-stop. The real war on terrorism for him could be won only within the mind, by not succumbing to disillusionment. His Boston program participants and those they influenced recovered a sense of courage and determination through his inspirational action and words.
Ilchi Lee’s distinctive style of peacemaking has attracted numerous world leaders who share his passion for peaceful solutions to world problems. In 2001, he hosted the 1st Humanity Conference, in Seoul, with contributions by prominent speakers, including Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, environmental activist Maurice Strong, international journalist Seymour Topping, and spiritual author Neal Donald Walsch. Oscar Ariaz Sanchez, Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Costa Rica, and Ilchi Lee have co-sponsored several conferences and projects to advance Brain Education and peacemaking activities.