Ilchi Lee, along with Oscar Arias Sanchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, were Co-presidents of the 3rd International Brain HSP Olympiad and Brain Education Conference.
The international events took place at Best 5 Resort, Ellenville, NY, August 10-12, 2007. The 700 participants included renowned scientists, government officials, educators, parents and children from five countries — United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan and United Kingdom. The brain-focused, international Olympiad and Conference demonstrated and advanced the utilization of the human brain for the purposes of creativity, productivity and peace. The Olympiad and Conference main sponsors consisted of the International Brain Education Association (Sedona, AZ) and the Korea Institute of Brain Science (Seoul), both of which are headed by Ilchi Lee.
Ilchi Lee spoke at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympiad and Conference, gave the keynote address at the Conference, and made remarks at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympiad and Conference.
At the Opening Ceremony, Ilchi Lee declared the brain to be the final frontier of the 21st century. Human civilization has been the product of the infinite creativity of the human brain. But most people do not know how to use their brain’s full potential. We are facing a historical crisis in which most people have lost their humanity by not properly using their brain. Now more than ever, we need a new awareness of the brain. This Olympiad is held to widely communicate the value of the brain and the development of new approaches to Brain Education.
According to Ilchi Lee, focusing on the brain in education is the key to achieving real progress for humanity and the Earth. The ability of the brain to be highly creative is dormant in all of us. The focus needs to shift from what is in the brain to how it can be developed and utilized. Brain Education is an opportunity for humanity to step forward into a new era, where we are concerned with the integrative thinking of Brain Management and Earth Management. Each person’s brain has the power that created our impressive civilizaton. The brain is the human body’s only component where matter contains spirit. This Olympiad is opened to awaken the awareness of the infinite creative power of the brain for the benefit of all humanity.
In his Keynote Speech to the Brain Education Conference, Ilchi Lee focused on the unlimited potential of the human brain and how to use PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Action) to make our dreams happen in reality. The huge problems facing us today include people losing their humanity and the Earth warming based in part on our civilization’s choices. The root of people enjoying health, happiness and peace lies in our global and local environment. But there are many signs that the Earth is become more ill. We must change our ways soon or the planet will not be able to recover and thus not sustain life. The environment will be saved only when all of civilization’s institutions commit to finding and implementing innovative solutions. The keys are to shift our perspective to Earth-centers and humanity-centered management and take action. In the end, the brain is responsible for all solutions and actions. Therefore, we need Brain Education.
To change the course for humanity and the Earth, we must think like management. We start by setting specific goals, including how many people should be involved and by when. Ilchi Lee envisions 100 million Earth Humans by 2010. Earth Humans have a strong Earth-centered and humanity-centered philosophy and passion for action taking. They would be the core thinkers and workers in spreading a movement worldwide that would change the agenda and reality of the quality of our lives and planet. Taking action means making plans and putting them into practice. This involves a mentality of being engaged in creation, and having the power to create. With our brains, we possess unlimited creative power. Each of us needs to grow it further inside of himself or herself. An excellent way to do this is to follow the PDCA process — taking action that get results. Plan, Do and Check are the build up, but Action is the key. Do and Action are different: Do is a test that one must Check; Action is only genuine when it produces positive results. We all must utilize our brains more fully, and develop our creative power until our results change the world for the better.
The 3rd International Brain HSP Olympiad had events that highlighted the infinite potential of the human brain as developed through Brain Education. (HSP stands for Health, Smile/happiness, and Peace; as well as for Heightened Sensory Perception). Competitions challenged motor skills, sensory systems and brain perception and speed.
The Brain Education Conference featured lectures by distinguished educators and scientists, as well as workshops for teachers and others to help children to learn to use their brains to their fullest potential. Lecture topics included brain education as a new frontier in learning, brain-body connections, brain-considerate classrooms, and the role of proper walking for healthy brain functioning. Workshops covered concentration and memory, creativity and imagination, stress management, and emotional control.