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tentative arrangements for a meeting
with the President of Korea. How–
ever, as frequently happens with
heads of state, emergency matters
prevented the meeting. lnstead, with
Mr. Rader ( our chief legal counsel)
and Mr. Osamu Gotoh (head of
Ambassador College's Asían Studies
area), who joined us in Seoul, had a
meeting with the Minister of Educa–
tion and bis two chief assistants.
1 found that they have the same
educational problems in Korea that
face most countries in the far eastern
part of the world - problems of
getting compulsory education to chil–
dren in the elementary g rades -
especially in regions where there is
much illiteracy among adults. Also
they have the same problems of over–
population of university campuses that
I am finding
in
many parts of the
world - induding the U.S., Britain
and Europe. Too many students are
seeking the higher, professional, scien–
tific, technological, and managerial
positions. That is fast becoming a
worldwide problem.
All over the world we are coming
to the place where everyone wants to
be educated for the chief high-salaried
jobs. No one, it seems, wants to be a
plumber or take a job where he works
with his hands and wears overalls.
Still if men want the higher pay, per–
haps they ought to learn to be plumb–
ers - they seem to be doing all right
so far as earnings go.
But the trouble is, there just are
not enough of the high-up professional
or executive positions for all the col–
lege graduates. Dr. Clark Kerr, former
President of the University of Cali–
fornia, has estimated that somewhere
near a third of all college graduates,
by
1980,
will be unable to fmd posi-
46
tions they feel their cducation entitles
them to.
But the problem of illiteracy plagues
many countries around the world -
far-east countries, southeast Asian coun–
tries, Indones ia, India, Arab coÚntries
in the Middle East, many countries in
Africa and South Amcrica. Severa]
countries I have visited are now in–
stituting compulsory education for at
least the first few elementary grades
- including India, Ceylon, Thailand,
Nepal, and South Vietnam. But even
so, they have serious problems -
training teachers, inducing all chil–
dren to go to school and stay in
school.
Many of these countries plagued
with a high percentage of illiteracy
are also cursed with poverty, starva–
tion, malnutrition, disease; and the
people live in filth and sc¡ualor such
as most of my readers simply cannot
imagine.
Another problem is that of getting
education to the mountain people in
sorne of these far-east countries. Am–
bassador College is now participating
actively in the programs of the kings
of both Thailand and Nepal for
educating their illiterate mountain
people.
I was able to explain to these educa–
tional authorities in Korea something
of the evils of this world's education
generally. For, even in the more ad–
vanced countries with a very high
percentage of literacy, there are crim–
inal EVlLS in the systems of education.
The fact of the MISSING DIMENSION in
education is a tragedy. These Korean
educational authorities evinced a gen–
uine interest in hearing sometbing of
this MISSJNG OIMENSJON, and of the
Ambassador College program of
worldwide education by means of
radio, television, and the mass-circu–
lation of
The
PLAJN TRUTH.
That MISSING DIMENSION includes
the koowledge of the very PURPOSE
of human life - the little-known and
seemingly incredible human poteotial
- a knowledgc of the true values
and of THE WAY that can be the only
CAUSE that can produce PEACE.
When I explained to the three top
meo in the Educational Ministry of
Korea thc two over-all ways of li fe
thc way of "GET" as 1 state it in sim–
plest terms - the way to which this
world's civilization seems dedicated –
as opposed to the way of "GJVE" -
and how our Work had started from
nothing financially 38 years ago, as a
ministry of GIVJNG, serving, sharing,
contributing- with nothing to sell
- utterly a NON-profit enterprise -
giving right knowledge - GJVJNG to
the world the MISSING DIMENSION in
education - and how the Work had
GROWN to such worldwide impact,
they were amazed.
1 suppose one would naturally think
such a WAY could never work. But
over 38 years' experience had demon–
strated that it is far more practica]
than the selfish, competitive motives.
Thcse meo
invited
this explanation,
which
J
was privileged to give. And,
of course, that way is simply the way
instructed by the living Creator!
J
have had long discussions with
a number of Ministers of Education
in severa! countries around the world.
The suggestion was given me from
one Ministry of Education that
J
call a
World Congress at Pasadena, of Min–
isters of Education f rom many nations
over the world . 1 am assured that
many would attend.
It
is under con–
sideration.
Then on Friday, March
10,
we
Rew
back to ToJ-1'0, where 1 had some
vuy
important meetings with about
eight of probably the ten most power–
ful men in the Japanese government.
Japan now has gane ahead of Ger–
many, Britain, France, and all other
nations in the free world, except
thc United States, ecooomically and
industrially.
On Saturday night our party, with
Mr. Gotoh, hosted a dinner with the
new Ambassador from Israel and his
wife. Then Sunday afternoon we had
tea with them at the Israeli Embassy.
Monday was a busy day. In thc
PLAIN TRUTH Moy 1972