Universal Harmony Day 2006: Martial Artists Fight to Unite the Human Race By Faryn Sand "If ever there was a man serious about the future of mankind, and particularly our children, that man is Sensei John." - Bill Beutel, late ABC News great It’s going to span the globe. And it’s going to have heart. It’s going to be the biggest coordinated event taking place in martial arts history! On September 11th, 2006, through worldwide media coverage, see the world unite as one strong and intense global community for Universal Harmony Day 2006. Martial artists from around the world will help transform a day of mourning into a day of humanity! This vast, apolitical endeavor will unite the world at large, and will dedicate itself to everyone in every country who suffers on a daily basis. Because of philanthropic efforts of martial artists everywhere, Universal Harmony Day 2006 will reach the entire world. It will focus on protecting and enhancing the lives of society’s children, as well as senior citizens and any fellow human being who seeks respite from grief. Together, individuals across the globe will concentrate the consistent human desire to impact society into one unforgettable, historic day. We invite and strongly encourage you to take part in this unprecedented event. In 1997, Sensei John P. Mirrione, Jr.—owner of New York City’s Harmony By Karate school and Good Will Ambassador to the World Black Belt organization—created, organized, and facilitated the first Universal Harmony Day, which took place in New York City and involved such high-profile participants as the late ABC news icon Bill Beutel, hockey great Luc Robitaille, radio host Elliot Segal, and legendary artist Peter Max. Aiming to heighten awareness and collect money to fight child abuse, it was one of the most large-scale and publicized martial arts events geared toward philanthropy ever to take place. Like the original event, Universal Harmony Day 2006 will unite all willing human beings in their efforts of philanthropy, genuine kindness, and utter humanity. This time, however, it will be bigger. On September 11, 2006, World Black Belt (founding members include Bob Wall, Chuck Norris, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and 50 of the world's greatest martial artists) and Sensei John Mirrione will sponsor Universal Harmony Day with worldwide media coverage devoted to the philanthropic activities of martial arts schools throughout the world! Many media and martial arts icons are already preparing to participate. Special events will take place in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Toronto, as well as several other major cities to be announced, but no matter where you live, if you are doing something to help others in the spirit of Universal Harmony, we want to know about it! We will therefore be accepting letters, emails, photographs, and videos, which will be posted on WorldBlackBelt.com for worldwide access. So join us as we instate a revolutionary tradition that will redefine this decade, and will recreate the next century! It is a project that will commence now and grow indefinitely; one day in the near future, every martial artist in the world will participate in this celebration of humanity, forever transforming a day of human tragedy into a day of human grace—a positive worldwide experience reminding us of generosity, gratitude, and a fundamental human connection. What will define the state of humanity in ten years from now? In twenty? This might seem an impossible question, but in fact the answer is rudimentary: The future of the human condition depends on your actions now. True action, after all, is timeless, for it has the incredible ability to transcend the synthetic and illusionary divides between “past", “present”, and “future”. That is, with enough passion, intensity, and drive, on Universal Harmony Day 2006—and on this day every year thereafter—your actions will possess the power to reshape the past and, unquestionably, to redefine the future. “Traveler, there is no path; paths are made by walking” (Antonio Machado). For every step you venture today, there is a footprint that materializes halfway into the next generation—because each single moment, without exception, is the beginning of a potentially new future. That is what we will show the world on Universal Harmony Day 2006, when martial arts schools and individuals everywhere will have the opportunity to share their acts of good will, generosity, and love, and to show that not only has their training given them physical strength, but also strength of spirit. Witness some of the biggest names and biggest hearts in the martial arts take the world by storm; become a part of Universal Harmony Day 2006 and help give birth to a tradition that will outlive us all. Join the fight to unite! Universal Harmony Day— It’s The Event We’ve All Been Training For. Please send all messages and inquiries to universalharmonyday@worldblackbelt.com. The Philosophy The philosophy of Universal Harmony—which advocates discovering the true self as a way to achieve genuine, indiscriminant accepting of and caring for all others—is an underlying theme of all traditional arts of self-defense, and binds the mosaic world of martial arts. Today, numerous and diverse art forms and self-defense systems abound but, regardless of differences in technique and approach, or the diverging of certain styles from their original form, all true martial arts remain united in their ultimate pursuit to unite. Shorinjiryu Karatedo is one such example, for it has retained its characteristic spirit through sixty years of evolution. 1946: Shorinjiryu Karatedo Emerges In the mid-twentieth century, Japanese karatedo master Dr. Kori Hisataka, merged the ancient fighting system of the Chinese Buddhist monks, called Shorinji Kenpo, with Okinawan karate. The amalgamation of these two systems yielded a new style: Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo. Shinan Hisataka wanted to emphasize the importance and necessity of individuality in the martial arts, and used his Shorinjiryu Karatedo system as a medium for this message. His motto, “Spiritual Development of Individuality in Mind and Body” indicated that each student not only could have, but must have, his own way; through karate’s spiritual training, then, students would develop a oneness with the self that would allow them better to understand their own abilities and limitations—both mental and physical. This theory was progressive for its time, as it not only acknowledged, but insisted, that there was in fact more than one correct “way”. In 1964, at the World’s Fair in Queens, New York, Dr. Kori Hisataka’s students participated in what was the first Japanese government-sponsored martial arts demonstration in the country, and officially brought Shorinjiryu to the United States. Today, Shorinjiryu employs traditional techniques, katas, and kumites, while also evolving techniques characteristic of the style (e.g., the vertical punch), and incorporates punching, kicking, and grappling into a thorough system of self-defense. As Dr. Kori Hisataka intended, it demands all the realism of full-contact schools (Students fight bare-handed and use chest protectors that allow for complete execution of techniques.), while simultaneously denouncing violence; this ensures a comfortable training environment that prepares students for real situations. Shorinjiryu Karatedo is a spiritually progressive style that, physically, is both safe and challenging. 1994: The Harmony By Karate School Opens Motivated by the need for self-defense at a young age, Sensei John P. Mirrione began learning from his father, Shihan John A. Mirrione, and after extensive training, He received his black belt in 1983. By 1990 he had opened his own school in Ridgefield, New Jersey, but when he was called upon as an Airforce reservist to serve in Operation Desert Storm, his endeavor was postponed. Upon his return, he began a newly-impassioned pursuit of his long-standing vision Three decades after Shorinjiryu had come to the United States, Sensei Mirrione earned his Harmony By Karate school a place in the prestigious Reebok Sports Club/NY when, upon being questioned as to why he desired to teach at their location, he responded, “If I want to make a positive impact on society, I must first teach its leaders.” And make a positive impact, he did. Sensei Mirrione’s Universal Harmony Day 1997 was one of the most large-scale and publicized martial arts events geared toward philanthropy. From 1997 to 2000 he also appeared on the Z-100 morning show once per week to discuss his Philosophy of the Week, utilizing the media to offer positive insight and perspective to society. Most recently, Sensei Mirrione's vision for unification, together with his firm belief in Universal Harmony, led him to accept the roles of Good Will Ambassador to the renowned World Black Belt organization and the New York City director for Universal Harmony Day 2006. These new endeavors will allow Sensei Mirrione better to realize his dream of transforming Universal Harmony Day into a permanent and pivotal part of a new human culture. 2006: Universal Harmony Day It’s The Event We’ve All Been Training For. JOIN THE FIGHT TO UNITE!

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Armando Sainz: I'm all for doing good but this is sick. To have this new age garbage on Sept. 11th is a slap in the face to all that have been impacted on that dreadful day in 2001. This is nothing more than an exercise in egoistic carnality. Martial arts is about superior fire power. You have bigger guns so the bad guys can’t kill you. You crush the enemy so they don’t kill your children. You teach whoever is left not to mess with us. Eventually they come around like Japan did after we bombed the hell out of them. OK go ahead and do good but don’t expect our terrorist enemies to like you. In fact, they will laugh at your efforts and even lop off your head if you give them the chance. You people have no back bone for what is really needed as martial artists. That is the support of real martial artists. Our Military men and women. Sorry but Universal Harmony Day reeks of liberalism and secular humanism. We can do without that sort of foolishness. Let's unite as martial artist behind our Troops and our Country on Sept. 11, 2006.

Mark McKennon: Armando, What’s ‘sick’ about Universal Harmony? Harmony described in the dictionary is 1) Accord or agreement in feeling, manner, action, etc.: to live in harmony. 2) A state of order, agreement or esthetically pleasing relationships among the elements of a whole. Harmony, in the most ideal sense, may be a pipe dream, but the real sickness comes in believing that it is ‘sick’, delusional, and not worth an effort. If the Creator wanted us to think that a state of human harmony is unworthy or sick, humankind would not have been endowed with the capacity to appreciate it, to strive for it, to desire it as a permanent condition. It is almost irrelevant that certain elements of the so-called Third World seem determined to wallow in an ever-growing state of disharmony. To want us dead. That my neighbor is a murderer does not require that I must also be a murderer so as to have relations with my community that I consider appropriate. I will instead seek to counter it with compassion and integrity. I do not understand your phrase ‘egoistic carnality.’ As a compound of terms, it seems to go against the concept of ‘harmony.’ An egoist is interested only in himself; others can go to hell. Carnality implies lust or some of the other deadly sins. I see neither egotism nor lust in a call for humanity to strive to get along much better. Any fool of any nation or religion can see that there is vast room for improvement in harmonious relations. I believe that ALL parties engaged in this dance of dissonance and violence are responsible for its present state. It is therefore incumbent on ALL parties to do something about it. If one group of parties is not willing, does that mean that ALL parties are exempt from action and can in good conscience turn a deaf ear? I do not feel slapped in the face, Armando. I don’t know where you live, but I live in Brooklyn, less than two air miles from Ground Zero. For two weeks iafter 9/11 I had the smell of death and destruction in my apartment. I heard the roars of two Navy F-14s that day as they flew loops over a large section of Brooklyn, including directly over my apartment building. My own livelihood was all but destroyed; hundreds of people in my industry lost jobs, businesses declared bankruptcy or moved away. But I don’t feel slighted by these efforts to reach those who disrespect or hate the U.S. I know that there are those who feel the only way to teach the enemy a lesson is to unconditionally annihilate them. But I believe that such a cure is as bad as the disease. Yes, martial arts is about superior firepower. But it is also about superior restraint, and employing that firepower as a very last resort, not as the first or the best response. If wisdom does not someday prevail over war – regardless of how livid or inhumane the enemy -- humankind is inevitably doomed. As a student of some of the greatest and most savage battles in the history of warfare – Cannae, Thermopylae, Marathon, Gaugamela, Waterloo, Antietam, Wilderness, Guadalcanal, Kursk, Iwo Jima, Okinawa – I can assure you I have extracted many lessons of the generals and the armies as they sought to impose maximum and merciless punishment on the enemy. The result, however brave the soldiers or righteous the victors, is just more of the same. Now, if the efforts of my enemy to kill me have been entirely unprovoked, if he is deranged by psychotic hatred or a virulent virus of the mind and soul instilled by his ideology or concept of God, then I must and will send him away to save myself or my community. I would not lose any sleep in dispatching a Nazi murderer or a plane hijacker; I would feel I am doing humanity a favor. But there is another way. Generating mutual respect, at the least, and however wary, is always a lot better than ‘shock and awe’. Over the course of decades, with a consistent, truly humble and compassionate effort by the nations of the world, harmony may develop. We can sway the more reasonable and rational among our enemies. Without that initial seed, we live in a hopeless world. I take it you have little hope, except the hope you offer on your terms. That seems to come from the “take names and kick ass” school of philosophy. But this mindset has its limitations, and one of the inevitable results is the negativity that only generates more grief and hatred. Yes, “they” may want to lop off my American head. The trick is for people and nations to not engage in policies in the first place which make many people hate me so much that they will feel justified in lopping off my head. If three billion people hate my nation, any reasonable person might conclude that perhaps EVERYONE concerned has a communication and a behavior problem. Our nation is guarded and defended by brave military men and women; I know quite a bit about the 101st and 82nd Airborne, the 1st and 4th Infantry Division, the Army 8th Air Force, the Marines on Guadalcanal or at the Chosin Reservoir. Requesting (or demanding) that someone like me honor our uniformed citizens on September 11, or any other day of the year, is a waste of words; my honor is a given. But I cannot in good conscience say the same for the present day military’s civilian superiors. I don’t see that they have the same, clear, honorable sense of duty and self-sacrifice. If they--the government--are engaged in hypocritical or nefarious doings around the world, if they are committing acts sub rosa that could not be defended in an objective court of law, then I cannot say our enemies are entirely monstrous in their hatred of us. We are all bound by a common humanity and ethical constraints. And, as the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Furthermore, from THEIR point of view, WE are the transgressors and need to be dealt with. 9/11 was barbaric and inexcusable. But a thorough self-examination in the wake of that tragedy was, is required, and disparaging all efforts toward harmony may well bring another, or worse, 9/11 around. I’m sorry you feel that Universal Harmony reeks of liberalism and secular humanism. I admit to being a secular humanist, and I’m proud of it. The alternative is a blood-soaked, bankrupt future of regular or permanent warfare driven by warmongering ‘carnal egoists’. Ignorance and arrogance is never a good basis for interpersonal, cultural or national policies. Last year, 3 million people donated a day’s pay to universal harmony. That seems a modest sum in the scheme of things, but the most thing it is doing is making a down payment on the priceless commodity of common humanity. I for one am willing to make it a focus of my martial arts training and my life.

Alan Goldberg: Hello John I and all my supporters are behind WORLD HARMONY DAY. Im sorry for any of these negative comments that you might get. But I know you, and being a founding member of WBB It is my duty & pleasure to see this event work for all that have this positive vision. Not everyone will agree on this project ,but thats there problem .Keep on moving foward with this project . Im sure these negative people are negative about many things in there Life.! Peace Master Alan Goldberg P.S. I live in Brooklyn also and have lost friends in the War and at ground Zero. Yes I support our troops ,but I also support moving on in a positive way and not leting these terrorist rule my life . come out from under the covers Armondo .!!!!

Faryn Sand: “Pray your gods to hold you by your fear, for they are quick and truthless punishers…. OR lay upon my altar now your LOVE—“ –Toad the Wet Sprocket, Pray Your Gods And this is the choice. Fear or love. I find it ironic that you begin your attack on Universal Harmony Day with the statement, “I am all for doing good.” Very unfortunately, Armando, although this may painfully contradict everything you have ever believed or wanted to believe about yourself, you are not all for doing good. This may be a difficult thing to admit about oneself, but it is your inability and the inability of your like-minded men and women to recognize your unintentional insistence upon living a life devoted to fear and shackled by hatred, that in the end perpetuates the human race’s cyclical descent into suffering. That is, like many people, admittedly sometimes myself included, you are in a deep, subconscious sense afraid of and ashamed of happiness. Because we live in a world in which misery is rampant and pain is the protocol, there are many like yourself, of course, who find a deep-rooted guilt in moving beyond these false standards of living, who feel a desperate need to “justify” finding happiness in a world of grieving millions. You therefore unconsciously but absolutely “Pray your gods to hold you by your fear.” By “gods,” I mean to connote nothing religious; you trap yourself into worshipping fear and instillers of fear--these are the gods we create—instead of choosing to kneel in acknowledgment of a real and sacred love. Truthfully, one need never search out justification for happiness, for it is happiness itself that justifies happiness; it is happiness that is the genuine normal, while suffering is the creation—not the other way around. Still, for so many this feeling of guilt is so intense that they become entwined in the self-destructive (and generally destructive) sense of obligation to suffocate with the drowning rather than to come to the surface. But recognize the absurdity there! For who, then, if we are all committed to drowning, will be the saviors? Who will be the first ones confident enough to leave a death-ridden many and become part of a life-having and life-GIVING few? Who—no, really, WHO—will finally be the ones to risk upsetting the fearful and unhappy majority who find an understandable safety in their familiar incarceration, to risk undermining a stable and perhaps comforting stagnance in our wavering existence so that when no one else will dare, they may with one swift, clean “slap in the face,” rip the rest from the circular descent and lead them (all the while teaching them to feel ok) to a new rising? Often times, the true “sickness”—whether it be spiritual or physical—comes in the inability or fear to let go of sickness. Sometimes we become so used to and defined by our ailments that to release them would be to explode some of the very foundations of our identity—and this terrifies us. We MUST realize, though, that this kind of identity is wholly inauthentic; we must come to recognize that subconsciously holding onto disease (literally, dis-ease)—all the while sacrificing our true selves—is one of the greatest plagues of all. That said, to Armando and to all those who maintain a similar point of view, the pivotal flaw in the logic of your response to Universal Harmony Day lies in its large concern with and dedication to “the enemy”. In fact, the true concept of Universal Harmony Day immediately invalidates any discussion of the enemy at all, for the true purpose is symbolically to make absent from our lives, even if only for a day, all the hatred, sadness, and disharmony that this enmity represents. The aim is neither to fight the enemy on this day, nor to “make it like us”, but utterly on the contrary to both: it is thoroughly to “absentize” the enemy, to remove it completely from our collective heart and mind—and in this wonderful absence we will find the space there, even if momentarily, finally to reclaim our lives. There we will find the freedom and time appropriately to appreciate our deep-rooted and undeniable connection to our fellow human beings (If you do not believe there exists such a connection, I cannot make any of my argument valid to you.). Therefore, while I disagree entirely with your assertion that UHD and support of the war’s purpose or the US military are mutually exclusive (i.e., that one somehow fundamentally contradicts the other), and while I respect Mark’s rebuttal to this judgment (i.e., that he feels both deep support for the US troops and true belief in UHD), I want to give an essential reminder that this is a realm of discussion that the true vision of Universal Harmony Day renders entirely obsolete. It is obsolete because UHD is not an anti-war affair; it is, on the contrary, a-war. These are two prefixes in the English language (anti- and a-) that are often erroneously interchanged, when truly they have two subtly yet fundamentally different meanings. This perhaps seemingly minor mistake goes far beyond grammar, for it is the inability to see or even to think about this differentiation that leads to such deep misunderstandings as the one that has occurred here. The dictionary definition of the prefix, “anti-“, that is, is “opposed to or against,” while “a-“ means literally, “without.” Understand my meaning, then, when I say that Universal Harmony Day will not be a day OPPOSED TO war; it will be a day—symbollically—WITHOUT war. “I feel my body weakened by the years, as people turn to gods of cruel design—is it that they fear the pain of death, or could it be they fear the joy of life?” (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Pray Your Gods). We do not plan simply to bear cowardly witness to any further weakening of human spirit. You, Armando, and many others who will speak with your voice during the next few months, have become incarcerated within a deep rut of fear. You are afraid of and ashamed of happiness. That is why you have come to these untruths. And we must forgive you for that. Now, I know I speak on behalf of all Universal Harmony Day supporters when I say, without condescension, that I sincerely hope you can find the strength to liberate your heart enough to understand our purpose. At the very least, however, you must forgive US our apparent dissention of your beliefs; for both like you and unlike you, we have our own truths.

Armando Sainz: You people are nuts. All this is a self righteous display. You are under the impression you are dealing with the sane of the world. You are not. You are dealing with radical religious cult zealots who can only please their god by killing you. I don’t know about you but I’m not all right with that. You can’t be nice enough to reach your goal. You want peace but you think that the only way to have peace is to be without war. In the last 3000 years we have had 200 plus years of peace. The rest was war. I tell you that the way to have universal peace is to have peace with God first through His Son Jesus Christ. Ignore Him and you ignore His peace plan. He will bring true peace to this earth in His time whether you like it or not. I wish you luck in your endeavors Sirs, as you offend good reason.

Armando Sainz: I want to say one more thing. Asians laugh at Americans who are so zealous about Eastern philosophy. You guys wax eloquent with it. It’s weird.

Faryn Sand: Armando, Your response gave me a good laugh. Maybe we are nuts! However, that is really not for you to determine since you still, after pages of explanation, do not understand the purpose. The concept of peace does not exists solely in negation of the concept of war; peace can be, comparatively, the absence or lessening of any conflict....and "conflict" can have many meanings. We are not on a delusional mission to rationalize with and befriend the hate-stricken ones. That is not our vision! You greatly misinterpret this day. I do understand now, though, why you have called this endeavor "egoistic" and "self-righteous," when anyone with clear vision can see the irony and absurdity in those accusations. You believe not only that God will deliver us peace in God's own time, but that, in fact, we *must* wait idly for this deliverance. What an attempted justification of passivity. What a way to oddly and tragically remove from ourselves all worth, power, and--most importantly--responsibility. "It's weird."

Breck Mills: John, All the best for today's event. I wish you and our Martial Arts family a world of united harmony. Our event will be in my prayers. Breck Mills Workd Acadian Karate Federation World Black Belt Baoji, China