The British-born Dr. Henderson, who passed away at 89 in May of 2022, first became involved in environmental activism in the 1960s, leading a grassroots effort to combat air pollution in her adopted home of New York City. She went on to become a sustainable development consultant in over 30 countries and a worldwide syndicated columnist. She was the author of several books, including Building a Win-Win World, Beyond Globalization and Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy.
Dr. Henderson also cofounded the Global
Commission to Fund the United Nations and coedited its report, “The United
Nations: Policy and Financing Alternatives.”
Dr. Henderson meets with Daisaku Ikeda for a second time, after being conferred an honorary doctorate from Soka University, which Mr. Ikeda founded. (Tokyo, October 2000)
President Ikeda and Dr. Henderson first met in
Tokyo in 1998 and went on to collaborate on Planetary Citizenship via written
correspondence. The authors touch on a wide range of themes such as the
significance of civic movements, the concept of a “love economy” that is not
based solely on financial gain, a recycling-oriented sustainable society, and
the Earth Charter, which outlines fundamental ethical principles for building
an equitable, sustainable and peaceful global society. While sounding an alarm
against the disregard for life that underlies poverty and environmental
destruction, the two agree that the influence of women is indispensable for
building a harmonious “win-win society.”
The authors discuss the idea that a “global revolution” begins with an inner-directed transformation in human beings. Dr. Henderson asserts: “Only the human revolution can reform our views of the natural world, life and values. We have the power to alter our destiny.”
Mr. Ikeda states:
“Instead of being absorbed in the minor self of the ego, each individual must recognize his or her connection with all life in the cosmos. By doing so, we can escape our obsession with greed, advance along a more compassionate path, and bring about mutual happiness for ourselves and others. I am certain that this is the key to creating a new civilization founded on the dignity of life.”
[Adapted from an article in the September 30, 2022, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
