On the Vision of WLEF

On the Vision of WLEF (World Leadership Education Foundation)

By Chan Master Wu Jue Miao Tian / Translated by Ronald / 2004

The World Leadership Education Foundation, or WLEF, was founded four years ago. In the early years since inception, frankly speaking, the financial and human resources were very limited. In such difficult situations, WLEF still managed to offer the best programs and attract the best people. It’s fair to say that these early years have laid a solid foundation for WLEF’s future development and vision planning.

In reminiscence, during the past four years, we have recruited many brilliant college students and provided them with a variety of training resources and choices. At the time of WLEF’s inception, we can already foresee what the future world will be like just by observing the world at the time.

From TV news and newspapers, we have seen that the entire world is in turmoil, and the situation is getting worse. If you contrast Taiwan in the past decade with today, for instance, you will see that the society today is more unstable, and people more unhappy and uneasy. We also see that the political instability has disturbed people’s work and life. From a religious perspective, if we rely solely on the power of religion for world peace, we might be struggling in obtaining governing power as it is often in the hands of political leaders. If all political leaders have a long-term plan and vision, thinking for our planet Earth with well-rounded consideration and viewpoints, I think day by day the world will improve. But unfortunately we did not see it happen.

What we have seen is that in every corner of the world, numerous wars, big or small, are disrupting the peace of the world. In Taiwan, political parties are fighting each other and within themselves. Very little time is left to caring its people. If the trend continues, it is not exaggerating to say that Taiwan is on the path to destruction.

We do not want to see such a disaster happen. We do not want to see another world war. That’s why I have been thinking to make world peace our long-term goal. And we will work together to achieve this goal. Some say world peace is impossible. But if everyone has the common faith of world peace and guides his or her life with love, compassion, and altruism, I think world peace is just a matter of time. We have the capacity of making it happen; it just takes some faith, determination, and action.

Therefore, four years ago, I founded the WLEF. I realized the importance of preparing our younger generation with the vision of world peace, and the skills and knowledge to support it. We have since educated many outstanding political, religious, and business leaders. We are still making our best effort in this regard, and we continue to provide our younger generation with the best opportunities for practical education, learning, and growth.

We must also reciprocate to the society within our ability. We must care for all the people and all the sentient beings — animals, plants, and the environment. We must contribute our part to the world in worth, work, and words. We hope to have more people join us, so that love will prevail on Earth.

Being a leader, be it political, religious, or business leader, or leader in any particular discipline, you must have professional knowledge in this discipline to support your leadership.

Therefore, you must start to prepare yourself now. Equip yourself with professional knowledge, skills, and methodologies. Equip yourself with the leader’s character. A leader’s character defines a politician’s electoral and political success. This is evidenced in Taiwan’s many high-profile politicians, such as Lien Chan, James Soong, President Chen Shui-bian, Vice President Annette Lu, and Ma Ying-jeou.

Being a successful leader takes many years of preparation and education. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. A successful leader has charisma, says and acts like a leader, and can inspire others to follow the example he or she has set.

In addition to professional knowledge and skills, another defining trait of a leader is his or her determination and perseverance. A leader must not be listless in the face of challenges. Instead, a leader must be able to navigate life’s challenges with courage and will. Your willpower is tempered by those challenges, and you will become stronger in times of hardship. Your mind becomes clearer, which allows you to distinguish right from wrong, advantages from disadvantages, and true from false. You will also be able to see the evolvement of the world clearly, from many different perspectives, and understand the needs of human beings even though the needs are changing. This is what a leader should be.

Lastly, I would like to encourage you to self-equip with techniques and knowledge in your expertise, or the field in which you strive to become a leader. You must self-train your leader’s character day-by-day, and realize your leadership potential step-by-step.