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Norway's "Peace Road" Ascends Gaustatoppen Mountain
Written by Steinar Murud, secretary general, UPF-Norway
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Oslo, Norway—The Peace Road 2016 event was a hike to the top of Gaustatoppen, one of the highest mountains in southern Norway.
Although the July 23 event was organized on short notice, it gathered more participants than last year’s event. As an alternative to academic or more theoretical events, the Peace Road seem to inspire many new people in a different way. It is a new approach to peace.
This year’s theme was “One World, One Korea,” with the specific goal to support the opening of a fifth United Nations office on the Korean Peninsula. With such a goal we were happy to have three Koreans among the participants.
The participants met in the morning at an education center in Oslo used by UPF and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an affiliated organization.
They drove their cars from Oslo, a distance of 182 kilometers (over 113 miles), and gathered at the foot of the mountain for a march together to the top. Reaching the top took about 2.5 hours.
With a height of 1,883 meters (almost 6,188 feet), the view from Gaustatoppen is spectacular. In good weather, it is possible to see one-sixth of Norway.
According to the weather forecast we had expected bright sunshine. Therefore we were surprised to see a gray sky and clouds. As we arrived at the top, the fog became thicker and it even started to rain. However, as we stayed at the top, enjoying our lunch, the sky started to clear up. And bit by bit new parts of the horizon were revealed. That was spectacular and very rewarding, as if heaven were giving its blessing. We were all enthused.
Our group of participants was an interesting mix of young and old, from high school students to retirees. Eight nationalities from four continents were represented. In itself the group was a micro-world where everyone managed to reach the top.
Let us hope that this year’s Peace Road can be symbolic of Korea and the world “reaching the top” and achieving unity!
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