Is this the first conference of its kind that WPA has organized?
Garda: "Yes, it is. WPA is a two year old fledgling, grassroots NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] built on dreams for a better world."
The ideology and mission of WPA is a way of thinking that most Americans have probably never been exposed to before. Can you please tell me where and how this ideology originated?
Garda: "It may well have originated from suffering in my own life. When we suffer, we can do one of two things. We can focus on our suffering, dwell on it forever, keep reconstructing it in our mind. Or, we can merge our suffering with the suffering of entire humanity. We can reach out to feel the suffering of other human beings around the world. In most instances, we will find that the suffering of others is far, far greater than our own suffering.
I've lived in quite a few countries, including six years in UAE [United Arab Emirates], seven years in India, a year in Singapore, nine years in Canada, a year in Germany, several months in UK, and have traveled to many other countries. In each place I made it a point to merge with the local people. For example, in UAE, I sat for hours with the local Bedu women, learning enough Arabic in the process to be able to understand the joys and pains in their hearts. For this very reason, the US imperialist wars in the Middle East are heart-breaking to me. You cannot find a more hospitable, more affectionate, more generous people than the Arabs of the Middle Eastern countries. It is they who embody the real meaning of the term 'civilization'."
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