COMMUNICATION: THE LIFEWATER OF RELATIONSHIP Communication goes on at every level of human life. It is the stuff of every molecule in our bodies; it goes on at the cellular level. It happens within our every organ and between organ systems. Individuals interact with each other, impact the environment, social systems and ultimately the universe. It then is such a disaster when communication breaks down. According to religious and spiritual traditions, the entire cosmos was created by 'The Word of the Creator. In the same way, the rift in the universe between humankind and every other being and creation came about, according to every religion's account, through miscommunication: the words of the serpent, the actions of the two primordial beings. Therefore, right communication takes on significance in all human interactions. But if we are all seeking right communication, why is it so hard to achieve? When we fall seriously ill, we require life-water: a mixture of 5% dextrose and 0.9%saline in a hydrous solution with the potential to nourish and revive ebbing life. In the same way, good communication requires a bit of sweetness, a dash of spice and lots of hydration. In his book The Five Love Languages , author Gary Chapman points out that the key issue in most relationships is the assumption that everyone is speaking the same language that we are. Think: we have all had the experience of trying to talk with someone who did not speak our language. What did we do? In all probability we spoke louder, and when the object of our communication still failed to speak, we upped the volume even more. And how effective was that behavior? Think about it: the person to whom you were speaking was not deaf; there was nothing wrong with his or her auditory system.…

ICEPN: Today we are in New York again with this conference, the Women's Federation for World Peace 19th anniversary. Here's a booth that is one of the amazing projects that the people have done for the Japan Relief Project. And here are the two ladies, and you tell me what has been going on through this project? What has been your involvement in this project? Teresa. Teresa: Hi. Yeah, just quickly, we were chosen to go to Japan, selected and sponsored by WFWP, Women's Federation for World Peace. Our basic schedule was as you can see here. ICEPN: So this was sometime back in March? Teresa: We actually went to Japan on July 1st to... ICEPN: So it was only about two weeks ago, well a month ago! Well, ok, so how was it since that big problem happened? Teresa: We stayed on a campsite at a university in Ichinowaki, which is about seven hours north of Tokyo, and we drove a little bit through the destructive area. It's the most destruction I've ever seen. There's just so much. The Japanese self-defense and a lot of people have been working really hard to clean the streets. ICEPN: So you have been seeing the unity in Japan. Teresa: Yeah, people from Australia and all over Japan have been coming up and really working together. It's really inspiring. ICEPN: So how about you. You went there as well. Tell me what kind of experience you had. Chunmi: Well, it was really incredible actually. I'd never been to a disaster site before, and this tsunami was in the news media for about two weeks, and then it disappeared. So, I think a lot of people's concept is that, "Okay, great. The disaster happened, and now the Japanese have taken care of it, and…