Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world & cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.” In 1996, the National Commission for UNESCO of the Republic of Korea and the UNESCO Unit for Tolerance organized the International Meeting of Experts for the Establishment of an Asia and Pacific Regional Network Against Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence. The 20 regional participants discussed the problems and challenges of the region, they named institutional coordinators, and they outlined lines of action. They also established a Research Centre for Tolerance at Gwangju University. Let us rekindle this initiative to demonstrate, to model and to lead what it means to respect, accept and appreciate the diversity of our world’s culture, our forms of expression and ways of being human.

What is the value, impact and meaning of Jeju 4·3 survivors giving their oral histories and witness testimonies in public venues? These community forums and international conferences are opportunities for Jeju 4·3 survivors to bear witness to previously untold lived experiences and memories during the seven-year bloodbath, known as the Jeju 4·3 Events. Many narratives and stories are revelations of closeted memories, hidden traumas, and unreconciled historical pasts. The audience-listeners who can empathize and identify with speakers’ depictions in bearing witness to the inhuman can become co-witness bearers and coowners of the trauma experiences. Audience-listeners can join the witness-speaker as a fellow traveler in the difficult journey into witnessing, and as a comrade in the struggle to transcend persistent traumas, and society’s ongoing domination and dehumanization.

Can awakening to planetary consciousness open pathways to personal and social healing, reconciliation and redemption in the aftermath of mass suffering like Jeju 4.3? In this article, I aim (a) to identify the characteristics of planetary consciousness using my observations on a peace pilgrimage and case examples from Jeju, and (b) to clarify how planetary consciousness is developed through transformative learning processes. Planetary consciousness is the awareness that all beings, energies and phenomena are profoundly interconnected and interdependent. The development toward planetary consciousness can be understood using models such as the Transformative Learning Process, the Radical Forgiveness Method, and the Social Healing Through Justice Model. Progressing through the stages results in openness to multidimensional thinking and knowing. Individuals and communities who have worked through transformative learning processes demonstrate the possibility of genuine healing, reconciliation and the restoration of justice and dignity. Keywords