What’s the point of feeling angry about what happened? You just have to make sure we never see that kind of world again-that this [Jeju 4.3 tragedy and the hardships that befell three generations of family members] never happens again. “For my grandchildren, [please help ensure] that there is no record stating that their grandmother has a criminal history and spent time in prison.” “The path we have traveled to this point has been a tremendously perilous and difficult [one]. What the 18 of us want is to be acquitted [and to receive an official apology].”

As I became familiar with how pervasive 4.3 tragedies affected Jeju people, I was struck how the need for mourning is far from over, even after more than 60 years after the tragedy. Wasn’t President Roh Moo-Hyun’s apology on behalf of the Korean government enough? Not even close; it simply opened the opportunity to bring the truths of 4.3 to the open, and to finally let the needs of the victims be publicly known, and discussed, and to be acted on. Broadly speaking, my awareness, and education and listening to historical accounts of 4.3 lead me to believe that there are three levels of understanding and interaction between all involved actors of 4.3 for reconciliation to be successful; for the victims of 4.3 to have a sense of closure.. The three levels of possible involvement for the victims and families are at the personal, community and international levels. Without all three being present there will be no closure, no reconciliation, for the victims, or the next generation of their families.

It’s a time we prepare for a reparation agenda for Jeju 4.3 victims and their families. We should approach the USA government side collectively rather than individually for their lawsuits, because most of them are elderly, over 75 years old and need intensive medical care and assistance immediately. It’s up for us to recognize some tasks of actualizing Reparation, Reconciliation and Reconnection Agenda for “Environmentally Sustainable Peace Island” beyond Trauma of the Jeju 4.3 Grand Tragedy into the next Decade.

It was an honor to give my speech to the American public about the Jeju 4.3 Grand Tragedy as one member of the Jeju 4.3 delegation. On March 27, 2015 I supported the “Petition for a Joint South Korea and United States Jeju 4.3 Incident Task Force on Social Healing through Justice.” On August 15, 2016, I was happy to write the foreword “Jeju 4.3 Grand Tragedy becomes Human Spirit in the Asia Pacific,” for the new book about Jeju 4.3 titled, “Jeju 4.3 Grand Tragedy during ‘peacetime’ Korea : The Asia Pacific Context (1947-2016). On September 8, 2016, we proceeded with “Authentic 4.3 Jeju Tragedy Reconciliation as a symbol of Peace in Asia” at the Jeju 4.3 Tragedy Reconciliation Conference 2016 in Washington D.C.

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