Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men

A Call to Restore Compassion in the Hearts of Our Children

Each Christmas season, we sing the words with hope: “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.” Yet as we look around today, it is clear that this vision feels painfully far away. Violence, anger, and division seem to grow louder each week. It breaks our hearts to admit that we may have lost a generation—one that never fully learned the values of compassion, kindness, and respect.

But children are not born with hatred in their hearts. They are born with wonder, curiosity, and an openness to love. Hate, cruelty, and indifference are learned. And so are generosity, forgiveness, and peace. What we choose to teach and nurture in today’s children will determine the world we all live in tomorrow.

What We Can Learn from Japan

Across many cultures, there is much to admire about how Japan embeds respect, community, and moral education into daily school life. These aren’t added extras; they are part of the foundation. Careful study shows several practices that might help us, as a society, restore the compassion we’re losing.

• Moral Education Integrated into the Curriculum Japanese schools include moral lessons as a formal subject. Students are regularly engaged in discussions of right and wrong, empathy, respect for others, and social responsibility.

• Shared Responsibilities and Respect for Community Spaces Children in Japan often clean their classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and even bathrooms. They serve meals to one another in classrooms and then help clean up. These actions teach cooperation, respect for communal property, and humility.

• Emphasis on Etiquette, Respect, and Gratitude Simple daily rituals matter: students greet teachers formally, stand to show respect, express thanks at the end of class, and observe rules that reinforce community harmony. These habits reinforce manners, kindness, and respect as a part of everyday living—not just a special occasion.

• Group Harmony and Inclusion Japanese schools encourage inclusion—not excluding classmates, helping those in need, and respecting elders. Students are taught to consider others’ feelings and to contribute to group welfare. This promotes empathy and discourages isolation or bullying.

• Balanced Development Academics are important in Japan, but character, moral awareness, physical health, and social responsibility are also seen as essential. The aim is not only intellectual achievement but also raising whole persons who care about their communities.

  
  

The Santa Claus Fellowship: Aligned and Inspired

The Santa Claus Fellowship believes in many of the same foundations. We see that what Japan does so well—teaching moral character early, embedding kindness into daily habits, carrying out service and responsibility—is not just admirable but essential to transforming hearts and communities.

• We strive to make kindness, respect, and generosity as natural in a child’s life as math or reading.

• We aim to create experiences—through storytelling, outreach, and creative community programs—that allow children to practice compassion actively, not just learn about it.

• In a way similar to Japan’s moral education, we encourage reflection, accountability, and empathy: helping children see the feelings in others, understand the value of inclusion, and develop humility.

  
  

By learning from systems that successfully cultivate respect, cooperation, and moral purpose we can strengthen our own efforts and become more effective in planting seeds of peace and goodwill.

Why This Matters Now

When we fail to nurture moral character, we don’t just see individual heartbreak—we see fractured families, divided communities, and escalating conflict. The cost is more than statistics; it is lost potential, broken lives, and a world where children may grow up never knowing genuine kindness or respect.

We cannot afford to wait. If we want the next generation to live by the values of Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men, then the work must begin now, and it must be done thoroughly—teaching not just what is right, but practicing it every day.

A Call to Action: Join Us in Changing Hearts

We at The Santa Claus Fellowship invite you to be part of this vital work. Your support—whether through volunteering, sharing our message, or contributing to our programs—can help restore what has been lost.

Help us bring practices into our communities that mirror the best of what we see in systems like Japan’s:

• Programs that include moral education and character-building early.

• Opportunities for children to serve, to care, to help, and to practice gratitude.

• Habits of respect, inclusion, and compassion woven into daily routines.

  
  

Let’s raise children who grow up not only knowing love but also living it. Not only respecting others but also serving them. Not only hearing “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men,” but making it true in their lives.

“In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.” – L. Frank Baum

Take the next step with us. Visit The Santa Claus Fellowship to learn how you can support—through giving, participating, or spreading the word. Together, we can change hearts. Together, we can build a future of peace and good will.