Act of Creation - A Question of Faith

The UN CHARTER: A Question of Faith “The substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.” SAN FRANCISCO -- Our third
and final episode of the podcast series “Act of Creation” is ready
for your ears. It’s a fitting end to a great journey. Episode 1
looks at the years leading up to the famous San Francisco
Conference of 1945, when the Charter was signed and the United
Nations was born; the episode then moves up to the Conference’s
opening day on April 24. Episode 2 dives into the Conference
itself, showing the intense diplomatic maneuvering as well as the
ambitious intentions that were needed to turn the Charter into a
reality. Now, in Episode 3, we start on the day the Charter was
signed and celebrated, June 26, 1945, and then take listeners
decade by decade into the Charter’s future. In this episode,
Stephen Schlesinger, the American historian and author of the book
“Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations,” does a
stellar job of telling that story, spinning through the decades. We
see more examples of international drama and exceptional leadership
as well as their opposite. You’ll hear the ideas and voices of such
figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, Kofi Annan, Harry Truman and Dag
Hammarskjold. They weave and bob in the large, deep mental space
created by Schlesinger’s brilliant point of view, both wickedly
intelligent and often surprisingly poignant. Perhaps most movingly
for me, and at first unexpected, is hearing the aural unfolding of
humanity’s profoundest values. The story of the founding of the UN,
besides being riveting, entertaining and filled with vivid
personalities, parades these values at the only moment in time
–arguably-- where the entire world was paying attention: the end of
World War II. These values and ideals may seem naïve to some
listeners now, but when you hear them echoing loudly from the past,
the words by St. Paul in our title may seem stubbornly wise and
solidly reasonable. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.” Our hope is that this final
episode provides resonance to these words and demonstrates the
persistent power of ideals not yet realized: a clarion call for all
of us to get to work. Many thanks to Schlesinger for sharing these
tales with such good will and tremendous smarts, and to Dulcie
Leimbach, a founder, with Barbara Crossette, of PassBlue and the
executive producer of this series, for her insights, encouragement
and patience! Two truth warriors fighting the fight every day, it’s
been my honor and great pleasure to have been able to work
alongside them for these last couple years. Thanks to all for
listening. We look forward to your feedback: info@passblue.com. DAN
BECKER, producer and composer