The embodiment of optimal symbiosis of the best spiritual and business values
Mikhail Morgulis is not only the president of the Spiritual Diplomacy Foundation (SDF), which calls for using spiritual values for solving global and personal conflicts, but also a major publisher, political analyst, philanthropist and a world-renowned preacher. In this interview, he talked about how he has been able to successfully combine such diverse aspects of human endeavors into a single unified entity for the purpose of serving humanity.
On this trip, you have visited Russia and will be going to Ukraine, where you plan to meet the spouse of President Viktor Yanukovich. What is the main objective of such trips?
On this trip I’m traveling as the SDF president. The Foundation’s mission envisages the use of spiritual values to solving global conflicts between nations, within a particular country and in an individual, because each person is a microcosm with many internal conflicts. Besides, our Foundation is also a charity organization. For example, we provide food for about 2,000 homeless children in Ukraine, and help sick children and Chernobyl Disaster victims in Belarus. Therefore, the purpose of my trip is to involve the spouses of countries’ leaders and secure their support for our charity projects, as well as helping them with their own charity programs. As for why I meet mostly with presidents’ spouses, I do this because it is not always convenient to meet the presidents as they are always conscious of their positions and statuses. As a result, they are afraid of saying something out of protocol, and, indeed, are simply afraid of behaving like ordinary people. In this respect, their spouses are more neutral, and consequently, can speak about almost only topic more openly and frankly.
Your Foundation also attracts businesses to the implementation of its charity projects all over the world, and specifically, in the former Soviet countries. How do you manage to do this?
We always seek to involve both local and international businesses in our charity projects because I am convinced that any forward-looking, moral and ethical business must always be engaged in charity. The idea is that an intellectual business will never limit its operation to just making money or the fanatic pursue of huge profits. On the contrary, such business always participates in the social life of a country, where it operates and generates its wealth. The adoption of such principle will always unfailingly lead to growth and development of societies and nations.
If it is not a secret, how do you manage to persuade pragmatic businessmen to take part in your Foundation’s numerous charity initiatives?
This usually takes place at meetings and networking events. For example, when I meet with business representatives in the US, I say to them: “Gentlemen, we will help you to launch your businesses in Russia. I know many governors, the right people in government, but if you get a contract with our help, please, do not forget to donate parts of your profit to our charity projects – such as the orphanages, Afghanistan war invalids, disabled veterans from other military conflicts, pensioners, cancer patients, etc.
“We always seek to involve both local and international businesses in our charity projects because I am convinced that any forward-looking, moral and ethical business must take part in charity.”
Many businessmen like this approach. We have really helped several companies to secure contracts in Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Moreover, we also frequently meet with countries’ leaders. For example, in the US, I have met with four presidents, with Gorbachev and Yeltsin in Russia, as well as with the presidents of Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, etc. in the other CIS countries. This is because we want people, including countries’ leaders, to realize that spiritual life is also very important, like any other aspect of human activities. A person must have complete harmony in everything. If there is harmony within a person, then everything will be all right in his/her country.
You have been taking an active part in the changes of the post-Soviet region for almost 30 years. In this regard, how would you assess the changes that have occurred in the CIS over these years?
First, the CIS countries – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc. – have turned a new leaf in their historical development. This process has been painful and different for each and every of them. I think that the world today is in disarray and degradation because the invention of high technologies have provided man with the opportunity to behave like God, while leaving his soul at the stage of development that it was over 2,000 years ago. This is the cause of 
discord, both for a concrete individual, an entire society and businesses. When the modern Russian business started up in the 1990s, it was a hell as murders, violence, etc became the norms, but now the situation has become much better. However, the level of corruption in Russia and Ukraine has reached immeasurable proportions, unlike in Belarus, where the situation is better. One person, even a president, however strong or intelligent, cannot change a country. Take Russia for example, only Putin or Medvedev alone cannot change the existing mentality of an entire nation, and indeed, no fundamental changes will occur until Russians themselves have reached a high level of spiritual development. Therefore, it is really scary, when a man that has mastered the most advanced, edge-cutting technologies does not know what to do with them because of his low level of spiritual development. One Frenchman once said: “Money can’t make you happier, but it does certainly make unhappiness more bearable.” Similarly, I always say that I may not have enough money to make a person happy, but we all can show such love that will make a person much happier. So, this fully reflects my sad creed: “One cannot have too much love or money, as they are always in short supply.”
Then, do you see Spiritual Diplomacy Foundation as in opposition to traditional diplomacy, as practiced by governments across the world today?
When a ‘spiritual diplomat’ talks to a president, he does not see a country leader in front of him. He just sees a human being, a creation of God. Indeed, we do not think about his/her party allegiance, wealth, habits, as we are also equally not interested in the people’s skin colors, religious or social beliefs and other statuses, etc. We only see God’s creatures. The people we talk to feel this, and they, being intelligent people, always see that we don’t need anything from them, that we are not looking for any personal benefits from our interactions. When they see this, they always appreciate it. For example, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said to me once: “I always enjoy talking with you because I know that you are always honest with me.”
How far will be correct to say, considering the chaos that currently reigns with impunity in the world today, that traditional diplomacy has failed in its core mission to humanity?
Definitely, yes. Traditional diplomacy’s overall results have been very poor. I have published an article in an American magazine, entitled, “Degradation of the American Diplomatic School,” where I set forth the reasons why, in my opinion, the much-praised U.S. diplomacy has stopped working, and these reasons, by the way, apply to other countries’ diplomatic schools. The main reason is that all diplomats, without exception, almost always deceive one another. This is evident in famous Western politicians, from Machiavelli to Winston Churchill, who used to frequently repeat: “Our friends can change, but our interests always remain the same.” This is the main difference between spiritual and secular diplomacy, because the motto of the former is the opposite and it goes: “Let our interests change, but our friends will always remain the same.”
In continuation of the previous question, can you name some specific examples when you had used the principles of spiritual diplomacy in practice and the results that they generated?
Yes, I can. The fact is that if 30 years ago, the idea of spiritual diplomacy was seen utopistic, today it is really working. For example, we have helped release people sentenced to death. When we were in Vietnam, where the dominant communist regime refused to register churches, I said to them: “You will never get any loans from the US because of your attitude to churches since the US is a country with Christian mentality. Therefore, if you continue to persecute churches, you will never get any help from the US.” This argument worked, and they began registering churches. When we were in Israel, I spoke in the Knesset, and said: “I am not asking you to love the Palestinians, that is impossible, and to the Palestinians the same – you also cannot love the Israelis either, although you are ‘virtually cousins.’
“It is really scary, when a man that has mastered the most advanced, edge-cutting technologies does not know what to do with them because of his low level of spiritual development.”
All I am asking is for both of you to learn to tolerate each other. If you learn to do this, then the fertile soil of patience may one day produce flowers of love. After this, you can have good business relations and normal life.” We took part in the construction of a hospital in Israel, where both Israeli and Palestinian women give birth to children today. It is worth noting here that when pregnant women give birth, they do not argue over whose territory they are doing so. We were in Beslan to help families who had lost their children in the School terrorist siege in 2004. We visited Cyprus, when the Greeks and Turks were at war, and we helped them find points of mutual understanding. These are a just few examples of our spiritual diplomacy in action.
Who among the high-ranking government officials and other public figures that you have been lucky to meet in your activities has made the strongest impact on your life philosophy or view?
I would say Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. For one, he had the rare ability to think not only as a major politician, prominent statesman, successful businessman, but also as a spiritual leader. He me 
once asked: “What phrase will produce a strong impression on the Soviet people?” I recommended him a quote from the literary works of Alexander Gertsen, the great Russian writer: “If we are not on the side of the suppressed, then automatically we are on the side of their oppressors.” He included the phrase in his speech. There is also this personal story he also told us. When he was 17 years old, he started experience some life difficulties: he lost his job, got bad grades in the college, and to make an ugly situation even worse, his girlfriend gave him ‘the elbow.’ In other words, everything was in shambles. His mother was a Christian. He complained to her: “Mum, nothing is working for me. I tied to speak to God, but He probably doesn’t want to listen to me because I am too small.” And she replied: “Ronnie, always remember that you will never be too big for God, even if you become the President of the United States, but at the same time, you will never be too small for Him to hear you.” Besides, I liked his sense of humor. For example, after he was shot, and everyone around him — security and government officials — in the ensuing chaos tried to cover him, he asked: “Guys, if you are all here, then who is keeping the store?” He meant the White House, and then fainted and lost consciousness.
You have after the collapse of the Soviet Union established good contacts in the CIS and US. How, in your opinion, has the perception of the new Russia changed in the US, and vice-versa?
The Americans used to call all nations of the USSR – Kazakhs, Georgians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, etc., Russians, and this habit has remained almost intact, despite the fact that these nations have become sovereign and independent states. I still remember how, disagreeing with the then-State Secretary Zbigniew Brzezinski, I wrote a big article, where I noted that Russia, after the collapse of the Soviet empire, will become ‘a new and unique phenomenon’ in global politics. This is because the ‘new, post-Soviet Russia’ would be a child, whose father would be capitalism and mother communism, and this ‘kid’ would inherit all the best and the worst qualities of its ‘biological parents.’ This is exactly what has happened. The Americans’ attitude to Russians has certainly worsened today because they now know them better. During the Soviet era, there were very few Russians in the US, and those who were there were obviously seen as something exotic.
“One Frenchman once said: ‘Money can’t make you happier, but it does certainly make unhappiness more bearable.’”
But now there are many Russians, and I must note that they most often do not represent the ‘best of Russian citizens.’ But everything is generally fine, despite the recent espionage scandals, which were a ‘plain vaudeville.’ They were stage-managed by the U.S. and Russian military-defense industries, which do not want Obama to ‘hobnob’ with Medvedev because such rapprochement will lead to serious cuts in their budgets. The Kremlin and White House strategists would ask why do we need so many missiles, etc. if everything between Russia and US is so fine, and then prune defense budgets. But it is my strong believe that both Russia and the US have a common destiny and, therefore, will sooner or later find themselves in the same boat. China is such a huge force today that nobody actually knows its real potential because it is not demonstrating its force yet, much in line with Deng Xiaoping’s political doctrine legacy for future Chinese leaders: “Conceal your real potential and wait for your time to come.” Today, China is following this policy, but when its time will come, it will be hard for everyone, including the both the US and Russia.
By way of conclusion, what would you like to wish our readers and your admirers in Russia and other CIS states?
I would like to use this opportunity and wish spiritual and physical health to all the nations in Russia and other CIS countries, victories, sparkling successes and good luck, all of which, spiritually speaking, mean ‘blessings for all.’
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