Mother Speaks to DC Students

by Marty Moran-Washington, D.C.

Professor Sulayman Nyang, head of African studies at Howard University, summarized well the spirit of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon's two recent speeches in the Washington area.

To close the March 17 Howard speech, which drew 1,100 people to Blackburn Center Ballroom, Dr. Nyang said that despite the challenges of the theological message of the Moon family, they always brought people together in ways no one else could.

At Howard University, for example, the mostly black student body came to hear the Korean founders of a new religion, welcomed by the president of the Unification Church in America, Dr. James Baughman, a native of Kansas.

A former black D.C. delegate, the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, introduced Mrs. Moon's address, and the well-known Virginia pastor, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, was in the audience.

Besides religion, basketball was building some of this unity. Mr. Falwell was in town to follow Liberty Baptist University's bid for the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship-a contest that included the Howard team also.

The coming together of diverse people was almost as great at the University of Maryland, where seven days earlier Mrs. Moon spoke to a gathering of 1,300 people at the on-campus Tawes Theater.

The three student winners of the study grant raffle drawing-$1,000 for each winner-were of three different races.

In addition to the striking music programs at each of Mrs. Moon's two talks-ranging from a gospel group (Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory!) to a multi-racial rock band and a male-voice duet with folk guitar-the campus press coverage was also notable.

At the University of Maryland, the Diamondback newspaper ran its day- of-the-speech article saying, "Moonies have been camping out" on campus and "accosting" passersby. However, the tone became far more objective in the day-after story.

The headline, "Moon brings a `message of love'," was followed by reports of a "near-full capacity," "live, easy-listening music," and this comment of one freshman elementary education major:

"I liked her speech," she told the Diamondback. "I agree that we should unite and that the only way is through the family. We must better ourselves."

According to the news reports, many students said that the church activity was the talk of many classrooms that week.

A unique development at the Howard University event was the number of professors who allowed Unificationists to address their classes before the talk.

Some professors even made attending the speech a class assignment. More than a few students were seen diligently taking notes during Mrs. Moon's talk, "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age." "There has been an ongoing CARP and campus ministry recognition," said the Rev. Peter Fleischmann of the Unification Campus Ministry. "That is really what brought a lot of people."

A good amount of pavement pounding also drew the large attendance. Many Unificationists, some living in neighborhoods not far from the urban Howard University, visited nearby high schools as well.

At McKinley High School, the Unificationist visitors witnessed the metal detectors now present at urban schools facing problems of violence.

"When we passed through the metal detector at the front door, the signal bell failed to sound," our church members said. "He [the principal] had us pass through again and again and no sound came. He said, `My, you are beautiful people'."

And then he agreed to announce the speech to the teachers.

At the University of Maryland, some church members said the outreach reminded them of earlier campaign days. Those were times of constant protesters, they said.

This time, a campus club, Students Educating Against Mind Control, had a small voice in the campus newspaper. At the event, two very small groups-one Christian and one Jewish-handed out flyers. The flyer "Jews for Judaism," for example, listed a litany of old anti-cult rhetoric.

The Unificationist reply: "What's the Problem?" said a Unificationists for Multi-Cultural Tolerance pamphlet. "Mrs. Moon is a woman of peace who teaches love for God and one's fellow human beings. She preaches respect and tolerance for all religions."

As is increasingly done in the campaigns, church members tried to educate the public and the student newspapers that "Moonies"-unless used affectionately-is not an acceptable term anymore. It can be "a dehumanizing hate word," one church handout said. Accordingly, the Diamondback's second article only used the term "Moonie" once, and that was to make this point.

The Howard University newspaper, The Hilltop, was very objective in its coverage of Mrs. Moon's speech, many readers said.

Thelma Ware, a veteran supervisor in a federal agency and head of the D.C. chapter of the Women's Federation for World Peace, was quoted in the Hilltop.

"The Women's Federation promotes love in the community with programs such as Free Teens, which teaches abstinence from sex, and promotes positive thinking in young people," Mrs. Ware said.

The newspaper noted that Mrs. Moon received letters of recognition from D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

At the Howard speech, Kanika Magee, coordinator of the Undergraduate Student Assembly, welcomed Mrs. Moon and the audience, the newspaper reported.

And then Mrs. Moon had a direct message for the young African- Americans, all of whom aspired to learn and succeed.

"As leading students, you possess the responsibility of guiding this nation into the next millennium," Mrs. Moon said. "The promise of a peaceful and prosperous future depends directly upon the collective actions we take today."

Learning to Do My Best

by Emiko Watanabe

Emiko is a third-grade Middle School student at the Sun Hwa School.

I have been in Korea for 3 1/2 years and will be here until this summer.

I think Korea is one of the best places to grow spiritually. The atmosphere is very different from America-it's not as confusing or overwhelming as the diversity of American culture. We do not face the materialistic or immoral peer pressure here that we experience in America. For a time we can live apart from the excesses of American culture and concentrate on growing spiritually. Of course, we have to face the outside world eventually as I will be doing soon, but I feel much stronger and surer in living a Divine Principle way of life because I know there are many other Blessed Children living it too, not just me. So even though we are foreigners here in Korea, Korea has become more like home for many of us. There is a sense of family here.

I am sure that when parents think of Korea, they either think that it is like going to workshop or a place of strict Korean study. In some ways this is true, but it is also much more. Since there are over 100 of us sharing the dormitory, we learn to do things together. Living here is a good place to practice getting-along-together skills. We are a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures, all with different personalities and the quirks that come with being human. True Father tells us to lead a public life and living in the dormitory is a great place to do this. We get to go beyond our limitations and concepts about one another and begin to live for the sake of each other.

Some of the events that I remember best are the Bye Bye parties which happen every holiday. You are just getting to know someone and then they have to go...it is always so sad but time doesn't stand still for any of us. Then there are little treats that we do for each other like "secret pals" or organizing birthday parties, which make community life so precious.

And then there is school. It is very different from school in America. For example, did YOU bow to YOUR teacher today? In Korea we bow before and after every class. The Korean students are very noisy, in case you wondered, but when they study, they study long hours. They are serious about study because grades at school may affect which university you enter and what career you have. Therefore, Korean kids are under a lot of pressure to do well from their parents. Parents can be seen at the front gates of schools and universities praying for their kids during exams! Its is that serious.

Many of the students in my grade want to become top musicians. That is why they came to Sun Hwa. It is one of the top Arts schools in Korea. We are fortunate to attend here.

What about me, then? I am very grateful to True Parents and my own parents for being able to come here. My Korean is much improved and my study habits are definitely reformed! When I return, I hope to take these study habits with me and apply them to my studies in America. True Children have told us that we must be the best students and have the highest standard. Although I am still a long way from doing this, I feel that because of Divine Principle training and my Korean school experience, I will be able to return to America stronger and more capable of doing my best for True Parents.

Internet News Group

Dear Editor:

I am writing regarding the article by Mr. Dallas Stafford which appeared in the March issue of the Unification News.

I was very happy to learn from the article about Internet access to the virtual community of the Unificationist. Unfortunately, when I tried to subscribe to all the wonderful mailing lists that were offered, I kept getting bounces from the addresses. (e.g. truelove@owc.com is an unknown host). I have tried writing directly to Mr. Stafford (dallas@owc.com) but my e-mail also bounced. I managed to sent two letters to dallas@halcyon.com but I have received no reply from him.

I would be very grateful if you could investigate this matter to check if there is an mistake in Mr. Strafford's article, or if there is something that I have overlooked. I am longing to receive Father's speeches and also DP texts through the Internet and then to share them with thousands of other Internet users.

Thank you for your excellent job with the Unification News (it never fail to inspire me!)

Kamal Mustapha, University of Bridgeport

Dallas Stafford replies (over the Internet):

I have had 4 replies to the article so far. The mail bounced for anything but dallas@owc.com I just got the dedicated connection up and running but I've got to fix the mail server. I was pre-mature on the article but it is pushing me to do this project so that is good. I'm manually redirecting all mail to everyone. It will be OK for now. Subscribers should send mail to dallas@owc.com and include the name of the list they want to subscribe to in the body of the message.

Hyo Jin Nim in California

by Rick Joswick-Los Angeles

March 23, 1994 was a very exciting day for Los Angeles, for this was the day we welcomed Hyo Jin Nim to the USC campus to deliver the now world-famous speech, "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age." Every one of the 400 seats was filled and people were sitting in the aisles and standing at the back. The air was tense with excitement and also intrigues because the Cult Awareness Network was outside the theater trying to thwart God's efforts to make this a successful event and some of them were inside preparing to disrupt the speech.

Keith McCarthy, who is our member and also the chairman of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, served as the MC. He did a fine job "making the way straight" for the Lord's son. The musical entertainment was provided by a very exciting group of 12 singing and dancing teenagers named Kids' Power, produced by our close friend Barry Fasman, former producer of the television show Fame. The did three songs and, as they finished they had the crowd inspired and energized, ready to receive the word of God.

Hyo Jin Nim came to the podium confident and greeted the audience warmly; he then began to speak. As he spoke, he reminded us a lot of Father with his deep and slightly raspy voice. The audience was completely attentive and members were very supportive, preventing any problem from developing with members of CAN who were in the audience. The speech was very moving and successful. Thirteen guests signed up for workshop that night.

After the speech, Hyo Jin Nim invited us to Pasadena House. He spoke to us for one hour about his vision for the media and for the Manhattan Center Studios. He also gave us a lot of spiritual guidance. First, he stressed the importance of taking responsibility to develop our uniqueness and creativity to contribute to God's kingdom on earth. Also, he spoke about how we must become professional and the best at whatever we choose to do. He talked about the necessity to be humble in all circumstances so God can really use us. He discussed the importance of doing everything we do for our Parents.

The next morning I had the honor of attending breakfast with Hyo Jin Nim and a few other members. This was the highlight of his visit for me. He reminded me so much of Father in his gestures and his passionate way of expressing himself. Again he emphasized being humble and being a good object so God can truly use us in every situation.

Reemphasizing the importance of taking dominion over the media, he explained his plans to create a powerful TV network made up of members of the movement. He gave us a very exciting, hopeful and farreaching vision for the future.

We are all grateful that Hyo Jin Nim could come to Los Angeles. When he finished, he warmly shook our hands and assured us he would be back soon.

Headwing Ideology

UViews April 1994

Unificationists have not yet developed a political platform, but when the time comes to do so, there will be two fundamental planks: first: belief in God, and second: harmony of left and right. The first plank comes under the heading "Godism," and the second under "headwing ideology".

The fact that it is not very easy to accomplish social policies which fit those two axioms in the present order of things may explain the trouble Unificationists have when asked to comment on specific social policies. Our tendency to shift the subject matter to the topic of John the Baptist's failure to follow Jesus, or the parental heart of God, reflects this uncertainty about the political implications of our teachings. And when Unificationists do discuss the application of their faith to social questions, we find, interestingly enough, that we often do not come to the same conclusions: further impetus back to the subject of God's parental heart and the problem of people failing to follow the Messiah.

To sound a positive note, this divergency of conclusions and reversion to the basic theological issues is entirely consistent with the fact that we must restore ourselves and our marriages before we can hope to reform society. We are not so vain as to think ourselves so superior in ethics or intelligence that the application of our thinking power to the world's problems will bring their solution. It is rather our objectivity to God's heart and our following True Parents which we have to offer. Therefore, the inevitable looping back of our conversations.

Further to the positive, we can reflect on the fact that the first plank of the Unificationist position, the conviction that political and social reform begins with belief in God, is in synch with a recent shift in America's political culture. I cite the conclusions of four American scholars, based upon current social research, published April's edition of First Things.

"The historic conflict between coalitions of rival religious traditions," write the authors, is being replaced by a new division between more-religious and less-religious people across those traditions. Our analysis suggests that one of the emerging coalitions will be united by belief in God, an understanding that such belief has implications for public life, and a preference for religious language in political discourse. The opposite coalition will be united by nontheistic or at least nonorthodox beliefs, the policy implications of such beliefs, and hostility to religious language in political debate. If this analysis is correct, Evangelicals and committed members of other religious traditions could find themselves united in the Republican Party facing Seculars and less committed members in other traditions among the Democrats." (Italics mine.)

It is interesting, and I believe accurate, that the scholars identify the Republican Party, and not the Democratic, as the one which will prove hospitable to the policies implicated by belief in God. Let us examine briefly the origins of these two parties. Both arose out of the reform cauldron of the 1820s through 1850s. The coalition which formed the Republican Party included factions of religious radicals: abolitionists, anti-masons, and sabbatarians. Compromises were necessary in order for these groups to combine with the dying Whig Party, the legates of the colonial era conservatives. What was the basis of this coalition?

I think that the most important link between the old-time Whigs and reformist radicals was a religious one. The Whigs were heirs of the view that the Puritans carried the seed of God's providence, which after a long medieval dormancy sprouted in Wittenburg, developed shoots in Geneva, blossomed in England and finally was transplanted to the free and fertile soil of the New World.

According to this reading of history, once in America, the tree was invigorated by new infusions of God's spirit by the Awakenings. While the opponents of the Awakening did not immediately abandon the conviction that America was God's chosen nation, they did, by rejecting the revivals, make common cause with the Unitarians, Universalists and advocates of free thought who are without question the ideological forebears of secular humanism.

Thus, the Republican Party included those whose policies were informed by faith in God, from the beginning, in comparison with the Democratic Party. Naturally the Secularists of the 1830s and 40s found friends among the Catholic and Jewish communities in the fast-growing cities of the east, who for other reasons rejected the Protestant revivals. Out of this combination arose the urban-based labor movement, a major bloc, along with southern interests, of the Democratic Party. As the tide of Catholic immigration swelled, so did the Democratic Party.

The revivals imbued a millennialist fire in thousands of churches in the north. The hand of God's avenging angel was about to strike America, they announced; the nation must repent and reform itself. The nation's most heinous sin was the institution of slavery. Gradually all the revival-born factions coalesced around this great cause, forming the Republican Party and electing Abraham Lincoln to the presidency.

Let us return to the article itself. These scholars have discovered that the new line dividing the political spectrum is not Catholic versus Protestant, as in year past, but rather the religious versus the non-religious. Their analysis surveys mainly Christian and Jewish culture, but it is fairly obvious that soon the dividing line-in America, first, and then worldwide-between the world's religions will fall, as believers find themselves sharing a common cause not with their own secularized fellows as much as with believers from other religions.

This fits with the Unificationist view of historical development, which posits that in the Last Days there will be a global confrontation between God and Satan. This confrontation was delineated, until a few years ago, by democracy versus communism. It is even more basic now: beyond religion, mankind is dividing between belief and unbelief.

Thus, common political cause will tend to draw the believers from different faiths together. In the words of the writers, "."these new coalitions will require significant adjustments among participating religious traditions. For Protestants will have to learn to cooperate among themselves, as well as with traditionalist Catholics and Jews, and with other religious conservatives, such as Mormons. Likewise, less orthodox religionists and Seculars will need to develop a firm moral and ethical basis for their politics." Thus, gradually the political and social implications of belief in God will unite Muslim, Buddhist, Jew and Christian, in political and cultural struggle against the policies implied or permitted under the tenet that there is no God.

Finally, these scholars note that neither side will be able to prevail simply by condemning the other. Real and practical agendas and policies must be fashioned. "Both sides will need to define themselves in positive terms rather than only in opposition to the real or imagined excesses of the other."

This brings up the question of what it is that the Republicans have to offer. As I stated last month, conservatives need an ideology. Consider the mileage Reagan traversed by trading on a very simple ideological conviction: "the less government, the better." That idea implies an entire vision for the nation. Democrats, on the other hand, have the opposite view: "the more government, the better." Republicans should wake up: it is an ideological battle, not a battle of effective policies or charming personalities.

And yet conservatives, with all their many tanks, continually bandy about euphemisms for rigorous ideology: "an agenda," "a vision," or, as in this article I am citing, "positive terms" by which to "define themselves." It is tantamount to Moses descending from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Suggestions. Conservatives must articulate what is right and what is wrong, and work from there.

Noted in Passing:

On "why the momentum of history seems to be shifting from the West to the East":

"Western democracies have become `less and less capable of ordering and organizing masses of people into a cohesive society,' says Benigno. Religion, the family and the school have `almost lost control of the child' in America. But Asia, he asserts-even with its huge and rapidly growing populations-experiences nothing resembling American levels of crime and violence.

"The future belongs to those who can move their ever-larger and more complex societies through it without collapsing into violence and chaos. In Benigno's view-and mine-some Asian societies may be better suited for that challenge than America." Daniel Burstein, citing and commenting on Teodoro Benigno in the Philippine Star (Critical Intelligence, April 1994)

On religious activism within the UN

"Religious groups have more UN input in wake of Cold War. Catholic religious orders are now making their mark at perhaps the most important forum in the world: the United Nations.

"At the same time, the growing strength of the orders and other non- governmental organizations (NGOs) at the UN has drawn a negative response from some governments. NGO representative attempt to influence UN documents, proceedings and decisions, often on controversial issues. Twenty-three Catholic-related NGOs are now affiliated with the UN." Peter Feuerherd, Religious News Service (RNS), March 14, 1994

On the impact of Anglican ordination of women to the priesthood

"Vatican calls women Anglican priests a `deep obstacle'. The Vatican says the March 12 ordinations of 32 women to the priesthood in the Church of England is a `very deep obstacle' to unity between the Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism.

"It is not a question of equality or justice, but touches the very reality of the church and the way in which the church understands its Sacraments. . . . The Catholic Chuch, because of well-founded theological reasons, in fidelity to the teaching of Jesus Christ and to unbroken practice throughout the centuries, does not maintain it has the right to authorize such an ordination," the [Vatican] statement said." RNS, March 21, 1994

On a rising belief in angels A George Gallup survey (1992) found that 76% of all teenagers believe in angels; among Christian teens, 81% of Protestants and 78% of Catholics believe in angels. Yankelovich Partners, in 1993, found that 69% of adults believe in angels. 45% of adults believe that they have a guardian angel, and 32% report feeling the presence of an angel. 49% of adults believe in fallen angels. 52% of adults believe in the devil, and 37% believe one can be possessed by the devil. In a 1991 study, 11% of adults stated that they have talked with the devil. RNS, March 21, 1994

On the self-destruction of liberal Christian faith

"The center no longer holds. There is no single orthodoxy (or even multiple orthodoxies) capable of expressing the convictions of everyone. So we fashion our own ideologies, weaving a bit of Presbyterianism with pentecostalism, perhaps, adding some Anglican liturgy and maybe throwing in a bit of New Age spiritualism-crystals, massage, meditation-for good measure.

"When the center collapses, and with it the authoritarian trappings that held it together, all sorts of reconfigurations are possible." Russell Balmer, RNS, March 28, 1994

On some currents in American Judaism

Conservative Judaism, which attempts to retain the standards of orthodoxy while being responsive to the larger culture, is in a battle over the question of homosexuality. Recently the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards debated- and voted down-a proposal that would have repealed the ancient Jewish ban on homosexuality. Some within the Conservative ranks are complaining.

Reform Judaism, the more liberal branch of the faith in America, accepts gays and lesbians into its rabbinical school.

Meanwhile, sides are dividing among the Lubavitch Hasidic sect over who will inherit the mantle of their aged leader. Menachem mendel Schneerson, the 91-year old Lubavitcher Rebbe, is extremely ill, having suffered two strokes in the past two years. Schneerson became Rebbe in 1951, and is considered by his followers to be the "moshiach", the messiah. Why God has not revealed this to the world at the time of his demise, is hard for the Lubavitchers to understand. (RNS, March 21, 1994)

Not to worry; even if God can't figure it out, somebody will.

On the blessings of graduate school in religion

As scholars wander about the perimeters of the Principle, well, their thinking gets weirder and weirder. Consider the work-in-progress reported by Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, Renita J. Weems. It began as her dissertation, which started with the sentence: "Israel's prophets used some of the most explicit, provocative, lurid descriptions of human passion imaginable to convey the depth of Israel and God's relationship." After three years of keeping pace with her fellows in the avant-garden of critical thinking, her first sentence now reads, "What is it about the image of a mangled, nude female body that grips the religious imagination."

Professor Weems reports this development as something to "gladden our hearts, "to know that professors, too, are still growing and learning." Keep on growing, professor. You either will realize that that Fall was an archangel seducing Eve, or will be the first theologian to break the pornography barrier.

On The Way Home: Beyond Feminism; Back to Reality by Mary Pride

In this time women's issues are of paramount importance. I've just been given the author's introduction to The Way Home: Beyond Feminism; Back to Reality by Mary Pride, and one passage strikes me as a very important truth:

"Homeworking is the biblical lifestyle for Christian wives. Homworking is not just staying home either (that was the mistake of the fifties). We are not called by God to stay home, or to sit at home, but to work at home! Homeworking is the exact opposite of the modern careerist/institutional/Socialist movement. It is a way to take back control of education, health care, agriculture, social welfare, business, housing, morality, and evangelism from the faceless institutions to which we have surrendered them. More importantly, homeworking is the path of obedience to God.

"Homeworking, like feminism, is a total lifestyle. The difference is that homeworking produces stable homes, growing churches, and children who are Christian leaders."

I was sent this by Jon Quinn, who came up with it in the context of his prayer and study concerning the mission of the Women's Federation for World Peace. I think he's on to something, even if it's just that thesis from Mary Pride.

Growing to Our Fullest Potentials (Reflections of RYS Atlanta)

Another RYS, another site. Again I had been very fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in a Religious Youth Service project. The first time was in my home country Malaysia. That project was only for five days, but that five-day experience had been life changing. I had become a different person. My perspective widen, my vision cleared, my soul revived and my heart touched. For the first time, I fell in love with RYS.

My heart was joyful to reach Atlanta, to be in another RYS. It was rather uneasy at first, with me and every other participant, being in a different place and among different people. But very quickly, with the help of the wonderful staffs that welcomed us, and the warm orientation program that we had to go through, we felt accepted and we grew closer to each other. All those inhibitions, all our shyness, they just slipped away like they had never been there. We tried to break down whatever barriers that had been built around us. Well, this is what RYS is all about: breaking down walls. We have our differences: cultural, racial, religious, personal and what not. When I was asked what I wanted to get from RYS, I said, "I want to get rid of my prejudices and stereotypes. I want to be able to accept others indifferently. I want to love all people, regardless of their differences." Bringing harmony is a process, and RYS can be a powerful tool to achieve it. And my, did that tool hit me hard in the head and touch me deeply in my heart.

The next morning, we were all set up for the service project. The main theme of RYS Atlanta this time is community service. We were given a site in Summer Hill Community, helping to provide good low-cost housings for the people of Summer Hill. Service is the main element of RYS. It is through working together serving others that we can discover new aspects of our diversity. We found that our differences don't matter at all. Why? Because we have the same goal. We vision the same ideals. Our diversity is actually a new strength that we found. Witnessing what we had accomplished together truly inspired us. And we knew then, as we know now, that if we--different people of different races, religions, and cultural backgrounds--could come and work together side by side for a greater good, the rest of the world could also unite in the same way too! Why not?

Of course, during the short period of two days, we could not do everything, or solve all the problems of Summer Hill. But what we had hope to provide for the community was a model. We wanted to be a model of selfless service and cooperation that could in turn inspires them and give them hope. Well, there was no doubt that they were inspired and they felt hope. Some of them came to work together with us, and the most joyful thing to see was the little children who tried very hard to help us. They were also caught up in the spirit of service. The young ones are our hope for the future, and to see the seeds of loving service be planted in their hearts assured us of the world's hopeful future.

The nights of RYS were filled with intellectual discussions, interesting group dynamics activities, joyful games, cultural shows, entertaining skits, daily reflections, and many more. Basically, we had the chance to interact and continue the process of destroying the barriers between us. We truly learned a great deal. The way that the programs were organized is really professional. Thanks to the great RYS educators that came from near and far to give us guidance and new understanding. They are professional people who gave up their valuable time to be with us. What they had offered are like precious gems that we could treasure for the rest of our lives. The mornings were dedicated to God. We could participate in different meditation services to get a first hand experience of each other's religion. I, coming from the Muslim tradition, had the chance to share with all the participants about my Muslim practices. I led the 'zikr' (Muslim chants) glorifying our Creator and praising His Prophets. It was a new experience for many of them. One Christian brother came to me afterward and thanked me for the service, saying how honored he had felt to be a part of it. Looking at the sparkles in his eyes I was truly moved to know how big and wide God's love is. Different our beliefs may be, divine love transcends doctrines and dogma.

Finally, time had brought us to the last day. We reflected on our experiences, and we made a commitment to bring back our visions to our own community. We asked ourselves difficult questions: How can I serve my community? How can I apply what I have learned here to my society? Can I take the responsibilities to bring peace globally and locally?

I will never forget the way we said good-bye. It was a very special ceremony. We stood in a big circle, and one by one we went to each other, looking straight in the eyes we sang to one another precious words, in the most beautiful melody: "May God's blessings be upon you. May God's peace abide with you. May God's presence illuminates your heart. Now and forever more." We freely expressed our love. That love had come down from Heaven, went through our hearts, trembling our bodies, and flowed out to others. The whole room was filled with love. Brotherhoods were bonded. Tears were shed. And God was truly there.

What we experienced during RYS is deep; it's beyond words or expressions. Perhaps our tears could describe it. Or maybe our beaming smiles. We shed tears of joy, finding new hopes in our dreams, discovering so many similarities in our differences. We learned so much from each other; about each person's precious uniqueness, each life's different background. Equally important, we gained new insights about our own individualities. We found out how really beautiful we truly are and how much strength we have inside. We channeled that power together through our unity, and we could bring goodness to this troubled world. We tried to be the best that we can be. We were definitely growing up. We were reaching our highest potentials.

And now, after Atlanta RYS experience, I'm even more in love. I'm in love with God, in love with my new brothers and sisters that I found, in love with life, with the creation and its vast diversity. The different faces that I met in Atlanta, keep coming back to my mind. I want to thank them all so much. All the wonderful people who were working in the background, investing everything that they had to make RYS a success. All our teachers who had loved, cared, and guided us and shared with us so many valuable lessons. All the participants who had stroke and splashed different colors to the RYS canvas, making it the most fantastic painting that I've ever seen.

This summer there's going to be another RYS. This time it would be longer: 26 days in the hot Turkish sun. This is the real thing. I'm definitely going to be there again. I won't miss it for the world. With the new level of experience and understanding that I'm going to have, with all the new people that I'm going to meet and love, working hard--pouring sweat and tears together, for the same goal, with the same vision of the ideal world, it is going to be, as it has always been . . . another taste of Heaven! I hope you will be there too!

Fundamental Issues In Leadership

by S. B. Stacey

The ideas here are based on the book "13 Fatal Errors Managers Make" by W. Steven Brown. Since almost all people will at some time in their lives be in a position of leadership, we have a chance to give the position of leadership a good name. Good leadership is something we can all learn, if we work at it and if we study and reflect.

Five elements are essential to any organization's success: (1) A quality or unique product (Divine Principle) (2) Proper timing in introducing the product into the marketplace (the Last Days) (3) Adequate capital (4) People resources (well-educated members) (5) Effective management.

However, without the last, effective management, the others do not function.

Below are presented 13 areas which need to be looked at and acted upon:

1) The need to accept personal accountability.

In time, good leaders can create a successful organization if they lead correctly. There is no real excuse for failure save our own inability. As leaders we should dedicate ourselves to acquiring the knowledge necessary to liberate people to do their best work, to achieve and succeed.

- Two actions in life, to perform or to make excuses, to blame yourself or to blame others.

- It has been noted in many studies that people fail in direct proportion to their willingness to accept socially acceptable excuses for their failure.

2) The need to develop people.

Members will generally perform at the level you expect them to. They will generally not exceed your expectations. We need to see the untapped 90% in any person's potential capability and develop that.

a) There is a need to develop your members to the extent that they can take over from you if you are away. You must develop and encourage them to put forward their best effort. Try to understand what members need to learn so that you can leave the center/department in their care, make a list of these thoughts and teach them step by step, one thing at a time. Ask yourself the question, "What could my members not do if I left for a month?" and then, "What ways can I help them develop?"

b) Members have beliefs around themselves as to what they can or cannot do. Part of leadership is helping a person over each of these limitations. This may take hard work but it is what a good leader does, whether he likes it or not.

c) The development of people is not achieved through you solving all their problems. When a person comes to you with a problem: i) Stop what you are doing. ii) Look at the person. iii) Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.

iv) Make sure you clearly understand the problem and the member's attitude to it. v) Advise and counsel, give guidance on where the member might find answers to his or her problem, BUT make sure your member carries the problem away with him or her, with the knowledge of where to find answers to the problem.

3) The problem of trying to control results rather than influencing thinking.

Results increase inasmuch as leaders increasingly understand the human factor and effectively deal with attitudes, fears, motivational blocks, and phantoms lurking within the minds of people. As leaders we face a major challenge reforming the attitudes of those who believe a mission or development is beyond them.

- A successful person is one who has developed the habit of doing the things unsuccessful people do not do. The question we need to ask then is "How do people develop successful work habits?"

- The most important point to understand here is that "performance improves in direct proportion to mental discipline": Increasing results is the direct result of thinking.

- Two essential points form the basis of our thinking:

a) Can we engage in an activity long enough for it to become a habit?

- Our ability to succeed is based very much on whether we believe we can succeed. If we believe something is too far above us, we won't even try to attempt it, even if others believe it is easy.

- However, if the member is given new training, new ideas, new information, etc., in time he will come to believe that he can perform on a higher level.

b) Are we determined to face new challenges and constantly try to improve the quality of our work?

- It's a fact that generally people only work hard if they believe something is in it for them. In some organizations money is one motivator, but in an advanced working environment, self-development and self-esteem are more important. If a person derives self-esteem from learning new habits, he will overcome the barriers and develop.

- Therefore, a mission needs to be a challenge for the person, and it has to have some meaning for them to continue to work hard and develop and take pride in what they do.

4) The disaster of accusing higher leaders in front of members.

Rather than noting that you now stand as part of the leadership, you act as a Cain-type member. Loyalty to fellow leaders is important. Loyalty means not that I agree with everything that is said, or that I believe that my leader is always right. It means that I share a common ideal with him, and that regardless of minor differences, we fight for it, shoulder to shoulder, confident in one another's good faith, trust, constancy and affection. There must exist a chain of command and respect for structure.

- Only one pronoun should be used when speaking of any part of your organization: WE (not THEY).

Even if you secretly agree with another member's complaints, keep this to yourself. There must exist a chain of command and respect for the structure and the decisions made by people in the structure. Failure to accept this will mean that things will no longer move smoothly. If you can't stop complaining to people in the firm about your leader's decisions, then you should look for help and spiritual guidance. - To help people who are promoted from within an organization to change from a them/us mentality to a WE mentality takes time, education and often a gradual transition of responsibility.

- Leaders or future leaders, therefore, must watch their pronouns, must watch out for any separatist-type thoughts, must not team up with members who find it difficult not to criticize, and must not lay the blame on others for their own failure to take full responsibility.

S) The need to manage different members in different ways.

Deal with your members one by one. Do not criticize a member in front of the group. Be aware of employees' difficulties and be available for them to talk to. There are several types of leadership, but often democratic management works best. This means letting other people participate in the decision-making process, and gaining their support through voluntary action.

- Though group meetings are necessary, they are not an effective way to manage members:

a) Some leaders attempt to deal with the member's problems together with other problems in a monthly/weekly meeting. However, by this method they do not manage effectively.

b) Rather than face an individual personal confrontation, some leaders accuse some members in a general way at a meeting, but all leave the meeting feeling accused.

c) At regular meetings, some leaders publicly accuse the member who is out of line. This only creates more problems as well as the loss of respect from the rest of the membership.

d) If people are late for a meeting or have to leave early, believe they have a good reason for doing so. If they do this regularly, then a one-to-one talk might be necessary.

HOWEVER, leadership is a one-to-one proposition. Personal contact allows you say what you want to say to a person, and allows for discussion on the problem to develop.

a) Deal with members one-to-one,

b) Be Aware and be Available: place your office in a position where you can be most available and most aware. Remember you were given the position to deal with people. It is to be noted that in general there are four different leadership styles:

i) Autocratic-the manager draws from his own strengths: sometimes necessary, with some people and in difficult situations which need a quick leadership response.

ii) Bureaucratic-by the rules: for some people this works, since some people enjoy regimentation. For others, it kills their creativity.

iii) Democratic-letting people participate in the decision-making process: this allows the manager to see the problem from several different angles. It also makes people feel important. When they receive such respect they can respond tremendously. However, this does not work in every case.

iv) Idiosyncratic-dealing with each person differently, in ways which motivate and help that individual person to develop and achieve.

6) The need to remember the importance of an actual result. Failure to keep our clear goal leads to the death of any organization.

- Running a church organization is like juggling with five balls named quality product, witnessing, public relations, people development and world salvation. However, you can sometimes drop one ball, but you can never drop the world salvation ball. Without world salvation, the rest is meaningless.

- Every single part of the organization should be tied to achieving world salvation, whether the department be Publications or MFT.

- All departments should continually think world salvation

- All new activities should be allowed to run for a predetermined period of time. However, if they are not helping to lay the foundation for world salvation, learn from your errors and select another course of action.

- Every part of an organization should ALWAYS clearly know how it contributes to world salvation.

- Every person needs to have a clear idea in their mind as to how their actions help in the attainment of world salvation, since this will help people become more efficient.

- We need to ask: "What actions do my members take on a daily basis?" and "How do these affect the providence?"

7) The need to concentrate on objectives rather than problems.

Problems are not problems but opportunities to develop with creativity. Do not keep focusing on an insurmountable problem, but think of other creative ways of going forward. The lifeblood of any living organization is new ideas and creative thinking, NOT doing. This is mainly the leaders' task.

- Many leaders spend as much as 90% of their time dealing with problems which only influence 10% of their results. This is because they get so involved in small issues that they lose sight of their overall objectives.

- Creativity is the ability to understand your environment or conditions and use these factors to your advantage.

- "Nothing is as dangerous as an idea when you only have one."

- Always need to think HOW I can use a situation to my advantage: the use of HOW presupposes success.

- When a qualified person lacks performance, do you seek a reason for this or do you judge?

- If you have a judgmental attitude, this automatically destroys our confidence in an individual and really affects their ability to perform. We let the person see this lack of belief in a thousand unconscious ways-this can quickly destroy a person.

- Leaders should never manage anyone whose success would surprise them. Failure alone should surprise us. If you believe a person is destined to fail, then move the person or you will kill all his potential.

- Instead of concentrating on problems by asking yourself, "What is wrong with this person?" consider another option: "What conditions affect this person's performance?" The true cause may have nothing to do with personal fault. So don't judge! Find the source of the problem and find creative ways of going forward.

8) The need to be a leader rather than a buddy.

Being a leader involves working with people, and the resolution of problems through a vertical connection.

A leader promoted within the firm has to be very sensitive. No longer a buddy to his old friends. Needs to sit down with them and make the new relationship clear.

a) Promise to try not to make the same mistakes which other leaders made with them. b) Promise to treat them fairly. c) In return he asks that they do their best to support him, for the best possible vertical relationship.

9) The need to set standards.

Properly presented standards tell new members exactly what caliber of people they associate with. These standards can be a source of pride in an organization. These standards however are only effective when the leadership practices what it preaches. These standards need to be clearly understood. Standards, whether written or spoken, should exist in all areas of morality, dress, ethics and performance. These should be thought out clearly by leadership, and lived by leadership.

Letting the standard slip for one person allows it to slip for others. If mutually agreed upon standards are in place and enforced, the organization grows stronger and stronger in unity. Ones ability to keep good people increases in direct proportion to the expectations of our membership. If people have no pride in the organization, they will not stay. If people are not meeting that standard, they should be educated until they can change. You don't bend a rule when you accept lower standards from someone, but you make a new rule which others follow. The rules apply to all.

Standards are a covenant between members and True Parents, ones based on faith and commitment. Therefore, there is a need for clear standards, positively worded.

10) The need to train your members.

- There exists a leadership barrier-some members believe that you are just going to use them. You may believe that you have an idea which will be good for them, but they will see this idea as something which you are imposing on them. We therefore must overcome the resistance which exists to leadership. This is done by showing our members that we don't want slaves but a mutual relationship with them, where all are involved in the development of the church, and where all can develop their own needs.

In any organization, a member needs to know clearly what is required of him or her in order to function well. If a member is not functioning well, there are three possible reasons.

a) The member doesn't know clearly what the job is. b) The member doesn't know how to do the job. c) Something or someone interferes with their ability to do it.

Solving these problems:

a) Clearly write out or explain what the mission involves. b) When a new member first joins, or a person gets assigned to a new position under your dominion, do their thinking for them. Guide them very closely in their activities to show them exactly what is expected of them and how they can be successful. Even assign a person to help them directly at first. Meet with the new person every day at first, less later. Discuss events, reactions, etc., to the activity being learned. Guide the person, reinforcing good developments, showing by this exactly what it is that you want the member to learn.

Always check that the new directions you gave were fulfilled. Don't set accomplishments too far above a person's ability. People do not attempt to succeed if they believe they cannot succeed, or if they fail to see the value of striving hard to succeed.

c) Train the member, step by step, not too much at once, with guidance or practical advice. Role play, case studies, drills, etc., can all be of help. However, NEVER punish a learner. Ignore mistakes but praise good points and progress. Behavioral change comes about through increasing one's strengths, through a confidence-building process. Weaknesses then fade from the picture. Try and help the person realize by their own discovery that they have made a mistake (egos can accept self-criticism better than criticism from others). This avoids a fault-finding environment. (Later, reprimands might be used if a person is not living up to what they used to do.)

The educational method of "show and tell," watch and positively reinforce, continues in any activities until they reach an acceptable level of performance.

d) Coaching is an endless task. Not completed after one month or year. Later, send the person to take courses. Bad habits change only after much education. People succeed or lose on the basis of their habits. A leader's job is to help people learn good habits to function well and bring about a successful life.

11) The need to do something about incompetence.

When a person starts to lapse from a previously held standard, firmness as well as fairness is needed. Confronting incompetence requires skill and timing. Never confront in anger. Confront a lapse earlier rather than later, since this stops the situation from worsening. Confront privately. (No one else should know it has taken place.)

Be specific about what has been done wrong. Support your statements with data. Be clear. Don't attack the individual. Let them know how you feel, share your frustration, and tell him why their behavior evokes these emotions. Provide clear direction as to what you expect should be done from now on. Make sure that the member thoroughly understands what is desired, obtain a commitment, and a time frame for when the correction will occur. Do not mention the confrontation again-just reinforce the desired behavior. Compliment the specific behavior which they've done right, not just a general statement about how wonderful they are. If after training, education and support, a person still fails to bring a result, one might consider changing their mission to something they might be more suited to.

12) The need to recognize more than just the top performers.

The organization is a team. Others who have worked hard to contribute also need praise. There is a need for the personal touch, where each person in the organization feels respected and cared about. Individual monthly goals are of help and a member should receive personal recognition for attaining their personal goal. The prize or gift may be small and given at any time, but everyone should have a chance to win. Let everyone set their own goals. Those who set unrealistic goals-let them do it; they'll become realist;c with time. Respect and recognition (equality of love) are the food of the spirit.

13) The problem of manipulating people.

Three methods of leadership:

a) Fear: Has no real place in building a lasting organization.

b) Rewards: Useful at first, but its use dies after a while.

c) Belief building: People produce because of their inner strengths, built up through years of good guidance and success. Build healthy pride in members, a healthy vision and an organization which members can be proud of. Help people to get on in life. Develop a organization philosophy: a set of ideals and practices that all members in your organization can believe in.

Conceptual Foundations Requisite For Peace

by Dr. Frank Kaufmann NYC

The following essay was prepared for a peace conference. It was meant to serve as a brief introduction to some basic Unification concepts.

Contribution to Peace

The incomparable contribution to world peace attributed to Reverend Sun Myung Moon is most commonly acknowledged in the context of his astonishing record of substantial achievement in its pursuit. This preeminence expresses itself in terms of institutions and their copious activity, as well as through the integrity and leadership qualities of the personalities allied with these activities.

Three other trademark qualities also have come to signify events or projects as linked to Reverend Moon. These are 1. Meticulous attention to the needs and experience of participants, 2. An inviolable commitment to openness and intellectual freedom, and 3. An extensive lattice-work of related projects and institutions designed to support and augment the peace-seeking activity at hand.

What has generated peace making of this magnitude, excellence, and interior dynamism? What in the vision accounts for meetings in which talks and negotiations invariably move forward, free of acrimony, denunciation, stalemate and breakdown? What engenders the sense that these institutions are nimble, responsive and genuinely progressive, contrary to the dull, obstructive, plodding and withholding experienced in most negotiation? I submit that it is no longer fitting to stand as Samson between Reverend Moon and the nature of his achievements. It is no longer reasonable to note (as per the sheer quantity of his result) "a man of unusual energy," on the one hand and allow as coincidence the consistent, superior quality of the work, or such requisites for that as "how cordial and bright his followers are." The resourceful observer, I believe, should rather pursue the link between the abundance of the work and the uniform, superior quality to be found in its expression. If we consider that the successful attainment of world peace itself must bear precisely these traits -- namely it must be abundant, of uniform superior quality, open, nimble, consistently progressive, and fully linked with supportive institutions -- one might wonder if through steady investment over 40 years the very cornerstone of world-peace has, in fact, emerged in nascent form.

This steady expansion of humanitarian enterprise bearing a consistent stamp of excellence, potential, and relevance derives from a particular world-view rigorously applied (in fact, applied according to its own principles). This world-view is expressed theologically in the Divine Principle, philosophically in Unification Thought, and in expository discourse in the Sermons and Speeches of Reverend Moon. It reflects exacting, investigative research into the principles of the natural order, into the principles of human affairs (historical, religious, cultural, political, and economic), and perhaps most importantly into the dynamic which characterizes the relationship between these potentially harmonious realms of reality.

This thought as applied to a given field generates expressions appropriate to the area under investigation. For the realm of governance, and international relations for example we encounter such neologisms as Headwing ideology, and True Parentism. As applied to marine science, or ballet, or sports for example we would find the world-view expressed and applied in ways appropriate to those fields.

This particular meeting is devoted to research into the establishment of world peace with particular emphasis on the questions of government and international relations. In this essay I present by way of introduction a preliminary application of Unification thought to these issues which stands before us. I will elaborate upon the structural relations among the key dimensions of human affairs which contribute most prominently to war and peace, and examine the internal dynamic constitutive of those relations. The brevity of the essay, prohibits defense of stated propositions by means of academic apparatus.

Religion & Politics

Often without even noticing, world leaders and scholars tend to think of war and peace primarily, or even exclusively in terms of political and economic relations. The habit arose due to the steady secularization of the intellectual environment during the period in which political, economic and social science arose. The obvious oversight inherent in such lop-sided thinking, is the failure to acknowledge that war and peace results not only from outcomes based on the encounter between governed nation-states, or "economies," but every bit as much through the encounter of religious and cultural collectivities. While most political theorists or activists and leaders are willing to consider the impact of "ethnicity" on international affairs, an actual incorporation of the influence of religion per se has been conspicuously absent in any coherent and inclusive plan for peace. A true envisioning of peace must fully engage the inescapable reality of human religiosity, and cultural self-expression. These transcendent and eternal dimensions of human experience will never fall accidently into place within the schemes of negotiators who focus exclusively on land, money, and political power (c.f. the West Bank, for example).

The Unification world-view recognizes identification with one's religion, culture, and ethnicity as "internal, or vertical." Religion (including materialistic ideologies which function as religions) comprise the vertical or interior ordering of global relations. Identification with one's "nation," or economic bloc may be thought of as external, or horizontal. Nations,"economies," or blocs, constitute the horizontal or physical ordering of human relations. World peace requires that all coordinates on the vertical axis must relate harmoniously (inter-religious harmony), all elements on the horizontal axis relate harmoniously (international harmony, economic cooperation). Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly that the dynamic by which the vertical and horizontal concepts relate must be harmonized. It is for this reason that the Moon's founded the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP), and the Federation for World Peace (FWP) concurrently. No other peace program be it in the world of interfaith work, or in the arena of international peace- keeping is explicitly and integrally linked to its necessary counterpart. Yet this is twin investment absolutely indispensable! The founding of these harmoniously linked World Peace Federations is a direct manifestation of the fact that Unification theory provides a clear theory grounded in structural and cosmological foundations for the establishment of harmonious relations between the spheres of religious and national self identification.

War and peace pertains to relations among two qualitatively different forms of allegiance and committed identification, a vertical form (religion and culture), and a horizontal form (nation and economy). Leaders, whether spiritual or temporal, face the same paired duties of governance. One duty is "internal" or for the governance of the community: "By what manner of spirituality and ecclesiology do I govern my constituents," for religious leaders, and "by what manner of statesmanship and theories of government do I govern my constituents," for political and economic leaders. The other duty is "external" or inter-relational, namely by what vision and theory do I guide and implement how "my religion" relates to all others, or how "my nation," or "my economy" relates to all others.

One can intuit the relationship between these two forms of leadership (spiritual and temporal) by observing how the same truth applies to their respective realms of responsibility: A patriot through his or her understanding of serving the larger cause of the nation, learns through this process to become a peace-maker at the international level. A nationalist, on the other hand, is just the opposite. Likewise, a faithful believer (eg, a true Christian, or a true Muslim, Buddhist or Jew) by dint of loving Truth and God through his or her own tradition, naturally can be a guest of honor in all houses of worship. A religious "fanatic,"however, is the very opposite.

It is important to note through this observation an indispensable and unequivocal affirmation regarding Unificationism. Since the status of patriot, or True Christian, Buddhist, or Jew (for example) is seen to be necessary for relating on the world level, it must be assumed that these means of particular identification actually serves the cause of international peace, rather than detracts from it. The Unification view does NOT promote, explicitly or clandestinely, any version of levelling differences, of lowest common denominator approaches to world peace, or the pursuit of a lifeless uniformity. It affirms unequivocally the necessity to glorify the unique qualities of our primary identifications, both religious and cultural/national as the very foundation for taking the next step toward global harmonization.

The Unification proposal is thus relational in essence, not monistic. As such, the next question must pertain to what the essential nature and quality of such peaceful relations must be. Unificationists approach problems of conflict by studying the direction manifest in a given relationship: Quite simply, are groups so constituted and situated that they are moving toward increasing harmonization, or are they moving toward increasing isolation or hostility. The former defines the condition for peace, the latter for war or the potential for war. What signifiers reveal the fundamental direction of a given nation, religion or economy? The answer lies in the philosophical doctrine of True Parentism.

True Parentism

True Parentism contains the key through which both national, cultural, and religious identification can be promoted AND harmonization may be affirmed in a single analysis. True Parentism contains four indispensable qualities which attest to its viability. These are: 1. Universal applicability and (2) a universally recognizable ground for a transcendent, absolute and unchanging authority. 3. An inherent principle for harmonization, and (4) an inherent progressive dynamic. What is True Parentism? Simply stated, True Parentism is the philosophical doctrine based on that which makes it possible for radically different individuals in a physical family to be harmonized in love for one another even though the exact same individuals were it not for the fact of their common descent, might well be profoundly hostile to one another. Unification theory confidently asserts that the means by which this unifying force successfully exerts itself among members of physical families is God given, and fully translatable to inter-religious, international, and economic relations.

Several important points must be noted concerning this unifying effect of Parents on a family. Above all, it must not be confused with paternalism, other limited and limiting forms of benign authority, or dysfunctional perversions of the parental ideal or family structures. For this reason the unique term True Parentism has been generated. When rigorously and systematically extrapolating from family governance and harmonization to sound political and economic theories, it is important to note that good parents or True Parents have as their primary responsibility the duplication of themselves, the re-invention of their own position. True Parents raise children above all to themselves to become parents at the appropriate moment. All else is secondary. The nature of a Truly Parental administration is not care as an end in itself. Rather it is an unrestrained investment in liberation, the creation of personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, and independence, as characterizing the fullest imaginable participation in love, and life in abundance.

The second important thing to note about the unifying power of True Parents that this is never brought about by force, any other form of coercion, or the application of functional rationality (such as legal contract). Rather it arises as a byproduct of the naturally self-sacrificial nature of parents. This natural self-sacrifice on the part of parents in turn spawns the in the other family members the irresistible impulse to accommodate the Parents' desire for peace in the family. This revelation regarding the power of self-sacrifice contains not only the most important principle by which those in the position of leadership can affectively promote peace, but furthermore discloses that which parties in tension must apply if conditions in their particular situation are to convert to harmony. This principle to which I refer is the role of self-sacrifice in the construction of harmonious relations.

Although space prevents further elaboration, it should be noted that the principle of initiating through self-sacrifice is rooted in the fundamental cosmology of the Unification view. It is a truth pertaining to the original order as much as to restoration. Initiation through giving is the quintessential fabric of harmony, initiation through self-interest or taking is the quintessential fabric of disharmony leading to conflict and war. This primary and indispensable requisite for peace at any and all levels, is found precisely, and universally as the God-given nature of true parents. True Parentism is by definition the premier manifestation of preoccupation with the benefit others (at the family level, one's children), oblivious to the sacrifice necessary to bring that benefit about. This fundamental requisite for peace is already universally and inextricably embedded in the fabric of human affairs by dint of the divinely imparted nature of ideal parents. It is for this reason that this institution alone must be acknowledged as the foundation for sound theory, effective governance and fruitful inter-religious and international relations.