Unification Thought and Wisdom

by Paul J. Perry-NYC

The price of wisdom is beyond rubies. One of the goals of spiritual life is the attainment of wisdom. But wisdom is not the same as knowledge: Not everyone who has a lot of knowledge is wise; and wise people don't necessarily have a lot of knowledge. In this article, I will discuss wisdom from the perspective of Unification Thought. These ideas are part of the course "Applications of Unification Thought," which is a follow-up course to "Essentials of Unification Thought."

Since the time of the ancient Greek philosophers, knowledge has been considered the surest way to achieve perfection. According to this view, those who know are incapable of doing wrong; and wrongdoers have become like that only because of ignorance.

Divine Principle, however, tells us that it takes more than knowledge for someone to achieve perfection. This article will not address the issue of perfection, but only an aspect of it-- namely, wisdom. My point is that wisdom is a better way to perfection than just knowledge; I will attempt a description of the process whereby one can achieve wisdom.

Wisdom and Shimjong

In Unification Thought terms, knowledge is in the object position within the mind; it resides in the inner hyungsang. Just from this, we can know that knowledge does not play the dominant role in the development of personality. That dominant role is played by Shimjong, or heart. Wisdom is close to the concept of Shimjong in Unification Thought, although not as deep. I will make a distinction between wisdom and Shimjong below. The point is that wisdom is the best medium for Shimjong to manifest itself in human life.

What, then, is wisdom? Let us begin by considering the mind as a whole. Our mental functions can be divided into thinking, feeling, and willing. A wise person is someone who has these three functions well developed and well balanced. Spiritual growth, the attainment of perfection, the full development of our potentialities--all these can be described in terms of the expansion of our inner universe, or the expansion of our capacity to think, feel, and will. According to Divine Principle, the typical process of growth takes us through eight levels--namely, individual, family, tribe, society, nation, world, cosmos, and God. True wisdom can be attained only when we have grown through all these eight levels and have expanded our inner universe to the level of oneness with God. The expanding universe

In the intellectual development of humankind as a whole, we also see a process of expansion. In ancient Greece, for instance, it was customary to compare the size of the sun to the size of the Peloponnesus. At the time of Julius Caesar, astronomers knew that the sun was a huge star, and they estimated the distance between the earth and the sun at about half of what it actually is.

We know today that almost all the stars that we see with the naked eye are part of our Galaxy, or the Milky Way, which is just one among billions of such star systems in the universe.

Our understanding of biological life has expanded with equal amazement. In the 1950s, scientists were so optimistic about creating life in a laboratory that they expected to do so "in about five years." In the 1960s, scientists were less optimistic but nevertheless sure they would harness life in a laboratory "in about ten years." In the 1970s, they became less sure but still predicted that we would beable to create life in a laboratory "in about twenty-five years." In the 1980s, scientists stopped making prediction as to when humankind would be able to create life in a laboratory.

Consider now our concept of time. With a powerful telescope, I can look at a star whose light is reaching me after having traveled for half a billion years. So, what I see through the telescope today is something that happened a long, long time ago. Thus, throughout history the human mind has been continually expanding. Physically, the human being is but a speck of dust in the immense universe; nevertheless, through the human mind we can contain the whole universe and more. That is why the Bible says in Luke 9:25, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self."

Let us consider the expansion of the will. Largely speaking, one's will is limited by one's limits of knowledge. With limited knowledge, evil people can do only limited harm, and good people can perform only limited acts of goodness. The advancement of scientific knowledge has enabled us to visit the moon; in the future, humankind may able to control earthquakes, the weather, floods, typhoons, and ocean tides.

In order for this growth of knowledge to bring us blessings rather than a disasters, we must expand human consciousness in the scope of volitional acts. Expanding from the limited purposes of individual, family, and even nation, we must grow to the larger purposes of world and cosmos, reaching for the level of God. Either we do that, or we will surely face armageddon. The growth of feelings

The attainment of wisdom will not happen without a comparable expansion of human feelings. In fallen human nature, one's purpose for action is largely determined by feelings, which can have either a narrow scope or a broad scope. The scope of feelings can be determined by what we consider "us" vs. "them." When we say "us," who do we include in that concept? This question reminds me of an experience I once had while lecturing in South America. The population of a small village was having troubles with crime committed by members of the native community. To my surprise, I heard that among themselves those same natives lived by very strict ethical norms: No theft, no murder, no lying, no adultery. That was a typical problem of "us vs. "them."

This kind of problem is very common in, for example, race relations, inter-party political relations, and even international relations. It is a sign of lack of wisdom to believe that it is okay to do harm to someone as long he or she is not "one of us."

True wisdom is to realize that one can benefit more by loving one's enemies than by hating them. In other words, cooperation is not just a second-best to competition: It is actually better than competition. That is why organizations such as the European Community, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the economic alliances of South America have come about even before our nationalistic sensibilities have caught up with them.

Our emotions expand when they are able to experience feelings along such lines of cooperation. This kind of expansion creates an integration of heart and purpose, which leads to an integration of action.

Wisdom, then, is not knowledge alone, not feelings alone, not will alone: It is a harmonious balance of the three. Here's where Unification Thought goes beyond traditional thought. Unification Thought sees the human being mostly as a being of heart, or Shimjong, which is ''an emotional impulse to be joyful through love.'' The root of wisdom is to be found in heart; this is the base upon which intellect, emotion, and will can be fully expanded and harmoniously balanced. The reign of knowledge

Ancient Greece could be described as ''the kingdom of knowledge on earth,'' where the most important qualification to become the leader of a nation was to be a philosopher. Alexander the Great is perhaps the most representative example of the royal power of knowledge. Though not a philosopher himself, he was educated under the tutelage of one of the greatest philosophical minds of all times, namely, Aristotle. Moreover, he initiated the age of Hellenism, which, together with Hebraism, played the two pivotal roles in the development of the providence of restoration. Divine Principle ascribes a position of object to Hellenism as contrasted to Hebraism's subject position. Hebraism contained a great deal of wisdom from the revelation give to it by God. The revolution of heart

Since traditional thought has no concept comparable to Heart, it cannot render a good account of what wisdom is. In traditional thought, heart is no more than emotion, or feeling. In Unification Thought, heart is beyond emotion, beyond intellect, and beyond will. It is the root of these three. Actually, heart is beyond love itself, for it is the root of love.

The goal of the Unification Movement is to bring about a ''revolution of heart,'' which will implant wisdom into the various levels of society. In order for that to happen, we need to bring God back to society. Only then will true wisdom really exist on earth.

Wisdom continues to be that elusive quality that can't quite be described; but at least we have a better understanding of its parameters, namely, a balanced integration and full expansion of intellect, emotion, and will centered on heart, or Shimjong. There are cultures, such as the Islamic one, in which wisdom is very much connected with age. But the passage of time is no guarantee of the acquisition of wisdom, as we know so well. A better understanding of wisdom comes with the study and practice of Unification Thought. And let us not forget that ''the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...'' (Psalms 111:10).

The Village Elementary School

by Kate Hirata-Osoko, Japan

Even though I still have a hard time understanding Japanese, when Terumi-san announced to me "Yuusuke no gakko no sensei ga Kate ni denwa..." I knew something was up involving myself and the village elementary school. (Terumi is my sister-in-law and Yuusuke is her seven-year-old son, who attends Togo Elementary School.) When my husband came home that evening he was able to inform me of more details. Sure enough, Ms. Nogi, Yuusuke's teacher, was inviting me to come spend an hour with her students and the students of the second- grade class-45 children in all. She wanted me to share with them my experience this past year adjusting to life here in the Japanese countryside. She felt it would be a great opportunity for the children to get in touch with, at least a little bit, a culture different from their own by spending some time with me, the only "gaijin" (foreigner) around for miles.

To me, the idea sounded great-if only it were someone else doing the sharing! I felt overwhelmingly shy at the prospect of standing in front of 45 children and trying to convey my heart relying on my extremely poor Japanese. I protested to Ms. Nogi that I didn't know the language well enough to communicate with the kids, but she was confident that I had mastered enough of the basics to have a good rapport with them. I had quite a few other excuses all lined up why I should refuse to go (I'd had a cold for the past three weeks, my throat was sore, I was five months pregnant, plus I had to look after my one-year-old daughter...) but I heard myself agreeing to her proposal with a quiet "hai" (okay). My heart knew: this is a chance to serve and to give love, and isn't that the reason I came to Japan? I'd faced this kind of inner battle many times over the years in trying to lead a public life, and always I found if I could focus on what I could give rather than on all my fears and doubts, then somehow God would lead me through. I counted on Him again.

When the big day arrived, the rain did as well, coming down in buckets after a week of beautiful spring weather. I wondered: is this a good sign? Anyway, out into the rain we ventured. Terumi and I were greeted by the principal. He immediately won my heart by expressing his frustration at how most Japanese children are taught to speak English. For example, English words such as "cat" and "sandwich" are pronounced "ca-to" and "sandoitchi" to the point where often I cannot tell when English is being spoken to me. He encouraged me to set up my own class for the kids in the village (a plan we have already been working on) so that they could learn how to speak from a native speaker. After our brief meeting with him, we went to the classroom to meet the students. I was still nervous and dreading the moment the door would open, but when we entered the room all my nervousness went right out the window (and into the rain, I presume). Forty five beautiful, smiling, giggling and whispering faces were staring up at me, and I could not hold back my joy at seeing them. It was a perfect audience. In the back of the room sat the principal and two teachers, but I tried not to look at them as I began explaining the feelings of loneliness, frustration and eventual joy and victory that have been a part of my first year in Japan.

After my little introduction (in VERY broken Japanese as always), we went on to sing a rousing version of "London Bridge is Falling Down," followed by a question and answer time. Their questions were wonderful. "How do you take a bath in America?" "What Japanese food do you hate the most?" "Why did you leave America to come to Japan?" "What's your favorite bug in Japan?" Finally, after all their questions had been answered, amidst much laughter on both sides, we had a quick English lesson. When our together was over, one by one the girls and boys came and shook my hand and thanked me for coming. Such smiles on every face!

I feel our meeting together held significance for our mission as Tribal Messiahs here in our village. Togo Elementary School is where we will be sending our own blessed children in the near future. However, it is also the school which my husband, his parents, his grandparents and great-grandparents all attended. It is truly a connecting point between past, present and future generations. Because of True Parents' determination to bring together the East and West, Togo Elementary could host its first "international" meeting, and the breaking down of cultural barriers has begun.

Soul of Russia - Slipping and Slushing Through My Third Moscow Winter

by Erin Bouma

My first Moscow winter (1991-92) saw the end of the Soviet Union, the beginning of price rises and inflation and mild weather. Nevertheless, I was mighty chilled in November and early December awaiting both the arrival of my winter clothing and the centralized heating to notch up for colder days and nights. I found it very hard to adapt to mid- afternoon darkness (with the sun setting about 3:30 PM) and I went forth three days a week (starting in January, twice a day) to travel an hour to a classroom to teach English. I had two mild ice slips that first year, the first breaking the hinge and screw on a pair of reading glasses (but not my loose eggs) and the second, losing my apartment keys out of my coat pocket (necessitating a break-in two days later).

The next year was also mild by Russian standards, but I had my heavy coats, sweaters and boots and, more importantly, lived near a metro station where my students came to me. I had no slips but, during the four months of snow, ice and cold, I suffered from a lack of exercise.

This year finds me in my third apartment and now, somewhat dependent on bus schedules to get to the metro, larger shopping areas and an independent school where I teach two mornings a week. A tram (electric, on tracks) goes along my street (interestingly, the 8th of March St., in honor of International Women's Day), and a couple of buses come within a block or two of my place. The buses come around 30 minutes apart, and I've found you can get pretty chilled waiting out in the cold for 15 minutes, and I've even gotten chilled riding for a half an hour in an unheated bus.

The first cold spell this winter came in November, and I spent my free time in my kitchen with the oven heated. That was followed by snows and rains with higher temperatures through December and January. The problem is that Moscow not only has your ordinary slush, but it is always dirty slush and with poor drainage, the city also becomes a city with 1,000 lakes. (This, by the way, is why most Muscovites can't get too excited about spring because there is so much snow and ice to run off.) The other reality is that, with sudden freezes or melting ice, the sidewalks become skating rinks and cause many casualties. Apparently, in past years, the city hired more people to keep chipping away the ice buildup throughout the winter.

In the week before Valentine's Day, 100 people were hospitalized in Moscow for exposure to the cold and 15 people (all drunk) were found frozen outdoors. But Russians will proudly tell me that, at last, we are having a "real Russian winter." But the weather seldom gets them down. They have far more pressing concerns than temporary drops in the mercury.

For one, Moscow's population has risen sharply in the past three years and is expected to hit 8.5 million by the year 2000. But this is not caused by a rise in the birthrate, which has fallen in Russia to where there are now two deaths for one birth. No, rather there is an influx of refugees from wartorn provinces in the south and areas showing little hospitality to their resident Russians, especially the Baltics and Central Asian republics. This has put quite a strain on public services, housing and public transportation. I'm sure, however difficult things are here, they are still better than the other former republics. In fact, there are now many "guest workers" in Moscow from Ukraine and Belarus that Russians won't take because of low pay. In a recent survey, forty percent of Muscovites are receiving government support and only 20 percent claim they need no government help to survive. So that leaves another 40 percent who need some public assistance or subsidized housing, heat and food. Academics, scientists, doctors and school teachers are poorly paid as government financing begins to shrink and inflation eats up the remainder. People, even if it is not their inclination, are forced to be resourceful, take private students and patients or do some "business" (really buying and selling).

Not only is the birthrate falling, but life expectancy itself has dropped in Russia in the last year, quite dramatically. For men this is particularly alarming: from a low of 62 years down to 59. Women do a little better, but where they could expect to live to 75 last year, it is now only 72. I don't know if this is also connected to increased violent crime (a lot of it surrounding rival gangs and Mafia extortion), growing epidemics (of diphtheria, typhus and measles) or military conflicts. Health care continues to deteriorate and a recent report told of a hospital whose food caused food poisoning in 29 infants.

In a citizen poll of Moscow residents, their main concern, like many Americans, is growing crime (especially among teenagers). This is followed by inflation, political instability, environmental concerns, and fear of the breakup of the Russian republic by separatist minorities. One political cartoon shows Red Square with a sign: "The next crisis begins in 15 minutes." There is also a Soviet-era piece of wisdom recognizing that there is nothing more constant than "temporary difficulties." Therefore, practicality and steadfastness is forced on the people here if they want to survive. Living in the CIS, in fact, is just as stressful as in America, without the benefits of good health care. The stresses are slightly different, and generally based on unpredictability of the government policies and availability of necessities, rather than the intensity and complicated nature of life in the U.S.

For example, simply to rent an apartment to live in a city of shortages puts the foreigner at great disadvantage. Generally, the apartments available are offered by individuals who are leaving the country or moving in with family in order to increase their income. Most have no business experience or common sense; almost every missionary (and other foreigners, as well) has had at least one experience with a possessed landlord or landlady who makes unreasonable demands or suddenly decides to raise the rent sharply without warning. Missionaries also have to compete with Western businessmen and well-to-do locals who can, and do, pay absurd amounts for small apartments, driving the prices upward every three months. One brother here with five children found a large apartment and decided to take it at a higher price because the agreement was for two years. The day after his family moved in, another tenant showed up, claiming the apartment and waving a signed contract with the owner. The result is that a person can never relax and assume that anything will go smoothly. It also produces great strain to have to relocate every six months or year, as many of our families have had to do.

One definitely has to have his feet planted firmly on the earth not to be knocked off-balance by currency devaluation, coups, and social crisis. The average Russian, then, learns to count on himself, his friends and family and maybe God to get by. Coming out of the physically comfortable lethargy and lazy contentedness of communism, the young, bright and creative future are beginning to invest themselves in a new tomorrow, going around decades of calcified inefficiency to reinvent their own lives and society. And, in the hearts and minds of many of them is awaking a genuine spiritual interest and understanding. While diehard communists and ultranationalists rant and rave, they are already shaping a new reality. Quietly, life in Moscow is being completely transformed and, I am confident, by the time next winter comes, significant developments will move this nation to a new level under God's guidance.

Schedule for 1994 100 Campus Speaking Tour

True Mother 3/8/94 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Un Jin Nim 3/9/94 Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
Jun Sook Nim 3/9/94 Loyola University, New Orleans, LA
True Mother 3/10/94 University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Un Jin Nim 3/10/94 California State University at Hayward, CA
True Mother 3/11/94 New York University, New York, NY
Nan Sook Nim 3/12/94 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
True Mother 3/12/94 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
True Mother 3/13/94 Chicago State University, Chicago, IL
Soon Ju Nim 3/14/94 Bishop State Community College, Mobile, AL
True Mother 3/15/94 Columbia University, New York, NY
Soon Ju Nim 3/15/94 San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
True Mother 3/16/94 Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
In Jin Nim 3/16/94 Boston University, Boston, MA
Soon Ju Nim 3/16/94 California State College, Los Angeles, CA
Un Jin Nim 3/16/94 Highline Community College, Seattle, WA
Jun Sook Nim 3/16/94 State University of New York at New Paltz, NY
True Mother 3/17/94 Howard University, Washington, DC
Jun Sook Nim 3/17/94 Hostos College, Bronx, NY
Nan Sook Nim 3/18/94 Hofstra University, Long Island, NY
True Mother 3/19/94 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Jin Sung Nim 3/20/94 University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
True Mother 3/21/94 Yale University, New Haven, CT
Jin Sung Nim 3/21/94 Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD
Hyo Jin Nim 3/23/94 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Jin Hun Nim 3/23/94 University of Texas, Austin, TX
Nan Sook Nim 3/24/94 Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
Hyo Jin Nim 3/24/94 University of California at Berkeley, CA
Jin Hun Nim 3/24/94 University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Hyun Jin Nim 3/25/94 Queens College, Queens, NY
Kwon Jin Nim 3/25/94 Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Kook Jin Nim 3/26/94 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
In Jin Nim 3/26/94 Roxbury Community College, Boston, MA
In Jin Nim 3/27/94 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kwon Jin Nim 3/27/94 Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Hyun Jin Nim 3/27/94 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Jin Hun Nim 3/28/94 University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Kook Jin Nim 3/28/94 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Kook Jin Nim 3/29/94 University of Houston, Houston, TX
Jin Hun Nim 3/29/94 Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Jin Sung Nim 3/29/94 Bowie State College, Bowie, MD
Hyun Jin Nim 3/29/94 State University of New York, Purchase, NY
Jin Hun Nim 3/30/94 Seattle University/Seattle Central Comm College, Seattle, WA
Kook Jin Nim 3/31/94 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, IN
Soon Ju Nim 3/31/94 Nova Community College, Alexandria, VA
Nan Sook Nim 3/31/94 Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Jin Hun Nim 3/31/94 Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR
Soon Ju Nim 4/2/94 Drew University, Madison, NJ
Jin Hun Nim 4/4/94 University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Jin Sung Nim 4/4/94 Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
Kook Jin Nim 4/5/94 Everett Community College, Everett, WA
Jin Hun Nim 4/5/94 University of Alabama, Tuskaloosa, AL
Jin Sung Nim 4/6/94 University of Texas, Arlington, TX
Kwon Jin Nim 4/6/94 Clark University, Worcester, MA
Jun Sook Nim 4/6/94 City College of New York, Harlem, NY
Jin Hun Nim 4/6/94 University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC
Hyo Jin Nim 4/7/94 University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Kook Jin Nim 4/7/94 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Jin Hun Nim 4/7/94 Boise State University, Boise, IDIn Jin Nim 4/7/94 Catholic University, Washington, DC
Kook Jin Nim 4/8/94 University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
Kook Jin Nim 4/9/94 University of Colorado/Community College of Denver, Denver, CO
Hyun Jin Nim 4/9/94 Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Jin Sung Nim 4/9/94 Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Jun Sook Nim 4/10/94 George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Kook Jin Nim 4/10/94 Martin University, Indianapolis, IN
Hyun Jin Nim 4/10/94 St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Jin Hun Nim 4/10/94 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Jin Sung Nim 4/10/94 Bunker Hill Community College, Chelsea, MA
Kook Jin Nim 4/11/94 Portland State University, Portland, OR
Jin Hun Nim 4/11/94 Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Jun Sook Nim 4/11/94 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Nan Sook Nim 4/12/94 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Jin Hun Nim 4/12/94 University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO
Jin Sung Nim 4/12/94 Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Nan Sook Nim 4/12/94 University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Hyun Jin Nim 4/12/94 State University of New York Albany, Albany, NY
Hyo Jin Nim 4/12/94 George Washington University, Washington, DC
Sun Jin Nim 4/12/94 New York Technical College, Brooklyn, NY
Jun Sook Nim 4/12/94 Lehman College, Bronx, NY
Kook Jin Nim 4/12/94 Laney College, Oakland, CA
Kook Jin Nim 4/13/94 University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Jin Sung Nim 4/13/94 University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Hyo Jin Nim 4/13/94 University of Miami, Miami, FL
Jin Hun Nim 4/13/94 University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Nan Sook Nim 4/13/94 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Jin Hun Nim 4/14/94 Montclair State College, Montclair, NJ
Nan Sook Nim 4/14/94 University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Hyo Jin Nim 4/14/94 York College, Queens, NY
Kook Jin Nim 4/14/94 San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Jun Sook Nim 4/14/94 Mercy College, Ardsley, NY
In Jin Nim 4/15/94 American University, Washington, DC
Soon Ju Nim 4/15/94 Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Kook Jin Nim 4/15/94 Chabot College, Hayward, CA
Jin Sung Nim 4/16/94 University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
Jin Hun Nim 4/16/94 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
Kwon Jin Nim 4/16/94 Towson State University, Baltimore, MD
Hyo Jin Nim 9/1/94 To be announced
Hyun Jin Nim 9/1/94 To be announced
Jin Hun Nim 9/1/94 To be announced

Report on the Moon Family's Campus visits to the Southwest.

I don't know about you, but I was profoundly affected by these visits to the Southwest. When I heard that Mrs. moon and her family has expressed a desire to visit 100 universities throughout America, I was somewhat stunned. We had been at a meeeting with Father and Mother. Father had spoken for hours. He was giving us the big picture all day long. He had finished speaking and we were packing our things, then his voice came back on the microphone, almost as if an afterthought. "By the way, Mother wants to give her speech on 100 college campuses." There was a pause and we all went silent. Then, the other boot came down, "And we must be completed by mid-April. Mother and the True Children will draw straws and arrange their schedules."

I thought to myself, "How can we go back and gear up the members and tribal messiah couples who are already working so hard?" I'm sure that Father and Mother know exactly our situation as well as they know the situation of the True Family. Their schedules and areas of concern are much greater than ours. After all, their direct central figure is Father and Mother. The fire doesn't breathe any closer than that, excepting God maybe. Can we begin to understand what kind of daily pressure that extends into their lives?

The first thing that I did when I got back home was to type up 15 pages of notes, from our meeting with Father and Mother. I knew we had to spread as much positive inspiration as possible. I was surprised to see that not many people had much difficulty with the direction. In fact, some were excited to get back on the campus.

So we had a community meeting with Rev. You. Until now he was still very much under the shadow of our former Korean elder. It was all new for him. His first question was, "Who can host the first event?" The silence was immense as we all looked at each other. I was very curious as to who would respond. My husband ventured that Dallas should be first, but Rev. You very quickly said that Dallas should be last. He wasn't trying to dodge being first, but something in his heart directed him to say that Dallas should be last..

Then, someone from the Louisiana community put up his hand and said, "Well, if no one else will do it, we will." Five pairs of grateful eyes swiveled in his direction. I thought to myself, "How fitting that we begin in New Orleans." It was not until Rev. You began to talk about the cities in relationship to one another as part of a growth process that I began to fully see why.

Of all the events that we had when both Father and Mother spoke in our region, New Orleans was by far and away the worst. This is not to say anything against the leader there, it's just the reality of that city's environment. If there is any city in America which exemplifies Satan's dominion, it is New Orleans. The whole economy is based upon the fall.

What is Mardi Gras? Every year people come specifically to gratify every urge their physical body demands. They eat, they drink, they expose themselves or encourage others to do so. On and on it goes The music, the food, the night clubs all cater to taking care of selfish, physical, temporary desires. What more could Satan want? Life is degraded completely in this city, year after year, all under the banner of a "celebration!" Celebration of what? Of who?

That's absolutely a celebration of Satan's dominion. Like the pre- formation stage after the fall of Adam and Eve, Satan reigns supreme. In that stage, Satan knows how to push every button and control the environment. When Mother came to New Orleans, we couldn't do anything right, even though we sincerely tried. We couldn't get the right hotel and had to take a hotel with a ballroom much larger than what was appropriate. To make it worse, the original hotel was right on the bus line which most of our minister contacts use. The other hotel was way off the bus line. Most people don't drive in New Orleans because parking space is so difficult to find. The tourists occupy most of the parking areas..

We couldn't get the cooperation of the staff. They almost called the police at one point. We were all on the brink of a nervous breakdown by the time Mother arrived. You could cut the tension in the air. Of course, Mother notices all these things. The audience was so spaced out by the atmosphere that she had a difficult time reaching them. You can imagine how it was afterwards when Mother met with us afterwards. She chastised us.

It wasn't that we didn't work hard to make a successful event. We spent a lot of money on that campaign and we went all out visiting and calling people. However, the atmosphere of that city is so fallen that to make a breakthrough, any kind of breakthrough is a major deal. Victory does not come easily there. It doesn't even come with great difficulty. That's no excuse. We still should have found a way to do it, but if you don't understand New Orleans, you don't know what's going to hit you in the face when you enter that realm.

Having spent so many years there, giving birth to babies and fundraising on Bourbon St., I had forgotten what the city is really like. Jun Sook Nim felt it the minute she stepped off the plane. I could see the tension in her face and I froze inside. "Uh, oh," I said, this is going to be a long, hard night. Well, it wasn't as well attended as we had hoped.

We were all very shocked. We had poured ourselves out in this campaign. What happened? We should have expected a tough time. When Satan wins one time he has power to do it the second time. That is why human history has taken so long to get to this point. When central figures carry out their role, they not only have to succeed in their time, they also have to make up for mistakes of the past.

When Jun Sook Nim met with us afterwards she chastised us, Her first question to us was "How many of you have ever missed 5:00 pledge?" That question will always get a healthy show of hands, unfortunately. From that point on, she gave it to us about our standard.

Whenever anyone says anything about Father's and Mother's standard, we all just have to shut up. It's a good time to just check everything out and clean up everything. Not everything she said that night fit the members' situation exactly, but what happened was simply that she reciprocated on the level that God could touch our offering, which meant chastisement. At least through that we could divide ourselves.

I spent the whole time driving back to Dallas struggling with the desire to go on or just quit. We all felt pretty low. Then, Rev. You went straight to Austin and began to work actively in the central position. He was on fire, giving more confident directions and going directly onto the campus. We all took heart and started working again.

Austin was a much better environment. Somehow, we could go more freely on the campus and talk to students. We focused on ticket confirmation and second or third calling. We realized that if we got a signed ticket and called twice, we could expect about a 10% response. To fill up the room meant more than 1,200 confirmed and called tickets. We made the flyers and newspaper advertisements a backdrop to saturate the area. To our surprise, we filled up the room. We had 118 students at the event and this was a 100% improvement over our first event. Many of the same people were all involved, but what a difference of result! We began to realize that a very important lesson was being revealed to us.

Jin Hun Nim was the speaker at Austin. Afterwards, he spoke about how we have to think about the future. If we work hard now, we can do anything we want in the realm of God's heart in the future. It was almost as if Moses were there saying, "We got away from Satan's direct realm in Egypt, but think about what lies ahead. Go forward, go forward."

Houston then became the growth stage city. The growth stage is always difficult. It is the point of crossing over. Had Adam and Eve originally crossed over in their youth, they would have rejected Satan's temptation and gone on through the completed stage to dwell with God. However, they fell at this point. This is where God and Satan both wonder about human beings.

Can you imagine how we would have felt if everything had fallen apart in Houston? We had less than a week between the Houston and Dallas events. Our spirits would have been down in the dumps. We would have seen that empty commuter campus in Arlington and lost heart altogether. It was tough enough as it was, but because Houston was also a success, we could cross over into the Dallas event with enough confidence to pull it off.

In Houston we had even more students, 148, almost a 50% improvement over Austin. Afterwards, Kook Jin Nim spoke. Wasn't it fitting that he came to the Houston event? As you know, the 2nd generation of Joshua and Caleb crossed over with the remnants of the 1st generation (Father said that at least the mothers of 2nd generation children went into Canaan). How much more 2nd generation than the True Children can you get? He spoke about working harder and running faster. It was as if we were almost there, but he was warning us, "If you don't give it your all now, people will run right by you in the final moment and leave you in the dust."

Finally, we came to the Dallas event. We have never held an important event in Dallas. There has never been a science conference, never True Parents coming here for any reason. It is like the completed stage-- empty. We had less than a week to do it. We just got out there with our tickets and flyers and before we knew it, we were getting students excited about coming. Our campus was also new to us. Until now, we had been working on traditional universities where 80% of the students lived on campus. In Dallas, all the campuses are commuter style where 80% of the students come to the campus only to attend their courses. They leave soon after their courses, returning to home or going to a job. To find a student after 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon is a real effort.

One graduate student was able to secure a 250 seat auditorium, the only room we could get. It was hard to imagine how we could ever fill it up. However, we just decided that we were going to make this a campaign for the long haul and not get caught up in numbers. Numbers are important, but embracing the students, making friendships and relationships is even more important.

At the last moment, Jin Sung Nim came to Dallas instead of Kook Jin Nim. I believe it was for a specific purpose. God was looking at our effort. If we made even more effort than in all previous cities, we could receive a special gift from Heavenly Father. 115 students came and along with many other guests, made the auditorium full. There was just a happy relaxed atmosphere, so much so that it almost overwhelmed me.

After the speech, Jin Sung Nim spent time with the students, answering their questions and listening to their comments. Then, he spoke to us. Didn't we all feel that God was embracing us in that moment? It wasn't that he loved us more and the other speakers loved us less. It was just that we were able to fulfill the circumstances set before us. If you look on my diagram, you will see that the Dallas event is just over the line into the Completed realm. We just had a touch of being there.

However, we all know that in our own individual circumstances, we have a long ways to go before we can proudly say that we live at that address called "God's Realm of Heart." If we are still dealing with issues from our past, then we are still like the slaves in Egypt. No wonder we can work so hard and never get anywhere. God can't touch where our hearts are at if half the time we are still struggling with problems that we had a long time ago.

Moses showed Pharaoh the miracles and curses so that Pharaoh could understand that God's power was with Moses. We also have to show Satan something or he just won't leave us alone. Slaves are very nice to have. You can suck everything out of them and they don't force you to back away. That's why Father gave us traditions like the 5:00 pledge, Sunday Service attendance and tithing. Father has challenged us to tithe 30% and who of us can show that? Only very rich people can tithe like that, so Father has some hope for us actually! We have to have that kind of hope as well.

If we don't use these traditions, we can never escape from Satan. He will always bother us. If you don't like to think of doing all these things as tradition, then think of it as your therapy. If you want to solve your problems, do what the therapist suggests. Don't Father and Mother appear at peace with one another? If they have it together and we want to get it together, then we have to take their advice. They have the road map out of the wilderness and we have to follow it. The map is the Principle.

A lot of us want the easy way out. If someone else will take our responsibility for us, we'll go for it. I have some serious news for you. Father and Mother organized this church and it is for our benefit in the long run. We might really dislike it, but just the fact that we are willing to deal with something which we dislike separates us from immaturity. When Father or Mother want to rearrange this Church, I'll be right there helping them, but I'm not sympathetic to people who want to pick this community of people apart, and I don't care what kind of "inspiration" they might have.

If we don't show that we are beyond pre-formation, how can we create our own foundation? I see the tribal messiah couples struggling with everything, especially their financial situation. The ones who are beyond that, who are able to give their time and money to the church, are the ones who by and large live by the traditions, especially vertical connection to their immediate central figure.

Jin Sung Nim confronted me about this last point specifically. He had no way of knowing how deeply his words affected me. It was just a casual conversation to him. He got in the car from the airport to go to the hotel. He asked me, "What Blessing were you in?" I answered, "8,000 at Madison Square Garden." He then spoke about how he had to fill in for the security personnel at that time because most of them were getting Blessed. I then responded by telling him that two team leaders which I had great respect for were on the security staff. He asked me their names and when I told him who they were, he brightened up. "Oh, those are two well respected brothers," he said. "They not only fulfill their mission, they have also developed themselves way beyond that, but they always went through the central figure, not around." If only he had known that I had been asking myself for weeks and months which way to go. After Rev. Lee departed, I felt, "Now is a good time to slip through the crack." I had the opportunity to go back to a seminary in Ohio which is my home state and complete a Masters for Ph.D. program. My lifelong goal is to get a Ph.D. in theology and explain these principles to the Christian world so that their mouths drop--something to do with my father being a minister.

However, I felt uneasy about leaving Rev. You with so many unresolved issues from the past administration.. After our event, I struggled for 3 more days, then I went to him and offered myself, for at least one year, to go throughout the region and lecture to anyone, anytime these principles. He was very grateful. I don't know if that is what will happen, but I made my offering and I am at peace within myself.

Most of you are better members than I am. You attend pledge, come to Sunday Service, tithe and follow the central figure. But, can we cross over? We need the 2nd generation to go over. Then, where are our spiritual children? We can't go to God's realm without them. We can't be comfortable about being good members if we haven't been successful in this area.

Some of you are leaving this region to go to your hometown. How about leaving behind one spiritual child? What a way to seal your time here. God can only enrich your efforts in your new home if you do so.

When we cross over and enter into the completed level of offering, God can much more freely reciprocate his heart towards us. Don't be discouraged by past times and words from the True Family. They can only speak to where we are at. Sometimes it is not personal. It is just the circumstances we are in. Tomorrow, we have pledge all together at 7:00 in the morning. It's Parents' Day. What a time to just clear ourselves and come before our Parents.

We have so much more to offer to them, personally and as a region. Maybe, God wanted this region to have a special experience because we are the number "8." If America is going to get a new start, why not here? What's wrong with that? Will the brothers and sisters in New York mind? Will the members in San Francisco mind? A new start here means a new start everywhere. You know, one flyer said, "Don't Come....If your open mindedness is just lip service." That's rather blunt. God is also honest. Maybe He would like to say, "Don't Come [into heaven]....If your love is just lip service."

Let's show Heavenly Father, let's show each other that our love is anything but that.

Religious Scholars on CAN and its Activities

"It is dangerous to tamper with the minds, hearts and souls of religious people, and deprogrammers doing it for rich financial rewards are tampering with everyone's religious liberty." The Reverend Billy Graham:.

"Forcible deprogramming is the most serious stain on religious liberty facing this country in the latter half of the 20th. century." The Reverend Dean M. Kelley, Counselor on Religious Liberty, National Council of Churches.

"Deprogramming must be exposed and wiped out. It's terrorism." Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Center for the Study of American Religion.

"These deprogrammings CAN supports are nothing more than religious terrorism akin to KKK violence in the past." The Reverend Dr. Leo Champion, Executive Director, Committee on Religious Liberty.

On The Long Road To Tribal Messiahship Victory

This is an interview with Francesco Santelli, a U C member of Region 2, by Richard Lewis of the Unification News.

FS joined the UC in 1973 at age 22. He came to America in June of that year to join one of the two first I O W C's. He was in Japan and Korea for 2 years with the Ist Global Team and the New Hope Singers International. Participated to the Washington Monument campaign and worked with NY Church in the Education Department under Rev. Sudo. He was director of Father's New York City Symphony and worked with CAUSA International. Currently he is Director of ICC/ NJ since '92. He is originally from Rome, Italy where he has an active home town providence. He resides in Newark, NJ Region #2, under Rev. Do Hee Park and Rev. Luis Patino, State Leader. He was blessed at the 1982 MSG blessing with his wife Luella who is American, and they have 3 children.

RL: Unification News has received a recommendation to solicit your testimony. Please tell us about your Tribal Messiaship activities and victories.

FS: My Tribal Messiah's work is centered on the ICC ministers and artistic musical activities.

RL: Tell us first about the work with the ministers.

FS: I have been Director of ICC in the state of NJ for about 2 years now, and this has been very rewarding for me. NJ is one of the most populated state in the UC in America and we have great leadership with Rev. Park, who just came to us and Rev. Patino, the State leader.

RL: In what do the ICC activities in NJ consist of?

FS: We have a roster of about 25 active ministers from a total of 136 that went to Korea. We hold Prayer Breakfasts, twice a month, inviting guest speakers and stimulating fellowship and mutual support centered on True Love and Godism. All the ministers know and value Father's vision.

We have also taken them out fishing and of course to True Parents speeches in our region last year 1993.

RL: Tell us about T.P. tour of last year.

FS: When Father spoke in Secaucus, NJ we had about 20 ministers sitting right in the front row truly attentive and supporting Father in his delivery of the speech. Father felt that and began to insert new things in the speech, things that were not in the written text, inspired by the give and take with these ministers. Rev. J. H. PAK (then our regional director) felt that the most significant and characterizing element in the Secaucus T P speech victory was the presence of the ministers (and Father noted that too later on).

We brought also ministers to the Bridgeport University's and to the United Nation's Mother's speeches.

RL What is your method in working with the ministers?

FS My method is simply to espouse Father's vision and ideology. Godism, the embrace of True Parents towards each son or daughter regardless of their religion or philosophy; believing and emphasizing the sanctity of each religion and how Father wants to support Christianity and religious leaders in general for the salvation of America and the world. Feeling, understanding and believing in these values gives a tremendous power in rallying ministers towards a common goal, and no other religion or ideology on earth could offer a vision capable to promote this except Father's.

I must acknowledge to this respect the great help and support of some of our elder leaders in our movement such as Mr. Paul Perry, Rev. Kathy Winings, Dr. Andrew Wilson, Rev. John Gehring and more.

RL Can you give us a recent special testimony on some ICC minister?

FS Well we had three ministers attending this past True Parents Birthday celebration: Bishop Thomas, Rev. Kaiser and

Rev. Bennett. They all were inspired by coming in contact personally with Father. Actually it was 2 months that I was thinking how to make a new start in the ICC providence in NJ and Father himself (personally) did it for us. Incredible: they not only heard the essence of the Principle and God's Will for them, but also they heard the declaration of True Parentship and the Completed Testament Age and they heard it from Father himself. Simply unbelievable ....

RL What is your view of ICC?

FS My view is Father's view, namely to create a spiritual movement of renewal with Christians ministers and religious leaders in general - centered on Father's and Heavenly Father's spirit with the help of HJN and Jesus from the SW for the spiritual renewal of American Christianity. I can see the ministers are sincerely looking for leadership, they are gasping for something new, they see Christianity and Christian values sinking and on the other hand they see Father's power and influence grow, they know that by the fruit the tree will be recognized. Father is the True Father of mankind, that means of all men and their religions. Short of connecting directly with TP and the Divine Principle, Godism and Headwing ideology are a tremendous tool that leaves to religious leaders all the space they need in their own original religious environment and still make them work 100% for Heavenly Father and True Parents, if they connect with us: it's incredible, we both win! If you think of it there is no other idea or religion that has the substantive power to do this, only God's true ideology can embrace all His children and render everyone victorious. This is what I continuously emphasize to the ministers, especially to those who are concerned of being dominated by UC and Father, and... it works!

RL: What are your future plans?

FS: Our future plans for ICC / NJ are those of continuing the ideological education towards Godism and Father's ecumenical view and role for all religions - Also to work together with USA NJ and to use Project Volunteer (a 10 year old bread distribution program in NJ) as an ICC project and as a sign of the practical application of Father's ideals. The goal is to make a group of ministers that love each other, understand and agree with Father's vision of going beyond their own little world of their denomination and work for the greater good of Christianity in the state of New Jersey and in America... and hopefully to next year's Blessing we will be able to take as many ministers as possible. That will be the greatest blessing that can fall upon Christianity in New Jersey and in America.

RL Some final comments? FS Simply that this experience with ICC is the most significant of my witnessing life to God and True Parents, the most mature. Father said that in our lives we must restore the 3 Adams. The first Adam is our own blood relatives, they represent our fallen roots. The II Adam is Christianity (Jesus), the III Adam is the Unification Movement and the dimension of our Church in general. Working with ministers has helped me to grow and restore in the dimension of the II Adam, in understanding the heart of God, the heart of Jesus, the heart of the Providence of Restoration and how much God has worked in history to come to the point of the TP being here with us, through 2,000 years of history of Christianity. I am very grateful for this opportunity. Each minister for me is a continuous visible reminder of the 6,000 years of the History of restoration and of the tremendous value of our True Parents, and of the fact that my life and all our efforts have to be geared to fulfill for God while TP are still here on earth with us.

RL Tell us now about your artistic activities.

FS In my life in Rome, before I joined the Church, music and art was absolutely minimal and secondary. It was only after I joined the movement that somehow spiritually I came to understand that I had some artistic skills and that those should be used for God.

RL What have been your artistic responsibilities in the Church?

FS Already in the first IOWC team and in Father's tours in America ( '73 and '74 campaigns) I was involved in some I O W C bands made to support the tour. Then I joined the New Hope Singers in Japan in 1975. That was actually my first serious musical experience and training. I remained in the choir through the Washington Monument campaign and the one year spent in Washington D C in 1978 with the whole NHSI team. After that things spread out a little and I began to work with NY Church in education under Rev. Sudo and also I began to study music on my own. With substantial help from Heavenly Father and Spirit World, I conducted some orchestral concerts in the early 80's in NYC, the first one at the Damrosh Park at Lincoln Center with the International Symphony. Shortly after that, for 3 years (from '82 to '85), Rev. J. H. Pak gave me the possibility to conduct Father's orchestra of which I became the Music Director: the New York City Symphony. In 1985 I wrote a letter to Father asking for guidance on the future of my life. Father told me that I should follow the artistic path. Since that time I took Father's direction seriously and I oriented not only my life but also my family's life in that direction at the cost of difficulties, but with constant guidance from Heavenly Father and Spirit World, you know, like the pillars of fire and the clouds for the Israelites, there have been similar things in my life in all these years constantly and securely guiding my path.

RL How did you get involved in opera from symphonic music?

FS In the operatic work the drama and the words are subject and the music is object; likewise in my life the studies before the Church were totally literary (literature, philosophy, Latin and Greek, etc.) almost no music at all, then later on music became also part of my life. Through time I understood that just like the way my life had unfolded, my vocation was for opera because I felt equally and strongly attracted by both dimensions, that of the word and drama and that of the music: it's like having two children that are equally important to you and that you can't do without. Also due to my own culture, being Italian, I see some preparation work from Heavenly Father, because 60 % of standard opera repertoire is Italian and with Italian libretto, which gives me some advantage in the preparation and understanding of the works at hand. RL How did the switch occurred from the orchestral experience to the opera?

FS: In 1985 after Father's direction I prayed a lot and I had many spiritual intuitions. In 1986 I was offered to conduct a production of Tosca with the Brooklyn Opera Theater (by the way the offer came to me while I was in Bismarck, ND pioneering for the 1985 CAUSA nationwide mobilization), after that I continued. Then in 1988 I was offered the position of Music Director of the Henry Street Opera, which is an opera program that sponsors fully staged opera productions in a small but hospitable theater in the lower Manhattan under the sponsorship of the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The former Music Director a German conductor affiliated with the New York City Opera died and I was called to continue a production of

"Der Freishuz" of Weber, that was in 1988. Since then I have been at Henry Street for 7 years.

RL What productions have you conducted there?

FS: As I said, "Der Freishuz", "Madam Butterfly", "Tosca", "Macbeth", "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci" and this year "Don Pasquale" plus I have conducted several times in concert the Henry Street Symphony Orchestra in the performance of my compositions, lately last October in the performance of a symphonic ode I wrote for the collapse of the Berlin wall and the newly found freedom for western Europe. I am trying to find new sources of funding to increase the number of productions and the quality of players and singers.

RL Have you worked with other companies other than HSS?

FS Yes, with the Brooklyn Opera Theater, the Connecticut Opera Theater, Bloomfield Opera, I performed at Alice Tully Hall a duet from my own opera on Columbus (Un Destino Immortale), I have just been asked to be the Music Director of that series, I have been invited 2 years at NY City Hall for the inauguration with the NYC mayor of the Italian Culture Month to perform as representative of Italian Culture in US.

RL: What about your creative work?

Actually I feel that composing and creating is my real artistic mission. Through prayer I have come to the understanding and determination to write works for the stage, operas on biblical providential figures from the inner viewpoint of heart and truth of the Divine Principle. Especially I am committed to a trilogy on Jesus' true life drama for Christians to truly understand him and the heart of God, and works on True Parents life in Grand Opera form.

RL: Tell us about your compositions

FS: "God's World" is a composition on a poem of Edna Saint Vincent Millay, it was premiered in Canada; "1989, Un' Ode Sinfonica di Celebrazione" is a symphonic ode composed for the collapse of the Berlin Wall and has received two performances in New York City, and more.

In terms of actual operas, I have completed my first opera "Un Destino Immortale" on Christopher Columbus, it has received many (concert form) performances in NYC and Westchester, and the duet of Christopher and Isabella was performed at Alice Tully Hall in October 1992. I am still looking for the possibility of a fully staged premiere and there are people who are interested in it.

I have almost finished my second opera "Mississippi". I am committed to write my own librettos (the story, the drama, the dialogue). The story of UDI is of course from Columbus life and I tried to put emphasis as much as possible on all the vertical and providential elements of his life as I have perceived them. In Mississippi I created the story and the characters: it's the story drama of the spiritual and economical struggles of a family in the south at the turn of the century torn between faith and materialistic view of life that ends with the death of Mary Hamilton, the mother figure of the opera as a purifying and cathartic element of the drama. The harmonic language is much more dissonant than U D I even though melody is always present in my music.

RL: What's next?

FS: Well, I would like to complete Mississippi, but lately it's been so busy, you know, with the campaigns of the True Family, and all the changes of this new year ...

I wish that I could begin working for my third opera on a biblical subject (Abraham and Isaac), but I guess that time is not quite yet, we need stronger foundation...

RL: A final thought

FS I feel in my artistic work that I have to do my best to fulfill what Father has asked me to do and I feel grateful that things are going fairly well, of course the ideal situation will occur when we can have our own opera company in which we can have the total control of the finances; then one has the power to dictate one's own standards, in our case heaven's standards, the ethical standard, the choice of the proper repertory, and the education of the artists with fundamentals of Unification Thought, Godism and the true purpose of art, the requirement "sine qua non" of a basic ethical conduct from all artists, respect for True Parents work and at least a broad understanding of Godism ideology, etc...

I feel eventually this will happen, an opera company completely in the territory of God, in the domain of heart and art of True Parents, it's just a matter of time...

RL: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, I think from each person's situation there is something to be learned: God can definitely show us something, from your

ICC work and your artistic activities.

FS: I am grateful that I can stand in this year 2 of the Completed Testament Age to work hard to contribute to the safe settlement of the True Parents in these historical times and to fight for the settlement of my own tribe as well as Tribal Messiah as we all are. All that we do is one, after all, because one is the purpose, God's kingdom, and with the proper condition of heart everything can be claimed by heaven for the building of that kingdom.

RL Thank you.

Mrs. Moon speaks at the New York University School of Law

by Peter Ross-NYC

The New York University School of Law was an appropriate setting for the New York chapter of Women's Federation for World Peace to present Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon in the first of her two campus appearances in New York City. It was a balmy Spring afternoon and New Yorkers could begin to feel confident that winter had finally relinquished her icy grip. Students preparing to leave for Spring break were ready to take full advantage of the weather and enjoy the outdoors away from the City.

The NYU School of Law is situated at the south-west corner of Washington Square Park, a landmark for people visiting Greenwich Village. The area also proudly claims nearby, both The Bottom Line and The Blue Note Lounge , among other clubs, comprising an integral part of New York's musical heritage. The area has also served as the point of departure for the politicization of the gay and lesbian agenda.

The lobby of the Tishman Auditorium at Vanderbilt Hall was appropriately graced with pictures of those alumnae who had gone on to distinguish themselves in their respective legal careers, many of them pioneering new ground for women in the legal profession. Not the least of these is Judith S. Kaye, Chief Justice of the New York Court of Appeals. Justice Kaye is the first woman to occupy this office, the highest judicial position in New York State. Another corroboration of the increasing role of women in public life!

As a result of some energetic disturbances during several prior events at the Tishman Auditorium, the security personnel were apprehensive about the likelihood of trouble despite assurances that this particular event had been presented around the world with almost no incident. Nevertheless campus security believed that they knew the area and their clientele! The additional security personnel and the unusual mode of entry into the auditorium in the end proved to have been unnecessary, and almost a little comical. But the job got done and nothing else intruded upon the integrity of the program!

Ben and Stian Lorentzen opened the program with a special musical charm. Their traditional Nordic ballad style has been honed and embellished in a dramatic way under the auspices of the Manhattan Center Studios. In mid-afternoon in Lower Manhattan, with The Bottom Line to their right and The Blue Note Lounge to their left, these brothers were perfectly at home. As they sang and played, they posted their claim to a part of the surrounding musical legacy and declared their intention to stamp their mark upon it.

A senior in the College of Arts and Science at NYU, Ms. Haruko Sunaga, offered words of welcome. She commented on her struggles growing up in Japan, as the daughter of a Korean father and a Japanese mother. She then spoke of the strength and inspiration she drew from the words and example of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon in overcoming difficulties and in deepening her resolve to contribute to society.

Mrs. Kathy Van Noy, a woman of distinguished public service in the greater New York area and currently a Vice President of the National Black Republican Council introduced Mrs. Moon to the audience of students and invited guests of WFWP. She stressed the role of the family unit as the means to promote healing in a distressed society and the importance of Mrs. Moon's message in our contemporary culture. Having met Mrs. Moon at prior WFWP events and immediately before this event, Mrs. Van Noy commented on her own personal admiration and respect for Mrs. Moon. With a gracious, though strikingly beautiful appearance, Mrs. Moon greeted everyone and purposefully began to impart her message. From the outset she challenged her listeners to go beyond the habitual superficial discussions of current social maladies and to contemplate alternatively the fundamental cause for our human condition. Mrs. Moon thus led her attentive audience on an innovative philosophical and theistic review of the origins of human suffering and the struggle for liberation from a contradictory state of being. She emphasized the redemptive efforts of God in this process and His ceaseless efforts to find individuals through whom He could effect greater influence in order to empower humankind to resolve this struggle.

The role of several historic women in this process was elucidated upon by Mrs. Moon and she highlighted their sincere efforts in an appreciative and intimate manner. Her obvious empathy with these women enabled Mrs. Moon to affirm their accomplishments and to clarify their relevance as paradigms in our contemporary challenge to achieve true peace. She spoke with deep compassion of Jesus' anguish and grief at failing to find sufficient support to exploit the historical opportunity in his time to realize what Mrs. Moon referred to as "the individual heavenly kingdom, family heavenly kingdom, clan heavenly kingdom and national heavenly kingdom."

At this point in her address, Mrs. Moon had garnered the full attention of her audience. The atmosphere in the auditorium remained quiet, though actively attentive, and almost expectant for more informed insight into what history now offers. No one was disappointed or dissatisfied with her continued explanation of this reality. She dramatically spoke of the events surrounding World War II and the potential for the establishment of world peace centering upon Christianity. Mrs. Moon explained that this potential was not realized as a result of the rejection of the central agent who alone could bring all of that promise to fruition. That central agent she identified as being the Lord of the Second Advent. She explained how, in mirroring the rejection of Jesus by his contemporaries, the Reverend Moon was similarly rejected and despised.

As only a wife and life-partner could describe, she spoke poignantly of her husband's task of single-handedly recapturing that lost promise through a 40-year course. She made particular reference to her husband's efforts and achievements in order to save America because of its historical ties with Judaism, Israel, and the established Christian Churches. With her audience now awakening to the immensity of what she was saying, Mrs. Moon received thunderous applause for her plea: "We must save America."

Mrs. Moon turned towards her closing with an explanation of the crucial role that women must play in creating the context for unity and harmony throughout the world. With her announcement of the establishment of the first True Family, as the prototype for all future families, Mrs. Moon received sustained applause and appreciation. Her invitation to all to join her and her family in their efforts "to create an ideal nation and world" crowned her endearment with what was by now, her audience.

After leaving the auditorium after an enthusiastic reception, Mrs. Moon departed as graciously as she had entered. However as everyone remained in their seats listening to Ben and Stian perform their final selection, Stereo, all immediate consideration of the contents of her speech were superseded by the question, "who is this Mrs. Moon to have been able to give such an address?"