Handing Over the Reins of Leadership at UTS

Shortly following the 40th Anniversary of HSA-UWC, Dr. David S. C. Kim, who was one of the five signers of HSA's original charter, announced his retirement from the presidency of the Unification Theological Seminary. Dr. Kim, 79 years young, has served as Seminary president since 1975.

The Seminary has also announced the retirement of two other senior officers, Mr. Edwin Ang, Executive Vice-President, and Mrs. Therese Stewart, Academic Dean.

Dr. Theodore T. Shimmyo, Professor of Theology, will succeed Dr. Kim in the position of President. Dr. Bill Brunhofer is assuming Dr. Ang's responsibilities, although not the Executive Vice-President title, and Dr. Jennifer Tanabe will succeed Mrs. Stewart as Academic Dean.

The formal transition ceremony will take place on this year's commencement day, Sunday, June 26. A full report will appear in the next issue of Unification News.

Culture Confluence

by Paul Carlson

The world is coming into unity. In this article we'll take an 'internal' look at the future. (See "Principle Paradigm" for an 'external' look.) The world's cultures are disparate, and in frequent conflict. How might they harmonize?

There are many 'classic' cultural differences: between what sociologists call the world's East and West, and North and South regions. Let's check out a few examples.

Since Ruth Benedict ("The Chrysanthemum and the Sword") and others, it's been popular to compare Japan and the United States. Japan with its "flexible mystic" philosophy, and appreciation of nature. Yet a rigid social structure and code, where "the nail that sticks up gets pounded down." America with its "absolute Word" rational philosophy and desire to 'conquer' nature. Celebrating individualism--so not getting along. Japan with a "culture of shame," where "a man away from home is without shame"--and could catch AIDS. America with a "culture of sin," where gunman might cry "see you in Hell" before shooting up a workplace.

Unificationists honor Korea for the strength of its families and traditions. Where 'purity' is highly valued, particularly in women. It is said that women carried a small dagger, so that if accosted, they might die rather than be violated. However, the West might answer: "If you've got that dagger out, in your free hand--ever heard of Lorena Bobbitt?" You KNOW that offender won't "repeat" again!

There is also a vast difference between the developed North and the impoverished South. It's difficult to discuss this without the shadow of racism and colonialism emerging. Still, there are marked, age-old differences.

The South retains intense "tribal" loyalties, as does the emerging post-socialist world. (The 'Third' and 'Second' worlds, in case you were wondering.) In the North ('First' world), tribal emotions have been sublimated into sports-fan enthusiasm! (Except 'gang' throwbacks?)

The North values precision and scheduling, demanding "exact fits" and "short traffic lights" in all aspects of life. While the South, and the ex-socialists, are very casual about keeping appointments--much less setting efficiency records. (Very 'general' statements? Of course. Racist remarks? No: personal experience of the author and his family.) Yet some "multiculturalists" admire -even teach- this too casual attitude!

Thus, it's difficult to compare America's and Japan's schools--they are vastly different. Also, it isn't enough to dump loads of 'aid' into Third World countries. In Somalia the locals carted off an entire new bridge, in one day! Much teaching must be done -and accepted- beforehand.

There is a well-known example of these differences, told around Principle-workshop coffee tables: "Picture a fork in a country road, and a man standing there. Along comes a Japanese traveler. The man points, saying 'go that way'. The Japanese says 'Hai!' and takes the indicated fork. Soon a Korean comes walking. Again, the man points. The Korean says 'Grrr' and heads off on the other road. Next comes an American. Seeing the man point, he approaches and says 'why?' Last comes a Russian. He responds 'Nyet! Impossible'. He won't move, without authorization." (Note: Could anyone tell me the authorship of this story?)

As we Unificationists have married between, and done longtime missions amongst these cultures, such examples will seem obvious. More so than to many people, who've only been to the "tourist traps," if they've traveled at all.

Our very 'mixed' Blessings are now well-known; enough for a KKK-type national newspaper to proclaim us a "champion of racial mongrelization." (Author's collection.) And the Blessing is the one certain way to totally eliminate racism! Actually, 'mixed race' is now the fastest-growing 'percentage of classification' for children! There are now nationwide groups and magazines for interracial families.

Using the Divine Principle's lens, let's check some specific aspects of culture, for good or evil.

"Cain" culture is chained to its memories, condemning themselves to repeat the past. Like the "Hatfield and McCoy feud" in middle America, or the age-old "blood feuds" in the Balkans. Now amplified a millionfold there . . . Greek and Macedonian land-claims dating back 2,400 years, and Albania's 1,800 year resentment of white (Roman) Europeans. The 800 year old Bulgarian claim on Macedonian. The better- known (only!) 500 year old Serbian/Moslem Bosnian conflict.

While "abel" culture draws strength from its past, as the Jews and Koreans have done for millenniums. Living amongst others while trying to get along with them. Solzhenitsyn said that a people could be weakened by "cutting them from their roots."

Cain cultures spread their "faiths" destructively, suppressing or destroying "heathens". As depicted in the true-story film "The Mission." Abel cultures bring knowledge and better conditions to new lands. As told, hilariously, in the novel "Teahouse of the August Moon."

Cain-culture marriages are a complex mess--especially for the women. Polygamy, wife-buying, openly-kept 'mistresses' and more. Abel marriages honor one wife, straightforward. As our Dr. Hendricks has pointed out (March 1994 UNews), Christian tradition comes up short here--we need the Blessing!

Cain cultures accept misery, low castes, etc. without much comment. Abel culture and Judeo-Christian tradition seeks to alleviate disease and poverty. While "Liberation Theology" agrees with Principle that (eventually) these will be eliminated from the world! C. S. Lewis rightly condemned the 'utopian socialists' -the poor will be with us- until the Kingdom arrives!

Poverty is only one problem assailing any culture. Racism is another, and the related phenomenon of mass migration. A hundred years ago, Americans debated letting in the Italians and Irish. Now it's allowing in Third World people--much less giving them expensive welfare, health care, etc. There is a racist element; foes picture those who "wear funny headgear," or wait on street corners for traditionally menial jobs.

Our own Principled strictness and Blessing tradition are at least as 'foreign' to American society! However, like Robby Benson's character in the film "The Chosen," we can keep a powerfully faithful life, without "looking funny" on America's streets. People from all backgrounds do work to improve their towns; and to get ahead, through school, business, sports, etc. Many thoughtful people have considered what an "ideal culture" would be like. These are the fictional "utopias." Some are austerely militaristic, like Sparta was; others indulgent and intellectual like Athens. Many of these dreams are hatched on the West Coast, birthplace of many trends. In fact, California's very name comes from a medieval Spanish novel about "Queen Califa and her paradisiacal island."

Some have hoped to find a utopia already awaiting them. Reading books like Margaret Mead's on "south sea paradises." But her books, and many similar ones, have been repeatedly disproven.

Plato wrote his "Republic," about a strict culture, with children raised entirely by the State. Throughout the Middle Ages, other authors echoed his theme. Not until the French Revolution did they really try something. (Hint: They're still at it!)

There are also "anarchist" dreams, of places where no one rules--at least they're not supposed to. Classics in this genre include Huxley's "Island" and LeGuin's "The Dispossessed."

Some "New Age" writers hope for "raised consciousness" to bring in a harmonious era. Read Thea Alexander's "2150 AD." Similar "ecologically-correct" paradises are hoped for. The widespread interest in the "Biosphere" project shows this. Other such communities are said to have 'artificial' foundations, such as the rare, strange drug in Frank Herbert's "The Santaroga Barrier."

Everyone realizes that many seemingly intractable problems block the way to any kind of utopia. For example, the Third World's preference for male children. Through 'ultrasounds', and older means, there is already a 'surplus' of millions of boys! There are diehard racists and tribalists in many countries--making headlines in South Africa and Rwanda. Also 'incorrigible' criminals, of many sorts.

There are children growing up in "radicalized" nations, taught little of the larger world--and to hate it . . . Some young people live in cultures steeped in "rage and revenge," where fiery preachers swear: "My grandchildren will burn your cities!" Others are too malnourished to care that much. Even in once striving-to-be-free America, people are gassed, then burned alive. Because they were "alarming the Federal authorities." (Waco: America's answer to Tianenman Square--both were allegedly done for "public safety.")

All of these problems can and will be overcome, sooner or later. Young people don't always care to "take up the cudgels" of their spiteful parents. Even adults sometimes "see the light."

Men and women are so very different, they practically form "different cultures" all by themselves! Several books exploring this--and talking of building unity--have become best sellers. There are now simple tests that can predict the stability of a marriage quite accurately! (One wonders how our disparate Blessed couples would test out. A brother in Texas has been checking.)

Many cultures occupy entire regions, such as the Mormons in Utah or the Protestant's Bible Belt. The real utopia, the "ideal culture," will occupy many nations--eventually the whole world, then other worlds. Rev. Moon has said that, to the Saints and Angels in the spiritual world, "the world is like an ice cube." Not too formidable!

Understanding history's patterns will help shape a better future. Wise elders from many cultures will guide people from any and all backgrounds. Young people will honor the past, and gladly welcome a better future. East and West, North and South, races and nations shall flow into confluence. All can live in the Ideal Culture.

Culture as a Cure

Simon Kinney-NYC

Try this for a thought; 'When the Art of a civilization dies, the rest of civilization follows. True or false? Well, it takes no Machiavellian prognosticator to look around and imbibe the seemingly endless array of colorful expressions, known as the 'culture' of the modern world, Does the world of Art really help to shape the tide of history, or is it simply another clever and felonious 'nom de plume' for those who are less serious about taking responsibility?

Let's take a first case in point: the last four hundred years of Western Civilization. How does our pointed 'plume' figure in this rather expansive monolith of our heritage? Without question, every decade of European History during this period was besieged by a monarchical or hierarchical structure that considered imperative, the presence and preservation of an artistic mouthpiece; musical, theatrical, dramatic, literary and otherwise, as an important representation of themselves to the population 'en masse'. Why? Was it ego driven 'anima' ? Perhaps in some cases quite possibly it was. However, overriding such obstacles was something much larger and of much more universal significance, and that is it served as a creative mouthpiece through which God could project himself into the hearts and minds of humanity. From Bach's St. Matthew's Passion to Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, both expressions of eternal religiosity, we see something that impressed the consciousness of the populus at large, inspired by something higher than simply their own earthly ability. But given that this article is only a sneak preview, let's step into the present. Is modern popular culture any less relevant than that of the past? When I was at middle school, my music professor used to tell us that modern 'pop' music wasn't worth the time of day and had no real relevance whatsoever. I came to the conclusion that there were two possibilities with this particular person. Firstly, I thought he needed to have his head read; secondly, that perhaps he was deaf in both ears. It seemed that the latter was not really possible, given that he was teaching music. As for the first possibility, I couldn't really check it because I wasn't a mind reader.

Anyway, regardless, I found myself drawn to listening to 'modern' music at every given opportunity; not just for the music but also for what it was saying, because it expressed how we could gain greater happiness in a genre that seemed eternal. So, can popular culture change the way people feel and think? On the third of May, I found an article in the Los Angeles Times. There, in a conspicuously highlighted column on the third page was a piece about pop singer Amy Grant. Plauded by among others, Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush, Reagan and Clinton, Grant received the prestigious Pax Christi award from Minnesota's St. John's University. This award, which is presented annually and is always reserved for Academic Theologians, was given to her for her service to society through her music. If there are rumbles about the legitimacy of spending time in the creation of cultural models; musical, cinematic, literary or otherwise, we need to check the pendulum of reality; for even though God's will is eternal, times do change within it.

Bio: Simon Kinney is an Operatic Conductor and on the staff of the Manhattan Center.

Book Review: The Celestine Prophecy

by Nora Spurgin 
by James Redfield Publisher: Warner Books Time Warner Company

Recently, someone dropped this current bestseller on my desk, suggesting that I might enjoy reading it. Since I spend three hours on the bus each way on my trips to New York, a good book is often welcome.

I began reading the book and couldn't put it down. The Celestine Prophecy is a novel-it is fiction-an adventure story which might be considered mediocre were it to be viewed solely as entertainment. However, woven into the adventure story is another story: it is the story of spiritual growth. The Celestine Prophecy is a spiritual quest which takes its hero through Peru with the Peruvian government in hot pursuit as he searches for, and finds, chapter after chapter of an ancient manuscript.

With the discovery of each of the nine chapters, called "insights", is the contemplation of that insight and its application to real life in the remainder of the journey.

Now, why am I recommending this book to Unificationists? The book is laced with spiritual truths and their applications to life which fit so closely with the truths we have learned through the Divine Principle. The content of the book is not only new age or spiritual; it is historical, psychological, philosophical, religious and prophetic.

The eighth insight was especially meaningful to me. It is about relationships-parent and child, men and women. Especially beautiful is the description of the male-female relationship.

"When love first happens, the two individuals are giving each other energy unconsciously and both people feel buoyant and elated.... Unfortunately, once they expect this feeling to come from the other person, they cut themselves off from the energy in the universe and begin to rely even more on the energy from each other," the relationship ultimately "degenerates into a power struggle." The mystical energy that we can tap as an inner source is both male and female." If we connect prematurely with a human source for female or male energy, we block the universal supply."

The insight explains further that we are meant to first seek "wholeness" with the higher energy source, then, as whole individuals, relate to each other.

Then, in the ninth insight, called "The Emerging Culture," in the midst of many prophetic statements, a few sentences jump out. "The manuscript says that sometime in history one individual would grasp the exact way of connecting with God's source of energy and direction and would thus become a lasting example that this connection is possible.... It said that this individual would blaze a path that the whole human race was destined to follow."

To me, the fact that many people throughout America are reading The Celestine Prophecy is an indication that God is preparing people in many different ways. This popular book is being used as a topic for discussion groups and workshops. It is interesting and enlightening reading as well as an excellent opener for discussions on spiritual topics. It is, therefore, good for us to be aware of its contents.

I recently attended a meeting in New York City at which James Redfield, the author, spoke. I had the opportunity to give him a copy of True Parents' speech, "True Parents and the Completed Testament Age." Let the spirit work!

American Education

by Ken Hendricks

Naturally, as parents, we should be concerned with the overall quality of education presented in our public schools, since it is integrally related to the education we give our children in our homes. We as parents believe that our children will receive an education which is in line with our own personal and collective views. We all want our children to be smart. But we also want them to be good. We want them to achieve high intellectual scores. But we want them to develop the "heart" to help us too in our endeavor to raise our families. Parents expect a lot from their children.

Today's parents do not accept the false notion that society is to blame for an individual's failure. I personally came from a poor background. I distinctly remember seeing my parents' income tax form one year sometime back in the '60s. Together they had made less than $6,000 that year. We lived in a three-room house made from railroad ties and mud, which sank about two feet into the ground so that the windows were at ground level. There was no running water. There was no indoor plumbing. We used an outhouse in back for which my father dug a new hole each year, and my brother and I carried water in our little red wagon for drinking and washing on a daily and weekly basis respectively. All of this I did until I was sixteen years old, until I was a sophomore in high school. That was 1965. Throughout all this my parents made very clear their expectation of me. In retrospect, I'm sure I disappointed them, sadly. But that's a different story. Today I believe the education I got at home thirty years ago far surpassed what I learned in any school I've attended. My poverty didn't lead me to crime. I respect elders even now greeting them with a yes, sir or hi, ma'am, and I will never allow my integrity to be compromised. That is me. But what about others?

Violent crime has been on the rise in America in epidemic proportions now for the past couple of decades. Why? I don't believe it has peaked yet. Many of those involved in drug dealings and violent assaults were not uneducated. In fact, those who have taken to crime are very aware of what they're doing.

So, what of their education? Just last week in our local newspaper, another study revealed once again that American students were at the bottom of the list (on the average) in math and sciences, as opposed to Asian and other foreign students. (However, some of the top scorers came from North Dakota.) This downward trend in American education is frightening. It leads us to really question the validity and integrity of the contents of that education and of those who make the decisions concerning the education of our young. Perhaps some of those very fundamental decisions were wrong, or at best, were inadequate in dealing with the problems. The true judging of it all lies in the results-the proof of the pudding is in the eating. In addition, we parents have not always been as active in the educational process as we should have, leaving much of the work to others whom we have trusted to make the right decisions. However, parental involvement is absolutely essential in securing the welfare of our children. I believe that it is because of our own indolence that we have become a second-rate nation morally, spiritually and educationally.

The budget we discuss here tonight is not really the concern. Although to some taxpayers, it's a big concern. However, if moneys spent were producing an outstanding result, we would hear very few complaints. Therefore, we would like to make this suggestion: Hold the budget. Freeze it. Make no more increases for up to five years if necessary. More money does not equal more education. In fact, it probably exacerbates the problems we are facing. Stop it now. Then together with a group of citizenry representing parents (PTAs), businessmen, city council, school board officials, teachers, clergy and students, whomever, let's work on improving the contents of the curriculum until there is an increase in our efficiency output in all areas, not just one.

On this same note, the education of our young is not something for profit or for one's own interest. It is a service paid for by the public taxes in hopes of attaining the greatest benefit, the education of our youth. Public education is not a business. In business, if an employee doesn't perform well or put out, he or she is usually let go. Tenured employees tend to slacken in their performance over the years. Unreasonable pay hikes for mediocre performance go against the basic economic principles this country was built on. Misappropriated funding breeds corruption. Taxation without representation breeds revolution. Unprofitable businesses manufacturing inferior products usually shut down or are run out of town. Without a doubt, the future of public education is in jeopardy. Mind you, we are not against pay hikes, tenured benefits or the like. We only ask moderation and quality performance for the money invested. You must patrol yourselves and bring back integrity to education. If anyone is here just for the job or just for the money, then get out. But if one is sincerely concerned with raising our young to be the best that they can be, then by all means bite the bullet together with us and let us all sacrifice a little more to make success happen.

Now may I address our second point-the quality of curriculum? The primary concern for us tonight should not be placed on the dollar amount of the budget itself, but on the contents of what the budget is funding. What is that budget being used for? Where is it going? Are we paying $2,000 for a $20 hammer? Are we providing our youth quality or waste? Are all courses taught suitable for our children? Which courses are X-Rated, and which are not?

Granted, some aspects of the budget are absolutely necessary. Maintenance or the addition of teachers for greater classroom efficiency are entirely reasonable. Mandated salaries in periodic increments? Well, most parents I know don't have THAT kind of financial security. Ethics. Ideals. Morals. Principles. Standards. Where are they? Today a child is taught to read, write, count, compute, draw, sing, formulate abstract thought, etc. But after that, then what? Houses made of mediocre wood and stone are not good houses. A society made up of mediocre individuals does not garner a better society.

Of course, the argument goes like this. Children should learn those values in their home (and I believe most do). Most parents teach their children to be loving and compassionate. Most parents teach their children to respect parents and elders. Most parents teach their children to seek peace, not war. Most parents teach their children prosperity as opposed to poverty. Most parents teach their children not to have sex before marriage. Parents do not hand over condoms to their children. Yes, I believe that most parents teach their children various forms of ethics, morals, ideals, principles and standards. These are the most natural things that a child learns from birth. Why then are they not being reinforced in our school systems? Basically, our schools should be extensions of our families on a larger social level. Why should the standards, morals and ethics at school be different from those at home or-the worst-case scenario-nonexistent? It leads us to believe that the individualism expressed in America today is very wrong. It is deceptive, coercive and self-destructive. Public schools are not the place to teach this kind of individualism. Why am I dwelling on these points? Well, primarily because what I'm saying is directly related to curriculum. Most school curricula do not support the standards and mores taught in a home, and therefore the result is a confused child and an abnormal amount of unproductive individuals. I believe that this aberration is directly related to America's most serious problem, namely, its insatiable preoccupation with sex and sexually-related activities. Let's face it, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot teach children to beware of society's dangers if we are teaching them to deviate from accepted norms and standards. Please excuse me, but I must ask each one of you these questions:

1. Do you have young children?

2. Do you personally know what is being taught as sex education here in our district?

3. Have you seen the materials?

4. Would you encourage your teenage children to go out and have sex?

5. Do you advocate abstinence as a deterrent to AIDS?

6. Would you encourage your 10-, 11-, 12-year-old to masturbate?

7. Do you believe that homosexuality is normal?

8. Do you use condoms as a preventative to AIDS?

9. If you knew someone was HIV-positive, would you still have sex with them, protected by a condom?

Why then in God's good name would a board of educators elected and appointed by local citizenry allow things to be taught which they themselves wouldn't think appropriate for themselves or their own children?

In an article in the Unification Church newsletter HeartWing, Mrs. Hope Igarashi, a mother of four, mentioned that masturbation was condoned in so-called health videos presented in her son's school in Weehawken. I don't believe that the integrity of human beings has to be reduced so low as to sit around and masturbate every time one has a sexual urge. Whatever happened to self-control? If masturbation is such a cure-all for sexual tension, then perhaps we should have public forums where we all masturbate together, then begin our meetings. Perhaps fathers and sons and mothers and daughters should masturbate together as a means to deepen parent-child bonding?

I won't go into the whole sexual catalog of activities under consideration to be taught even at the kindergarten level, or now being taught in public and private schools. The truth of the matter is that premature sexual activities do not enlighten a child's character. Rather, premature sexual activities demean a child's character, confusing the individual and inhibiting normal growth. We see this all the time in child-abuse cases. If we were to reveal the contents of what is being taught in public schools as sex education, we would find the materials bordering on the pornographic and the advice abusive. The truth of the matter is that the human being is a spiritual being first, and a physical being second. Our mind is our subject. Our body is supposed to be the object to our will. We are meant to control ourselves, not succumb to ourselves. Integrity and pride are spiritual elements, not sexual elements.

A second case in point which illustrates what I've just said occurred at last month's PTA meeting. There we received a condensed version of a guidance course called "Risk Behavior," primarily concerned with individuals plagued with suicidal tendencies, but a crossover for other problems such as sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, family problems, etc. There we saw a 40-minute video about some very destructive messages in rock music and the power they have over our teens. At the conclusion of the program, the parents expressed dismay at the contents, but not alarm. The consensus of the twelve or so parents there was: "each parent was shocked at what they saw and heard, but each parent was not alarmed because he or she felt that one's own child would not participate in those forms of aberrant activity in particular."

In essence, the feeling I received from these parents was that they had enough confidence in their children to believe that they wouldn't do such a deviant thing as take drugs, date rape, or fornicate. These were the opinions of parents of children going to our schools. Therefore, reciprocally, don't you think we should reinforce those parents' beliefs that their children have the integrity to want to fulfill their parents' will first and their own wills second, even if it means denying themselves? We should not be afraid to ask our youth to sacrifice themselves for a higher purpose. In the case of sacrificing sex, is it too much to support the notion that the ultimate outcome would be a stable marital relationship and the fulfillment of their ideal of love? For a child to know that his or her parents expect the highest forms of integrity and obedience is a blessing, not a curse. In reality, for a parent to place limits upon a child is truly an act of love from the parent.

If parents aren't giving their children condoms, why then in God's good name are school boards doing it? If parents aren't telling their children to masturbate, why in God's good name are school boards doing it? Why would a school board allow something to be taught which their constituency wouldn't think appropriate for their own children? I'm not making these things up. In New York City they're handing out condoms as a preventative for AIDS. In fact, it's a law there. Sounds good. But no one tells the kids that condoms were never meant to prevent AIDS. They don't tell kids that the size of sperm is about 10,000 times larger than the AIDS virus. They don't tell kids that abstinence is the best surefire way to deter AIDS. By giving kids condoms they are placing our children at lethal risk. In light of AIDS, giving kids condoms is worse than child abuse. It is akin to manslaughter, if not first-degree murder.

My suggestion is this: this year initiate new courses on ethics, morality, spirituality, religion and the Divine. These classes do not have to violate any form of constitutional rights in that they can be formulated and agreed upon by us, ourselves, for our community, in an attempt to deter further negative results due to the lack of these disciplines. Since we are created beings unable to create ourselves, unable to pick and choose our parents or our dates and places of birth, these courses should emphasize the characteristics and nature of an omniscient, omnipresent Creator. And what's the harm if that Creator should be called God? These courses should underscore the necessity of virtue, respect and honor. They should accentuate the expression of goodness, decency and morality. They should emphasize abstinence as the absolute deterrent to AIDS.

Health classes should deal with anatomy from purely a biological viewpoint. Genuine sex education along with its spiritual aspect should be taught in a religious context, not a secular one. Virginity and chastity should be held up with the highest integrity. Excess and overindulgence should be treated and labeled for what it is: substance abuse. Promiscuity, adultery and infidelity should be treated like any other disease, with serious consequences for character unbecoming. Self-control, not self-indulgence, should be the focus and goal. Homosexuality should be labeled just what it is: an aberration with no place in a godly society. Children emulate what they see. Without clear values and role models to learn from, they grow up at a severe disadvantage. If we are to change the way we've done things in the past, we must do it now.

Therefore, these ideas should be religious in nature and can be formulated by a host of local parents, clerics, social workers, psychologists, etc., through the consolidation of basic principles, non-reflective on any one denomination, but uplifting to all. Denial of an all-powerful creative being preexistent of our existence is fundamentally wrong. Such a godly being must be included in all we do in order that we have a standard toward which to strive.

A Visit to the Little Angels School

by Gregory Breland

Being in Korea to organize the ICUS Planning Board meeting in preparation for the 20th ICUS, as well as attend the 40th Anniversary of HSA-UWC, after everything was finished I made a visit to the Little Angels School in Seoul to see what the Western program there was really like. Escorted by Michael and Soon-ja Richardson, I got my first look at the inside workings of the program.

The Little Angels School is a large complex consisting of an elementary, middle and high school as well as a Performing Arts Center. The Farewell Banquet for the 40th Anniversary was held at the Performing Arts Center, the entertainment being provided by the Universal Ballet and the Little Angels, themselves. Because of the high academic and artistic standard and beautiful buildings, the school has the nick name of the "Juliard of Korea."

The Western and Japanese students have a separate building toward the back of the complex where they study in separate classrooms. The first year which starts in late August includes: Korean Language, Math, English and Korean History, it is called the General Orientation Program (GOP). Those who successfully complete the first year have another 6 months or so of intense Korean and are eligible in April to start their first year of Korean Middle School with a teacher who only speaks Korean and in a classroom full of Korean students. To state it mildly, it is a challenge.

Though it is difficult to be away from home for an extended period for these 12-13 year olds, they, for the most part, seem to adjust making good friends among the other Blessed Children. In fact their experience is similar to "center life." 20 Westerners and 20 Japanese are accepted each year and they all live together dormitory style near campus. It was the original intention that the children be housed in church member's homes and be taken in as part of the family while they attended school in Korea. The expenses of each child is covered by the parents. Primarily because of the Korean custom of treating guests like kings, there has been difficulty in getting members to volunteer their homes. Another consideration may also be the smallness of the living space in Seoul. Some progress is being made, though. Over the last Christmas break many Western children stayed in a Korean home with very good results.

Some disappointment has been expressed in that no Western child has graduated, as yet, from the Little Angels High School although several Japanese children have and some have even gone on to study in a Korean college. It is hoped by some of the organizers that more can be expected from the Western children and this will help them to be more serious and accomplish more while in Korea. Each child with his parents decides the length of time the child will stay at the school, and this is done usually a year at a time, though it is recommended that children coming in make a commitment for two years. Presently the cost for room, food, tuition and incidentals in $405 per month and does not include air fare to and from Seoul.

In comparison to the colorful walls I am accustomed to seeing in America, the classrooms at the Little Angels School are in stark contrast. The walls are bare except for a blackboard at one end, in front of which in the teacher's desk and rows of desks. It is interesting to note that while they may not have as many computers or educational aids, that Korean students score significantly higher than their American counterparts on standardized tests. The training the students receive appear to serve them well not only educationally, but, also, emotionally and spiritually.

Another significant aspect of the program is the strict separation of the sexes. Whereas in American schools things are getting out of hand with flirting, dating, talk about sex in the classroom, teen-age pregnancy and condom disbursement, there is, relatively speaking, none of that in Korea. At this formative age of early teens this may be one of the program's strongest assets.

June 1994