October 1995

What It All Boils Down To

UViews September

Ha! I've out-rushed Rush Limbaugh. Don't you just know his next book was going to be entitled, "What It All Boils Down To"?

What it all boils down to is that "love and sex" are the dividing line between good and evil. If our motivation for and practice of love and sexuality are centered on God, we are on the side of goodness. If our motivation for and practice of love and sexuality are centered on ourselves, we are on the side of evil. This is because, spiritually and physically, love is the root of life and lineage, the root of culture and civilization. Human beings became very confused at the beginning, and therefore this reality of the dividing line between good and evil has been obscured for millennia.

In the Garden of Eden, it was simple. "Do not eat the fruit", God commanded man and woman, meaning the fruit of love and sex. Adam and Eve, beguiled in part by the interference of a misguided archangel named Lucifer, came up with all kinds of reasons and motivations to disregard this commandment of God. The result was that they initiated their conjugal relationship prematurely. Frivilous as this might sound to today's ears, this action placed them personally, irrevocably on the side of evil. As a result they fell into total ignorance. They couldn't even raise their own family to stay together. Murder, rape, pillage, it all started there.

But there was lots of geography to explore, and humankind divided into tribes wandering across continents, and for millennia our ancestors struggled were over possession of land and populations. Those struggles ended with the close of the second World War, when ideology emerged as the battleground. Christians had come a 2,000 year course, realizing many truths and ideals. They were on the verge of readiness to find out what everything boils down to. This is when the ideological war began, full-swing. Who is going to define truth? What is right and wrong? What is the foundation for the creation of one world?

Left and Right

The leading contenders for dominance have risen and fallen in rapid succession. Marxism taught that history is determined by material forces which congeal in the economy. Political scientists believed that history is shaped by those who can manipulate men and armies based upon the quest for power. Modernizers taught that the scientists and engineers would rule the future. Now race and gender are the leading contenders for explaining why things are the way they are. These too will fall away, revealing the final inalterable fact: love and sex, and their immediate familial repercussions, determine the course of history. This is the battlefield of the cultural war.

On the one side: the family and its attendant values of fidelity, stability, loyalty, compassion, commitment, sacrifice, nurture, discipline, responsibility, etc. On the other side: the non-family and its attendant values of self-expression, self-fulfillment, selfishness, individualism, infidelity, instability, disloyalty, betrayal, irresponsibility, promiscuity, profligacy, abandonment, etc. On the one hand, exalting the grandfather and grandmother, the father, the mother, the husband and wife, the brother and sister, the child. On the other hand, exalting the playboy, the seductress, the . . . that's about it, folks. The free-sex social model has two roles: the playboy and the seductress. Oh yes, and their victims: the seduced and abandoned. Oh yes, and their other victims: the fetal tissue, otherwise known as children.

The sides are clear. The right stands for the family model. To believe in this model and practice it means to put responsibility for human lives in the hands of the parents, and trusting that the parents will do the job. This translates into policies which give us responsibility to take care of ourselves within the biological family and kinship structure. You make your bed, you sleep in it.

The left stands for the family model, too, but with a twist so great as to render the term meaningless, for in this view the government should fulfill the familial functions, in particular educating, feeding, clothing, housing, providing work. This is known otherwise as the welfare state, everywhere shown to be hazardous to human health. The government makes your bed, and everyone sleeps in it.

Thus, the valuation of the family, which emerges from one's view of love and sex, is the determinative factor separating the political left and right.

The Grateful Dead and Pop Government

So in this context, let's look again at sex education. But I'm going to get to it in a `round about way, by posing the question: why did the miserable, hospital death of rock'n'roll musician Jerry Garcia merit adulatory, front-page coverage by the New York Times? Why does my local public television station kick off its annual fund-raising drive with several hours of Garcia and his musical group the Grateful Dead? The reason is that this man and this group were the last artifact of the 60s' pop culture.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not your average red-necked bigot. I'm a very unusual red-necked bigot. I watched Phil Lesh drool through "Viola Lee Blues" in 1966, stood beside Pig Pen digging Chuck Berry at Winterland in 1967, and danced away many a cosmic aeon to the two-hour version of "Good Lovin" behind the stage at the Family Dog in 1969. With no attempt to hide my arrogance I can say, "been there, done that" and liked it to death. The problem can be stated in the words which no one listened to in John Lennon's conclusion to "God" (1971), to wit: "the dream is over".

I heard those words loud and clear, because it was true. But that was just when the great American capitalist machine was losing all its moral foundation (behind the smokescream of the anti-war saints of complaint). The dream brokers turned a foolish summer fling into a mass-marketed commodity, milked a generation dry and kept them wired into dope, sex and television, chanting, in effect: "it's still the 60s/make love not war/it's still the 60s/make love not war/it's still the 60s/make love not war . . ." We hear the echoes in the pop government run by today's White House.

Well, the 60s' "God" is singing about tears in heaven, and Garcia is literally dead. But the beat goes on in another artifact of the 60s: sex-education. Sex Ed is brought to you by the same folks who put Mr. Garcia on the front-pages, and is paid for by Uncle Sam (the invisible taxpayer), who, indeed, has been hiding out in a rock'n'roll band.

Sex and the Single Social Psychologist

Okay, I can tolerate my children being taught the plastic morality of secular humanism: don't smoke cigarettes, don't abuse alcohol, don't do marijuana and shoot heroin. Like, yeah, I mean, sure, I don't want them to smoke, drink and take drugs, so, hey, go ahead, knock yourself out. I've got no problem with the D.A.R.E. organization being subsidized millions of dollars trying to become a teenage status symbol, other than that it doesn't work.

But, is it really necessary that my thirteen-year old "be able to compare and contrast the structures and functions of the male and female reproductive systems"? "describe social changes that occur in adolescence"? "identify coping mechanisms for dealing with social and emotional difficulties during adolescence"?

Sex Ed, as described in my local middle school's "course expectations", is the funneling of the fruits of the last thirty years of social psychology dissertations into children's heads, with dogmatic kindness, in the context of softening their psyches with images of sexual organs and discussions of what to do with them. This could be viewed as insidious.

As I was growing up I had one hour of sex education. It stimulated a burning question for me: "how does the sperm get to the egg"? It must have for millions of other 12 year olds, because the curriculum now includes "the process of fertilization". So now we have kids waking up at night and walking in on their parents . . . "Gee, dad, are you and mom taking part in the process of fertilization?"

Or, better still, the answer to "where did I come from?" is, "Well, Johnny, you were the result of a process of fertilization. Your mom and I were responding to the onset of certain developing hormonal mechanisms while coping with the usual social and emotional dynamics attendant to adolescence, and after deliberating on it for about ten minutes while her parents were away, your mom got fertilized!"

I try to point out how ludicrous this is in order to shed light on its results: more teen pregnancy, more violence against women, more drug abuse, more poverty, more suicide . . . nothing good, nothing good at all has come out of sex education. Are people more "adjusted" now than thirty years ago? Are they "enjoying" sex more? Do they have less "hang-ups"? Is racism being overcome? Is poverty being eliminated? Has our society produced any great works of art? any great philosophical statements? any great ANYTHING?

And I'm sorry, but great machines [computers, jets, phones] do not cut the mustard. They really are the products of nerds, a few of whom have become rich and famous, but from the point of view of cultural enrichment, it is nerdsville.

Two and a Half Arguments for Sex Education, and Why They Don't Work

Argument One: Sex education is just teaching facts; the parents teach the values.

Answer A: Let's presume it is true that sex ed just teaches facts. Treating the human body, in particular human sexuality, as just a biological fact is to divorce it from reality so radically as to undermine the meaning of sexuality and humanness. I've written on this elsewhere, so I won't pursue it.

Answer B: There is no separating facts and values. The facts you teach are selected according to your values. Someone in the 50s or 60s suddenly applied a new value system (new in modern history) which legitimated sex being a subject taught children in schools. Such a premise is justified only by a secular humanist value system which denies God. This ideology sees all values (except its own) as being relative to cultural conditioning.

Argument Two: Okay, we do teach values, but they are very good ones, such as mutual respect, being happy with yourself, and communicating openly and honestly. Let's translate that:

Mutual respect = homosexuality and bi-sexuality are as good as heterosexuality.

Being happy with yourself = 10% of children should have an environment in which they can feel proud to affirm their homosexual desires. The rest should have an environment in which they can feel proud to affirm their heterosexual and auto-erotic desires.

Communicating openly and honestly = the teacher and school psychologist should know everything about the child's thoughts having to do with sex.

Am I exaggerating? I hope so, but I fear not. October, 1995, is officially declared Homsexuality/Lesbian History Month by the NEA (National Education Association-the teachers' union-the biggest union in the country). By a two-thirds vote they recommended that all public schools promote homosexuality during October. (And you can be sure it is their friends who are producing the curricula, posters, calendars, etc. etc. for the schools to buy with your tax dollars.)

Argument Three: Without sex ed, our society's sexual degeneracy would be much worse.

Answer: To answer this is a delicious temptation I must forego for lack of space. But consider one point: This argument presupposes that in the 50s, when sex ed was being thought out and first introduced, there was an enormous collapse of sexual morality taking place, and the inventors of sex ed were mobilizing resources to stop it. However, this is not the case. The collapse came after the introduction of sex ed.

I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that no one promoted sex ed in the 50s as a way to curb sexual immorality. They promoted it as a way to take the burden off parents and to provide children more clear information, so that their attitudes about sex would be more informed and "healthy". I'll admit I'm not well-read in this area, so I'm more than willing to be corrected. But I'll bet that it was only after the 60s that sex educators started making the claim that without sex ed the decline would be much worse.

Here is the question to ask your local public school sex educator: is their curriculum "directive" or "non-directive"? "Directive" methods are far more effective than "non-directive" in terms of promoting sexual purity. One good such curriculum is called "Facing Reality".

"Non-directive" or "psychological" methods just give the children all the "value-free" options and a free condom. And concerning "prevention" education about condoms, ask if the curriculum informs the students of the failure-rate of condoms (about 15% at best).

I recently received mailings from the Concerned Women of America (Beverly LaHaye) and Eagle Forum (Phyllis Schlafly) about sex ed. It is rare one recommends a mailing, but these were eye-opening.

Transcending Religious Boundaries

Why did couples of every faith participate in the Blessing on August 25? Until 1992 the Blessing Ceremony was almost exclusively a Unificationist event. However, from the Aug. 25, 1992 ceremony, those of other religious traditions were invited to participate. Some participants shared the following comments:

"We're Catholic, but I feel we promote the same things as Unificationists, which include: world peace, world understanding, and a world more responsive to God. People may say, "What blessing can Rev. Moon give that a Catholic priest can't give?" Well, we need blessing anytime-the more of it, the better. I thought, at first, that this was for the young couples, but how wonderful for my wife and me to renew our marriage commitment." Manuel D. Punzal, Ph.D., Philippines (1995 participant)

"Being able to participate in this big event makes me feel I'm part of a big congress of men and women who are, together, searching for brotherhood, peace and harmony." Stella Maris Punzal, Philippines (1995 participant)

"When I was invited to participate in the Blessing, I felt it was a rare opportunity. My wife insisted that we be blessed by a saintly man like Rev. Sun Myung Moon. It was like being blessed by our own parents. That's the feeling of my heart. This inter-religious blessing is unique in the world. In being blessed, we have an opportunity to pay respect to Rev. Moon. He has been uniting the world, spending thousands of dollars for the world and for helping people to understand one another. he deserves special respect." A Muslim professor of philosophy from the Indian subcontinent (blessed in 1992)

"I have opted to be blessed. On the 25th I will be in Seoul with my husband's picture and he will be in Delhi with my picture. Ridiculous? No...one always needs blessings from God whether He works through a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or anyone. There is a Sanskrit saying: `The whole globe is one family.' We must care about different nations and people. There is a crisis of human values today in which many people have become empty of meaning, empty of love, tolerance, humility, empathy, nonviolence. We need to build ideal families with faith in God and true relationships of love between one another." Dr. Promilla Kapur, sociologist, counselor, author (Hindu)

"The relationship thing-I have so many friends in the Unification Church, people who have had faith in me, given me opportunities, and who have affected the direction of my scholarship. I wanted to be in the Blessing with them.

"The Blessing is the central ritual of the Unification Church-doing the central ritual with my very good friends was an honor. Beyond that, there was simply an exotic side, a unique side that attracted me. It had a lot of magic to be getting `married' again-and what if we really are married for eternity?" American philosophy teacher and organizational development consultant, 1992 participant, multi- religious

"You can't be too committed as a couple. The Blessing ceremony adds reaffirmation. My husband and I try to do a lot of work in the world. Rev. Moon's couples are committed to each other and to making the world a better place. I have tremendous respect for the couples that go through their matching and then are blessed, for it is difficult to create true relationships. Being part of the group of people who can make that commitment and take the path is something I honor-I am proud to have shared the Blessing with them." Assistant professor from America, Christian background

"Some people have theological boundaries. This Blessing goes beyond theological boundaries. After all, God created all religions. Roadblocks between religions aren't from God.

"In my country's tradition, relatives monitor who will be the best match for you-it is a communal act. Rev. and Mrs. Moon are like parents who have the authority to bless just as parents do in my native tradition. This Blessing is unique, it's not meant just for the individual family but for the whole bloodline." Professor of religion, Anglican from Africa

Top-Ten and Low-Five Strategies are Disciplined Approaches to Investing

by Garry Barker

Discipline is one of the first rules in successful investing, particularly with stocks. Emotions often can get the better of investors, causing them to react too quickly, only to regret their actions later. Two time-tested investment strategies, based on stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA),* have shown that discipline can pay off over time. The strategies are often known as top-ten and low-five.

The top-ten approach

Top-ten investors buy the ten-highest yielding stocks in the djia and hold them for 12 months. After 12 months, investors sell any stocks that are no longer among the top ten and buy any that are new to the list.

The low-five strategy

Investors employing the low-five strategy purchase the five lowest- priced of the ten highest-yielding djia stocks. They hold the stocks for 12 months, after which time they readjust their portfolios so that they continue to own the five lowest-priced of the ten highest- yielding djia stocks.

Reasons behind the strategies

There are four primary reasons why investors have used the top-ten and low-five disciplines:

1. The stocks are blue chip names. The 30 companies in the djia are generally considered to be large and financially sound. Thus, they are viewed as relatively conservative.

2. The stocks are out of favor. When you buy the highest-yielding stocks, you are in effect purchasing issues that are out of favor. The high yield usually means the share prices are depressed.

3. The yields tend to support the stock prices in down markets. Stocks that offer moderate dividend yields tend to perform better during weak markets than stocks that do not offer a dividend.

4. Historical performance has been impressive. Both strategies have proven to be effective over time, according to "Beating the Dow," a monthly newsletter edited by John Downes (and a book of the same name by Michael O'Higgins with John Downes). From January 1973 through December 1994, a portfolio containing the top ten DJIA stocks would have posted average annual compound growth of 17.1% per year.** A low- five DJIA stock portfolio would have posted a 20.6% growth rate.** The DJIA rose 10.9% over the same time period. These returns assume reinvestment of dividends each 12 months, exclude brokerage commission costs, and assume the investment was made on the first trading day of the year. However, O'Higgins writes, "It doesn't matter what 12-month period is used as long as it is used consistently over time."

Information and data in this report were obtained from sources considered reliable. Their accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed and the giving of the same is not to be deemed a solicitation on dean witter's part with respect to the purchase or sale of securities or commodities.

* Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is the property of Dow Jones & Company, Inc., which is unaffiliated with and has not participated in any way in the creation of the top-ten or low-five strategies or the selection of stocks therein.

** Past performance does not guarantee future results. While the top- ten and low-five strategies outperformed the DJIA is some years, they underperformed the DJIA in other years.

The Meeting and Betrothal, Aug. 20, 1995

by Marie Ang-Seoul, Korea

Just a few hours before our family was to leave for Korea, we received a phone call, informing us that our son, Dohi, had just been matched to a Korean girl, Jin Hee Kang. She lives in Seoul. What a myriad of thoughts one entertains in an airplane flying across the Pacific Ocean, to meet a future daughter-in-law from a very different culture. Electric excitement!

At the airport we were met by our daughter, Joni, along with her fiance, Jin Man Choi, as well as our host, Mr. Michael Richardson. We learned that there was to be a meeting at the training center where the newly-matched couples could meet each other. Of course, we were eager to go there, so we were driven there directly from Kimpo Airport along the Han River to the training center. Tricia Wentworth, who was the Blessed Family Department's representative from Region One (Boston), also rode with us because no one was there to meet her at the airport.

As we arrived at the training center, it was pouring rain. We made a quick entrance under umbrellas into the center, where excitement was mounting as brothers and sisters were gathering in the hall upstairs. Word was going around the True Children were coming and Hyun Jin Nim would be speaking. It was a gathering especially for the newly-matched Second-Generation couples, so we were really happy to have been taken there.

Jin Man helped show Dohi where he could go to prepare for this occasion and the rest of us also changed into our good clothes. Then we scurried upstairs where we met another Western parent, Mrs. Gertrud Koch. We entered the hall, where Rev. Zin Moon Kim was giving a report on True Father's activities, in Korea, of course. We just sat and soaked up the atmosphere, noting the many Second Generation members sitting near the front and then the many parents sitting near the back of the room.

After several members of the True Family made their entrance, Hyun Jin Nim began to speak. When he started to speak seriously about the meaning of the Blessing and marriage, he used a translator (Rev. Zin Moon Kim). He spoke to the Second-Generation blessing candidates, starting with the question, "Why does the Unification Church stress the Blessing so much?" And why has Father spent hours on so many occasions detailing all aspects of the relationship between men and women? He spoke seriously, yet at times with laughter and humor, of the importance of the Principle of Creation, and the importance of purity.

According to tradition, all of the brothers were sitting on the right side of the room, and the sisters were seated on the left side of the room. When Hyun Jin Nim finished speaking, he asked the brothers and sisters to move from their chairs and sit on the floor next to the sides of the room. Then, as Holy Songs were being softly played on the piano, adding to the creation of a truly heavenly atmosphere, the announcement of each brother and sister was made, beginning with his or her father's name. The brother and sister stood up and quickly made their way to the center of the room where they bowed and walked up to the podium where Hyun Jin Nim presented them with their matching pictures. As a new couple, they then went before True Parents' picture and bowed in gratitude and acceptance for this great gift of a spouse for eternity! They were then seated as a couple. We were really moved as we watched these young men and women come together as couples, realizing that each match was really made in heaven by God and True Parents! Along with a deep joy that moved one to tears, there was the excitement of the moment which caused one to just about burst with happiness and anticipation of the future for each couple.

You can imagine, even at this very solemn occasion, the flurry of excitement, not only in the hearts of each young man and woman, but also in the back half of the hall as parents and friends craned their necks and tiptoed to see their son or daughter or friend, and their "match"! So many photos were taken of the rather embarrassed couples as they walked back to their seats!

Following the final prayer, the couples were surrounded by their families and, after introductions and greetings, went downstairs to eat lunch together, and share more. Jo Won Seuk kindly sat with our family and the Kang family to help us communicate and learn more about our soon-to-be daughter-in-law and her family, as we shared with them about our lives.

It was at this point that we began to feel a tangible relationship with Korea as we were getting to know the Kang family. We felt some judgment that he hadn't learned more Korean. However, that overwhelming feeling of an eternal connectedness with other families, interwoven together, was an awesome experience. The families with whom our two children were being blessed also had two children receiving the blessing.

This is just a glimpse into our family's experiences during the week of the International Holy Wedding. There are thousands of stories to be told, and they will, no doubt, be passed down to future generations.

The International Holy Wedding

by Marie Ang-Seoul, Korea

August 25, 1995, the day of the world-wide Blessing of 360,000, was here after many months of both spiritual and physical preparation from 160 nations! The day dawned in the "Land of the Morning Calm" with a third day of heavy continuous rain. One could sense Heavenly Father was washing clean the earth for such an occasion and baptizing these couples with heavenly rain.... It poured!

As we entered the stadium, we saw row after row of umbrellas which were covering the brides and grooms encircling the stadium. Each person was given a bag with a drink and a cake in it. So we found our way to some seats and proceeded to just take in the awesomeness of this day and the meaning it had for each couple.

As I gazed out at these precious brothers and sisters, I thought of how this moment is changing each life forever. There was a wide spectrum of age represented, from the young second-generation couples who have known no other faith, to the more mature and even elderly persons, wearing the wedding dress or white Korean dress with a wedding veil, was quite a unique scene.

Just before True Parents entered the stadium to officiate at the ceremony, the rains virtually stopped and the sky lightened. The brides and bridegrooms removed their raincoats and took down their umbrellas, making a panoramic view of contrasting dark and white throughout the stadium.

Rev. Young Whi Kim was the presiding Master of Ceremonies, and after the Ceremony Prelude by the Universal Wind Ensemble, Rev. Kim opened the Ceremony followed by the salute to the national flags. A ceremony address was given by Rev. Kwak in which he said: "Marriage does not mean a mere coming together of man and woman, but creates the basis to determine all humankind's peace and happiness. Today is therefore a day of joy being celebrated all over the world. It is an historic day when 720,000 men and women from 160 nations of the world attend God as their common parent, and begin their lives anew as true families centered on God's true love." Following this address, Rev. Chan Kyun Kim prayed the opening prayer.

Then emerging down the steps to the platform were the attendants, lining the entrance for our True Parents. As our True Parents entered this huge stadium, my mind flashed back to a humble little blessing in a house in Washington, D.C. over twenty-five years ago of which my husband and I were a part. Now True Parents were walking down these steps to bless couples all over the world!

First came the Holy Water ceremony, where Father and Mother sprinkled Holy Water over a representative group of couples from the second generation. At the same time, one could see elder blessed couples walking up and down the rows of brides and bridegrooms, sprinkling the couples with the Holy Water.

True Father then read the wedding vows, and in response to Father's questions, the resounding YE filled the stadium! Then True Father prayed a deep, passionate prayer one could feel going out to the world.

Three representative couples entered the stage as the couples exchanged the wedding rings. And following this beautiful time of giving, our True Parents read the proclamation of the Holy Wedding, proclaiming these couples now blessed in holy matrimony.

There were then congratulatory addresses given by Mr. Man Sub Lee, former chairman of the National Assembly, and also the Rt. Honorable Edward Schreyer, former Governor General of Canada.

Then the congratulatory song, "World of Love," written by Kevin Pickard, was sung by Gloria del Paraguay, Raoul Joseph and Miyuki Harley. This was followed by the presentation of flowers and gifts to our True Parents.

The brides and grooms then greeted the True Parents and guests with bows. And our True Parents led cheers of Mansei, again filling the stadium with tremendous roars in unison.

As our True Parents left the stage, a fine mist began to fall. Across the field, a crew of workers were desperately trying to get a hot-air balloon to rise with a banner, but it was just too humid to get up very far.

The grand finale was colorful, noisy and festive as balloons rose to the sky, and fireworks and firecrackers filled the air and sky. And all across the stadium one could see the continuous flashes like sparkling diamonds, from the cameras as brothers and sisters were taking pictures.

There were then congratulations being offered to the newly blessed couples, and pictures being taken. Some families were getting together with their lunch baskets and sharing food.

Each couple will have its own story to share with their friends and, later on, their own children. It's a new beginning, a new life, being engrafted into the lineage of our True Parents.

The Holy Wine Ceremony

by Marie Ang-Seoul, Korea

It was a rainy Thursday morning, August 24. Our family made our way to the Olympic Stadium by subway. When we exited the Sports Complex subway station, we climbed the stairs and, in a matter of seconds, we were walking towards the stadium, flanked on both sides by rows of flagpoles, which were flying the Unification flag along with the Korean flag. As we entered the stadium, it continued to rain. And as I looked around the huge stadium with the upper deck filled with brothers and sisters preparing for the Holy Wine Ceremony, I felt so small and insignificant. Reverend Kwak's familiar voice spoke strongly and enthusiastically, and it was only after the Japanese translation that Lynn Kim's clear feminine voice gave us the English translation.

Reverend Kwak's speech was extremely moving as he started out by reviewing the ideal of creation, especially emphasizing the meaning of the three blessings. He asked these about-to-be-blessed couples to look at themselves in relation to the world as it is today, a fallen world. He spoke of the law of vertical love which is the love God has for His children, or a couple has for their children. The love given by a parent to his or her child is given fully to one child, or many children. God can love all of His children fully.

But the law of horizontal love is that you love only one person 100%, absolutely, not 60% or 40%. In the Garden of Eden there was just Adam and Eve, the two of them. Their family was created after the Fall. There is an eastern saying that the "love between a parent and child goes on forever," but this is not so in the relationship between husband and wife many times. Rev. Kwak stressed that you cannot divorce now that you are receiving the Blessing. There is no child on earth who can accept the divorce of their parents. No child wants this.

After the speech ended, twelve representative couples entered the stage and the importance and significance of the Holy Wine ceremony was explained carefully in Korean, Japanese and English. The Holy Wine includes elements representing the earth, the sea and the sky, and through the Holy Wine ceremony, you can become one with the True Parents.

Each representative couple received the Holy Wine from Rev. and Mrs. Kwak, who represented our True Parents. As each bride received the cup from Rev. Kwak, she drank from it, and then gave it to her bridegroom to drink. The empty cup was then given back to the officiators.

As the couples on stage were partaking of this ceremony, all around the vast stadium, the couples were solemnly receiving the Holy Wine from elder blessed couples. This ceremony continued for a couple of hours, with a deep solemnity. One could see here and there tears of gratitude for this precious moment.

At the conclusion of this sacred ceremony, the couples regrouped to the lower tiers of the stadium and began the rehearsal for the wedding ceremony which would take place the following day.

And the torrential rains continued!

The 9th World CARP Convention

Over 1500 excited university students filled the auditorium of the Little Angels School in Seoul on August 23rd. The event: the 9th CARP Convention of World Students under the direction of World CARP President Jin Hun Park Moon. Student representatives from 160 nations were on hand for the convention and the festivities that followed. The Convention began with opening remarks by the Student President of Korea CARP, Hyun Chil Wi and a prayer by student representative In Pyo Moon.

After a warm welcome from Korean CARP President, Bong Tae Kim, congratulatory addresses were given by Dr. Richard Rubenstein, President of the University of Bridgeport and Dr. M. Punzal, President of Gregorio Araneta University in the Philippines. Dr. Rubenstein concluded his remarks by saying, "The world of the 21st Century will be divided between the leaders and those who are led. I salute you, the leaders of the 21st Century!"

The keynote address entitled, "In Search of the Ideal Family," was then presented by Jin Hun Nim. Jin Hun Nim drew attention to the immense accomplishment of the coming Blessing of 360,000 Couples, relating that achievement to the historical need and quest for the ideal family. He exhorted his enthralled audience to fully live up to the vision of CARP's founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. "Let us act according to the Principle of self-sacrifice and living for others . . . above all, let us work together to create ideal families and communities of true love."

The convention was brought to a close with 3 cheers of "Mansei" led by Dr. Se Won Yoon, President of Sun Moon University.

The convention was then followed by a wonderful evening of entertainment with a great variety of performances by CARP members from around the world. Slovakia CARP led off with a traditional dance, followed by Japan CARP's rock band "Impulse" which performed a surprising combination of rock and kabuki. Following a colorful video by Taiwan CARP, USA CARP's troupe, led by Aaron Kelly, performed an entertaining skit, portraying the humorous aspects of the World CARP Academy's Summer Service Projects. Africa CARP was next, with an unusual 2 man folk dance, followed by Korea CARP's band "Sunburst." Concluding the entertainment was the full stage production of the original musical, "One Korea, One World," performed by a cast of 50 dancers and singers. Their elaborate routines created a display of talent well worthy of any Broadway stage. All performers gathered on the stage for the grand finale. With heaps of confetti being dropped and then blown by the wind machines, a special fairy tale effect was created as everyone sang a last song together.

Plans are already under way for the 10th CARP Convention to be held in 1998.

Sports Festival

The "sports" aspect of the 1995 World Cultural and Sports Festival was the 2nd CARP Hammadang Sports Festival held at Hyochang Stadium in Seoul on Aug. 27th. Hosting the festivities was World CARP President, Jin Hun Park Moon. Among the participants were True Parents, a number of True Children, numerous Unification dignitaries, and CARP representatives from 160 nations. Thousands of cheering on-lookers packed the stadium. With as much trapping and fanfare as the Olympics, the Hammadang Sports Festival truly represents the Shimjung Culture as applied to the realm of sport and competition.

CARP athletes from all over the world were grouped into 10 teams of up to 200 members each for the competitions. The 10 teams were Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East Asia, CIS, Oceania, Korea, and Japan. Competitions were held in basketball, volleyball, soccer, table tennis, tug of war, and track and field. Track events included 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 meters as well as the marathon. Field events included long jump, high jump, discus throw, and shot put. Preliminaries were held on August 26 at Sunjung High School, a high school in Seoul recently purchased by True Parents.

Seoul had experienced 6 days of nearly non-stop rain during the WCSF. Record level flooding had derailed trains, brought down bridges, closed highways, and totally drenched the Seoul area. August 27, however, brought the blue sky and bright sun of Korea out again. As the brilliant sun dispelled the rain clouds, new hope seemed to spring fresh into the very air of the stadium. The spectacle of 1000's of youth from every race and nation running, celebrating, competing all out; yet all under the invisible cover of True Love indeed illustrated the bright future being ushered in by the 2nd generation.

The stadium filled with color as the flags and teams of the participating nations entered; the athletes being clad in the varied colors of their team uniforms. The lighting of the Sacred Flame was an especially poignant ceremony. Two athletes, one brother and one sister, approached the grandstand where True Father and True Mother stood waiting. True Parents then lit the torches that they held. The couple then circled the entire field holding the flaming torches aloft. On the far side of the field they united their torches in sparking the huge Sacred Flame that burned throughout the Hammadang.

The Convention Address was given by Jin Hun Nim, World CARP President, official host of the Sports Festival. Jin Hun Nim warmly welcomed everyone. He explained that the Sports Festival was, "a festival of love and friendship among young people representing the entire world." Finally, he concluded with a wish that the students, as they endeavored mightily on the field, could experience deeply, the heart and love of finding their long lost brothers and sisters of the world.

Next to take the podium was the founder of the WCSF, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. With more fire and passion than any 10 teenagers on the field, Rev. Moon gave a rousing and thrilling message to the packed stadium. Speaking warmly as their True Father, Rev. Moon encouraged the participants to take up the challenge of transforming their world through their own deep determination and zeal. As one body, the entire stadium erupted in tumultuous applause for Rev. Moon's message.

Echoing Rev. Moon's enthusiasm, representatives of the athletes, In- Jae Park and Soon-Woo Won, then recited an oath of determination to live up to the founder's spirit and example.

The Opening Ceremony was then concluded by 3 cheers of "Mansei" led by the Chairman of the WCSF, Rev. Jung Hwan Kwak.

As the resounding cheers faded from the stadium, the field was suddenly covered with an amazing panorama of sounds and colors as wave after wave of performance groups marched, danced, ran, and generally cavorted into view. In all, well over 1000 performers created a dazzling display, establishing a celebratory atmosphere of harmony and beauty.

Starting things off were the "group game" display created by the synchronized movements of 300 2nd Generation HARP members. The Blessed Children high schoolers were quickly followed by an 80 member Korean dance team dressed in dazzling Korean "chogoris" (traditional long dresses). The beauty of their numerous dance movements which required great skills and perfect unity and harmony was appreciated by everyone.

Over 400 CARP members divided into the Blue Team and the Red Team then performed the traditional Korean contest, "Chajun." In "Chajun" a "war" is fought between the 2 teams. Each team's leader is dressed in flamboyant clothing and urges his team on while being carried above them on what can best be described as a modified battering ram. A variety of charges and counter charges are carried out until one side "vanquishes" the other. True Father expressed great enjoyment at the antics of the "Chajun."

The next entertainment was provided by the Daewon Women's High School Band together with the "Color Guard" of 270 HARP members. This marching girls' band performed brilliantly with precision and flare as the Color Guard exercised numerous routines, again divided into Blue and Red Teams.

The grand finale brought over 1000 performers onto the field. A giant balloon decorated as the earth was rolled to the center of the field, while a dozen large white balloons emblazoned with the CARP and WCSF symbols were brought to surround the earth. All 1000 performers then moved in a great swirl of color and celebration around the earth, with the white balloons held aloft on their outstretched hands. Their visual expression of a world of peace and harmony brought renewed hope for the future to all those present.

Now the time for heated competition had come. All track finals and the championship soccer match were to be held. The soccer finals brought together the highly skilled teams of Korea and Europe. The hard fought battle resulted in a 3-1 victory for the Korean team. The track finals for both men and women produced many cheers from the crowd as the teams' champions gave their best.

The last competition, involving all 10 teams was the tug-of-war. Over 100 members from each team strove with all their strength to pull the other team their way. The rope used was huge, nearly 3 inches in diameter. Imagine everyone's surprise when in the midst of one especially hard fought contest, the rope suddenly broke, sending both teams flying!

The conclusion of the tug of war might easily have been foreseen when Mr. Kamiyama leaped from the stands to engender unity and extra effort from the Japanese team. Japan indeed went on to win the tug-of-war championship!

Finally the time had come for the host, Jin Hun Nim, to present the beautiful large trophies for the team finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in overall points. The team from Europe garnered the 3rd place trophy, Japan captured 2nd place, and Korea received the 1st place trophy along with the Hammadang championship flag.

After the lowering of the convention flag and the ceremonial extinguishing of the Sacred Flame, the time had come to conclude the 2nd CARP World Hammadang Sports Festival. Mr. Sung Am Moon, Vice President of World CARP, led the crowd in a victorious final 3 cheers of Mansei. The 1000's of participants on the field rushed to hug each other and wish each other God's blessings until they could see one another again -- perhaps at the 3rd World Sports Festival in 1998.

A Personal Note

Having participated in the very first World CARP Convention and Hammadang in 1984, it was a deeply moving experience for me to return to Seoul for the 1995 WCSF. I felt at once both greatly honored and humbled to have been asked to represent USA CARP at both of those conventions. I could witness with my own eyes the dramatic advancement that CARP has made by contrasting this year's events with those of 11 years ago. Having had the fortune of working directly with Jin Hun Nim for the last 15 months, I could appreciate even more keenly, at this global event, how much effort he has made to bring World CARP into full being and influence worldwide. Creating the Special Task Force that united the 1st and 2nd generation on the front line, and establishing the visionary World CARP Academy are just 2 of his pioneer efforts.

And how small my Madison Square Garden Blessing of 1982 (then a world record of 2010 couples) now seemed, compared to the 360,000 Couples Blessing of August 25, 1995! My heart swelled with great pride as Heavenly Father, in the midst of torrential rain and flooding, allowed the rain to stop just for the time that our True Parents officiated the Holy Wedding of 360,000 couples. Only later did I discover that the whole world had been convulsed in that week with unusual weather; from volcanoes and heat waves in Japan, to 4 hurricanes at one time in the Atlantic, to record blizzards in South America, and so on. What a dramatic scene! In the middle of such turmoil, our True Parents were getting such a great victory for Heaven! How wonderful and fantastic our True Parents are!

My week in Korea was unforgettable for many reasons. My most special experience however, was being invited by Sung Am Moon to stay with him at the home of his parents, and 2 younger brothers just outside Seoul. Sung Am's father is the first cousin of True Father, born only a few months before True Father. Their families lived side-by-side in North Korea and he and True Father grew up together; playing, working, and yes, sometimes fighting with one another. One story I heard was that not too long ago, True Father was asking Sung Am's father to do a lot of ocean fishing, many days on end. When Sung Am's father voiced some small complaint, True Father joked, "Be quiet! You used to beat up the Messiah, now you have to pay indemnity!"

Sung Am's mother is a great person of sacrifice and Heavenly dignity, totally devoted to God and True Parents. She treated me as if I were one of her sons.

The love and warm embrace that I received from this very special family illustrated vividly to me the bedrock foundation on which True Parents have built an ever growing worldwide foundation for God's kingdom on earth. The lifestyle of love and sacrifice that they and so many other Unification elders epitomize shows that the seeds our True Parents have sown have indeed fallen on fertile soil.

The writer is currently serving as National Advisor to World CARP and as President of the World CARP Academy.