Sun Myung Moon
September 16, 2004
Little Angels Performing Arts Center, Seoul, Korea
Invitational banquet for US finance and business leaders
Photo date and location unknown
Distinguished financial and business leaders from the United States! Respected political and financial leaders from the Republic of Korea, and ladies and gentlemen: I welcome you with all my heart to this banquet. As a person who has lived my whole life following a standard of absolute values centered on God, I have prepared this banquet to invite your interest in some recent projects.
Upholding the decree of heaven, I have persevered my whole life for the realization of a world of peace. Recently, I have begun the development of a large-scale tourist resort, inspired by the ideal of harmony and unity among all people, in the district of Hwayang-myeon, Yeosu City, South Jeolla Province, which has been designated as a part of the Gwangyang Gulf Free Economic Zone. I would now like to tell you a little about the fundamental spirit behind my doing this.
The human desire to achieve the ideal of peace has been consistent throughout history. Yet eternal peace has never been manifested. This is the problem. Human beings have lived in ignorance, chaos, division and strife. To this day, we have been unable to establish an absolute value system that can be shared by all people. An absolute value system cannot arise from human beings who harbor internal conflicts and are always changing. The root of this system can only be found in God, the Absolute Being and the Creator. God, who is the essence of love, created human beings to be the recipient of His absolute love. One cannot claim for oneself the status of owner or master of love, and that is true even for God. Only one’s partner grants that status. This is a fundamental principle. One needs to live for one’s partner and neighbor. This absolute value system of love stands above any political ideal or principle of economics. It is the heavenly law that transcends all ages.
What kind of being is God who created this universe and the heavenly laws? God has manifested Himself in the universe as the quintessence of living for the sake of others. Though He is the King of knowledge, He does not, ask us to come to Him through knowledge. Though He is the Owner and King of power, authority, money and material, He does not view these as conditions to come before Him. God says that anyone can come to His side as long as they live for the sake of others. Only those who live for others can become the counterpart of the center, and stand in the position of a central figure.
God is not an egocentric dictator. Rather, God invests Himself for humankind’s sake. Thus, for tens of thousands of years our original minds have sought to follow God.
All beings must exist for the sake of other beings in order to maintain their place in this universe, as governed by the laws of Heaven. The principle of living for the sake of others has been valid throughout all ages and in all nations. An egocentric and self-centered way of life will bring about evil, while a life of living for the greater good will bring prosperity. All things can be brought into harmony by living for greater goodness. This opens all doors to individuals, families, tribes, races, nations, the world and heaven.
The self-evident truth of the benefit of living for the sake of others must be put into practice on the path of a true life. This principle is valid no matter where you may be. It is unchanging and eternal. If God were to appear before such a sage as Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, or Muhammad, and ask them what he thought about this principle, they would surely reply that this principle is true. Do you feel the same way? Please keep in mind that this is the law of the universe, which is needed for men and women to live in their truest form.
What standards set by people in history do people of today aspire to reach? Only the standards of people who lived for the sake of others with a spirit of sacrifice remain as something worth striving toward in the world today. Those who set such standards are remembered as saints, great men and women, patriots and children of filial piety. That which was accomplished through a spirit of self-sacrifice is remembered.
Sacrificial effort benefits the greater good. Please think about this.
The reason my teachings will emerge as the dominant thought of the twenty-first century is that I have been espousing a world where people live for the sake of others, which is the direct opposite of a world where people live for themselves. Consequently, the hope of human beings can be found in the Unification movement. You may think that I am being overbearing in saying this, but please understand that I take full responsibility for such an assertion. The world of the future, for countless years to come, will follow in the footsteps of this group, which chooses to live for the sake of others rather than for its own sake. The world does not follow those who live solely for their own sake. The world doesn’t like such people.
How will we achieve harmony and unity? It is not achievable through force, money, power or knowledge. Everything can be resolved based on love by living for the sake of others. We can conclude that by living based on true love and for the sake of others, we can restore the world of hell into the heavenly world. You will see for yourselves. Is there anyone here who opposes me? In the past, individuals, families, nations and the world united against me. And now there is no one who does not acknowledge me, because they can see the results! They can see the results in the heavens, on the earth, in the people themselves, and in the winds of peace. Please don’t be offended by the conclusions I’m expressing.
The way for someone to come to your side is not through struggling with that person, it is by thinking of them as if you were his or her parent, teacher or supervisor. That is the way. I ask you to live sincerely for the sake of others for three years. Then you will come to understand what I am saying. You must be aware that action in line with the principles of the universe is what moves someone’s original mind.
Please live more for the sake of others. Those who do so can be entrusted with responsibility. If there are ten people, the person who loves and lives most for the sake of the other nine will become the central person. All nine will go to that person. In general, people think that living for others entails loss, and is not beneficial to one’s self. However, you must know that the truth is otherwise: this principle enables you to become the owner, the central figure and heir. This is how heavenly law works.
Distinguished guests, renowned leaders of Korea, in my lifetime I have been able to create a global foundation that transcends race, religion and nationality in one hundred ninety-one countries, despite constant misunderstanding and persecution, and God, the spirit world and the earth have recognized me as the True Parents of Humankind and King of Peace. The reason for this is that I have practiced the heavenly way of true love that calls one to* be the first to give, and to live for others. I did not ask to be made the King of Peace. This title was given to me.
Harmony and unity can be achieved and the ideal of peace can be realized only when we are motivated by genuine love to live for the benefit of others. I have guided humanity under this practical principle of true love, true parents and true families according to the heavenly way.
The ideal family movement, which is based on the marriage Blessing ceremony and peace initiatives that transcend nationality, race and religion, are aspects of the true love movement. This movement calls us to live a personal, exemplary lifestyle by investing ourselves to the advantage of others. The various educational institutions established in a number of nations worldwide were created through my sacrificial investment in an effort to manifest the founding ideals of loving heaven, loving humankind and loving one’s nation. The global media institutions within News World Communications, including The Washington Times and The Segye Times, were created for the sake of guiding the world in true love through a responsible, just and fair press.
Interreligious peace initiatives, education in life’s philosophy, projects showcasing culture and arts, the promotion of technology transfer, activities of education and science that bring people together across religious and national divides, service activities, guidance for youth, the women’s movement, the cultivation of sports, and all the other projects I have founded are grounded in the principle of true love.
I act with a clear sense of purpose and direction under the ideal of the interdependence of all human beings, based on absolute values that are above the pursuit of personal gain.
Men and women must walk the path of the truth and true love in accordance with heavenly law. The path of true love is the fundamental root that takes priority over any human activity or undertaking.
No matter how great your fortune or power, without the foundation of living for the sake of others, all those things are transient and are destined to disappear. On the other hand, a life of giving and living for the sake of others automatically enables a person to become the subject and central figure.
If you go beyond self-interest and focus your work on the macroscopic ideal of peace, and further on reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula, then I truly believe you will be able to attain something of greater value than just material benefit.
In accordance with God’s principles for the providence of re-creating His original ideal, the Era Before the Coming of Heaven that was shaped by egocentric lives has passed away, ushering in the Era After the Coming of Heaven, which will bring about the ideal fruits of this absolute value system. People who say they will live self-centeredly will remember their words when they cross the dividing line between the era before and the era after the coming of Heaven.
All barriers will be eliminated in the era of God’s eternal kingdom of peace, as people who live with true love become the owners and central figures of that age. Conflicts arising from narrow-mindedness and self-centeredness, over differences of skin color, language, customs and geographical territory, will disappear. Now is the time to build the ideal world in which we can live for one another together, based on a system of absolute values.
In conclusion, I pray that God’s eternal blessings will be with you all as you engage in your work in the spirit of altruism in accordance with the heavenly principles.
Thank you.