Sun Myung Moon
June 12, 2002
Address at the Sun Moon Peace Cup inaugural Banquet
Little Angels Performing Arts Center, Seoul, Korea
Photo date and location unknown
Respected guests, ladies and gentlemen:
It gives me great joy to be able to share this meaningful time with you today. In particular, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those leaders participating in the Seventeenth World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan, who are honoring this rally with their presence despite their busy schedules.
Today, the twelfth of June, is the thirteenth day of the World Cup. Soccer fever is heating up around the world. Each day we see the drama of competition played out in a whirl of upsets and upheavals, joy and disappointment. It is unfolding as a celebration of friendship and excitement that transcends race, ideology and national boundaries. As we gather here today, we need to think deeply about how to work through sports to bring peace to all humanity.
The teaching of peace
The Bible says, "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt. 5:9) Throughout my life, I have attended God in the context of religion, academia, media, culture, the arts, sports and other fields, putting these words of the Bible into practice in accordance with the Will of Heaven. My life of more than eighty years has been a continuous offering of sincerity and dedication for the establishment of God's Will and the ideals of freedom and happiness. I have lived for the realization of world peace.
As you are well aware, down through history, people throughout the world have tried to bring about peace by every possible means. However peace cannot come by the political, economic or military power of any one country. We need a peace teaching, a fundamental truth that can be practiced by families, tribes, peoples, nations, the world and even the cosmos.
The world of true ideals, true love, true life, true lineage and true peace is God's ideal of creation. It is also the long-cherished desire of humankind. When we speak of ideals, happiness, love and peace, we must begin with an inquiry into their origin. Their origin is a fundamental truth: Life requires that we have one*sole partner, and throughout life we should serve, sacrifice and live for our partner's sake.
Everything exists for a higher purpose
The fundamental principle underlying the order existing in the universe is that each and every being exists for the sake of other beings. In this, they are like God, who exists for His creation. The omniscient God is the King of wisdom. Through His wisdom God created the world of beings in such a way that subject and object partners have to live for each other in order to bring about true love, true happiness and true peace.
All beings are interconnected through a set of dual purposes. At the center of each entity, there are dual purposes. There is the purpose relating to its internal character that seeks the good of the larger whole, and there is the purpose relating to its external form that seeks the entity's own preservation and comfort. Exemplifying the external purpose, atoms exist based on the action of the protons and electrons within them. Exemplifying the internal purpose, atoms form molecules by interacting with each other by their positive and negative charges. Molecules, in turn, exemplify the internal purpose by serving as nutrients for the growth of plants. As plants multiply, they provide food for animals. Also, animals and plants exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Bees and flowers support each other's existence. When we observe the heavenly bodies, we see that even as the planets maintain their own rotation, they engage in give-andreceive action with the sun that enables them to revolve around the sun at precise distances. Early in my life, I came to understand this fundamental truth of the universe: all beings exist for the sake of others.
For example, it is by living for the sake of the other in a parent-child relationship that parents and their children can become true parents and true children. Only when parents and children live for the sake of each other do they find happiness; this is an undeniable truth. Living for the sake of others is the fundamental principle of the universe. Only when we stand on this principle can we realize all happiness, all peace, all ideals and all love.
If we expand the principle of living for the sake of others, we can transcend ethnicity and national interests to bring about a world of peoples who live for the sake of each other. Without a doubt, such a world would be the world of perfect true love, true ideals, true peace and true happiness that humanity has long hoped to realize. In that world, people who uphold the principle of living for the sake of others will be able to travel anywhere.
If you have practiced a life of true love and lived for the sake of others while on earth, then when you go to the spirit world you will be able to receive God's blessings for eternity. This is because God is the central existence in heaven and earth. You will discover that there is no happiness greater than this.
It is vital for you to understand that a person who lives for the sake of others takes the central position in his or her environment, and being central, that person has the capability to foster unity in his or her environment and peace in the world.
Today, there are many religions with many different scriptural texts. Yet their core teachings all boil down to the words, "live for the sake of others." What are the characteristics of a true religion, a religion of love, ideals and happiness that can lead humankind to peace? You already know the answer: it is a religion that calls people to sacrifice for the sake of the individual, the family, the clan, the society, the nation, the world, for the sake of heaven and earth, and for the sake of God. A religion that teaches this is a true religion, an ideal religion, a religion that can lead the people of the world to peace and happiness.
Peace is based on relationships
Peace is a term that arises in the context of relationships. The same is true of happiness. No one can experience happiness alone. Knowing this, we conclude an individual making efforts to unite with another is the starting point for the happiness of the entire universe. Peace and all ideals begin from and are connected to the point where each of us strives to unite our mind and body internally and unite with others externally.
Nevertheless, human efforts alone will not bring about peaceful ties among people. Why is this? Fallen people seek only their own benefit and they try to use each other for their own purposes. Everyone pursues their own interests and strives to accumulate as many goods as possible. Is this not true of you who are here today? Even successful members of the National Assembly and people who are well respected leaders in their community scramble to increase their power and advance their interests. This is essentially the way people have lived in the world. In these circumstances, created by a world built by people living for their own sake, conflict will never end.
Here, let us observe the structures of our own bodies. Did the eye come into being so that it could live for itself? Was the mouth created for its own sake? No. Each was made to function in partnership with the other organs. Did the ear come into being for its own sake? No, it was created so that it could hear for the sake of the whole body. Was the nose created for the benefit of the nose? Were our hands created just to serve themselves?
By the same token the reproductive organ of a man or woman was not created for the sake of that man or that woman. Rather, the husband's reproductive organ was created for the sake of his wife and the wife's for the sake of her husband. In married life this is where peace begins, at the point where each person tries to live for the sake of the other. A person's body is structured so that it does not just serve his or her own purposes; it is made so that he or she can best live for the sake of his or her spouse and children.
Throughout our lives, my wife and I have worked together in many different areas to bring about one peaceful world, a world in which people live for the sake of others. Representative of these are our suprareligious and supranational activities, our project to bring together the numerous non-governmental organizations, and our educational initiatives between both the ruling and opposition parties. These serve to bring down the barriers of race, religion, nation and language. Another is the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which promotes movements for true families and pure love.
In the academic field, the University of Bridgeport in the United States and Sun Moon University in Korea educate and apply the philosophy of peace. In the media field I have built The Washington Times in the United States, The Segye Times in Korea, Sekkai Nippo in Japan, and a network of media organs throughout North and South America. This soon will expand to 185 countries and contribute greatly toward bringing the world's people together.
Sports and world peace
This is a gathering of leaders in the world of soccer. Soccer fever is sweeping Korea and Japan, and the entire world has come together in a festive atmosphere. Ultimately, though, it is only proper that the world of sports represented by the Olympics and the World Cup guide the world's people toward reconciliation and peace. Occasionally, there is concern about money and power contaminating the pure spirit of athleticism. It is necessary to examine carefully the economics of sports, and whether parties are engaging in unethical speculative or monopolistic practices.
In an effort to contribute toward world peace through sports, I invested some time ago in the development of soccer in Korea by founding the Il Hwa professional soccer team. More recently, I had Sun Moon University begin a soccer team. In Brazil as well, we are managing the CENE and Sorocaba professional soccer teams. My interest in the management of soccer teams is not a matter of business. My first priority is to teach sportsmanship to young people of the university soccer teams, so that they can be trained to join professional teams that ultimately contribute to world peace through sports.
It is well known that soccer began in England. It was developed at Eton College, a school for the sons of aristocrats, where in addition to knowledge physical fitness was considered an important quality for leadership. However, with its emphasis on teamwork, it did not take long for soccer's popularity to grow beyond the aristocracy and penetrate the wider society.
Even if one player is exceptionally skillful, it is difficult for a team to win unless the other members can back up this individual. The ball is round and can roll this way or that, yet the ball is honest and it rolls where a player kicks it. There is a principle of purposeful community underlying the game of soccer. It is not a game where established powers can use trickery to preserve their position. There is no order according to which teams are allowed to score goals. In soccer, it does not matter whether a country is large or small, strong or weak. Goals are scored honesty, and that brings joy and happiness to everyone. In soccer, there is only the energetic communal harmony that comes from team play.
Soccer and other sports, as well as the entire leisure industry, have developed over a long period of time. Sports were originally supported in order to create strong bodies and maintain safe societies. Today, they have developed to a global scale and bring enjoyment and enrichment to the lives of billions of people. So, it is important that we seek ways by which sports can contribute to achieving peace for all the world's peoples.
Sports are governed by rules of fair competition
The world stands at the dawn of a new millennium. Astonishing developments in information technology are turning the ideal of one world family into a reality. On the other hand, it is also true that the world faces a moral crisis and the danger that spiritual values will be destroyed. We look to sports as an environment that can generate constructive proposals for how to overcome hedonism and self-centered values among young people.
Sports employ rules to insure fair competition. Thus defined, competition differs from conflict; the two exist on different levels. Conflict appears as savage and bloodthirsty behavior that is worse than how animals live. One side uses physical and military strength to negate the other side's existence and annihilate it. Competition in sports is different from this. Rules are established, the winner is decided in accordance with these rules, and each side acknowledges the other. A respectful spirit governs sports. As multitudes of people watch, the athletes demonstrate fair play and sportsmanship as they compete based on their talents, abilities and strength. They follow the agreed upon rules, and they submit themselves to the fair judgment of the referees.
Fair play is considered the most important aspect of the game. It requires obeying laws and following the rules. Breaking the rules and committing fouls result in the loss of points, expulsion from the game and eventual loss of the privilege of participation. Offending players are punished.
Athletes pour out all their energy, sincerity and courage for the sake of the victory, for both their individual glory and the glory of their country. The victorious players are given a crown of laurels, a gold medal and a bouquet of flowers. They receive thunderous applause, and they hear their national anthem played as their country's flag is raised. Such a ceremony brings us to the height of emotion; everyone celebrates that they have attained ultimate glory. Even the losers do not dwell on their disappointment, but applaud the accomplishment of the winners. This is the virtue of sports.
Sports bring out a beautiful fragrance of friendship and love among like-minded people. The players display virtue when they demonstrate sportsmanship. They work hard, shed sweat and tears and achieve incredible standards of skill. They are trained in the virtues of fairness, keeping to their proper roles, and good manners.
Athletics and sports make significant contributions to contemporary society. It contributes to our physical and mental health and provides excitement through skillful play. The love of sports transcends religious dogma and political ideology. All people can become one through sports in a banquet of reconciliation and peace, because athletic competition is where the hearts of all the world's people can come together as one.
Though the Cold War is over, the world is still unable to throw off the yoke of suffering that afflicts us all. As the tragedy of September 11th last year highlighted, the world is in agony over conflict and strife between religious and ethnic groups. Also, the world's natural environment is being destroyed. Young people, who are supposed to be responsible for the future, have become cynical, enthralled by materialism and hedonism, falling prey to drugs and abandoning the norms of social behavior.
In order to solve these problems, we need to graft the authentic spirit of sports onto the foundation of a truth that teaches us to live for the sake of others. It is to live as God lives. Then we need to put this spirit and truth into practice. This is how we will be able to build a world of harmony, peace and unity.
The Sun Moon Peace Cup is a festival for the community
For this reason, I am happy to announce the establishment of the Sun Moon Peace Cup. The Sun Moon Peace Cup is the cup of the sun and the moon, the cup of the Parents of Heaven and Earth, and the cup of peace. May it shine forever with the light of pure love!
The Sun Moon Peace Cup is different from any existing trophies that exclude God, emphasize entertainment or idolize celebrity. It tells the world to know God and the spirit world thoroughly and walk the path of truth.
The Sun Moon Peace Cup will be a festival. I want it to bring together efforts toward the original world of God's ideal in the fields of religion, science, politics, economics and sports, including the unique contributions of women and youth. Participants will express their hope for humanity to come together as one large family. It will serve as a particularly important starting point for progress toward the ideal of true peace centering on Gods true love, transcending barriers between races, countries, ethnic groups, religions and ideologies.
The Sun Moon Peace Cup will not only celebrate the healthy spirit of humanity. As our spiritual nature continues to develop, it will become a festival of internal and external reconciliation and harmony among members of the world community. It will be a place where people unite in one mind, as one family, and with one heart, to open the way toward God's ideal of creation, a world of peace, freedom and happiness.
I want to inform you that Pele has already promised to work with me for this great cause. I would like to ask FIFA, Pele Promotions, and everyone here to take a leading role and contribute significantly toward the development of the Sun Moon Peace Cup.
I pray that God's love and blessing will flow abundantly upon you and your families.
Thank you.