Sun Myung Moon
July 23, 1978
London, England
Translator - Sang Kil Han
Here we have people assembled from many countries and from all four corners of the world. Mankind originally lived in one place, but then scattered around the world. In due course people developed different languages and customs. The Bible records, for instance, the building of the tower of Babel and the subsequent confusion of languages and development of different civilizations, but now we are here together.
Whoever we may be, when we try to trace our ancestry, our common ancestors all the way back at the beginning are Adam and Eve. From each generation of your ancestry you have inherited something, however small. You not only inherit characteristics from your parents but from other ancestors as well. Some inherited characteristics are not so noticeable in the Orient because there is a uniformity of black hair and of skin color, but in the West differences in color of hair, skin and eyes are quite noticeable. Sometimes a child may inherit characteristics from a distant ancestor that make him look very different from his parents. Those who have hair of a color different from your parents, raise your hand. Many of you. That tells us clearly that we have inherited many things from our ancestors.
It is not hard to imagine that characteristics are passed along from generation to generation. This happens on both the paternal and maternal side. We can conclude that each one of us is connected by inheritance to all parts of the world, not just our direct ancestry.
When you apportion yourself according to all the influence of your ancestors, there is not one hair that belongs to you alone. If you were really strict about dividing yourself up in this way you would belong to everyone else. Is there any part of yourself that you can claim for yourself? Actually you have nothing for yourself alone. Clearly you are a possession owned in common by mankind. You can think of yourself as someone who exists to benefit or contribute to the world. It just is not possible to claim yourself for you alone.
If you are a common possession of your ancestors and the world, what would they want of you, good things or bad things? You easily answer that they would want good things, but what does this mean? If a young girl is always dreaming about young boys we might say that is a natural thing. If you are hungry and find some food, eating it might be a good thing. If you are sleepy and can lie down to rest you might say that is a good thing too. Perhaps it is a good thing to be able to shift position if you are sitting uncomfortably.
All of these can be said to be good things, but probably your ancestors had something different in mind. If we ask them, what would they answer? You cannot see them with your eyes, but nevertheless they are certainly there, so what would they answer? One ancestor who left school early and had a wild life might strongly advise you to get a good education. Have you ever stopped to think about what advice your ancestors would like to give you? Perhaps one of your ancestors fought in the war and was badly mistreated, and during his life on earth became obsessed with wanting to destroy Germany. He would want to have you do the same. Perhaps some other ancestor would want revenge for some bad experience he had. Your ancestors have many wishes.
If your ancestors want you to do something good, what do they have in mind? Being in spirit world they will clearly see the situation there, and perhaps know God deeply. God and spirit world exist, yet mankind denies that and lives in a very confused way, going in all different directions. Those in spirit world will certainly be aware of the world situation today, perhaps more than we who are living in it, and they would probably know what is the best way for us to live. If we are in the wrong place they would know where we should move to, and if we are going in the wrong direction they will see whether it will lead to destruction.
Would they think it is better to continue this way or to get out of the situation? They might know a better direction for us to go. Which do you think is the case? The spirit world may want us to go in a direction exactly opposite the way we think is best. What shall we do in that case? Would you choose to follow their advice? How can you tell whether they know best? If there is anything you hate it is to listen to other people, right? Some people feel pulled in many different directions and end up avoiding them all. In this case both sides cannot keep pulling and hope to go somewhere; it is not possible. Can you just cut everyone else off? You can accomplish something on your own, but cannot detach yourself completely.
Do you plan when you will blink your eyes, or just do it spontaneously? You don't consciously plan that, do you? You don't consciously control your breathing either. Your blood circulates automatically in your body, without your planned decision. There is very little about your body that is controlled by your own will; most bodily action is originated by some other source. You enjoy seeing puppets and marionettes, don't you? Do the dolls dance by themselves, or does someone else make them dance? There is some other cause.
Our ancestors want us to live for the benefit of all, and when we start to do otherwise they would rebel against us, wanting us to change. That's not hard to imagine. Will they encourage us to go forward, or try to stop us? If you are running they will push you to run faster, lifting you up so you won't fall down, doing anything to make the path easier. All spirit men know that God exists, though people here on earth may not be so sure.
How would your ancestors in spirit world like to live? Since they know that God rules the spirit world, whatever direction God wants them to go is the way they would desire. That is one most basic law which no one wants to break. What if some spirit man doesn't want to accept that'? How could he live? There must be some sort of correction or punishment for violating heavenly law. There could be people of all extremes, from the man who loves to live that way, to those who aren't devoted to it, to those who oppose that law continually. Thus we can conclude that there is a hell in spirit world, like that which Buddhism describes so vividly.
Would the person who ends up in hell feel complacent about remaining in that position? Will he be peaceful and happy'? No, living there must be painful. Anyone there would rather be like the positive spirits who are more peaceful and happy. Looking down at you, their descendant, would your ancestors want you to lead the same kind of life they did and come to the same place in spirit world? Or would they want to see you live a different way so you can go to where the happier people are who lived in accord with universal law? Why would they want you to go to a different place, when it seems natural they would want to have you with them?
We can understand by looking at this earthly world. No criminal or gangster wants his children to live the kind of life he did. Without exception he will discourage his children from following his path. Without exception, everyone wants his descendants to be better than himself. If a vicious criminal is watching an evil man like himself in a movie who successfully eludes the police but is finally caught and punished, do you think the criminal watching will be happy or unhappy? He will be so excited that he will cheer, forgetting that he is like the man in the movie. Can you understand? Once he sees the similarity to his own life, however, he must feel much pain in his heart.
Similarly, a criminal in spirit world looking down at a criminal on earth will wish he would get caught, just like everyone else would. When he finally is caught, upon looking closely the spirit man may see that it is his own descendant being taken to prison. How would he feel? Wouldn't he really feel pain'? He knows it is right for this person to be caught, but at the same time it is still his descendant. This is a good lesson, reminding us that no matter what we may want, we must live in a good way. God, good spirit men, evil spirit men and even evil people on earth want us to live in a good way. It is a universal desire.
With many people living in so many different ways, how can we know what the good way is? We can reason that the good way of life is the one which is in conformity with God's law in spirit world. Will the Queen look at you and be able to say whether you are living a righteous life? Will religious people and the rest of society be able to look at you and say you are doing a righteous thing? What is a person doing if everyone can agree that he is doing a righteous thing?
Eating when we are hungry is a righteous thing, isn't it? That is not wrong, but in comparison with something better it is not as good. If there is someone hungrier than I who is doing more meaningful work, then saving the food so he can eat instead is actually better. Sleep is the same. There is nothing wrong with sleeping, but helping people in need instead of sleeping is actually better. For a loving couple to live together is not wrong, but sacrificing their life together for the sake of the world is more righteous. That is how goodness is evaluated.
Would you say that that is an exceptional case, or that the same rule applies universally? Living for a natural life span is not bad, but working for others in such a way that you live only half as long is more righteous. Do you think a person would have lived only half as righteous a life if he lived only fifty years instead of 100? How could it be good? God will be confident in saying that this person is more righteous, as will the good and evil spirit world; he himself also can conclude that it is more righteous than what he originally intended to do. This applies to all situations; all people without exception will acknowledge it.
Here we have Dennis Orme. Let us say that he has two aspects, Dennis A and Dennis B. Dennis A may decide to live and die for England and for his efforts finally be crucified. Dennis B may have one eye poked out for the same reason, then two weeks later have the other eye poked out, then later one ear at a time cut off, and so forth, until some time later he dies. Both Dennis A and Dennis B lived for the nation, but how could God choose who was more sacrificial and righteous? They both died so they must have paid the same price, right? No, Dennis B suffered more than the first Dennis, so he must have been more righteous.
If a child goes out to play and comes back crying, his mother will ask what happened. If the boy hit someone and then got hit back and cries, then even his mother will blame him. But if he is crying because the other boy struck him first, then the mother will take his side. Likewise, first we suffer and persevere; we know it is more valuable than trying to dominate injustice before enduring it personally. Who thinks it IS better to retaliate before suffering for the sake of the person who struck you? It is good to suffer and tolerate, and then tolerate more. That is a definition and standard of goodness.
Like many other people, you want to live in a good way, but first you must know what is good. What is best of all? In the Unification Church you know that I suffered much and so you think that you must suffer too. Such a man is a good person. Those who know the standard of goodness and live that way are righteous; those who live according to good tradition are also good. You must know that the most righteous deed of all is offering our love. Why is sacrificing our love better than sacrificing our lives? Why is love more valuable than life? Which comes first, love or life? Before your life came into being your father and mother had love.
A man representing heaven and a woman representing earth meet each other and love each other deeply in many ways. This love must have a unique, eternal characteristic, just like God's love. In classic literature is passing love cherished more, or unchanging, eternal love? Whenever we talk about love we mean unique love, not love which is relative to the situation and lasts only a short time. Once we love we want it to be unchanging, even unto the end of the universe. Can any of you say you received such love from your parents? No? Then how were you given birth ?
In the future we must evaluate the value of a man's life according to the standard of his love. Understandably God cannot use any other standard than unchanging and unique love to evaluate a man because God Himself is like that. How can we say that a person is valuable? Only by seeing the quality of his love. A patriot is not a person who is concerned mainly with advancing his own rank. When we are ready to give up everything for the sake of the country, then we can be called patriots. Such a person never expects anything in return. Once that patriot decides to live for the sake of his country, his love never changes. Even if his beloved wife tries to stop him, he will not listen. If you women have such husbands and they try to chase you out as well, would you still follow them all of your lives? Why would you follow them? You are confident you would follow because you know the direction of love; once you make up your mind to follow the higher standard, you will continue to pursue it.
Since you have once opposed that kind of thinking, you now know the value of following it. That position of opposition is like Satan's position, and since you do not like to follow Satan you decide to follow your husband's position.
Now we know that a patriot is a person of this unchanging love. A filial son is one who is most dedicated to his parents. Once such a son makes up his mind toward his parents he keeps on that way eternally, even though other people try to change his direction. If his parents are in danger will such a son cover them with his own body, or try to protect himself? Would real parents do the same thing for the sake of their children? Even in the animal kingdom parents are always ready to do that. That absolute heavenly law remains intact even in this evil world. Do you regard yourselves as filial sons and daughters? Are you that way, or are you still trying to be that way?
There are millions of people in the Western world. Can you find one filial son and daughter here? Do you think they are there to be found? Your criteria must be different from mine because I have not found even one. What about Unification Church members? Are there such sons and daughters among you'? You all call me your True Parent, but are you calling me that out of love or some other quality?
Is your love unchanging, unique and eternal? If you are still trying, then when will you accomplish it? Will you still be trying forever? This is exactly what we are doing here now, training to live this love. There is no halfway, mediocre alternative. Many young people have given up all their old pleasures to follow me. Why do they do that? Every morning you get up incredibly early, go fundraising and witnessing without let-up, and when you come back I don't even congratulate you on how hard you worked. I always tell you that you haven't done enough! Yet even then you young people are eager to do even more. Do many young people come to a movement like this only because they are dumb?
Actually they are determined that they will develop that love in themselves. They want never to change; they want to develop that love and bring themselves to perfection. This is their ambition. You wouldn't mind living in Buckingham Palace, but not if it were a place where changeable people lived. You would rather be constant. If anyone seriously tries to live this life but then becomes skeptical and goes back to the world, even after a number of years he feels compelled to come back. No matter how difficult this is, it is still the best in the world. We don't say that just because we are Unification Church members. This is why I stay in the Unification Church too!
Very few Americans understand or support me. Most people oppose me, yet many American young people will never leave me. This is true in Korea and Japan and England as well, even though many oppose me. This is because they are trying to center on the same love I am centering on. If the son of my worst enemy were hungry, I would send him rice without telling his father and send him to school. This is the way everyone should live in the Unification Church. I would rather see you suffer than betray the son of my enemy. Our Unification Church members are close to me, not because of my worldly power, but because of my suffering. Other people feel close to you because of your suffering. Not only people but also the whole creation tries to be close to me. Even the creation would like to live with such a man for eternity.
Would money like to follow a bad man or this kind of man? Actually money must chase after a person; a person cannot chase after money and be successful. You have this experience yourself: a person may not be happy to give you a donation, even frankly saying something bad to you, but then his hand dips into his pocket and brings out some money! Likewise, many mouths speak against me, but those people still bring out money to give. Then they think, "I decided I wouldn't give, but I just did it again!" Upon seeing that, God is happiest and Satan the most miserable.
In the Unification Church we talk all the time about heaven on earth, but it can only be built centering around this love. Without it no heaven can be made. Do you have that kind of love in yourself? Do you have it or are you trying to have it? As long as you are still trying to have love you can never graduate from suffering, but once you have that established, suffering will leave you. Since I knew this from the very beginning I could go on and on in suffering; even when the situation became overwhelmingly difficult I never even thought of complaining to God. Even after dying I am determined to leave love behind. In that case how can I slacken my pace while I am still living?
What is different between you and me? The difference lies in love and in heart. It's not that God loves me and not you. God must love me because of my heart; that's the difference. Now you know that you must be loved by God also. Now you are aware that out of the billions of people on the earth. there is not one filial son or daughter in the world. No one knows why they must be one with their parents, so we must teach them. Neither are there any true patriots loving their country on this earth. We have the great responsibility of teaching the people of the world to become one. We don't find in this world a single saint who is ready to dedicate his entire life to God, so we must teach the world how and why to become this way.
There are not three separate ways to do these things. If you become a filial son then you are already a true patriot and saint; these qualities are all one. We must direct all of our heart and love to our parents for that is the path of the filial son. A patriot must really dedicate his life for the sake of the country. The heart of a saint is the same. Even the king of a country must follow as saint in his country. The saint must follow God. A king must follow the saint. A patriot must follow the king; a filial son must follow the patriot. These four are in one line in that order.
God's love is eternal and unchanging and unique, as is the saint's love. The king who truly follows the saint will be the same; the patriot who follows the king and the filial son who follows the patriot will also be the same. Because their love is linked to the eternal path, it is everlasting. No matter from which walk of life or in which direction you are going, you must come right back and join this one constant path when you are called. It you cannot be all of these at one time, which would you prefer to be? Which should you give priority to? If your choice is between being a filial son and a patriot, it is right to choose to be a patriot. A patriot is dedicated to a country, which already includes many families and parents. Once you choose that and become a patriot, all the parents will want to become patriots as well. If you don't become a filial son but forsake your parents to become a patriot, you have become what they want to become themselves.
We know that if you are at a crossroads and forsake your parents to take the path of a patriot, the parents will want to follow you. In the same way, if you choose between the roads to sainthood or patriotism, you should choose the road of a saint. Becoming a saint is what all the kings of all nations would want to be. In the same way, if you choose between the path to sainthood and the path to God, you should choose the path to God. You know for sure that is the best way.
What is the Unification Church and why have we assembled here? What are we determined to do? If you say you are determined to follow God it means that you are likely to give up sainthood, kingship, patriotism and being filial sons and daughters: nevertheless, following God is still the path of goodness. Then which path are you following? In what form do you belong to God now? You miss your own parents and family, don't you? Sometimes you miss your old church, or you want to return to visit your own nation, don't you? That's a good thing; you should retain all your love towards them, but then choose to go God's path as well. By doing that you will perfect your love of other things at one time. If you can really make it on the path of God then you are jumping the whole distance.
Most of your parents oppose what you are doing here, don't they'? There is even an organization of parents who oppose us. In the entire history of mankind there was no such association; only after I came to this world did such a thing appear. There have been many kidnappings in human history, but have you ever heard of parents kidnapping their own children? Now it is commonplace. Am I that bad that their own parents should kidnap our members? They are following a strange logic. If you were ambiguous in your faith you would never survive here, but instead you are very clear in your mind.
Did you choose your path in a lukewarm way, or are you going straight forward as fast as you can? Once you decide will you go slowly and perhaps be defeated, or go quickly and definitely be a victor? A victorious person wins all things. What are we going to do by grasping God'? We will serve God more than our parents, in place of the king of the country and on behalf of all the saints. We want to establish the unswerving idea that we must have the heart of God in our family, in our country, in our world. Actually the path of the filial son, the patriot and the saint is all one path toward God. Even if we don't make it to the ultimate destination in serving this purpose, then we will be brought to God. If we live for the sake of the country and the world we will be brought forward to God.
Then what sort of a person am I? This morning topic is "We who are called to do the work of God." What does it mean that we are called by God? What is my responsibility all about? From the position of father I must teach every person what to do to be a filial son, a patriot and a saint. This is why you cannot help following me, even though you may not want to. This is not for just one race; the destination of all men is the same, no matter what nationality. The final destination of all races is to follow this.
This is why God called me; then why did He call you? God did not call me as an individual, or for a family or for my nation; He called me for the world and He called you for the same reason. God introduced all of you to me in order to establish the relationship of parents and children. God is our Father but He has no body. You have bodies, but do you hear God speaking to you as directly as you hear me? No, and that is why He speaks through me. What are we going to leave behind? Not a name, but love. I am determined to leave true love behind on earth. Wherever you go you are going to plant love which is unchanging, unique and eternal. This is why God called you.
Is the road of that love a road of suffering, or a peaceful, enjoyable experience? The path of love is a suffering, painful path. Only by going through the bitterness of love will we know the sweetness of love. Compare that to the unending search for enjoyment in the secular world. I always have enough money; the reason I push you on the suffering road is so that you will go in the right direction. It is not for my own benefit. I want you to qualify to inherit the true love which God wants you to leave behind on earth.
You must be aware that the reason you have been called by God is so that you can plant love in this changing world; you must qualify yourselves to have this everlasting love. Then we are called sons and daughters of God who are loved very much and who give God's love very much. If you become like that and are sent to jail, God will follow you there. God would love such a man at any cost. As long as you stay in the Unification Church ~ will make this kind of person out of you.
Why would God love me? Because I am doing God's work; God cannot do it effectively all by Himself, so I do it as His representative. That is why God cannot leave me. If you want to be that way also, raise your hand. You are very ambitious and greedy in a way, aren't you? If you sit and do nothing can you become like that? You can do so only by following our work. You must remember that becoming a patriot is better than being a filial son or daughter at home. Leaving that home behind you to serve the country is the higher way. Even better than that is to give up your country for the sake of the world, and beyond that it is better to give up the world for the sake of God's work. Even if you must give up your own life and love to do God's work, this is the way you must feel.
This is why you drop everything when I say we will go to Africa. You will leave even your country and follow God's voice. Are you that way? Worldly people criticize us by saying that we don't fulfill our family responsibilities, but they don't see that we are like migrating birds which move from one place to another because we are following the law of the universe. You are enlarging the family of the world, multiplying it with wider, deeper love until the world is filled with love. We keep flying from one place to another and are so experienced that we can fly right to heaven. That means there can be heaven on earth and in spirit world both.
Wouldn't you like to see the day when I can heartily dance after the job is done? Wouldn't you like to dance along'? Television stations and satellites will relay the dance of Unification Church members all over the world. Even if I am not a good dancer, the way I dance will set the pattern for the future. No matter how good a dancer you are, unless it is motivated by love it is not a real dance. If you dance with love, however, it will be the most fantastic dance of all.
Here the walls are tired of seeing your sullen faces. They are waiting for the time when they will see that Unification Church members are smiling all of the time, even at four in the morning. The man who is full of love must live that way. When you go out witnessing you can caress the wall and say that it can expect you to witness well and be smiling when you return. What face could better represent love than a smiling face? This is why we talk about love bomb; Moonies have that kind of happy problem. We are called by God to perfect ourselves in this love.
You sisters who have pretty faces, how many husbands will you have in the future? Why must you marry only once and stay with that person the rest of your life and for eternity? Because love is unchanging. Imagine that after only a few days of marriage your husband loses his eyesight and becomes a cripple; what would you do with him? You should think that God wanted to give you the best opportunity to love him more than if he was the most handsome man in the world. Then you can go the highest heaven on the fastest express train. It doesn't matter if people say, "Well, that's just the way Moonies talk.'' Are you sure that if this happens after a few days of marriage you will never even imagine being married to another person? Those who say they will never change, raise your hands. What about you men? If this happens to your wife will you think you should look for another one to replace her?
We are supposed to live in this true love, supported by God and all creation. This is not even something outstanding and commendable; there simply is no other way. No one else is teaching you this so you come here to be trained; when you graduate you will go back to your home, society and nation and teach them the same thing that you learned. Some of your parents don't want to wait until you graduate. however; they want you to come back now! The students who are nearing graduation will just laugh it off and not even consider submitting to kidnapping by their parents.
What nationality are you? You are world citizens, aren't you? You are citizens of the Kingdom of God! Now you know for sure. You must realize that we have to change the world into one loving world, into a world in which one can love with all his might. Will that world be divided into countries according to race, with barriers, or be a world in which everyone loves the same way'? Naturally we will marry on this basis. Those who were married in this recent blessing' raise your hands. Those whose spouse is not of the same nationality' raise your hand. Almost all. Are you happy that way? Even though you cannot communicate with your husband in your own language?
If you are happy it is because love is better than language; therefore' we don't mind as long as there is love. Love has everything and produces everything. Are you happy? How happy? Just a little'? How can you express the bigness of it?
I must end now. You must clearly realize why God has called you. Those who will comply with God's reason for calling you here, raise your hands. Thank you very much.