The Deep Desire Of Our Original Nature

Sun Myung Moon
February 14, 1982
Belvedere

What is the deep desire of our true nature? The literal meaning in Korean is, "The way the mind is born."

Each of us, as an individual within the giant sphere of the universe, occupies a certain position in relation to the center point. Some individuals will go North, others will go to the West, or East or South. When the one who went West comes to the terminus of the West, he must do one of two things: either he must stop there or he must change directions and keep moving. We know that everything without exception wants to perpetuate itself, to keep moving and continue forever. If the person continues to move West, once he reaches the limit, he can turn North, then gradually go back toward the East. He must think, "I have been going in the direction of West, and it is very meaningful to me, but now I can also go East; I am flexible."

If he continues to go West with no flexibility, then he will be forced by the nature of the circle to deflect his direction when he reaches the limit. Perhaps he will be pushed in the direction of South, where he can either allow himself to be absorbed by the environment of the South or digest it. He can absorb or be absorbed.

The Eastern person who is moving toward the East may feel the same way: "I will move in an Easterly direction and I will never deviate." But unless he, too, can change, he cannot progress.

The Will Of The Universe

Why should it be necessary for someone going West to start heading East? Because it is the will of the universe, which exists in the shape of a sphere, to maintain that spherical nature.

When you come to the edge of another person's property, you must ask permission to enter his property. You must tell the owner, "I will obey your rules in your territory."

The same thing applies to the relationship of men and women. If a woman says, "I am sufficient unto myself; why should I need men?" she does not understand her need for moving in another direction. Once a woman who has been searching for a man, finds him, if she tells him, "Now that I have found you, you must do things the way I want," her movement towards another direction has reached its limit. She cannot actually enter into the territory of a man if she has such an attitude.

Why should men and women live according to the desires of the other? Because by doing so, they will make spherical movement, not a linear movement, and thus continue forever. When a man and woman gain perfect harmony with one another, that couple is able to go into any home in the world and adapt to it.

Spiral In And Out Like Breathing

Spherical motion requires that we embrace the opposite direction; we can move in a spherical manner, reverse direction, and make a spiraling motion. This movement resembles the lines of a seashell. Like the spiral which starts in the center point with very small circles, expanding out, when it reaches the perimeter it changes direction and circles back in again toward the center. You see, this is like breathing in and breathing out. All living things go through the motion of expanding and contracting. The inside goes outside, and the outside moves in.

The motion of this spiral leads toward the center point of the core, because the original Cause is in that position; the result is naturally drawn to it and "homes in" on its cause. The spiral also moves outward because the inner cause naturally moves outward towards its result. This heartbeat motion of moving in and moving out is the natural movement of the universe.

The inner and outer points on the spiral are connected because we must be connected to the rest of the universe and have a relationship with it in order to attain the highest level of value.

Because of our desire to be recognized by the world, it is natural to want to relate to that which is the cause of our being. We return to our cause because then our individual value participates in the value of the universe. In a similar way, even one individual hair plucked from your head can be claimed as belonging to your whole body, for every part of the body contributed the elements which became that hair.

Here I am, Reverend Moon, an Oriental man, and people wonder why I don't stay in the Orient. Externally many haulers prevent understanding, but internally I communicate well and am understood by your original mind. Your original nature can perceive your individual value and the value of Reverend Moon, as well as the potential value which can be gained by uniting with me. Although I came from the East, it was important for me to move toward the West. But where should I go from here? To South America and Africa. And then to the North; there's work to be done there too.

Connecting America To The South

If a nation moves forward in one certain direction and is not willing to change when it comes to the end, it will simply perish. This is the law of the universe. I have been teaching you Westerners that you must change your direction. Now you must turn your direction South. In the Southern countries there are predominantly black and dark-skinned peoples. Can you digest these differences? If you Americans go with the attitude that your way is superior and Black people should bow down to it, then this is not good. If Western people refuse to recognize the value of the other direction then they will be isolated, with nowhere to go.

All over the world strong anti-American sentiment is growing. Some nations are very bitter towards America. Those of you who are sitting in the heart of New York, in the coziness of American culture, can never really know how they feel until you are exposed to that feeling. Someone must point out this fact and teach the stubborn Americans. America arrived at a certain level of result; now she must begin the spiral turn inward toward the cause.

After Expansion Comes Humility

Perhaps someone is agreeable to the notion of finding God, but he might want to continue to expand himself. However, to go inward toward the cause requires that one become smaller. The spiral motion can only move inward by shrinking; therefore, modesty has traditionally been considered a virtue. A selfish person is not normally a modest or humble person. Only becoming humble allows a person or nation to return to that Cause which is in the center.

Sometimes a person is criticized for being "too humble," and he may be told to express himself more and reach out more to others. There actually are persons who penetrated the spiral, but now they must move outward, toward the result level. Once a person has gone all the way down to the smallest point, there is no other direction to go but up and out. If he lingers and resists going out, someone will come and push him.

The one who is most adaptable and willing to go in all four directions, no matter how difficult, is qualified to be closest to the center. A small humble woman might be close to that central point. By looking at her, others might not be able to see how good a person she is; but she actually has the quality of adaptability to all four directions beautifully, never demanding for herself but always harmonizing with all four directions; she can digest all of them. Even without realizing it, she will eventually end up at that central position.

When an individual starts from very humble origins, moving up the ladder of success step by step until he becomes a rich man of great influence, eventually he returns with those accomplishments to his origin, that is, to his parents. Even though the whole world may be willing to bow down before a man of greatness and influence, he will remain humble before his parents, like the day he was born. This is natural and more principled than trying to remain in a very lofty position and never wanting to go back to one's origins.

To Be Welcomed By The World

In the English language there is no simple word which expresses the idea, "Please go out and come back soon." But in Korean, with just one word, tonyo-oseyo, you can say it. It's a common expression which parents say to their children. It is a way of wishing the child well, implying with it the knowledge that unless you are welcomed by the world, you cannot go and come back quickly. So the parents want the world to welcome their child.

But someone might think that although Father is right, they don't want to move up to higher levels because they are satisfied at the individual level. Any person who insists on such a position is really a miserable being.

Once a person reaches the world level, he must come back through the other levels of nation, society, tribe, family, to his spouse. Then the couple is ready to move and continue out toward the world level again. Such a family will be welcomed no matter where they go around the world.

In witnessing and missionary work you strive for good results, but your purpose is not to remain at the level of those results; you want to be able to come back and give a proud report to me. In that way you are returning to your cause and reporting is the best way to unite the results with the cause.

Man is a resultant being, not the causal being, and what he wants is to know the world and become a part of it; his ultimate desire should be to go back to God (his ultimate Cause) and report to Him all his experiences, good and bad. The resultant being wants to share his life with the causal being. Everything we do is a part of this process of going back to God.

Purposeful Motion

Every existence, every subject-object pair, has two tendencies: one outward moving and the other inward moving. Everything is in motion, but the motion is not random; there are two controlling directions to the movement, which ensure the purposefulness of the motion. A centrifugal force pushes the object outward, and a centripetal force pulls the object toward the center. The movement from causal point to resultant point is continually repeated.

Between your mind and body there should be purposeful give and take relationship; such a harmony makes the individual a happy person. Such a man wants to meet a similar woman. Together they want to have a purposeful, harmonious relationship. The ideal within the Unification Church is to achieve good give and take relationships between subject and object. With Reverend Moon as your subject, you receive directions and you work hard toward achieving your goal. Then you return to me with good results. In this way, we can expand our influence of goodness all over the world.

This is the standard and criterion by which a man should be measured. The person living according to the law and standard of harmony should be the natural center and leader; this person will be welcomed not only in his own country, but also the rest of the world. All things of creation, plants and animals live by this standard. Anything which leaves the boundaries of this principle of harmony will gradually lose power and eventually become extinct.

Whoever gives the most for the sake of the world is the person whom the world wants to remember. God Himself is guided by these principles. Once we as people are living according to the universal principles, we can relate to God in such an intimate way. We can talk with God, dance with Him, and have such a deep personal give-and-take with Him. All men need God and seek to perfect themselves in order to come back to that ultimate cause.

To Be Recognized As The Best

Suppose there was to be a meeting between the most superior persons from each part of the world -- the best from the East, the West, the South and the North. Do you suppose they would get together and struggle among themselves to decide which was the best of the best? Would the strongest person be the best person? The best person of all would have to be recognized as such by all those present, by their own free will. The greatest person would be recognized as the one who best understands each other person, and the one who has something which all the rest lack and want. The others would naturally want such a person to be their leader.

The Unification Church has been training people to become such universal people. Well-educated Western members have gone willingly to backward countries and sacrificed their time and effort to help the people there and raise up their standard of living. In the past Western nations have sent out their best people only for the purpose of gaining dominion over them to advance the power and influence of their own nations. But we in the Unification Church must reverse that. The person we send to the backward nation lives in the worst position there, and his purpose is to raise up all the people there to a better position.

I have sent missionaries from America, Germany and Japan because they represent well-developed nations. More often than not, they are arrogant people. They come from successful nations which have a history of never wanting to bow down to any other. The missionaries were instructed by me that the one among them who is most willing to sacrifice himself or herself for the sake of the others should be the leader.

Are we going this direction simply out of a desire for something different? No, we do this because this is the original true way. There is no other way for unity of the world.

Let us consider the reality of the world today. People around the world are beginning to wish bad things to happen to America. Twenty or thirty years ago they didn't have such thinking; they looked toward America as their ideal. Although so far those voices of resentment and hatred haven't had much influence, as the opinion continues to spread, the voices of negativity toward America will become stronger. Any person, nation or entity which boasts of its greatness in the realm of result (at the outer rim of the spiral) simply cannot continue its existence unless it connects itself back to its cause at the center-most internal part. Because of this principle, if there are many people who wish you to decline, there is no way to avoid that destiny.

Connect People To The Universal Principle

By witnessing, you are opening up a way for other people to connect with the Cause; you are helping that person find his path towards health and perfection. There is nothing more valuable you can give to another person. Once you have had a successful experience in witnessing, nothing can stop you. You are going out to the world and returning them to their Cause, God.

Eventually this way of life will lead us to God, as you move closer and closer to that central point. The topic of my speech has been "The Deep Desire of Our Original Nature." And where does our original mind most deeply want to go? Back to its center, the realm of God's love where we can live for eternity. This is why we were born; for the purpose of returning to our original Center.

The Deep Desire Of Our Original Nature

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
February 14, 1982
Belvedere
Translator - Sang Kil Han

What is the desire of our original nature? When you say "nature" to most people, it conveys something they can see, something which is manifested. In other words, "nature" refers to the result, rather than the cause. But when you say "original nature," you are referring more to the cause than the result. What is the deep desire of that original nature?

It is generally understood that there is some general background or cause for a person's nature; something which formed it. The direction of the effect is determined according to that cause. The destiny and direction of the result will be different, according to its cause. This is also true with individuals. People receive certain surnames from their parents, such as Smith or Jones. The way they are formed from their parents is different also; each individual comes from a different cause from which he takes a certain direction and moves toward a certain destination. We can see this in the fact that some people like a certain thing, while other people don't like it at all.

The universe is a big sphere. We as individuals are in that sphere. All spherical shapes have a central point from which a line can be drawn outward in all directions, as on a graph. Each person has a certain position within the largest sphere, and he forms his own sphere, centering on that central core. From that point he will proceed toward a certain direction, according to what he inherited from his ancestors. Another person at approximately the same point within the larger sphere might take an opposite direction; it depends upon what he inherits.

You as individuals within the giant sphere of the universe occupy a certain position; some of you will go toward the north, others will go toward the west, and so forth. But when the person who heads west reaches the limits of the west, he has to do one of two things: either he can stop there, and cease to move, or he can change directions and keep moving. We know that everything in motion wants to perpetuate itself; without exception, everything wants to keep moving and continue forever. Since we are talking about a sphere, the person who has reached the limits of the direction of west can turn to the north and then turn back toward the east.

If a person is willing to think, "I have been going in a western direction and it is very meaningful to me, but I can also go east; I am flexible," then he can keep moving. If he insists upon going to the west however without flexibility, then he is really in trouble when he reaches the limits of the west. He will be forced by the nature of the sphere to change his direction. Perhaps he will be pushed toward the south. He can then do one of two things: either he can allow himself to be absorbed by the environment of the south, or he himself can digest the environment of that new direction. The person who is moving toward the east may feel the same way: "I will move in an easterly direction and I will never deviate from it." But unless that person can move to a new direction once he has reached the limits of the east, he cannot continue to progress.

Why should it be necessary for someone who has been going in a western direction to start going to the east? Why can't he just ignore the east and keep moving west? It is the will of the universe, which is in the shape of a sphere, to maintain that spherical nature. Therefore, changes of direction are necessary.

Here I am, Reverend Moon, an Oriental man. People wonder, "Why doesn't he stay in the Orient? Why did he come to the west and face all this criticism?" Externally, there are many barriers for people to understand this, but internally I am well understood and able to communicate. Your original nature, your true nature, can estimate your own value, the value of Reverend Moon, and the value of the relationship you can have by uniting with me. Although I came from the east, it is also important for me to move toward the west.

When a person goes a certain way and he comes to another person's property, he must ask for permission to enter that property. He can't just enter freely. When you are asking to enter another person's property, you must tell him, "I will obey the rules in your territory." The same thing applies to the existence of men and women. If a woman says, "I am sufficient unto myself. Why should I need a man?" She does not understand her need to move in a different direction. Or a woman may have been searching seriously for a man, but once she finds him she tells him, "Now that we are together, you must do things the way I want." Certainly, the man would not like such a woman. In other words, her movement towards another direction-towards a man-only came to a certain point. She cannot actually enter into the territory of a man if she has such an attitude.

By the same token, a man who has been in search of a woman must be willing to accept her and behave in a way that pleases her. Otherwise he too stops right there and does not actually enter into the territory of a woman. He does not actually change his direction.

Why should men and women live according to the desires of the other? By doing so, they make a spherical movement, not a linear one, and there will be no end to their movement. They will continue forever. While they move in a spherical manner, they are headed in a certain direction or along a certain path. When a man and a woman are in perfect harmony with one another, they are able to go as a couple to any place in the world and adapt, no matter where it is. That couple might move toward the east and say, "This is what we want. We don't want to go to the west." But once their motion has brought them all the way to the end of the east then there is nowhere else for them to go; they will stop right there and cease to develop.

Again, we need to ask why we must be able to change our direction from east to west. Why do we actually need the opposite direction? It is because we need to keep moving and a spherical motion requires that we embrace the opposite direction.

All living things move like a spiral which is small at the center and large on the outside. We breathe in and out; all living things go through the motion of shrinking and expanding. This phenomenon ensures that the central point will eventually move to the outside and the outer point will eventually move to the inside. If we draw a large circle and trace a spiral from the outer rim gradually moving inward, we will eventually reach the core. From here, the movement can only go in the opposite direction, retracing in the spiral until it returns to a point on the outer surface.

Why does this spiral motion lead toward the center point, the core? Since the cause lies in that direction, the result is naturally drawn to that central point where the cause is. Then, the spiral also moves outward because the inner cause naturally moves out towards its result. The spiral moves outward and becomes big, then it moves inward and becomes small. A point will lie in the outer position, then it will move to the inner position, while another point moves from the inner to the outer position. This is the natural way of movement.

Our bodies go through this normal shrinking and expanding in the exercise of muscles. People breathe in different ways; some people take in a deep, long breath but exhale in short puffs. Others take in a short, strong breath which takes a long time to exhale. The earth itself expands and shrinks; A line moving up and down in a wave would represent the normal kind of motion, not a straight line.

What can we understand by realizing that the inner and outer points on the spiral must be connected? We can see that we must be connected to the rest of the universe and have a relationship with it. For instance, do you only want to be recognized by others in your school, or by everyone in the United States, or even by the whole world? Ask yourself why you want to be recognized on the largest scale. You might not know why. Actually, the reason is that by being recognized by the largest element you will be connected with it and can move out to the largest level of value.

Another way of expressing your desire for recognition from the world is by saying that it is only natural to want to relate with the cause of your being. It is good to go back to our cause in order to participate in the value of the whole universe. Your value as an individual can be involved in the value of the universe. If you pluck out a strand of hair from one person's head. to whom does it belong? The hair is found in one place on the body, but the elements of that hair are contributed by the whole body.

All beings are perpetually in a spiral, spherical motion, homing back to their cause. We can draw a spiral, beginning at the outer rim and going to the inner point, but we can also draw a straight line leading from the outer point directly to that inner point. You might ask, "Why not take this direct way to get to our cause? That is the shortest distance." But the universe doesn't work in that way. Only in a drawing can we move in such a straight line, not in the realm of the ideal.

Where should I go after having been here in the west? I will go to South America and Africa, then to the north and such countries as Russia. There is work that needs to be done in the southern and northern countries. When a person goes to another country, he has two options: either to be absorbed by that country or to digest everything there. I came here to the United States, traditionally a place where other cultures are quickly absorbed. Have I been absorbed or have I tried to influence America to become a better place?

America has been going in a certain direction, and Americans feel it is the best direction because they have always been successful. Americans don't even want to accept the suggestion that they ought to move in other directions. They insist that America is the greatest and they refuse to think that any other nation can be great or is worth understanding or learning from. Actually, according to Principle that viewpoint will never work. If a nation moves forward in one direction, when it comes to the end of that direction it simply will perish if it is not willing to change. This is the law of the universe.

I have been teaching you Westerners that you must change your direction. After coming to the limits of the west, you must go toward the south. The people of southern countries are predominantly dark-skinned. Can you digest that? If Americans go to the southern counties with the attitude that their way is superior and black people should bow down to them, this is not good. This is the same attitude manifested by the man who refuses to harmonize with the woman, which I explained earlier. Of course, the woman will not accept that man so he will be isolated. If the western people refuse to recognize the value of any other direction, saying, "We have been going in this direction and we have no intention of changing," then they are going to be isolated, with no place to go.

All over the world there is strong anti-American sentiment. Some nations are very bitter towards America. You, of course, sitting here in the heart of New York and the coziness of the American culture, can never know until you are exposed to that feeling. Somebody has to point out this fact and tell Americans, "You have been successful so far, but you must recognize that you have come to the end of this direction and you have to turn and go another way." Who in the world can teach Americans this important lesson? Why do I do it? America was started from a certain cause and has come to a certain result. Now the spiral must begin to turn inward toward the original cause. Perhaps someone is agreeable to finding God, but still he wants to continue to expand himself. However, to go inward toward the cause means that one must become smaller. The spiral motion can go inward only by shrinking, not expanding; therefore, modesty has been traditionally considered a virtue. A selfish person is not normally a modest or humble person. By becoming smaller, a person can return to that cause in the center.

Sometimes a person may be criticized for being too humble. He may be told, "You should express yourself more; reach out to the world and give yourself more." Such a person has become small, and has gone to the inside of the spiral, but then he has to move out again to the outer part, toward the result level. Once he has gone all the way down to the smallest point, there is no other direction to go but up and out. If he lingers and doesn't want to go out, someone will come and push him.

Why must there be continual motion? This is the nature of eternity; and eternal motion is the purpose of all movement. Once the cause and the effect have become one with each other in perfect harmony, they can move in any direction, as in the example of the harmonized couple who will be welcomed anywhere in the universe.

As a human being and a small universe, you have within yourself a mind which is the cause, and a body which is the result of your mind. They want to be in motion. The mind wants to express itself and get outside of itself through the body. The body wants to get inside of the mind. Who is subject and who is object? The one who takes initiative is the subject, so the mind is subject over the body. Sometimes the body will refuse to respond to the mind. The general nature of Satan, as we know, is to resist ever becoming smaller. Once he is up, he never wants to go down. But the true, original nature of man works according to the principle of perpetual motion from inside to outside, from up to down.

If this is true, do Western people need Eastern people? Yes, because both directions are required within the sphere of the earth. By going around in a circular motion we change positions and occupy different places. The one who gets closest to the center is the one who is adaptable and willing to go in all four directions no matter how difficult it may be. That kind of element is qualified to be closest to the center. There might be a small, humble woman who is close to that central point; but by just looking at her others might not be able to see how good a person she is. However, she actually has the quality of beautiful adaptability to all four directions.

She never demands for herself but is always harmonious within all four different directions, able to digest them all. Even if she doesn't realize it, as such a person continues to move she will eventually end up at that central position.

Do you need yourself, or do you need your neighbor more? If you are a Westerner, whom can you learn the most from-another Westerner or a Northerner, Easterner or anyone from another direction? We come to the inevitable conclusion that because of this principle, all people must live for the sake of others.

A student may be asked why he goes to school and he may answer, "Because I want to promote my position in life. I want to marry a better person and have a better life." Such an answer is not universal. The better answer would be, "I go to school so that I can have more to offer in service to my nation and the world." That actually makes more sense.

If an individual starts out in a very humble way, moving step by step up the ladder of success until he becomes a rich man of great influence, eventually he returns those accomplishments to his cause, his parents. Even though the whole world may be willing to bow down before a man of greatness and influence, will he demand the same attitude from his own parents? No, he will still have to be humble to his parents, like the day he was born. This is natural, more so than someone trying to remain in a lofty position and never wanting to go back to his origins.

In the English language, there is no simple word which expresses the idea, "Please go out and come back soon." But in Korean, with just one word you can say it. (Tonyo oseyo) It is a common word which parents say to their children, meaning, "Go out and come back quickly" and is a way of wishing their child well. Implied in such a wish is the knowledge that unless you are welcomed by the world, you cannot go out and come back quickly. So they want the world to welcome their child.

You may feel proud of your own eyes. Perhaps everyone tells you that they are beautiful. But do the cells of the eye feel isolated from the cells of the rest of the body? The eye is a part of the whole and it wants to be harmonious with the rest of the body.

It is a common desire for parents to send out their child to become successful, then to come back. An individual wants to go to the level of true family, for the original mind needs to reach that level before it can move on up to all the other levels. This is the standard way, and no one can change it. Some people might think, "I just don't want to move up to other levels. I am very satisfied by myself. I don't even want to reach for the family level." If someone insists on such a position he will be miserable, eventually.

Once a person reaches the world level, he must come back and make contact with the lower levels of the nation, society, tribe, family, and his spouse, then he is ready to move out toward the world level again. Such a person will be welcomed everywhere around the world, no matter where he goes. He will be sought after by all other peoples and cultures.

Deep in our minds we know that this principle is the true way for a person to advance to his fullest potential. Do you support me in my desire to go to the south, after leaving the west? If I go to the southern countries, will you stay here? I'm sure you will want to go where I go; but since we cannot all go to the same place at the same time, we are spread all over the world and constantly changing positions with each other. But the objective of each person is that the spiral motion from outer to inner and from inner to outer is always in progress.

Why do you go out witnessing so enthusiastically? Why do you do missionary work? You go out with a desire to get good results, but also you want to be able to come back and give a proud report to me. In that sense, you are coming back to the cause of your activity and not just staying at the level of the result. This is the way to unite the result with the cause.

We know that man is not a causal being but a resultant being. Certainly any resultant being would want to know and become one with the world. Eventually, he would desire to go back to God, his ultimate causal being, and report all his experiences to Him, both good and bad. The resultant being wants to share his life with the causal being. Everything we do is part of this process of going back to our cause, which is God.

Do you think this is something I made up, or do you think it may be true that returning to God is the ultimate path for all mankind? You have to have the right reasons for saying yes.

Every existence or any pair of subject and object has to have these two tendencies: to move towards the center and to move towards the outer expression. Nothing is in motion at random. There are two controlling factors which determine the way everything moves. These two directions always exist to ensure the purposefulness of the object's motion. One pushes the object in a certain way, the other pulls it in a certain way. In this manner the motion of going from the causal point to the resultant point is continually repeated. This is the way the universe moves.

Your mind and body want to have good give and take during your life, so a person with that good give and take is a happy person. A man with that harmony wants and needs to meet a woman with that harmony. Together, they want to have the same kind of good give and take that they achieved between their individual minds and bodies.

The ideal within the Church is to achieve a good give and take relationship between the subject and object. In this case, you receive direction from me and you work hard to achieve your goals. Then you return to me with your good results. In this way we can expand the influence of goodness to the largest level. Sometimes a person will live according to this ideal for a while, but then he may start to criticize the directions I give. Let me give an illustration of this. In baseball, the catcher stands behind the batter to catch every ball the pitcher throws. Does the catcher judge which balls he wants to catch? No, he tries with all his might to catch every ball that is pitched. Even when the pitcher throws a very fast curve ball, the catcher reaches out and may even turn all the way around in a circle as he catches it. No catcher will just stand still in front of a fast ball and try to stop its motion with a stiff arm. When he catches it with a turning motion, absorbing the strength of the pitch, his action contains a quality of beauty. You should think that when you make some motion, even just raising your hand, you are moving with the universe.

This principle of motion applies to everything in a person's life. Today many American youngsters have what they think is a great time, by just going off with their friends and ignoring their homes and families. If they are really having such a great time, then they would naturally come back home and have an equally great time with their parents and family. But unfortunately young people don't regard their parents as being very valuable. They scorn them as being part of the "older generation" and even try to ignore them completely. This is not really a great life. The natural way of enjoying life for a young person is to go out and have a good time, then to return to his home and share his experiences with his grandparents and the whole family. It is not natural to go out and have a good time and then to come home and isolate oneself from one's family. How can the grandparents and the parents really want such a child to come back home? It would be a very painful existence. If the youngster lives in his own world without sharing in a positive way, the family will feel very offended.

Most intelligent people today don't understand the universal reasons why it is good for a child to come back to his home, sharing his experiences in a positive way with his family. Now you know that going out and coming back in harmony is the law of the universe, and no one can live happily in violation of this law. Now you can understand that a person who lives according to this law is a person of health, a natural person. Such a person will be sought after by others who desire to learn from him the proper way to live. He will naturally become a teacher to all people who don't know how to live naturally and harmoniously.

This principle is the standard for what a man should be. The president of some country should not be decided by any external element such as what skin color he may have. The person who lives according to the law and standard of harmony should be the natural center and leader. He will be the one who is welcomed by everybody, not only in his country but also in the rest of the world. This is the criterion which God uses; it is also the standard of all living things of the universe. All the things of creation live by this standard. It is only natural, therefore, that the person who leaves the boundaries of this principle of harmony will gradually lose power.

While a person is growing up, he gathers and absorbs all the elements of his environment; but once a person is grown and mature, he starts giving of himself to his surroundings. As people age they become smaller physically, not bigger. When a person dies, his body returns to the earth completely. Whether it is invisible or visible, everything is guided by this cycle.

It is clear that the people who are recognized throughout history are those who did the most for the sake of the world. It doesn't matter whether the person was from the east or west or black or white. Whoever gives the most for the sake of the world is the person the world wants to remember. Do you think I have come to a hasty conclusion here, taking a few examples and trying to make up some general statement? Actually, everything I have said here is applicable to your own life. Beyond this physical world of mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms the spirit world is guided by the same principles which I have been discussing. God Himself is guided by these principles. Once we as people are living according to the universal principles, we can begin to relate with God in an intimate way. We can talk with God, dance take with Him, and have deep, personal give and take with Him. All men, according to their own inherited characteristics, want to perfect their natures because they need to come back to that cause, God.

Suppose there was to be a meeting of superior people from each part of the world. Do you suppose they would struggle among themselves to decide who is the best of the best? Can that be decided by fighting? Actually, the best person would have to be recognized by all the others on their own volition. The greatest person would be recognized as having something which all the rest want and lack, so naturally they would want him to be their leader. The person who possesses the universal characteristics of every direction is the one who is acknowledged by those from east, west, north and south. This is simply logical.

The Unification Church has been training you to become such universal people. Well-educated western members have gone willingly to backward countries and offered their time and effort to help the people raise their standard of living.

In the past, Western countries have sent out their best people to less developed nations only for the purpose of gaining dominion over those countries; but we have reversed that in the Unification Church. We take the best person and send him to the backward country to live in the worst position there. His purpose is to raise up all the people there to a better position, instead of raising himself over them and keeping them in their miserable situation.

Are we going this direction simply out of a desire for something different? No, we do this because this is the original, true way, no matter how many people have gone in the other direction. There is no other way to go for the unity of the world. Do you think this is the solution? This is the law of the universe, and if anyone goes against it, he will eventually perish.

I have sent missionaries from America, Germany, and Japan because they represent well-developed nations. They come from nations who have a history of never wanting to bow down to any others. I told them that the one among them who was most willing to sacrifice for the sake of others should be the leader.

Let us consider the reality of the world situation today. If America continues along her current path, she will be totally despised by the poor nations. The black people of Africa who are struggling with poverty and misery will turn against predominantly white America. All the people around the world are beginning to wish bad things would happen to America. Even if they don't express those thoughts, many people are wishing America would perish. They didn't have such an idea twenty or thirty years ago. At that time, they looked toward America as their ideal. The terrible thing is that, as resentment toward America continues to spread, the voices of negativity will become stronger and stronger. According to the principle of the universe, if there are many, many people who wish you to decline there is no way to avoid that decline.

If some person, nation, or entity boasts of its great success in the realm of result, unless it connects itself back to its cause-the central, internal part-that entity simply cannot continue to exist. This phenomenon is everywhere. In the American family there is a breakdown between inner and outer in the relationship between the younger and older generations. Also, there is rarely a feeling of good give and take between the American President and the citizens.

Somehow people have come to use an economic standard as the measure of their success. Money and economic concerns are only the results. If this nation continues to be concerned only with money and resists connecting itself again with the causal element, the consequences will be terrible. There is nothing wrong with money and economic well-being, but why do we need money? If we want money only to enjoy ourselves and live well, then we are wrong. Money is the result of a fruitful cause and it is meant to serve the purpose of that cause. America needs its money only in order to make the world a better place-the way God would like it to be.

The purpose of wealth is to make God happy when He looks at a healthy, good world. If you recognize this, then it is fine for you to acquire money. Even if your level of concern is only the nation and you want to use money in order to reverse the destructive trends in America, this is fine. Suppose someone wants to make his parents' lives more comfortable and easy. This is good, too. Everybody will approve such a person having money because he will spend it for the sake of a larger purpose than just himself. If a person clings to his money for his own self-centered purposes, even his parents won't approve of him.

The person who lives for the sake of the whole world is welcomed in any place and has unlimited freedom of movement around the world. However, if a person wants to live in a small, self-centered way, all the other elements of the universe will wish him ill. Those self-made millionaires who only live to acquire wealth are never loved and welcomed by the world, especially if they hurt others in their quest for money. Such people are considered violators of universal law. Their success is not looked upon as a virtue but as a manifestation of their sinfulness.

Money is not the only thing which falls under this principle. Knowledge, too, can be used properly or improperly, depending upon whether one uses it for the sake of others or just to advance his personal goals. Likewise with position and prestige. All these things must be guided by this principle of harmony, and then there is nothing wrong with them.

When a person is living his life in violation of this principle, someone else who doesn't seem to have much power may step up and criticize the unrighteous one. Eventually, the unrighteous person will become the loser, not the one who criticizes him. But now that we know the correct way to live we need not criticize others; the only thing we need to do is go the right way. We will make money and spend it for the sake of the world. If someone else doesn't want to spend his money for the right purpose, leave him alone-certainly it cannot benefit him to live that way.

It doesn't matter who is great and powerful and wealthy today-those who live by the Principle are actually going to become the great people of the future. The way of the Principle is the way of success; the way of non-Principle is the way of decline. For whom do we go fundraising? Certainly we don't do it for ourselves. The money which we raise is used for the sake of God and the world, the cause and the result. This activity is acceptable no matter where we go, according to universal law. Consider the money itself. Where does money want to go; where does it want to be spent? Certainly, the material world wants to be in the dominion of God and be used by Him. All things want to be used by the world and then return to God, moving in that universal spiral motion.

Why do you want to witness? Once you have a successful experience, no one can keep you from witnessing. You are opening a way for other people to be connected with their cause, God. You are helping a person to find his path toward health and perfection. There is nothing more valuable that you can give to another person.

A traffic policeman at a busy intersection is there to direct traffic in the most efficient way. That is your function, too. You are in the position to tell people what direction to go. How grateful people are when they find someone like you who can guide them through the wilderness of this world! As the spiritual "traffic cop" you can see that the great power of universal law is about to collide with your country. Naturally you must tell the country to stop moving in that direction. However, the people are ignorant and don't know what is about to happen, so they want to keep moving forward. You must explain to them why they have to stop and show them sufficient reason. You have to explain to them, "If you go to the left, you will come to a decrepit bridge. If you go to the right, you will find a good highway."

People are seeking to find someone who really knows which direction they should take. When they find out that you really know what you are talking about, they will value you more than anyone else. If you are guiding people, you must do so with love. You must love them more than their own parents love them. In this way you will find yourself in the center of love; this is the greatest and most wonderful way to live. This way of life will lead you closer and closer to that central point, God.

The topic of our speech has been, "The Deep Desire of Our Original Nature," That original nature most deeply wants to go back to its center, its cause. This is the center of God's realm of love where we can live for eternity. You were born for the purpose of returning to your center. Every single person has a deep desire within himself to return to his cause and center, God, but often his conscious mind isn't aware of this. People are constantly being stopped by the world's influence. This is why the most conscientious and sensitive people are often in agony-they want to go "somewhere," but they don't know where and they don't know how. All they know is that they are not fulfilled. It is a very painful existence.

Suppose someone has been fundraising with the MFT for three years, or even five years. He may feel, "My central figure doesn't appreciate me and doesn't recognize me. No one seems to realize my value." He should be aware that God and the universe recognize his value, even better than his leaders. The same is true of my own situation. If I do something and work hard for the sake of others, but no one even acknowledges it, still I know that God understands my situation and He appreciates what I do.

This year our motto is "Victory of Home Church." We appreciate home church because it is the result of 6,000 years of religious history. Going successfully through the home church providence enables us to launch ourselves like a rocket back to our source, God. It literally took thousands of years to arrive at the point where we are. If you wanted to, you could spend another six thousand years retracing the steps of Biblical history, but if someone could guarantee that by going in a certain direction you could get back to God in a shorter time, wouldn't you jump at the chance? This is the value of home church.

I have been pushing you in a certain direction, and I recognize that it is difficult for you in the Western culture to change yourselves. Nevertheless, I push you forcefully to go a certain way. Why do you think I do this? Judged from a personal standpoint, I am losing much more than I am gaining. If I were living for my own benefit, I would never live in this way. I live this way because I know that I can teach you the solution to all the problems in life.

We know that there is always a conflict between man's true nature and his fallen nature; but you know that the deepest desire of your original nature is for God. You have discovered this for yourself; thus you understand a profound truth. You cannot say, "I understand that I need to go this way, but I don't want to. Let someone else do it." Knowing that your purpose is to go in the direction of God, it is normal to wish that someone would push you; you know that if you were left to your own weaknesses, you would never get there. It is of the utmost importance that we achieve our purpose and our goal of returning to God.

Now that we understand these things, there should be much less reason to complain. You will not even want others to praise you by saying such things as, "He is a great witnesser." You don't want to hear that because God and the universe know that you are still far away from your perfection. You don't want to hear a lot of praise and you don't want to complain about your situation. You only want to go toward your goal, hoping that you can achieve it during your own lifetime. This is really all you want if you understand how important it is to reach your perfection.

Those who resolve to go toward that goal, raise your hands. Thank you.

God And Us

Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1982
World Mission Center

Throughout history, mankind has been pondering one fundamental question: whether God exists. History has moved ahead, but that question lingers on. Of course, the center of the issue is religion. If we recognize God as a personal God, whatever He may think and plan is the ideal which mankind ought to seek. So what is the true relationship between God and me or us?

Let's think philosophically about us, or "I." Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am; because I cannot doubt that I doubt." What is the origin of thinking? Some say that thought comes from the brain, or head. Others say that thought comes from the heart. But is the origin of my existence also either the brain or the heart? Actually, the two have different origins.

Conception precedes perception

The theory of evolution is an expedient explanation of man's origin, but it cannot actually be the fundamental one. Even evolution must have had an origin somewhere. Within the animal, is there the origin of spirit? Suppose that in the simple one-celled amoeba there is a little thought; then how did that little thought evolve into the sophisticated human spirit or human mind? The spiritual conception of man is even beyond human apprehension. How could the amoeba have evolved into the highest spiritual conception? Did the amoeba contain the energy within itself to push it forward into a higher element? Can the evolved being generate the energy which is capable of making it evolve into something greater than the energy itself? If not, our argument leads us to the conclusion that the greater being emerged from the third realm of energy.

What is this third realm of energy? Who can provide us with such energy? The theory of evolution cannot answer this question.

Even the simple amoeba has an external form and an internal form. If there is an interaction between the external form and internal form, how does it take place? What is the center of the interaction? In order to explain that kind of interaction, two major philosophical schools have emerged: metaphysical idealism and materialism. Does spirit precede matter? Does matter precede spirit? If the priority in the order of relation between mind or spirit and matter is upside down, then the philosophy which explains that priority will he upside down as well. If the interaction between the mind and matter represents a relationship of struggle, then history becomes a record of struggle.

From the internal viewpoint of the interaction, conception precedes perception. From the external viewpoint of the interaction, perception precedes conception. However, both viewpoints have to ask what the center of the interaction is. If the interaction is a sort of struggle, what is the subject which initiates the struggle? If the concept is prejudiced in favor of one viewpoint, the struggle becomes ever more serious, since it lacks a concept of harmony or center to guide the interaction.

Therefore, our historical predicament has been to determine the center and to focus upon it as the core of all interactions. For instance, communism says that spirit is incidental to matter and that consciousness is the by-product of material. The centrifugal force (or outward thrust from the center) is a relative concept, while that of the center is absolute. We have to seek the unity of the centrifugal force with the centripetal force. This is our historical view of struggle, in light of which the old view will fade into insignificance.

Something in the center of the atom, the nucleus, engenders the action; it is the subject. Each one of the more than a hundred types of atoms has a different form, yet in the center is a nucleus that determines that atom's characteristics. As atoms combine, some take the vegetable direction, others the animal direction, and still others the mineral direction. The same principle applies to the amoeba, which has an internal nuclear character and an external orbital character. In the human body, each of the billions of cells has a nucleus. Even if the object is not a perfect circle, still there must be a balanced center.

A microcosm of the macrocosmic universe

Then what kind of purpose does the center serve? The core-characteristic of the nucleus determines the substance of the whole body. The central nucleus is a key determining factor of everything from the smallest atom to the entire universe. The nucleus can expand into a bigger nucleus, which determines the character of a bigger structure. Thus, man is a microcosm of the macrocosmic universe. In this structure, man is ever expanding to become the core of the universe and to reach out to the universe. This core-structure cannot be found in the theory of evolution. Therefore, the theory of evolution is bound to break down.

Each existence has its own character. Suppose two different kinds of vegetables, one a radish and another a Chinese cabbage, want to become one. No matter how they go about it, the radish cannot become a cabbage, or the cabbage a radish. The determining factor is the nucleus characteristic. Man has a man-determining factor; monkeys have a monkey-determining factor. The monkey is created for a monkey's purpose, but man's essence is completely different from that of animals or vegetables.

Imagine a scientist in a laboratory commanding the elements of a nucleus to come together and to unite; no matter how many times he shouts at them, unless the components have a capacity to form a relationship, a nucleus will not result. Still, some people insist that the universe developed according to the theory of evolution, that some accident happened and man resulted.

The universal nucleus consciousness

Moreover, all men are in a way "cells" of some universal nucleus character, linked organically with something bigger than themselves. But the central common character of man is heart. That is what gives us cohesiveness and the ability to become a part of the human family. Also, we share some common aspirations; we want to pursue goodness and we strive for betterment. Because of these common human desires, we are always reaching out for new horizons. We long for some higher, wider universal character. We recognize some greater substance, and our consciousness is some effort to reach out to that universal consciousness and ally ourselves to it. Thus, the universal consciousness becomes subject, and we become its objects.

From the universal point of view, then, we have something in common -- one universal, nucleus consciousness. We share a harmonizing factor which brings people together peacefully. That is the power of love. The power of love permeates every cell, making everything smooth, harmonizing it all, linking subject and object, mind and body. In a way, then, love is like glue, binding, cementing all cells together. This is why love is universal, love is good. Without love, everything would fall apart. Love threads all beings together.

Without love, the interaction between subject and object is very clumsy. However, with the power of love, we can experience total freedom of action, freedom of movement. You can do incredible activities. Love produces a shocking intoxication, and everybody will become drunk on love.

Love activates the nucleus

The power of love pulls individuals towards each other: men love women, women love men. Within the action of love, no one can resist God; He is electrifying; to contact Him is like plugging into an electrical circuit. If man is ultimately to pursue the action of true love, he must first determine the nucleus. Love only goes through the nucleus, turning on every cell, telling each to wake up. The ideal means the fulfillment of love.

It is in the consciousness whether the internal character is created. When we are pursuing ideals and love, we have to give recognition first to the existence of the nucleus -- both the individual and universal nuclei.

There is only one way to become a true man, and that is to connect yourself with the truth of the universe, which is the consciousness, or nucleus, of the universe. True man is the center of true love; thus, when true love activates the nucleus, the entire action will be true. Love will "turn you on," and true love will turn you on truly. When people find a true man, they compete with each other to establish a relationship with him. He is like a magnet, pulling everything from all directions.

This explains God yet plainly and beautifully. Who is God? God is the center or nucleus of true love. The personalistic God becomes my God. This core of love of God is the prerequisite for unification. God is the subject of love, spreading out His wings, under which all of His creation can gather in His embrace. Through the magnetic force of His true love, all things of the universe are pulled towards Him.

Why do we exist? For the fulfillment of love. We exist in order to become the perfect object for the perfect subject. The central circle is God, where the nucleus of will and love exist. This love can radiate in all directions, 360 degrees. The amazing and beautiful fact is that even though God is almighty, without His object (you), He cannot fulfill His ideal and goal of love. Therefore, we become an indispensable existence in the sight of God.

The ultimate goal is the center or nucleus of love. In order to reach it, we need the horizontal love between husband and wife. For this reason, the love between husband and wife is precious; it brings them into unity and into relationship with universal love. The Principle talks about universal prime force. The universal prime force is the power to link you with that central force of love. Prime energy is the energy which brings everybody into unity, united with the center. This is the way the universe was created.

Analogy of the design of the eye

So which came first, existence or consciousness? You can understand that consciousness came first. Still, however, you may encounter people who find it hard to believe in something they cannot see. Try using an analogy which I have found people respond to well: that of the design of the eye.

Your father had eyes, you can tell people; your grandfather had eyes, your great-grandfather as well, etc. So somewhere in your family tree, there must have been a first eye. Do you think that particular eye must have thought, "I want to have this shape, this color, etc."? Do you think the first eye was such a genius that it designed itself, thinking, "I must be capable of turning. I will be very sensitive, so I need some kind of covering. There might be moisture coming down, so I need an eyebrow to absorb it. There might be dust in the atmosphere, so I need some lashes to filter it out." Impossible.

The eye must have been designed by someone who realized the environment it would need to function in. If the eye itself couldn't have calculated it all, there must have been some other will, which knows more than the eye, and which designed everything for the eye. There must be some consciousness in the universe which realized that moisture would evaporate from the surface of the eye, so some liquid would be needed as a lubricant; that sweat would be coming down the forehead, so eyebrows would be needed to block it. Before the creation of the eye, there was a will, a consciousness, a purpose, which determined exactly the environment in which the eye would be functioning and how the eye should be adapted to it.

In my student days there was a lot of discussion about God, and my opponents would say, "There is no God. Existence comes first; I believe in evolution." I would argue back. When I got to the eye analogy, everyone would surrender. So isn't this realistic?

A monkey's cousin or a child of God?

So we are not the product of evolution, but we are created beings and harmonized creatures. Would you like to be a creature of ideal harmony, or a product of evolution? Would you rather be the monkey's cousin or the child of God? If you are a monkey's cousin, the only love you will find is carnal love. God alone has true love. God alone has eternity. So would you go to the zoo, look for the monkeys and bow down to them and say, "Oh, my ancestors!"? NO.

So we come to a logical and scientific conclusion that we were created by God. This is not at all a mystical or superstitious affirmation.

I do need a subject, I must relate to the thought of that subject. Therefore, I need God, I pray to God, I know God, I am a part of God. That is the proper way of life. God is the universal subject, and we are His objects, His cells. By being objects to God, we are united with the subject in an inseparable relationship. You cannot have any better way of life than this. By uniting yourself with the subject, you fulfill the ideal aspiration of your common mind. As human beings, we share common aspiration for great goodness and great development. The nobility of goodness is the balance of the highest virtues and can come about only through the fulfillment of love.

Every morning I am totally intoxicated by my own face. Not because it is anything special, but because of who designed this face. It must have been a genius. How could he have put the eyes there? Look how he positioned the nose, the mouth, the ears! I cannot think of any better combination. The eyes, the nose, the mouth, all have Divine Principle meaning. First of all, the eyes represent God, the deepest place. The nose stands for Adam and Eve; its two holes represent man and woman, joined in the center. The forehead portrays God's ideal, reaching down to the eyes and nose. The mouth is horizontal and symbolizes all things of creation, and the ears are sensitive to the four directions of time and space. Also, the nose is the highest point, like Adam and Eve standing at the peak of the universe.

God, hidden in the universe

God hides behind the deeper things, so if you look profoundly into your eyes you may see Him. Your fingers have three joints, and your thumb, representing God, has two. Before being born, the infant's hands are clenched, and the thumb is hidden under the fingers, like God, veiled in the universe. The masterpiece of God's creation, of the whole universe, is man.

The Principle of the Unification Church embraces all the phenomena of the universe and history, fulfilling the ideal of unification through the way of restoration. To make a long story short, the method is Home Church.

Home Church is a constant ideal, where the love of God and all human beings converge. We talked about True Parents, their heart and God's heart, but you don't know them until you do Home Church. Without making yourself go through the Home Church providence, you cannot think with Father. I have given you incredibly deep theological and philosophical teaching, but just study Home Church. By doing it, you will know what I mean. In order to perfect the universe, we need to create an altar, and that altar is Home Church.

I assure you that when you create an altar of Home Church and you go there looking for God, you will meet Him there. I guarantee you. Once you really know God -- really and truly, not just in concept -- you cannot do anything to hurt Him. If everyone knew God, not just by reason, but in his heart, no one could commit a crime, because everyone's eyes are watched over by God. Your own eyes are looking into your mind, and if your mind is evil, your own eyes will call upon yourself to repent. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you are called to repentance. That same person in the mirror is God, looking over you. If you commit crimes or sin, how can you say to your leg, "Work for me"? How can you order your hand to feed your mouth if you are not good? All the things of creation, food included, want to become a part of God, when you are godly. When a God-centered man eats it, food can become a part of God.

The magnetic field of eternal love

Are you making a determined effort to become perfect? Do you do so only out of duty, or do you do so from your own initiative?

If it weren't for the fall of man, everyone would have been born in this position, and within their lifetime they could have perfected themselves in their relationships, then go to the spirit world. That was the blueprint of God's creation, as you know. And even for us, within our lifetime here on earth, we have a golden opportunity. If you miss this opportunity, you will lose this position forever. When you think of it, nothing else matters; really you want to invest your life for the sake of the perfection of yourself and your relationship with God. Think, "I will become a man in whom God takes delight, because I will perfect my love and become an inseparable part of God."

God is searching after us, coming down and reaching out for us. As much as we need God, He needs us. This is such a gratifying fact.

Spiritually speaking, when you look at your hand, it radiates light. Your whole body is like that light bulb; you can truly become light-giving objects when you become the embodiment of God.

While you are here on earth, you must experience that ecstatic joy of love. Then when you lose your body of flesh, you will be pulled up to heaven and God as if by a magnet. There is a magnetic field of eternal love, and you are part of it; for eternity you cannot separate yourself from the origin of love. Every single element of the creation wants to become a part. When you have this aspiration, there is no way you can get tired. Even death would not be enough to stop you. It's an exciting life. I don't want to talk about it too much, or you'll get too excited.

You have to create lots of Acts of the Apostles in your Home Church area. Make your life dramatic and ultimately exciting. Let's prepare a gift package of love, to go and meet God.

Dr. Sam Lee, a professor of philosophy, assisted in the translation of the full text of this speech, of which the above is a summary.

God And Us

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
February 1, 1982
World Mission Center
Translator - Bo Hi Pak

Throughout history mankind has been pondering the fundamental question of whether or not God exists. But history has developed until the present time without a definitive answer being found to that question. However, if God exists and is a personal God as well, whatever God may think and plan is the ideal which all mankind ought to seek. Therefore, the most basic question of man's life revolves around whether or not God exists and what is the true relationship between God and mankind.

Considering the question of whether or not God exists, let us for the time being think philosophically about ourselves, or "I". Do "I" exist and how do I know that I exist? Historically philosophers have held differing views. Some have asserted, "I think, therefore I am. I cannot doubt that I doubt." But what is the origin of thinking? Some say thought comes from the brain, while others assert that man's spirit is the origin of his thought. But whatever the origin of thought, man himself has a separate origin, so we have to consider the two questions separately.

Many people believe that man came into being through an evolutionary process. This is an expedient explanation but it cannot actually be the fundamental one. Even evolution must have had an origin somewhere. Did the animal become a human through an evolutionary process? Where is the origin of man's spirit, mind, and thought within the animal? Where did human thought begin in the evolutionary process? Did animals have any spiritual ancestors?

The simplest organism is the one-celled amoebae. Suppose the amoebae has the capacity of a simple consciousness. How then did that simple consciousness evolve into the sophisticated human mind? Did the noble spirit of mankind evolve from that little organism? It is not very logical to assume such a thing. There must have been some point in the process of the development of man's body when the human spirit came into being. We know that the capacity of the human mind is tremendous. Are we to believe that elements of greater and greater thought were added bit by bit to the simple consciousness of the amoebae until we reached the human mind and spirit? That is the logic of evolution.

Does the amoebae, the beginning point of the evolutionary theory, contain the energy necessary to propel itself forward into a higher form of being? If not, that extra energy must be supplied from the outside. Who is in a position to supply the energy necessary to make one object into another object? Observers of the phenomenon of evolutionary development do not try to figure out this question. They only observe the end result and call it evolution. But if we look more deeply into the internal aspect, we conclude that there must be some additional source of energy besides the object which is changing.

When amoebas collect in greater numbers do they somehow produce the human spirit? Even the simple amoebas do have an external form and an internal aspect. These internal and external aspects work together as a joint unit, with the internal aspect behaving as the central point.

There are two major schools of philosophical thought: materialism, which considers matter as the essence of the universe, and metaphysical idealism, which considers spirit as the essence around which everything else in the universe revolves. The age-old philosophical question is whether consciousness precedes existence or existence precedes consciousness. From an external observation, it would seem that existence came before consciousness. But from the internal point of view there was an awareness or a consciousness first, from which sprang being or existence. Depending upon how this question is answered, two entirely different viewpoints emerge. On one side is the materialist philosophy and on the other the acceptance of God. In between these two extremes there are thousands of different theories.

Between these two opposing viewpoints, call them "internal" and "external", struggles arise. It is very important to determine which came first, consciousness or existence, and which is subject and which is object. When we can discover the order of their appearance, we can understand the overall order of things, and there is no need for struggle. But if we believe that matter and spirit coexist on an equal level there will always be struggle. Marxism is founded on the belief that the universe sprang from the essential element of material and that consciousness is a by-product of matter.

The basic component of matter, the atom, can be broken down into smaller and smaller particles. Within the atom is the neutron and the proton with the electron circling around it. The proton occupies the center and is in the subject position; however, within the proton there is another give-and-take action and further breakdown is possible. All the elements coming together began with some motion. Did they all begin their motion at the same time or was there some order? Whichever particle initiated the motion had to become the subject.

The central point of the atom, the nucleus, was the initiator of the movement within the atom. Within the amoebae the same thing applies. It contains an internal nucleus character and an external, orbital character. Each of the billions of cells within the human body has a nucleus as well.

The concept of a "center" requires the existence of four directions. As on a graph when one has four points, there is a point central to the four. The nucleus of a cell is in the center. If the cell is not a perfect circle but is an oval shape, there still must be a balanced central point within. What purpose is served by that center? The central position determines the location of the axis; it is the position of the starting point. Without it nothing can move.

There are 104 different types of atoms and the shapes of each of the 104 atoms are different. The determining factor for the shape and characteristics of each atom is its nucleus. Even for the smallest atom there is still a center which determines its shape and characteristics.

The characteristics of the nucleus determine the substance of the outer body, so the central nucleus is the key determining factor for the entire being. This is true in the development of the different forms of existence. As atoms congregate and move together into different types of nuclei, the outward characteristics become markedly different. In one direction there is the vegetable world, in another, the animal world, in another, the mineral world. The central nucleus character is determined first then the outward phenomenon, or the external form, is determined.

However, evolution rests on the assumption that the development of life just happened-by chance or accident on its own, automatically. But there is no way for such development to occur automatically. When there are two different types of nuclei there will be two different types of external forms. For example, no matter how hard a radish and a Chinese cabbage try, the radish cannot become a Chinese cabbage and the cabbage cannot become a radish. It is impossible for them to come together and produce some new form of life. They have totally different types of nuclei with totally different characteristics. Unless the elements of the nucleus are changed, the external forms cannot be changed.

The shape of the monkey and the human being resemble each other. Other animals, such as the dog. the cat, the cow have eyes, noses and ears just as humans do. But does that mean that the cow can become a man and the man can become a cow? No, because the determining factor of any existence is its nucleus, the center. Humans have the internal determining factor of humanity; cows have the cow-determining factor; dogs have the dog-determining factor. As long as those nuclei are different, no matter how much effort is spent on external unity, they can never become interchangeable.

To begin with they are different items, monkey and man. The monkey has a monkey-determining factor and the man has a man-determining factor. They have entirely different purposes. as well. It we try to come to the conclusion that the monkey automatically evolved into a man, it doesn't hold true.

The nucleus is the core and the subject; it is in the position to relate in all four directions. It can exert influence in all four directions and can receive energy from all four directions. It can determine its own character. In other words, it shapes its substance. With this concept of a core-nucleus, the internal and external aspects of man can be understood. The theory of evolution cannot explain the internal and the external because it has no understanding of the core.

The elements might not have occurred in all four directions at the same time. Maybe they began with one direction; but ultimately they covered the entire four directions. The four directions of east, west, north and south have different characteristics from each other.

Every essential element of matter has a different origination point. Between the nucleus and the objective body, the nucleus comes first in the subject position and it determines the nature of the objective body.

Even though it is invisible, the internal is first. Whoever takes the initiative becomes the subject. For example, in order for those of you sitting in the front row to get here first, you had to have motivation and take the initiative to get here earlier than others. The motivation for an action comes from within the nucleus, the center point. You determined in your thinking that you wanted to be here first on the front row. The motivation came from a nucleus, the idea, and it pushed your body to do it. Your body did not push your mind to come here early. Since that core-nucleus exists prior to objective embodiment, the internal occurs before the external. That core makes the external embodiment possible, not vice-versa. This same principle can be applied everywhere. The internal reality and internal character is first and is in the subject position.

The theory of evolution falls apart simply because evolution cannot explain how one nucleus changes itself into another nucleus. Imagine a scientist in his laboratory commanding several elements with differing nuclei to come together the way he wants them to. No matter how many times he shouts at those nuclei, unless there is a certain element of mutual interaction or possibility for reciprocal relationship, those nuclei will defy him and will not come together. Knowing this, how can we be convinced when people try to tell us that the universe developed according to the theory of evolution with things happening by accident? How can we believe that life just came rolling down the line and mankind happened to come about? There must be some source of power, will and initiative, some universal nucleus-idea which is the governing factor of the entire universe.

Let's analyze the existence of Reverend Moon. Is he the result of some evolutionary accident or was there some nucleus or will of Reverend Moon that expanded to become the substantial Rev. Moon? The nucleus, the essence of Reverend Moon, went through the process of gathering up the substance of Rev. Moon. The Rev. Moon nucleus has its own characteristic. Therefore, liking and disliking, willing and not willing, everything is determined by that central nucleus of character. It is, therefore, different from others; it is unique. That nucleus character exercises the power to gather and create what is to become the actual Rev. Moon. Rev. Moon's nucleus has already determined the size and character of Rev. Moon, so Rev. Moon cannot go beyond his own characteristic nucleus, nor can he become any less than the nucleus requires. Exactly what the nucleus was, Rev. Moon became. Nothing can be added to it because it would be foreign. Unless the nucleus ordered certain substances they would not become a part of Rev. Moon. Once the character requires certain elements then they must become part of the substance of that body. But unless the nucleus dictates it, no matter how much other elements try to enter into that character, they will not be accepted. They will always be foreign.

In a way, all men are "cells" for some universal nucleus character; they are a part of something bigger than themselves. But the central characteristic of man is heart and this central characteristic is common to all. This is why each is a part of the human family; we are a cohesive group. Man is man. We cannot mingle and relate equally with the animal world because we are human beings and they are animals.

As humans we have a common character working within us. We strive for betterment and we pursue goodness. Because these strivings are common to all men, we continually reach out for new horizons, for greater and higher universal character; in other words for something better, some way to progress. Since such character distinctly exists within the common human nucleus, the whole of humanity continually moves itself toward betterment.

Because there is a common human search for goodness and betterment, there is something bigger than our own character within the universal character. As a collective group we recognize that there is some greater nucleus; we recognize ourselves as objects to that greater subject. The human consciousness involves this collective effort to reach out to that universal consciousness. Because of our human consciousness, we can reach out to that greater consciousness and we can communicate with it.

In that way universal consciousness becomes subject and we become its objective body, the substance of that universal consciousness. We are glad to become the objective consciousness of that nucleus consciousness. We want to communicate; we want to align ourselves with that central consciousness. Man stands uniquely as the microcosm of the macrocosmic universe.

The human body is composed of many different kinds of cells. Also the different races of man can be represented in the cells of one body. An example would be the cells in the whites of the eyes, representing white people. The dark cells on the sole of the foot might represent the black people. All are making up the one body, simply in a different location. Who could say that the cells of the whites of the eyes are superior to the cells on the bottom of the foot? All human cells are equally valuable, working for the same purpose and serving a joint will. How about husband and wife? From the universal point of view, husband and wife are like two cells which are next to each other and have close give and take- virtually one cell.

From this universal point of view all human beings are equal. We have a common nature which belongs to that one universal nucleus consciousness. Among all the billions of human "cells" there must be a certain harmonizing factor which brings people together peacefully. This is the power of love. The power of love is like a thread between every cell making smoothness and harmony. In a way, love is like glue, binding and cementing together all the cells of humanity. This is why love is universal and love is good. The action of love is ultimate. Therefore' without love everything would fall apart. The action of love unites subject and object and mind and body.

Without love the interaction between subject and object is very clumsy. However, with the power of love we can experience total freedom of action, and freedom of movement between east and west, north and south. In a way love is a shocking intoxication which can make everybody drunk. That is why love is good. There is a drunkenness which comes from drugs or alcohol, but this is merely an artificial and momentary intoxication.

Because of the power of love differing individuals are pulled together, particularly men and women. Men love women and women love men. Within the action of love no one can remain dulled; it is like connecting to an electric circuit. One becomes totally electrified through love. Love must go to the nucleus because when the nucleus is activated the whole self become excited. Love penetrates to the nucleus-center and the entire objective body is activated. True man is the center of true love; thus. when true love activates the nucleus of a man all his actions will be true Love will "turn you on" and true love will turn you on truly.

If man is to pursue the action of true love, he must recognize the nucleus first. Love must first go through the nucleus turning on every cell. Therefore. in order to fulfill and consummate love, we first have to recognize the existence of the nucleus, the center.

In terms of consciousness and existence indeed it is within the consciousness that the internal character, the nucleus, is created. This must be recognized. When we are pursuing ideals and love, we must first give recognition to the existence of the nucleus-both the individual nucleus and the universal nucleus. Thus consciousness comes first; will, idea and thought come before existence.

The true man is the person who realizes true love. The only way of becoming a true man is to connect yourself with the truth of the universe, that central nucleus of consciousness. When people find a true man, they compete with each other to establish a relationship with him. He is like a magnet pulling everything from all directions, and he has a relationship with all the rest of the world.

This explains God very plainly and beautifully. Who is God? God is the center and nucleus of true love. He is a personal God and He has a personality. The personal God becomes my God, my personal God; in this way I become one with the universe. This core of love of God is a requirement for unification. God is the subject of love, spreading out His wings under which all of His creation can gather in His embrace. Through the force of His true love, all things of the universe are pulled towards Him. as if by a magnet.

We exist for the fulfillment of love, in order to become a perfect object for that perfect subject. Thus. the universal circle can be drawn; the central circle is God where the nucleus, will, and love exist. This love can radiate in all directions, in 360 degrees. The amazing and beautiful part of this is that even if God is almighty, without His object. mankind, He cannot fulfill His ideal and goal of love. Therefore, we become an indispensable existence in the sight of God.

Love is a magnetic force. When you recognize love you are immediately pulled towards it. Your eyes become crazy at the sight of love; your nose becomes excited at the smell of love. In other words, love turns your eyes on. it turns your nose on, it turns your ears on. But usually when people talk about love they only talk about horizontal love between men and women. However. that is not the ultimate love which we are talking about. We are talking about the love which connects us to the nucleus center, God, and the true love of God. The ultimate goal of human life is that central nucleus of love. In order to reach it we need the horizontal love between husband and wife. For this reason the love between husband and wife is precious. since it brings them into unity and into a relationship with that universal love. We should know that the ultimate position of man and the ultimate purpose of life is a living relationship with the nucleus, which is God. We have to love as husband and wife in order to link up with that nucleus of love.

The Divine Principle talks about the universal prime force. The universal prime force is that very power which can link you to the central nucleus of love. Prime force is the energy which brings everybody into unity with the nucleus. This is absolutely logical. This is the way the universe was created and has been developing.

Internal existence comes first before external form. The ideal essence of love comes through the nucleus and touches all the substance of phenomena, which is the created, objective body. In other words, consciousness precedes existence. People may reply, "I cannot believe such a thing because I cannot see consciousness." How can you prove it, then?

You can use the analogy which I use all the time, the eye. Who created the eye? Your father had an eye, your grandfather had an eye, your great-grandfather and so on. Somewhere in your family tree, there must have been a first eye somewhere. Do you think that particular eye must have thought, "I want to be this shape, this color."? Maybe the first eye was such a genius that it designed itself, thinking, "I must be capable of turning. I will be very sensitive, so I need some kind of covering. There might be water coming down, so I need an eyebrow to divert it. Maybe there will be dust in the air, so I need eyelashes." Do you think the eye recognized that it would be living in an atmosphere with dust so it would need eyelashes? The eye must have been designed by someone who realized that the eye was going to be functioning in this particular atmosphere. But whether by its own will or not, the eye is designed in such a way to adjust to an atmosphere where there is wind and rain and dust. Do you think the eye could have calculated all that? If it didn't, there must be some other will which knows more than the eye, which designed everything for the eye. There must be some consciousness in the universe which already knew that moisture would evaporate from the surface of the eye, so there had to be some liquid which would lubricate the surface. Do you think the eye knew all that and determined everything? Thus before the creation of the eye. there was a will. a consciousness, and a purpose which determined exactly the environment in which the eye would be functioning and how the eye should be made. Do you recognize that there must have been such a will?

In my student days, there was a lot of discussion about God and my opponents said, "There is no God. Existence came first; I believe in evolution." I would counter their arguments. When I got to the eye argument and used these analogies, everyone would surrender.

Why is there hair inside your nostrils and ears? Somebody thought this out. In other words, there is some universal mind or consciousness capable of figuring out things in advance and making a blueprint in order to coordinate everything. Before an object is made. coordination is done. in spite of this evidence of incredibly detailed planning for the creation of man. some people still say, "No! man evolved by accident; you are the byproduct of some accident." Do you accept that?

Thought or consciousness comes before everything. The ideal thought is centered upon true love. The fulfillment of true love is the purpose of that ideal thought. The Unification Church has truly penetrated to the depths of this universal truth. That is a miracle; that is a joy!

Where does our existence come from? God's ideal is the universal subject; the center of that ideal is true love. The fulfillment of the ideal of love is the purpose of creation. Therefore, everything was designed by God under this plan for the purpose of the fulfillment of love. That is the way men and women are designed and that is why we were created.

Why are men attracted to women? That's the step to reach the ideal of love. Why are women attracted to men? It is an inevitable step in the search for the ideal of love. The people who marry and divorce freely are behaving like animals and have no way to connect with the eternal nature of the love of God. Everything God has created is based upon the eternal quality of love. Some people go after carnal knowledge or physical love, love "just for fun," using their bodies for the consumption of love. This is terrible. Such catastrophic love should be removed from mankind.

Do you want momentary love or eternal love? You want eternal love because the central nucleus of love is eternal; you can connect to that nucleus through eternal love. Therefore, only love can remain throughout eternity. Your body will not remain; it comes and it will go. but your love endures. This is why some of the greatest masterpieces of literature throughout history have been portraits of love.

We are not the by-products of evolution, but we are created beings and ideal harmonized creatures. Would you prefer to be a creature of ideal harmony or would you like to be a product of evolution? Would you like to be the cousins of monkeys or the children of God? Why do you want to be the children of God? If you are to be the cousin of the monkey you are linked with the monkey which doesn't know true love, only physical love. God alone has true love; God alone has eternity. Can you imagine going to the zoo, looking at the monkey cage and bowing down to them saying, "I revere you, my ancestors." Does anyone do that?

It has become clear to us now that the origin of all existence was thought and mind which formed the universal nucleus. The universe is heading toward the fulfillment of true love. We have to recognize that there is a universal consciousness, a universal thought, that wants to fulfill this ideal of love throughout the universe. We call Him God. This is a logical, modern and scientific conclusion. It is not mystical or superstitious. It's a fact that we are reaching together toward God.

We must recognize: "I do need a subject. I must relate myself to the thought of that subject. Therefore, I pray to God, I believe in God, I know God. I am a part of God." That must be our way of thinking. God is the subject and we are His objects. We are God's cells. When we become objects to God we unite with our subject in an inseparable relationship. You cannot ask for any better way of life than this. By uniting yourself with the subject, you fulfill the ideal aspiration that all men have in common for the greatest goodness. This nobility of goodness and the fulfillment of highest virtue can only come through the fulfillment of love. What is your answer now, is there a God or not?

Every morning when I get up, I wash my face, looking in the mirror. Every morning I am totally intoxicated by my own face, not because it is anything special but because of Who designed this face. It must have been a genius! How could He put the eyes like that, the nose, the mouth, the ears? Is there any better way of making the combination? I cannot think of any improvement. How about putting the two eyes in the center where the nose is or extending the nose up to the forehead? How about bringing the eyes down to where the mouth is and placing the mouth higher?

The position of the eyes, the nose and the mouth all have Divine Principle meaning. First of all the eyes in the highest position represent God. The nose represents Adam and Eve; one nostril representing man and the other woman, united in the center. The forehead represents God's ideal extending down to the eyes and nose. The mouth is horizontal and represents all things of creation, all creatures. The bridge of the nose reaches to the highest point. Thus, the face is symbolic of the universe. Adam and Eve are in the center, standing at the highest position in Creation reaching up to God. What about God? God has the creeper position, so you have to look deeply into the eyes. You will find God hiding behind deeper things. The mouth represents all the things of creation, so you have 32 teeth, the product of 4 times 8, significant numbers of creation. Ears represent the four directions.

Then you have a body and two legs and two arms. The foot has three joints and your fingers have three joints as well. The thumb has only two, however; the thumb represents God. When a baby is inside the womb, its fist is clenched with the thumb hidden inside. The thumb is hidden, because God is hidden within the universe. Altogether we have twenty-four joints in the two hands, with God hiding in the center. In all the universe and all creation God's central masterpiece is man. That is how God feels about man; man is the most precious piece of all His creation.

There are similarities among all the animals and man as well because there was a certain basic process of which they were all a part. Externally God made use of previous experiences in successive creations. But man's internal character is totally different because he is a totally new creation. God created a whole variety of nuclei but on their own they cannot come together. There is one universal force outside of them which brings everything together and binds them into oneness.

By now we know that God exists and we certainly need Him. Once this fundamental awareness is revealed to us all kinds of theories and principles can be derived. The Principle of Creation explains what the world was made to be; the Principle of Restoration explains why the world is the way it is and how God has been working to restore man since the fall. This is the understanding the Unification Church is bringing. The Divine Principle of the Unification Church embraces all the phenomena of the universe and all historical phenomena to fulfill the ideal of unification through the way of restoration. To make a long story short, Reverend Moon's ultimate method is home church.

Home church is where we create a base for the love of God. All human beings can come together in this ground. We have talked about the True Parents, their heart, God's heart, and so forth, but you don't really know them until you do home church. An early Korean member came and told me that the Korean members are all dispersed in different regions doing home church. It almost seems as if the church disappeared and became inactive. But that is the wrong concept; unless we have individual perfection in the area of home church, how can we talk about the, perfection of the whole'.> We must start with individual perfection. Without going through the home church providence you cannot link yourself with me. We have been talking today about very deep theological and philosophical ideas, but if you just do home church you will know what I mean.

Where will we meet God? In the perfection of home church we have the meeting ground for ourselves and God. In order to perfect the universe, we need to create an altar, and home church is that altar. I can guarantee you that when you create this altar of home church, you will meet God there. I assure you of this. Now you know God, you know you need God and you know where to meet Him.

Once you really know God-really and truly, not just in concept-you cannot do anything to hurt Him. If everyone knew God, not just by his reason but in his heart, no one could commit a crime, no one could hurt anybody. Your own eyes would be the watchdog of God. If there were anything evil or bad within your mind, when you looked into the mirror, your eyes would judge you and force you to repent. Have you ever considered that when you look into the mirror the person in the mirror is God, watching over you? If you commit crimes or sin, how can you say to your leg, "Work for me"? How can you order your hand to feed your mouth if you are doing evil? The mouth would have no right even to open to receive the food. When he is eating a meal, if a criminal opens up his spiritual senses he will discover that the food is protesting, "Oh NO!! I don't want to go into that mouth! You are a thief; I don't want to go into your stomach and become your nourishment."

But on the other hand when you are a good, God centered person working for the sake of your fellow man, the food wants to be your nourishment. All the things of creation, food included, want to become a part of God. When you are godly, then they want to be eaten and get inside you, for then they can become a part of God. Even animals can be killed and eaten by you when you are a man of God.

There are two totally different types of human beings: one is the animal-type and the other is the noble, God centered human being. You are making a determined effort to become perfect, isn't that right? Do you do so only out of duty, or do you do it from your own initiative? We are in the process of linking with the eternal God, who is the center of eternal love, and by doing it we are immortalizing ourselves. We become immortal beings by uniting ourselves with the immortal center. Perfection must come while we are engaged in life here on earth.

If it hadn't been for the fall of man, everyone would have been born in this position and within their lifetime they could have perfected themselves in their relationships.

Then they would have gone to the spirit world; that was the blueprint of God's creation, as you know. Within our lifetime here on earth, we have a golden opportunity. If you miss this opportunity, you will lose this position forever. When you think of it, nothing else really matters. You want to invest your energies during this lifetime for the perfection of yourself and your relationship with God. That is the most essential and all encompassing aspiration of life. Think, "I will become a person in whom God takes delight because I will perfect my love and become an inseparable part of God." When you are in that position, how joyful you are! There is no other position, no better aspiration than this. Even becoming President of the United States or President of the world would not even come close.

No one in history could have imagined that this was possible. It's unbelievable that it has been done in one lifetime. I could have become "somebody" in society if I had aspired to that. But I gave up everything for this one way, this one purpose. By fulfilling this one thing, you will fulfill everything, not only for your own sake but for the sake of the whole world. How can you find any better way than this?

It is such a poignantly gratifying realization that the ideal God is real and that He is searching after us. He's not just sitting apathetically on His throne and enjoying Himself, but is coming down and reaching out for us. As much as we need God, He needs us too.

People experience great joy in their family relationships, but sometimes tragedy strikes and a husband or wife can die suddenly. But you don't have to worry about the death of your husband if he has lived for the sake of God. If both of you are pursuing that one central, universal way of life and you know that you are doing the right thing, you will never be separated from your husband, wife or loved one. The reason why I push you out to fund raise on the MFT, for instance, is that those experiences can shorten your path to reach that awareness of God.

When you work all day long, you don't want to spend money on yourself but you need to give energy to your body so you can continue. Therefore, you might go into McDonald's and order a hamburger for $1.75. It's a simple meal, but it is precious, and you feel grateful and pray, "Thank you, Heavenly Father. I need this McDonald's hamburger to renew my energy." How wonderful! Even if there is no seat for you to sit in, the food will be delighted to come into your body because you are a person of God. When everything you do represents God's world, that hamburger will love you and want to be part of you. How lovely and joyful! If you just gobble it up in one big gulp, the hamburger won't complain. It will be happy.

Compare yourself today to the person you were before becoming a member of the Unification Church. Can't you feel a world of difference? You have gone through a priceless transformation in your goals and your spiritual state. You could never buy this with money. The position you are in is precious.

You Unification Church members love Reverend Moon, but you don't like to be called "Moonies," do you? If you really love Reverend Moon, you will love to be called a "Moonie." When Rev. Moon is the nucleus, you are objects to him. This is our subject and object relationship. If you really know and love the nucleus, then you love everything about it.

It is our aspiration and our desire to meet God, to live with God and have Him dwell with us. When you connect yourself with the eternal love of God, you and God become inseparable beings for eternity. When you are connected with the God's love, your hand radiates spiritual light. Your whole body is like a spiritual light bulb when you truly become the embodiment of God.

Every cell of yours is totally satisfied when the love of God surrounds you. When you are enjoying sleeping, you feel you want to sleep forever; when you are dancing, you want to dance forever. You don't want to be separated from the source of joy; and that is like the love of God. While you are here on earth you must experience the ecstatic joy of love. You've got to do that; that is really perfection.

Then when you lose your body of flesh you can easily be pulled right up, as if by a big magnet, to God in heaven. You will be like a little piece of metal flying up directly into the magnet of God's bosom. There is an eternal magnetic field of love and you are a part of that; for eternity you cannot separate yourself from the origin of love. Every single element of the creation is heading that way, longing to become a part of that field of love. They will come to you and want to stay with you. That is what we call the ideal world, and that ideal world is a reality. That ideal world is within our reach. We have to apply ourselves 24 hours a day. When you think of it, with this aspiration there is no way you can get tired. Even death would not be enough to stop you. When you fulfill yourself and then death comes, you will be liberated into absolute freedom, and your maneuverability will become unlimited. It's an exciting life. I don't want to talk about it too much or you'll get too excited!

Let us prepare a package of love and go to meet God. Home church is the launching pad - a "Love Apollo." You have a big launching pad. and you must create lots of love. You have to create lots of Acts of the Apostles in your home church area, and make lots of journeys of love. Make your life dramatic, ultimately exciting; persecution is not necessarily bad. Those of you who can say, "I want to create a package of love and I want to meet God in the home church area," raise your hands. Amen. God bless you.

Destiny and Judgment

Sun Myung Moon
January 31, 1982
World Mission Center
Translator: Bo Hi Pak

We must realize that an individual's life is not fully under his own control. A person's surroundings and destiny are not something he can regulate, for the environment was there before he ever existed. Of course, each person feels he is important and envisions himself at the center of things. As a rule, people disregard their surroundings in the process of advancing. Without an environment, however, there is no center. Only within an environment can a subject-object relationship exist. This is a universal law of existence.

God created the environment first and within it all things in pair systems of subject and object. This applies to the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Finally, God created one person, Adam, in that prepared environment. Adam was a unique creation in that he could harmonize and fit into his surroundings. Since everything around Adam existed in subject-object relationships, Adam also needed an object, Eve.

A person may be proud and boastful as he talks about himself, but upon deeper reflection he will wonder for whom he was created. Each individual exists to harmonize with his environment and create perfect surroundings.

All creation exists in harmonious give and take. Man is meant to be the central point of harmony in creation, but a solitary person would be unable to have the fullest give and take with his environment. Therefore, man alone cannot fulfill his central role as harmonizer. A man and woman together in harmonious give and take can be the center of all creation. Now you can explain clearly why men need women and why women need men: if all of your surroundings exist in subject-object relationships, then you also need an object in order to fit in.

Men and women clearly belong to their environment first of all. In order for your presence to have value, however, you must make a relationship with your surroundings. You lose value if you try to remain isolated. The environment must recognize your worth and affirm that you are needed. Next, you must be recognized by your object. Before you can claim to be the subject, your object must want you to be subject; that is only natural. You should not be subject because you need to be one, but because your surroundings feel that they need you. This should be a key element in your thinking. When this value system is lacking, people find themselves constantly embroiled in struggle. Strictly speaking, you cannot say that God gave you everything for your own sake. Actually, what you were given is also for the sake of your environment. Particularly here in America, people have fundamentally mistaken attitudes about this.

Suppose you asked your eye why it exists. It could not reply that it exists for itself. Certainly the eye serves to provide vision for the body, not just for itself. It exists to fulfill a larger purpose. For your ear to proclaim that it hears for itself makes no sense. Ears listen for a higher purpose.

If your nose wanted to exist only for itself, you would have the right to cut it off. Why would it be needed? It has a purpose to fulfill for the rest of the body. Does your mouth receive food for its own sake? Suppose one day it refused to open up! The mouth clearly functions for the sake of the whole body. Your sense of touch also exists to benefit the entire body.

Obviously, all five senses exist for the whole. Expanding this pattern, we can visualize one person having the position of an eye, another, the position of a nose, existing for a greater whole.

It wouldn't make sense, then, for a man to say that he exists only for himself. A man's masculinity was not created to be appreciated by other men but by someone different -- women. Likewise, women are not shaped for other women, but for someone different -- men. Men and women were both shaped by a creative mind that envisioned them relating to a counterpart. Do any of you women feel you were created for the sake of other women?

In creation we find positive and negative, convex and concave fitting together harmoniously. It is not natural for positive to join with positive, or convex with convex. Upon analysis, this appears to be a simple principle, but it expresses a profound truth. A man is a man in order to fulfill something for the sake of others; women also have a purpose connected with others. The individual exists to satisfy someone other than himself. Everyone is involved in daily activities; you carry on your daily life to satisfy some universal purpose in your environment.

Do you engaged brothers regard your fiancée as your personal possession? Do you sisters feel that you can forget about the church now and depend on your fiancée to take care of you? Do you want to simplify your existence by forgetting the complications of church life?

All of you are anxious to know when I will announce the Blessing. Why do you want me to be involved in your life this way? Am I a good person or a bad person? You have a family environment, a social environment, a national, worldwide and cosmic environment, as well as God's environment. Before the Creator began His work, He already had certain ideals in mind such as a desire for a love-centered environment.

God created mankind to fulfill a central role in the universal environment, so mankind has a unique quality not found anywhere else in the animal kingdom: the ability to think. We function the same as animals, but we are set apart since we can conceive of moral and spiritual values.

For what values do we live: animal or human? Are people today really living according to human values, or are they closer to animal values? What about you? If an engaged member is annoyed that the time of Blessing hasn't yet been announced and gripes every day about how complicated Unification Church life is, can we say he is living closer to the human level or the animal level?

When a husband and wife hold hands and rejoice together, they are representatives of the universe. Our whole environment will find satisfaction in our unity as couples and families. You should realize that your unity is fulfilling a cosmic purpose. All your deeds, including your engagement, are meant to satisfy the rest of creation. You can feel that God, mankind, and all creation take delight in your engagement.

You can delight in truly living on the human level in this way, for this is where human dignity begins. Why do we need such human dignity? It is so we can be welcomed by the environment. When you have satisfied the needs of the environment, God can rejoice and welcome you personally, dwelling in love with you.

Evaluate yourself and ask whether your actions truly represent the nobility of human life. If your five senses did not exist for the whole but only for themselves, why would you need them? A man does not exist for himself, nor a woman for herself. We exist for a universal purpose, and we must harmonize with our surroundings, uniting everything. When you live this way, the universe can help compensate for any shortcomings you may have. Therefore, you don't need to feel discouraged or worry about being inadequate. You don't need to be concerned about your fiancée being less than perfect.

In Unification Church life we have certain rules and traditions, but what is their purpose? I am trying to show you how to harmonize with the universe, not isolate yourself from it. We need to shape ourselves in a certain direction in order to create perfect harmony. The path of this universal principle seems difficult, but by following it, you will ultimately be victorious. If you ignore universal destiny and just try to make things serve your own purpose, nothing will work out; obstacles will block you in every direction.

Should someone who tries to do things his own way be accommodated or rejected? If you make wrong decisions, history will judge you. I want you to make the right decisions and harmonize with the universe. Through this teaching we are rejecting the animalistic way of life, and striving to create heartistic relationships with one another and also with God.

By practicing divine love you can have an eternal relationship with the Creator. Let's use the term "divine humanity" to represent true human dignity. We don't want to bring God into our lives except in the dignity of divine love.

When you join the Unification Church you cannot avoid confronting the rule of subject and object. In order to find fulfillment in the Unification Church, you have to be able to harmonize with Reverend Moon as its subject. If you don't want to harmonize with this subject, the environment will kick you out. There is no way you could remain.

Perhaps after several years you may think, "I have gone along with Reverend Moon for some time now; why doesn't he do things my way for a change?" I have no objection to doing things differently as long as it produces greater achievement of that divine element. In such a case I will become your follower!

I am definitely developing my leadership and traditions according to the universal destiny, never in accordance with my own desire or whim. I feel that eventually the United States will follow this way of life, not because I insist upon it but because it is the only way this country can elevate itself to the level of the divine human life. Whoever opposes that universal goal is only opposing his own well-being.

Universal power supports these principles, not America's present way of life. As long as I live within these principles, I cannot help but prosper, and my opponents will dwindle away. This principle is like a rock and my commitment to it is unshakable. God is in a position to sustain and strengthen this way of life. If God supports it, then judgment has already been passed. Anyone who thinks I am merely trying to justify myself should step forward with a better alternative. This is not just a theory.

We begin in the small environment of the family and then move on to successively greater levels of environment, finally reaching the spirit world and the Creator. You have to harmonize with what the Creator wants you to be. Otherwise, you are simply destroying yourself.

Because I keep moving from one level of the environment to another, people discover new aspects of me as they relate to me. Twenty years ago, the Korean members felt that I would always be with them, talking often until midnight. But now they recognize that I am not just a Korean teacher; I have a universal mission. When Korean members come to the United States, they don't receive all my attention. They miss those times in Korea. Some day you too will talk about the "good old days" when you sat here listening to me.

There are different methods of education for each level of a child's development, each presenting him with varying challenges. But no matter at which level I am teaching you, the central principle will always be that of universal harmony. I want to move with God's destiny, not my own, and receive all the protection of the universe.

Those who examine my life at a given point may feel that I am zigzagging, but if they look at the whole picture it will be clear that I am always following a certain vertical line. Since I have to deal with the reality of this world, I may have to make certain turns, but I never lose sight of the central line. In order to reach people on the right or on the left, I have to move back and forth. When I came to America, for instance, I had to reach out to you where you were. If I had been rigid and unyielding, we would never have made contact. But once my course crosses a certain boundary, the path will lead only straight forward.

The directions I give you may sound too steep, and you might prefer that I demand less of you. But you should know that your present activities are at an elementary school level. The high school and university levels are much tougher. When you finish the Unification Church Ph.D. course you will be truly universal men and women, able to overcome any obstacle.

After your education in the Unification Church is finished, you have another course to undertake: dealing with society and the rest of the world. The Unification Church is not only a place for spiritual training; you also receive social and economic training here.

Many people evaluate themselves from a very pragmatic, materialistic standpoint. "I joined the Unification Church five years ago," someone might say, "and all this time I have really done my best. As far as I'm concerned, I have given everything, but what have I gained? All I can see is that I've gotten five years older. I had several suits when I joined, but now I have only one. I had lots of shoes, but now I have only one pair, and even they have holes in them. I have a fiancée, but she doesn't seem to be anybody special. What's good about this life?" He might even think about the girl he dated five years ago and remember her as being so much better than his fiancée.

You may think you have gained nothing, but once you go out into the secular world, you will find that you excel in many ways. Of course you will excel in spiritual matters, but you can surpass people economically and socially too. In other words, no other kind of education can approach the one you received from five years in the Unification Church.

From a pragmatic viewpoint, members might wonder why the Unification Church way of life keeps getting tougher. "I thought I finished the lower levels and things would get easier," some people might say. "Instead, it's getting tougher and tougher." Once you finish elementary school and enter middle school, the standards are higher and the expectations greater. When you go on to high school, more is expected. All the way up to the Ph.D. level, more and more is demanded. The higher you are elevated, the greater the demands upon you. Do any of you think you have graduated from my school, or are you still in the process of learning? There is no university in America where you can hear this kind of lecture. That's for sure.

When you really listen to what we are discussing, you will realize that we are not talking about some specialized ideas but about the very roots of life. When you understand and absorb the Principle and achieve a high standard in your life, although you may not have a college degree, you will have your "Reverend Moon degree." When you go out into the world and discuss things with professors and people with doctorate degrees, you will realize what a deep knowledge you have gained about all aspects of life. Because of the depth and breadth of the understanding you have acquired, you will even feel confident to teach college professors. The secular world will come to respect Moonies because they have such shining inner strength.

When a little child begins kindergarten, her mother dresses her up in the nicest clothes. But as that child goes on to higher and higher levels of education, the less time she will have to spend on external appearances. Especially at the university level, the exams, term papers, dissertations -- all the demands on students' time leaves virtually no room for worrying about clothing. Sometimes college students have such a demanding schedule they don't even take time to wash or shave! The university student might look back and envy his easy time in elementary school. Just because a student has no time to shave or keep himself attractive, however, doesn't mean he is miserable. There is something within him that is solid, valuable, and growing.

You are in Reverend Moon's university, and you are being called upon to do many demanding things. Under such pressure, you may look pale or even sloppy. However, although you may not appear so great externally, you are like a dynamo internally. In your true, internal self, you are becoming a life-giving force, like the sun.

What about me? I am well-dressed today because I came to give you a sermon. But normally I dress very casually, even carelessly. Does that alter my value? Am I more valuable when I am well-dressed than when I am sloppily dressed? Of course not. No matter how I dress, people respect me for my internal qualities.

Yesterday Bo Hi Pak said, "Father, all the leaders would like to give you and Mother a day of rest during your birthday celebration. We feel sorry that you have to work such long hours every holiday, and we would like to take over your speaking responsibilities for you. However, the truth is that nobody else has the ability to inspire the members the way you do!" Why is it that nobody else can duplicate my role? Am I fulfilling this role with external or internal qualities?

You may look at me and feel you know me, but nobody truly comprehends the entire depth of my internal self. If I were to preach for ten years continuously, do you think I would run out of sermon material? No, I wouldn't.

We talk a lot about the spirit world. You realize that it exists, but how much do you really know about it? Once you reach spirit world, all of you will feel lost and will call out for me to guide you! Then I will come and speak to you. Don't you think there are further things I can teach you in the spirit world? Certain things cannot be explained here on earth, but only there. Ten years of sermons in the spirit world would not even scratch the surface of knowledge about it that I have to share with you.

When you look at me, you see a very mysterious person. I am doing unique and extraordinary things. The main reason the United States is troubled about me is that it cannot measure me or figure me out. Even if the greatest computer companies wanted to run all the data about me through their sophisticated equipment, they wouldn't be able to enter everything into their computers. I wouldn't register on the screen, because I just don't compute!

You may have been following this way of life for the past several years and feel that you have achieved a certain degree of understanding. But knowing that the horizons are unlimited and the realms of knowledge infinite, how can you demand that I do things your way? How can you say you have learned enough from me?

The physical world and the spirit world are linked together. The spirit world is already under God's direction. Being the world of truth and order, the spirit world is controlled by the Principle. In this world, however, I have been treated like a swindler and a charlatan.

In the spirit world, do you think there will be a special Dr. Durst-type of heaven, since he has such a high academic degree, or will the Kingdom of Heaven be a Reverend Moon-type heaven? Do you think heaven will adopt my style or Dr. Durst's style? How about a Bo Hi Pak-style heaven? How about a Rev. Kwak-style heaven? You say Reverend Moon-style heaven, but which would you prefer: a Reverend Moon-style heaven or a God-style heaven? I want to live in a God-style heaven and I am sure you do, too.

There are many leaders in our church: state leaders, national leaders, and directors of various activities. Some of them think, "I want to create my own way of reaching heaven; I want to compromise just a bit on the Principle." But that is crazy. In this respect, I am absolutely logical and scientific.

Some people, without any scientific reasoning or logic, decide they want to go a certain way just because they feel like it. That is superstitious and wrong. We must base our actions on logic and deep philosophical understanding. If someone decides he wants to go off in his own direction, do you think the rest of the world will follow him? Perhaps people in this world will, but what about the spirit world? Will God go along with him?

Many people complain about the way I am going and fight against it. I have created a great deal of controversy and endured much persecution here on earth. But the amazing thing is that whenever someone tries to follow this way, he receives help from the spirit world and from God as well.

The Japanese leaders have followed my direction and have received showers of blessing from the spirit world. But they know that if they begin to be skeptical about what I say, all such assistance will cease.

Many people have their own logic and method of doing things. If you listen to their various ways, you might get confused. Why not just disregard all the other ways and follow this one? And if you don't like to do things this way, then I recommend you try to find another way to do God's will. Since you probably don't have a method of finding God's direction, you will have to rely on someone's expert guidance.

If you want to place an overseas telephone call, could you just dial numbers at random and expect to be connected? Of course not. You must go through certain channels; you must call an operator, who rings another operator and ultimately connects you to your goal. If you said, "I'm going to discover my own, unique way of placing an overseas call; I'm just going to dial the number my way," you could dial all day long and never reach your goal. It wouldn't work. Even though you may not like the voice of the particular operator you have to use to place your call, still you must call her first.

Likewise, in order to go to heaven, you must go through a certain channel. You may say, "I don't like Reverend Moon's way of talking or the things he teaches," but you have to talk to the right operator in order to connect with God.

If you should call the wrong operator, she might plug you into a totally wrong place; you might end up talking to Moscow instead of Norway, for instance. Likewise, the wrong spiritual leader might plug you into Satan instead of God and the good spirit world.

The members of the Unification Church are smart people. You are clever and know where the truth lies. You pay attention to me because you know where the greatest value lies. You are interested in what I have to say. You are curious about what I look like when I laugh; you wonder what makes me angry! Whole new horizons have appeared; an entire new spectrum is visible to you.

When I came to America, I never disregarded the reality of this environment. Each nation has its own head of state and government. When I came, Nixon was President, followed by Ford, Carter, and Reagan. I realize that they faced many serious challenges. My viewpoint is to solve problems on a worldwide level, but the highest consideration of national leaders is usually their own nation. I can offer answers that will resolve not only national problems but the problems of the world as well. Whoever brings universal solutions will become the universal subject.

The three major problems in the world are the spread of communism, the decline of Christianity, and the moral corruption of the young people. Once someone can bring a solution to these three challenges, he will definitely be in a subject position. Heads of state, the world's external leaders, are suffering from an inability to deal with the onslaught of communism. The world's internal leaders the religious leaders, agonize over the global decline of religion, especially Christianity. Young people are the hope for the future. If the youth are corrupted, there can be no hope for tomorrow.

We are tackling all three problems and offering solutions. We are bringing hope for the future by assembling renowned scholars from all over the world to give the world intellectual direction. They have concluded that there is only one power strong enough to deal with communism: Reverend Moon's ideology. The major foundation has been laid. These unique assemblies of scholars and intellectuals have agreed that the hope for the future lies with Reverend Moon's new ideology.

In December 1981, a truly unique conference was convened: a conference on God. Leaders of all major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, assembled for the first time in history. The discussion focused on the Creator, God.

A long time ago, I initiated a World Religious Congress, aiming at the unity of all the world's religions. I announced very plainly that wherever a movement for unity among religions occurred, I would give funds to support it. There are tremendous divisions within all religions, not only Christianity. There are religious leaders who long to find some bond of unity, and I was the only one volunteering to help. So they used the assistance I offered and called this conference. In dealing with the unity of religions, their discussion first focused on their shame that they could assemble only with the help of Reverend Moon.

I want to stimulate unity among all the religions of the world. During this conference, the religious leaders could evaluate themselves and begin to realize how trivial are the things which separate them and cause them to fight each other.

Out of this conference a great movement, World Youth for God, has begun. Beginning this summer, an evangelical team of young people, accompanied by famous scholars, will go from nation to nation and continent to continent trying to create an international movement for unity. When they visit a Muslim country, they will invite all the famous Muslim scholars to discuss the Creator. When they go to Asia, they will examine religious concepts with Buddhist leaders. And when they travel to Christian nations, they will invite Christian scholars to speak to them.

With such a movement, denominational in-fighting will have to stop. Once the various religions begin to communicate with each other, the era of denominational differences and divisions over dogma will cease. What is amazing is that this entire project is sponsored by Reverend Moon. Can they point their fingers at each other, in front of me, and cry heretic? How can they accuse another religion of being inferior or take issue with certain aspects of another belief? They will be unable to accuse and judge each other that way.

Participants at this past conference knew it was funded by Reverend Moon and that Moonies would be there to help them. They came to the conference totally ignorant of my philosophy. They knew only one thing: they were great scholars. They began the conference in a very boastful manner, looking at our members somewhat scornfully. They thought we had nothing to offer them, but within three days, the participants' attitudes had completely changed. They concluded that religious unity in the world was possible. They could feel hopeful.

This was the culmination of many years of hard work and suffering, particularly in the founding of the Unification Theological Seminary, which is the base from which all these things can happen. During 1981 there were at least 30 major academic conferences sponsored by the Unification Church, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences being only one of them. Many thousands of scholars and professors became exposed to Unification ideology as well. All of them have concluded that it is an advanced philosophy with unique, extraordinary thought behind it.

They are experiencing the dawn of new hope; they feel that a new day is beginning. They see that we are talking not just about a dream but a reality, and this gives them hope for world unity in the future. They thought that the world had come up against a stone wall, but now they realize that there is a way to push that stone wall aside and witness a new era on the horizon.

It is amazing that Christianity had been confronting Judaism for 2,000 years without any genuine dialogue taking place -- only accusation, hatred and killing. But the Unification Church is now fostering dialogue among the religions of the entire world, including Judaism and Christianity.

On February 4, 40 top Korean Christian leaders are coming to New York as my guests. They will be taking a 40-day tour of the United States and other countries. I want them to open their eyes and realize that the world is far bigger than they assumed.

Until now, all kinds of persecution have been mounted against the Unification Church, but people no longer have any excuse to harass us. The decline and degradation of the religious world is obvious; this has been a dark night for religion and spiritual values. But now all of a sudden, religious people can see the coming of the dawn in the philosophy of Reverend Moon. This has been achieved in a very short time.

We will not have to keep climbing as we have been. We are reaching the pinnacle of the mountain. Soon it will be easier; once we go over the peak, we will pick up speed. As I mentioned, the greatest headache for God as well as for all philosophical and religious people has been the problem of communism. And now we are offering a solution, both internally and externally. We are also bringing a solution to the religious decline by starting a new movement for religious unity. Nobody had thought such a thing possible, but it is happening.

Communism is like a cancer spreading freely all over the world, including the United States. It is even more rampant in Latin America. The world is helpless in the face of this cancer. Consider what is happening in Central America. The people in these countries are looking for an answer but weapons are not the solution; an ideology is needed. Before Unificationism, however, there was no ideology capable of combating communism. Young people are finding new life through Unificationism. What is taking place is almost like a resurrection.

I have one worry: leaders may get so inspired by this new ideology that they will organize a home church system. Then the Moonies will be out of a job! If such a situation arises, however, they will seek out experienced leaders to help them do home church. And whom will they call upon? You.

You may think you are repeating the same activities every day; you may find your duties monotonous. "I am doing home church," you think. "I go fundraising, I witness, and on Sundays I go to hear Father speak." You may think your life is repetitious, even perfunctory, and you don't see many results. But I want you to know that while you are fulfilling your responsibility, the world is changing. When America realizes it has to confront the challenge of communism, it will choose our way.

There are many religious leaders, but they don't stimulate much true excitement, so people will have to come and listen to my teachings. What result do my teachings bring? You bright young people are its fruits. You are so young; you look green and fresh, while other churches are filled with gray people almost ready for the cemetery! Religious leaders will have to notice this amazing difference. When smart young people come and stay, when they are filled with fervent, burning zeal, something must be happening. This is the very thing America needs. Therefore, people will come and ask for my advice.

I have been talking about a global evangelical team traveling around the world. They will hear lecturers from Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and the Unification Church. When people hear speakers from all those religions, which one do you think will be the most convincing?

One feature of our religion is that we deal with the reality of the present society and offer a solution for the future. In many cases, religions are concerned only about the next world. Many religious philosophies have almost no bearing on this world or offer any hope or solution for the future. Bright, idealistic young people long for some solution to the present world and some hope for the future. If they choose a religion, would they choose the Unification Church and the Principle, or Islam or Hinduism?

The Unification Church is a wonderful, extraordinary church. You are part of it, but you don't recognize its value. You tell me, "Father, you are just doing things the Oriental way. You are forcing the Korean way upon us. You give us a bunch of tough Korean leaders who are difficult to deal with." Although you might not think they are desirable, soon people will fight to get these Korean leaders to come to their country! Nations will compete to have the most Korean leaders. Can you envision such a day? Do you think you have too many Korean leaders, too many foreign leaders? Do you think they don't understand the pragmatic, American way? Actually, they are not the problem, they are the solution.

We have been talking about the challenges presented by the rise of communism and the decline of world religion. The third problem is the moral degradation of the youth. You are mostly young people. Let me ask you honestly: do you have the same problems with moral corruption as the young people in secular society? How often do you write to your fiancée: once a week? Once a month? Since the recent engagements, church telephone bills have been skyrocketing. Couples talk about silly things like getting diarrhea! The church cannot keep up with these telephone bills, so I have instructed that people who make long-distance calls should pay the costs themselves. Is this a good system?

The Unification Church can give evidence that we have a solution to the moral decline of the world's young people today. We are not talking about something ten years from now; we mean the reality today. That reality is sitting in this room right now. You are that reality.

The world says all kinds of evil things about me; they are even talking about a new kind of Mafia, a "Moonie Mafia." Satan has such a way of twisting things, inducing people to make all kinds of accusations about me and the Unification Church. But no matter what the outside world may say about us, you shouldn't pay attention to them, because the important thing is what we are accomplishing, Secular society offers no hope for the future, especially for solving the world's three worst problems. But the Unification Church has tackled them, one after the other. It is important to focus not on the opinion of the outside world, but on what we are gaining, what we are accomplishing.

When we have solved these problems, our task will continue. We must lead the world into the Kingdom of Heaven. Part one is finding the solution; part two lies ahead. The outside world doesn't have a part one, much less a part two. When we move forward into part two, will the world still regard us as the Moonie Mafia?

I have already discussed who will play the central role in the environment and how we can become the subjects of our environment. According to this principle, it is only a matter of time until this movement and this philosophy will play a central role in the world. You should be convinced that what we are discussing this morning is not simply a possibility or a potentiality. It is a reality; it is already a way of life, and we should be proud of it. We should thank God and all creation that we have this way of life, that we have the solution, and that we have this wonderful vision and hope for the future. This is truly a blessing.

Since this is a fact, anyone who assists this movement is a wise person. Those of you who are here are the wisest people. Whoever cooperates with this direction is a discerning person, indeed. This is how to distinguish between a wise person and a fool: a wise person recognizes the subject and becomes an object to him and follows him. To live in a harmonious relationship of give and take with your subject is the true way of life.

How can you become the best objects? First, recognize that in the Unification Church, Reverend Moon is the subject. Then use the same approach I took when I came to America. I declared I was going to take on the worst problems in this country. You should do the same, saying that as a member of the Unification Church you want to take on the worst problems in the church. What is the worst problem of the Unification Church? We have two major problems: first, we need a financial base, and second, we need more people. Everything else will be taken care of once we solve those problems. I am always thinking seriously about those two problems. We have no difficulties with our ideology, and certainly we know that we are the channels for God's absolute love. Without a doubt, we have those treasures; the question is how to expand and share them.

The home church system is the basic plan by which we will solve these two problems. In order to gain a result, you need to invest your money, your time, your energy, and your manpower. This principle operates on every level. It begins with two people, then a small family, a tribe, a nation, the world, and the spirit world.

In a school classroom, the teacher is the subject. In order to become great objects in school, you need to solve the concerns of the subject. What are the teacher's concerns? To teach well and for the students to learn well. By working hard and studying, you can return great satisfaction to your teacher and thus become a good object in that environment. A lazy student will never become a good object; only a hard-working, diligent student can do that. The student who suffers the most and focuses on his studies will earn the position of best object.

The same is true in every aspect of human society. If you work for a business and take on the worst problems of the company in order to help the president, you are that company's best object. That is the truth. When you join a company and try to take care of its problems, investing your heart and soul into your work day in and day out until you finally solve the problems, you become the number one object in that company. There is no way to avoid it.

Look at New York City. What is its worst problem? Now there is a garbage strike going on. During the Christmas season the city was almost buried in its own trash. I have been thinking about solving the garbage problem. If we ever did such a thing, we would inevitably become the number one object in the eyes of New Yorkers. But is it easy to become the number one object?

I am pursuing my goals with logic, not according to mere whim or random thinking. I use scientific and logical ways of thinking. When I came to this country, I asked what its worst problems were and I determined to attack them, no matter what. I have tried to help solve the problems of Nixon, Carter and Reagan. Many Americans have looked at me scornfully and said, "You, an Oriental man from Korea, are trying to solve America's problems? Ha!" But it doesn't matter to me whether they pay attention to me or not. Eventually they will come to realize that I was right.

I have dedicated myself to devising solutions to all the major problems of Korea. Take communism, for example. We have been spreading the teachings of Victory Over Communism throughout the nation. VOC provides the only ideology with which Koreans can arm themselves against communism. Education has been another need in Korea. I was the first person to send people out every summer to teach literacy in every village. Also, the New Village Movement which has become so famous in the past decade was an idea which I started ten years ago.

No matter how hard people try to ignore me, it won't work. Sooner or later, they will have to deal with me. If you deny me, you will be denied by the universe. People have laughed, but eventually everything I have said has turned out to be true.

I am a spiritual leader, a religious leader, but I don't act "holier than thou." Wherever I go, I harmonize with the environment. When I am among laborers, I like to sound like a laborer. When I attend some function of high society, I know how to fit in there. I can adapt to the academic world and I can find a common ground for conversation with politicians.

When I work among professional fishermen, I become completely immersed in their world. I smell just like they do! For seven years in Gloucester, I went out on the "New Hope" early each morning and returned late at night. The town folks never expected me to work so hard and dress so humbly. Sometimes when I was standing right beside Daikon, people would ask him: "Where is Reverend Moon?" Not for one moment did they expect Reverend Moon to be dressed so humbly and have such a dirty face! They assumed I would dress well and look like a boat captain. The captain of the "New Hope" was a professional boat captain, but he completely surrendered to me. He simply could not keep up with me in terms of knowledge, persistence and experience. Initially, he would tell me where to go and where to set out the lines. But soon I was directing him and telling him where to place the lines, and he just said, "Yes, sir." The places I chose seldom seemed logical, but that was where the tuna were swimming.

When you say you are a Moonie and a member of the Unification Church you should commit yourself to solving its worst problems. If you don't tackle it, then I myself must do it. I know you want to do it and you will accomplish it. Until this tradition is established and until someone who can outdo me comes forward, I will remain the subject.

When you get married, you are no longer just an individual but part of a family. You women will have responsibilities as a housewife and a mother. If you would prefer studying for a Ph.D. degree and being a career woman to doing what marriage entails serving your parents and all your husband's parents -- that's all right. But do first things first. You must first become a total object to your family, conquering your environment and adapting perfectly to it, before you can move on to another level. If you try to avoid your primary environment, however, you will never make it.

There is one thing which I can do expertly and that is adapt to my environment. When I go to a fanning area, I become a farmer. When I am among fishermen, I become a fisherman. When I am in a factory, I become a factory worker, and so on, no matter where I go.

The Korean word in our title which was translated as "destiny" means the movement of life from one place to another. You want to develop yourself and move on, isn't that true? If you sit idly within the Unification Church thinking, "I don't want to move; I don't want to advance any further," you are a dead person. You contradict the universal principle of life. Life never stands still; it is always moving forward, always advancing. The key word for life is advancement. If you are trying to preserve your status quo, you are like a dead person. You are retreating instead of advancing.

Suppose the Unification Church is the wrong place to be; suppose Reverend Moon is the wrong leader to follow. Even if such a thing were true, as long as you keep moving forward and advancing in life, you are bound to end up in the right place. You will never be a loser as long as you persist in your determination to forge ahead. You cannot lose anything; you will only benefit from such a way of life. If the Unification Church is not the truth, it will pass away. However, the members who diligently apply the principles I am teaching can never be losers. Therefore, you cannot lose anything by going this way.

In my early years, when difficulties came to other people in my village, I never felt it was only somebody else's business. I always involved myself right away in their situations. When I solved a particular problem for the village leader, he had to come and bow down to me and thank me. That is because of the Principle. When you learn to apply such a way of life to every situation, always taking on problems, always advancing, you will be able to swim across every obstacle of life and come out the winner.

Let me give you a good example. When I was in Germany, I went to a port city to buy a boat. The vice president of a shipbuilding company and the captain of a 3,000 ton boat came to welcome me. I was a stranger to them, of course, but as soon as we met I treated them just like friends. I gave them a friendly punch in the stomach and said, "Hello, buddy!" and they totally melted. "'What kind of a man is this?" they wondered. "He acts totally natural with us." Within a matter of seconds, we were transformed from total strangers to friends. This is what I mean by controlling your environment and taking charge of it.

High-ranking executives don't know how to do this. They may struggle for ten years to develop friendships and it takes me only five seconds. For me, it's completely natural. I can walk into the home of a total stranger, sit down at the dining table and start eating and everybody would naturally feel as though I were a member of the family. Instead of asking who I was they would just say, "Hello there, have some potatoes." This is because I know how to make everyone around me feel natural. If I were to walk into such a home, sit down and share their meal, and then get up and wave good-bye, the family would feel that I was just one of them, coming home to eat and then going out again. "We'll see you later," they would feel like saying.

How can I be so natural? Because I really feel that they are members of my family. I honestly feel that such people are my cousins, my uncles and aunts, my brothers and sisters, my mother and father. There have been times when I have walked into the homes of strangers, taken off my jacket, and started to sweep and mop the floor. Those people never felt it was strange. It seemed thoroughly natural to them.

Sometimes I have even argued with someone and it seemed very natural! I once got into a heated argument and my opponent missed me very much when I left. "I wish he would come back and fight me again," he said.

Knowing this secret, I can conquer Satan and deal with the satanic world. You state leaders are in the position to solve the problems of your state. If you look upon it as your home church, you can be the subject of that state.

Each of you is advancing every day. No one is standing still. On God's Day I spoke about the "Victory of Home church." Since then I have talked about home church every Sunday and at every meeting. Members are thinking, "Home church -- what is it?" But before you question it, you should get out there. Go to your area and then ask how you are going to do it! Whatever the most difficult problem of the Unification Church may be, you should tell yourself you are the one to tackle it. You should resolve to do home church so well that even I cannot surpass you. When you become such champions, I will gladly follow you. I must follow the Principle. When you truly put yourself in the object position, you will be able to make the proper decisions.

I have been encouraging international and interracial marriages. Some of you who asked for an international marriage thought it would be sweet, but now you wonder what you did, since you can't even converse with your fiancée! But don't you realize that this is the very reason you have an international marriage? This particular difficulty should taste sweet to you. You should tell yourself. "I was given the responsibility to face the challenges of an international marriage. By overcoming them I will become a champion!" All the international couples of the present and future will come to you and follow your standard. You will become the subject of all international marriages. This is very true.

Some of you don't like fundraising and wish there were no witnessing in the Unification Church. Perhaps you can't stand 5:00 a.m. meetings, either. But I, the subject, like fundraising, witnessing and 5:00 a.m. meetings. If you want to become a good object, you know what you should do.

I trust that when you made mistakes it was because you didn't know any better. But from this morning on, you have no more excuse. Now you know what is wrong with those mistakes. When I hold a meeting at Belvedere on Sundays I ask the church leaders to attend. Many of them do but others think, "How can I make it to Belvedere by 5:30 Sunday morning? I just can't do it." They try to make excuses for not coming. Such excuses indicate that the leader is not doing the right thing.

If your leader tries to defend his absences, you can tell him, "I won't make any excuses. I know what Father's instructions were. You, as the Abel figure, don't want to go to Belvedere? I will lead if you won't." You can give such straight advice. If you say correct things like this and your Abel figure persecutes you, he will be judged rather than you, so do not fear.

.Some Performing Arts members may think, "Oh, I'm an artist; I'm a sensitive, cultured person. I'm so sophisticated I don't need to go to Belvedere. Besides, if I get up too early, my voice gets damaged." One excuse after another. Such people will not remain long in Performing Arts. That is not how the department was set up. Universal principles do not protect such a person; they actually repel him. Like it or not, everyone must comply with the law of the universe; it is the master, the subject, and you are the object. If you do not cooperate with universal principles you will become a loser.

Imagine yourself riding a horse through the pastures, over the hills, and through the valleys and plains. Your life should be like that, always pushing forward toward new, undiscovered horizons.

Now do you know how to receive the inheritance of the master? Because I learned this secret, I am a man of stubborn convictions and total commitment. Regardless of what other people say, universal law will protect me as long as I act in accordance with it, even if nations or the entire world oppose me. Whoever goes against universal law will be excommunicated by the universe!

When Carter became President, I knew that he was not the right man to direct this nation; he would only lead the world toward destruction. I made uncompromising criticisms of him. I could have softened my statements with the thought: "After all, he is the President. If I say strong things against him, he will certainly come after me with revenge in his heart and I will be the one to suffer." But that is not how I think. Truth must be spoken, and I will never shrink from the truth. When Reagan was elected, I knew God's dispensation was being fulfilled, and I had no reserves about speaking to that effect.

I take responsibility for national and worldwide matters. It makes no difference whether other people appreciate my efforts; as long as God knows what I am doing and recognizes my work, that is all that matters.

Since destiny means the movement of life from one place to another, you must keep moving and keep advancing, following the Principle. Do not stand still and accept the status quo. Move forward every day. I will give you the proper guidance, and your life will turn out very well.

Suppose I were to drop in for a visit someplace where people were drinking and dancing. I may not drink or dance, but I would never make those people feel embarrassed. I would at least clap my hands to the music. Without drinking or dancing, I could still harmonize with the situation and feel very natural. That is how to make relationships with such people. Those people need to be saved. How can you help them without even creating a relationship with them?

Don't make blind judgments against such people and call them bad because their actions are bad. You must make an effort to educate them first; only after investing much effort could you make a judgment. Without educating them, how can you call them evil or wrong? Actually you are responsible for them!

Today I have been speaking about topics such as subject and object relationships. In order to stimulate you to live up to these teachings I have been using some judgmental words, but that is the process of education. Love requires me to speak firmly. Do you want to move on? Do you want to advance?

When people leave our movement, they are called ex-Moonies. There are quite a few ex-Moonies. Have you ever seen any of them achieving a life better than a Moonie life? Furthermore, does the rest of the world embrace ex-Moonies and treat them as heroes? They are not even accepted by the secular society! Ex-Moonies are those who flunked the course; they couldn't pass the test or measure up to the standard of the Unification Church. Once they leave the church, they try to justify themselves and say all kinds of twisted things about the church.

I really have nothing against the ex-Moonies, but I would like to hear just one of them say: "I joined the Unification Church and did exactly what Reverend Moon instructed me to do; but I want to do more. There wasn't enough to learn in the Unification Church. I left because I could not advance. I want to start my own church."

If that were the case I would welcome those comments. But so far I have not seen a single ex-Moonie say such a thing. The main reason people leave the Unification Church is that they do not want to follow our disciplined way of life. They don't have enough courage to face the challenges and overcome them. They simply don't have the perseverance and endurance to succeed in the church, and that is why they try to make excuses.

Even within the Unification Church there are people who talk and complain all the time. They are not the doers; they are not people of action. Other members, the doers, are silent. They just go out and fulfill their mission every day. They don't talk about the rules and leadership of the Unification Church. Those who are sitting down and doing nothing are seeking to justify themselves by talking and complaining. They make all kinds of excuses for their lack of action. Which are the majority: the doers or the non-doers?

I would rather hear a different kind of complaint: "Father, I have been to my 360 homes, and it's just too small an area for me to take care of. Why can't I take care of all New York City, or even the whole United States?" I wonder why I don't hear such complaints! The ones who work hard and challenge themselves have eyes shining with hope; they have the energy to climb to greater heights tomorrow.

We are here to continue celebrating True Parents' birthday. I would really celebrate if you made one complaint today: "Reverend Moon, you are 62 years old. What have you been doing for the past 62 years? Is that all? Let me do more. I'm only 35 (or 29, or 25), and by the time I am 62, I will accomplish more than you have." I would welcome such a protest.

Cowardly people, those who try to make excuses for their failures or lay the blame on others, receive terrible treatment in the spirit world. I could never behave in such a way; I couldn't even consider it. You should not whine over trivial matters. Become big men and womenmake big complaints, such as the one I mentioned.

A kindergarten child will have the most trivial problems and complaints, while someone enrolled in a Ph.D. program has an entirely different attitude. Our goal is to save the world. Can you say, "I devoted two years of my life to the movement, and I have given up too much"? Do you think that your two or three years are adequate to move the world? Whoever feels that way is like a thief. It may take 300 years or more to move the world.

If you live this way from now on, people will embrace you and welcome you. Even if persecution comes your way, persevere and overcome it; afterwards the universe will need you. That is inevitable. The victorious way of life is to meet your subject and do his will, not your own. That is the secret of survival and prosperity. Furthermore, when you are in the subject position, you must be like a rock grounded on the Principle. Don't keep shifting; don't be swayed by the opinions of others. This is the Principle and law of the universe and holds true for the past, present and future. If you live by this law today, tomorrow and throughout your entire life, you will never regret it. You will be a winner in life.

What is our goal and what is the fastest way to achieve it? You cannot move in a straight line; there are always ups and downs. However, instead of making such long detours down and up, you can devise a way to jump from one high point to the next, from one pinnacle to another. The most difficult position is that of the follower, the object who tries to take care of the greatest problems of his central figure. Once you have conquered one obstacle, rather than relaxing and taking it easy for a while, you should move right on to the next difficulty. By moving from one challenge to another, you shorten the time span for accomplishing the goal.

When you go to your home church area, the best way to become its subject is to take care of the worst problems in each home. This principle works everywhere. I asked God what His worst problems were, and then I went from one difficulty to another. I have challenged one obstacle after another, going from the individual level to the family level and all the way to the world-wide level. After you embrace each challenge and solve it, you can move on to the next.

After overcoming one peak of difficulty, you could descend to a less difficult level and then try to work your way back up to the next peak. But to leap from one pinnacle to the next takes much less time. You can cover the same territory faster by leaping over the valleys.

When I deal with established Christianity, I inquire into its greatest difficulties. They have to know how to deal with society, for instance, and how to make a relationship with God. I treat one problem after another and solve Christianity's worst headaches.

Another difficulty in the religious world today is that people talk a lot but don't know how to act. There is too much talk and not enough substance. So we have demonstrated a religion of action. God is looking for people who not only know the answers to the universal problems but can act upon them.

Wherever you go, whatever mission you have, do not complain that it is too difficult. Instead, you should ask, "What can I do that is even more challenging? This is nothing! I want something even worse."

I took up tuna fishing because tuna are the most challenging fish in the world to catch. It is very difficult to outwit tuna. They are such smart creatures. After several years, my boat "New Hope" has become known all over the world as the champion tuna fishing vessel. If I ever presided over a tuna fishing seminar, I know that the best tuna fishermen would come from all over the world to hear about my experiences and learn from me. Why? It is because I have overcome more difficulties than any other tuna fisherman, so naturally I know more about it.

We want to jump from one pinnacle of suffering to another. From the Unification Church, we want to take the one final leap into the Kingdom of Heaven, on earth and in heaven. How can we do it? By digesting the worst problems in the Unification Church, by making the best contribution toward solving them.

How many of you have experienced national MET? There are many who haven't. Would you rather not go to MET? When you realize that your present mission no longer challenges you to improve yourself, you should move on to something else. Do you have a home church area? After I have been speaking about it for five years, is it right not to have an area? Some of you may be thinking, "I'm going to leave the Unification Church anyway, sooner or later, so why should I have a home church area?" If after five years you still don't have a home church area, who is wrong: me or you?

Do you think my teachings are logical, or am I just a tricky speaker who can make all kinds of things sound right? What I am saying is the truth, so why don't you try it? Some of you will be able to accomplish things more quickly while others will take longer, but truth is truth. It's just a matter of time. Your achievements will correspond to the effort you make. When you put forth greater effort, the time period will be shortened.

Once I set a goal for accomplishing certain things, I totally commit myself to it. Whether eating, sleeping, talking or walking, I am always focused on that goal, concentrating 100 percent of my attention there. If my strength is not sufficient, I know God will supplement it and I will never get exhausted. This is not just my opinion; it is universal truth and applies to everybody.

When you get married you may face seemingly insoluble problems with your mother-in-law or other relatives. But actually, when you look at such a problem from my point of view, the solution will be very simple: just follow the Principle.

Do you want to take a long time, zigzagging back and forth, or would you rather leap forward from one pinnacle to another? Is it easy to leap? You don't like to take the difficult way, do you? But you know the truth. To become true sons and daughters of God, you need to be champions of leaping from one difficulty to another. I will be the umpire and judge your accomplishments.

Once you decide to take the righteous path you should not stop until you reach the end of your life. Even at the risk of your life, you must follow the course to its completion. Trying to avoid risks is what places you in the greatest jeopardy. That is why Jesus told people, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it."

This is the moment of decision and commitment. Nobody can make this decision for you, not your wife or husband, not your friend, not even me. The commitment is only yours to make. Those of you who can say, "Yes, I want to leap to the goal of perfection. I will continue, even at the cost of my life," please raise your hands.

You have made this resolution and I pray that God will be with you all the way, just as He has been with me throughout each day of my 62 years. That same Heavenly Father shall be with you every minute throughout your entire life. In your life you shall have hope, you shall have joy, you shall have vision. You have the best future under the sun.

Shall we do home church? Who will make the commitment to do your home church: me? Rev. Kim? Only you can make that resolution. You must push yourself to complete home church, even if it is midnight or 4:00 a.m., it makes no difference. Whether people see you work or not doesn't matter. Just persevere for three years. You love me, but the people in your home church will love you even more, you will gain the authority to become their tribal messiah. Until you go through this route, you cannot link yourself to the nation or the world.

Do you know that you have a destiny to live? Who makes the commitment? You do. You must choose the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of hell. I am not the one to make that decision, you are.

Today is already the last day of January, 1982. This is the year of "Victory of Home church," our slogan for the new year. Whoever says, "I don't want to be persecuted in my home church area," is really a heretic. The greater the persecution you receive, the more assurance you have that you are leaping from one pinnacle to another. You ought to have a competition among yourselves over who can get the most persecution.

If I had come to America and sat here idly and comfortably for ten years, do you think the Unification Church would have advanced to this point automatically? Not at all. I never sat still for one moment. I have always been on the move, visiting all 50 states, going on the 21-city tour and the 8-city tour, speaking at Yankee Stadium and the Washington Monument. I was constantly shocking people and they could not ignore me. In other words, I even instigated controversy. Through such good controversy, I have been introducing solutions to the worst problems of this nation.

Bo Hi Pak has been reporting that although American conservatives have been negative toward me in the past, they are changing. They have been looking for a champion, and finally they see one emerging: Reverend Moon. In the recent past, the power of the conservatives has been very minor, but there has been an upsurge of conservatism which was able to put Reagan in the White House. Since our battles with Fraser and Carter, many conservatives have been giving us a lot of credit because we have been constantly speaking out, injecting good ideas into the American way of life.

We are seated here in a wonderful gathering place; we have a wonderful way of life. My final direction to you today is this: don't behave in a small way. Act like a giant. Go out into the world like a superman or superwoman. Be proud of what you are, who you are, and where you belong. Express that pride. Once you have committed yourself and have succeeded in some project, you will have a great sense of accomplishment. Then go on to another project and carry it out. Then go on to another. Eventually you will feel invincible; you will feel power coming to you directly from God. That is the real way of life of the real Moonies.

Are you strong and committed? You are the master of yourself, the number one person to decide your destiny. Do everything the best way and you will gain the position of subject over your environment. Your destiny is in your hands; you shall be the one to decide.

We are too busy to complain. Once you have made your decision, then act on it. Those who don't act have no right to speak. You can't just follow the ways of the world, taking vacations and enjoying easy times. In all my 62 years I have never thought about taking time for rest and relaxation. Mother has been worried because I push myself so hard, and she constantly reminds me that I am no longer a young person. "So what?" I reply. "Age is no justification to stop and rest. If I go to the spirit world, plenty of work needs to be done there, too, so I will continue to work, whether I am here or in the spirit world."

There are eight stages of restoration, eight decision points and opportunities to leap. If there was a way to make one leap that would cover the entire distance, would you take it? There is such a way: home church. When YOU perfect home church you jump the "A-1" way. Home church is that one leap from bottom to top.

Now persecution is decreasing and our job is becoming easier and easier. This is the time to take up the task and do it well. Can you tell me, "Father, even if you abandon us and go away somewhere, you won't need to worry. We will pursue the mission to its fulfillment and victory. Trust us, Father, we will do it"? Can you show me such confidence? There are many methods; it doesn't matter which one you use. You can devise the best one.

To become a victor in home church is the greatest of all titles you could desire. Won Pil Kim will no longer be needed if you can make your own judgment and decision. Then you are your own leader. That is the best way. You shouldn't wait for anyone else's instructions. Become a dynamic leader yourself. Go out and do it.

We have made the decision and have determined our destiny for the victory of home church. Let us march forward and obtain that victory. Amen! Thank you very much. God bless you. 

Destiny and Judgment [Part 2]

Sun Myung Moon
January 31, 1982
World Mission Center
Translator-Bo Hi Pak

The Unification Church is a wonderful, extraordinary church. You are part of it, but you don't recognize its value. You tell me, "Father, you are just doing things the Oriental way. You are forcing the Korean way upon us. You give us a bunch of tough Korean leaders who are difficult to deal with." Although you might not think they are desirable, soon people will fight to get these Korean leaders to come to their country! Nations will compete to have the most Korean leaders. Can you envision such a day? Do you think you have too many Korean leaders, too many foreign leaders? Do you think they don't understand the pragmatic, American way? Actually, they are not the problem-they are the solution.

We have been talking about the challenges presented by the rise of communism and the decline of world religion. The third problem is the moral degradation of the youth. You are mostly young people. Let me ask you honestly: do you have the same problems with moral corruption as the young people in secular society? How often do you write to your fiancée: once a week? once a month? Since the recent engagements, church telephone bills have been skyrocketing. Couples talk about silly things like getting diarrhea! The church cannot keep up with these telephone bills, so I have instructed that people who make long-distance calls should pay the costs themselves. Is this a good system?

The Unification Church can give evidence that we have a solution to the moral decline of the world's young people today. We are not talking about something ten years from now; we mean the reality today, That reality is sitting in this room right now. You are that reality.

The world says all kinds of evil things about me; they are even talking about a new kind of Mafia, a "Moonie Mafia." Satan has such a way of twisting things, inducing people to make all kinds of accusations about me and the Unification Church. But no matter what the outside world may say about us, you shouldn't pay attention to them, because the important thing is what we are accomplishing, Secular society offers no hope for the future, especially for solving the world's three worst problems. But the Unification Church has tackled them, one after the other. It is important to focus not on the opinion of the outside world, but on what we are gaining, what we are accomplishing.

When we have solved these problems, our task will continue. We must lead the world into the Kingdom of Heaven. Part one is finding the solution; part two lies ahead. The outside world doesn't have a part one, much less a part two. When we move forward into part two, will the world still regard us as the Moonie Mafia?

I have already discussed who will play the central role in the environment and how we can become the subjects of our environment. According to this principle, it is only a matter of time until this movement and this philosophy will play a central role in the world. You should be convinced that what we are discussing this morning is not simply a possibility or a potentiality. It is a reality; it is already a way of life, and we should be proud of it. We should thank God and all creation that we have this way of life, that we have the solution, and that we have this wonderful vision and hope for the future. This is truly a blessing.

Since this is a fact, anyone who assists this movement is a wise person. Those of you who are here are the wisest people. Whoever cooperates with this direction is a discerning person, indeed. This is how to distinguish between a wise person and a fool: a wise person recognizes the subject and becomes an object to him and follows him. To live in a harmonious relationship of give and take with your subject is the true way of life.

How can you become the best objects? First, recognize that in the Unification Church, Reverend Moon is the subject. Then use the same approach I took when I came to America. I declared I was going to take on the worst problems in this country. You should do the same, saying that as a member of the Unification Church you want to take on the worst problems in the church. What is the worst problem of the Unification Church? We have two major problems: first, we need a financial base, and second, we need more people. Everything else will be taken care of once we solve those problems. I am always thinking seriously about those two problems. We have no difficulties with our ideology, and certainly we know that we are the channels for God's absolute love. Without a doubt, we have those treasures; the question is how to expand and share them.

The home church system is the basic plan by which we will solve these two problems. In order to gain a result, you need to invest your money, your time, your energy, and your manpower. This principle operates on every level. It begins with two people, then a small family, a tribe, a nation, the world, and the spirit world.

In a school classroom, the teacher is the subject. In order to become great objects in school, you need to solve the concerns of the subject. What are the teacher's concerns? To teach well and for the students to learn well. By working hard and studying, you can return great satisfaction to your teacher and thus become a good object in that environment. A lazy student will never become a good object; only a hard-working, diligent student can do that. The student who suffers the most and focuses on his studies will earn the position of best object.

The same is true in every aspect of human society. If you work for a business and take on the worst problems of the company in order to help the president, you are that company's best object. That is the truth. When you join a company and try to take care of its problems, investing your heart and soul into your work day in and day out until you finally solve the problems, you become the number one object in that company. There is no way to avoid it.

Look at New York City. What is its worst problem? Now there is a garbage strike going on. During the Christmas season the city was almost buried in its own trash. I have been thinking about solving the garbage problem. If we ever did such a thing, we would inevitably become the number one object in the eyes of New Yorkers. But is it easy to become the number one object?

I am pursuing my goals with logic, not according to mere whim or random thinking. I use scientific and logical ways of thinking. When I came to this country, I asked what its worst problems were and I determined to attack them, no matter what. I have tried to help solve the problems of Nixon, Carter and Reagan. Many Americans have looked at me scornfully and said, "You, an Oriental man from Korea, are trying to solve America's problems? Ha!" But it doesn't matter to me whether they pay attention to me or not. Eventually they will come to realize that I was right.

I have dedicated myself to devising solutions to all the major problems of Korea. Take communism, for example. We have been spreading the teachings of Victory Over Communism throughout the nation. VOC provides the only ideology with which Koreans can arm themselves against communism. Education has been another need in Korea. I was the first person to send people out every summer to teach literacy in every village. Also, the New Village Movement which has become so famous in the past decade was an idea which I started ten years ago.

No matter how hard people try to ignore me, it won't work. Sooner or later, they will have to deal with me. If you deny me, you will be denied by the universe. People have laughed, but eventually everything I have said has turned out to be true.

I am a spiritual leader, a religious leader, but I don't act "holier than thou." Wherever I go, I harmonize with the environment. When I am among laborers, I like to sound like a laborer. When I attend some function of high society, I know how to fit in there. I can adapt to the academic world and I can find a common ground for conversation with politicians.

When I work among professional fishermen, I become completely immersed in their world. I smell just like they do! For seven years in Gloucester, I went out on the "New Hope" early each morning and returned late at night. The town folks never expected me to work so hard and dress so humbly. Sometimes when I was standing right beside Daikon, people would ask him: "Where is Reverend Moon?" Not for one moment did they expect Reverend Moon to be dressed so humbly and have such a dirty face! They assumed I would dress well and look like a boat captain. The captain of the "New Hope" was a professional boat captain, but he completely surrendered to me. He simply could not keep up with me in terms of knowledge, persistence and experience. Initially, he would tell me where to go and where to set out the lines. But soon I was directing him and telling him where to place the lines, and he just said, "Yes, sir. " The places I chose seldom seemed logical, but that was where the tuna were swimming.

When you say you are a Moonie and a member of the Unification Church you should commit yourself to solving its worst problems. If you don't tackle it, then I myself must do it. I know you want to do it and you will accomplish it. Until this tradition is established and until someone who can outdo me comes forward, I will remain the subject.

When you get married, you are no longer just an individual but part of a family. You women will have responsibilities as a housewife and a mother. If you would prefer studying for a Ph.D. degree and being a career woman to doing what marriage entails-serving your parents and all your husband's parents-that's all right. But do first things first. You must first become a total object to your family, conquering your environment and adapting perfectly to it, before you can move on to another level. If you try to avoid your primary environment, however, you will never make it.

There is one thing which I can do expertly and that is adapt to my environment. When I go to a fanning area, I become a farmer. When I am among fishermen, I become a fisherman. When I am in a factory, I become a factory worker, and so on, no matter where I go.

The Korean word in our title which was translated as "destiny" means the movement of life from one place to another. You want to develop yourself and move on, isn't that true? If you sit idly within the Unification Church thinking, "I don't want to move; I don't want to advance any further," you are a dead person. You contradict the universal principle of life. Life never stands still; it is always moving forward, always advancing. The key word for life is advancement. If you are trying to preserve your status quo, you are like a dead person. You are retreating instead of advancing.

Suppose the Unification Church is the wrong place to be; suppose Reverend Moon is the wrong leader to follow. Even if such a thing were true, as long as you keep moving forward and advancing in life, you are bound to end up in the right place. You will never be a loser as long as you persist in your determination to forge ahead. You cannot lose anything; you will only benefit from such a way of life. If the Unification Church is not the truth, it will pass away. However, the members who diligently apply the principles I am teaching can never be losers. Therefore, you cannot lose anything by going this way.

In my early years, when difficulties came to other people in my village, I never felt it was only somebody else's business. I always involved myself right away in their situations. When I solved a particular problem for the village leader, he had to come and bow down to me and thank me. That is because of the Principle. When you learn to apply such a way of life to every situation, always taking on problems, always advancing, you will be able to swim across every obstacle of life and come out the winner.

Let me give you a good example. When I was in Germany, I went to a port city to buy a boat. The vice president of a shipbuilding company and the captain of a 3,000 ton boat came to welcome me. I was a stranger to them, of course, but as soon as we met I treated them just like friends. I gave them a friendly punch in the stomach and said, "Hello, buddy!" and they totally melted. "'What kind of a man is this?" they wondered. "He acts totally natural with us." Within a matter of seconds, we were transformed from total strangers to friends. This is what I mean by controlling your environment and taking charge of it.

High-ranking executives don't know how to do this. They may struggle for ten years to develop friendships and it takes me only five seconds. For me, it's completely natural. I can walk into the home of a total stranger, sit down at the dining table and start eating-and everybody would naturally feel as though I were a member of the family. Instead of asking who I was they would just say, "Hello there, have some potatoes." This is because I know how to make everyone around me feel natural. If I were to walk into such a home, sit down and share their meal, and then get up and wave good-bye, the family would feel that I was just one of them, coming home to eat and then going out again. "We'll see you later," they would feel like saying.

How can I be so natural? Because I really feel that they are members of my family. I honestly feel that such people are my cousins, my uncles and aunts, my brothers and sisters, my mother and father. There have been times when I have walked into the homes of strangers, taken off my jacket, and started to sweep and mop the floor. Those people never felt it was strange. It seemed thoroughly natural to them.

Sometimes I have even argued with someone and it seemed very natural! I once got into a heated argument and my opponent missed me very much when I left. "I wish he would come back and fight me again," he said.

Knowing this secret, I can conquer Satan and deal with the satanic world. You state leaders are in the position to solve the problems of your state. If you look upon it as your home church, you can be the subject of that state.

Each of you is advancing every day. No one is standing still. On God's Day I spoke about the "Victory of Home church." Since then I have talked about home church every Sunday and at every meeting. Members are thinking, "Home church-what is it?" But before you question it, you should get out there. Go to your area and then ask how you are going to do it! Whatever the most difficult problem of the Unification Church may be, you should tell yourself you are the one to tackle it. You should resolve to do home church so well that even I cannot surpass you. When you become such champions, I will gladly follow you. I must follow the Principle. When you truly put yourself in the object position, you will be able to make the proper decisions.

I have been encouraging international and interracial marriages. Some of you who asked for an international marriage thought it would be sweet, but now you wonder what you did, since you can't even converse with your fiancée! But don't you realize that this is the very reason you have an international marriage? This particular difficulty should taste sweet to you. You should tell yourself. "I was given the responsibility to face the challenges of an international marriage. By overcoming them I will become a champion!" All the international couples of the present and future will come to you and follow your standard. You will become the subject of all international marriages. This is very true.

Some of you don't like fundraising and wish there were no witnessing in the Unification Church. Perhaps you can't stand 5:00 a.m. meetings, either. But I, the subject, like fundraising, witnessing and 5:00 a.m. meetings. If you want to become a good object, you know what you should do.

I trust that when you made mistakes it was because you didn't know any better. But from this morning on, you have no more excuse. Now you know what is wrong with those mistakes. When I hold a meeting at Belvedere on Sundays I ask the church leaders to attend. Many of them do but others think, "How can I make it to Belvedere by 5:30 Sunday morning? I just can't do it." They try to make excuses for not coming. Such excuses indicate that the leader is not doing the right thing.

If your leader tries to defend his absences, you can tell him, "I won't make any excuses. I know what Father's instructions were. You, as the Abel figure, don't want to go to Belvedere? I will lead if you won't." You can give such straight advice. If you say correct things like this and your Abel figure persecutes you, he will be judged rather than you, so do not fear.

Some Performing Arts members may think, "Oh, I'm an artist; I'm a sensitive, cultured person. I'm so sophisticated I don't need to go to Belvedere. Besides, if I get up too early, my voice gets damaged." One excuse after another. Such people will not remain long in Performing Arts. That is not how the department was set up. Universal principles do not protect such a person; they actually repel him. Like it or not, everyone must comply with the law of the universe; it is the master, the subject, and you are the object. If you do not cooperate with universal principles you will become -me a loser.

Imagine yourself riding a horse through the pastures, over the hills, and through the valleys and plains. Your life should be like that, always pushing forward toward new, undiscovered horizons.

Now do you know how to receive the inheritance of the master? Because I learned this secret, I am a man of stubborn convictions and total commitment. Regardless of what other people say, universal law will protect me as long as I act in accordance with it -- even if nations or the entire world oppose me. Whoever goes against universal law will be excommunicated by the universe!

When Carter became President, I knew that he was not the right man to direct this nation; he would only lead the world toward destruction. I made uncompromising criticisms of him. I could have softened my statements with the thought: "After all, he is the President. If I say strong things against him, he will certainly come after me with revenge in his heart and I will be the one to suffer." But that is not how I think. Truth must be spoken, and I will never shrink from the truth. When Reagan was elected, I knew God's dispensation was being fulfilled, and I had no reserves about speaking to that effect.

I take responsibility for national and worldwide matters. It makes no difference whether other people appreciate my efforts; as long as God knows what I am doing and recognizes my work, that is all that matters.

Since destiny means the movement of life from one place to another, you must keep moving and keep advancing, following the Principle. Do not stand still and accept the status quo. Move forward every day. I will give you the proper guidance, and your life will turn out very well.

Suppose I were to drop in for a visit someplace where people were drinking and dancing. I may not drink or dance, but I would never make those people feel embarrassed. I would at least clap my hands to the music. Without drinking or dancing, I could still harmonize with the situation and feel very natural. That is how to make relationships with such people. Those people need to be saved. How can you help them without even creating a relationship with them?

Don't make blind judgments against such people and call them bad because their actions are bad. You must make an effort to educate them first; only after investing much effort could you make a judgment. Without educating them, how can you call them evil or wrong? Actually you are responsible for them!

Today I have been speaking about topics such as subject and object relationships. In order to stimulate you to live up to these teachings I have been using some judgmental words, but that is the process of education. Love requires me to speak firmly. Do you want to move on? Do you want to advance?

When people leave our movement, they are called ex-Moonies. There are quite a few ex-Moonies. Have you ever seen any of them achieving a life better than a Moonie life? Furthermore, does the rest of the world embrace ex-Moonies and treat them as heroes? They are not even accepted by the secular society! Ex-Moonies are those who flunked the course; they couldn't pass the test or measure up to the standard of the Unification Church. Once they leave the church, they try to justify themselves and say all kinds of twisted things about the church.

I really have nothing against the ex-Moonies, but I would like to hear just one of them say: "I joined the Unification Church and did exactly what Reverend Moon instructed me to do; but I want to do more. There wasn't enough to learn in the Unification Church. I left because I could not advance. I want to start my own church."

If that were the case I would welcome those comments. But so far I have not seen a single ex-Moonie say such a thing. The main reason people leave the Unification Church is that they do not want to follow our disciplined way of life. They don't have enough courage to face the challenges and overcome them. They simply don't have the perseverance and endurance to succeed in the church, and that is why they try to make excuses.

Even within the Unification Church there are people who talk and complain all the time. They are not the doers; they are not people of action. Other members the doers-are silent. They just go out and fulfill their mission every day. They don't talk about the rules and leadership of the Unification Church. Those who are sitting down and doing nothing are seeking to justify themselves by talking and complaining. They make all kinds of excuses for their lack of action. Which are the majority: the doers or the non-doers?

I would rather hear a different kind of complaint: "Father, I have been to my 360 homes, and it's just too small an area for me to take care of. Why can't I take care of all New York City-or even the whole United States?" I wonder why I don't hear such complaints! The ones who work hard and challenge themselves have eyes shining with hope; they have the energy to climb to greater heights tomorrow.

We are here to continue celebrating True Parents' birthday. I would really celebrate if you made one complaint today: "Reverend Moon, you are 62 years old. What have you been doing for the past 62 years? Is that all? Let me do more. I'm only 35 (or 29, or 25), and by the time I am 62, 1 will accomplish more than you have." I would welcome such a protest.

Cowardly people, those who try to make excuses for their failures or lay the blame on others, receive terrible treatment in the spirit world. I could never behave in such a way; I couldn't even consider it. You should not whine over trivial matters. Become big men and women-make big complaints, such as the one I mentioned.

A kindergarten child will have the most trivial problems and complaints, while someone enrolled in a Ph.D. program has an entirely different attitude. Our goal is to save the world. Can you say, "I devoted two years of my life to the movement, and I have given up too much"? Do you think that your two or three years are adequate to move the world? Whoever feels that way is like a thief. It may take 300 years or more to move the world.

If you live this way from now on, people will embrace you and welcome you. Even if persecution comes your way, persevere and overcome it; afterwards the universe will need you.. That is inevitable. The victorious way of life is to meet your subject and do his will, not your own. That is the secret of survival and prosperity. Furthermore, when you are in the subject position, you must be like a rock grounded on the Principle. Don't keep shifting; don't be swayed by the opinions of others. This is the Principle and law of the universe and holds true for the past, present and future. If you live by this law today, tomorrow and throughout your entire life, you will never regret it. You will be a winner in life.

What is our goal and what is the fastest way to achieve it? You cannot move in a straight line; there are always ups and downs. However, instead of making such long detours down and up, you can devise a way to jump from one high point to the next, from one pinnacle to another. The most difficult position is that of the follower, the object who tries to take care of the greatest problems of his central figure. Once you have conquered one obstacle, rather than relaxing and taking it easy for a while, you should move right on to the next difficulty. By moving from one challenge to another, you shorten the time span for accomplishing the goal.

When you go to your home church area, the best way to become its subject is to take care of the worst problems in each home. This principle works everywhere. I asked God what His worst problems were, and then I went from one difficulty to another. I have challenged one obstacle after another, going from the individual level to the family level and all the way to the world-wide level. After you embrace each challenge and solve it, you can move on to the next.

After overcoming one peak of difficulty, you could descend to a less difficult level and then try to work your way back up to the next peak. But to leap from one pinnacle to the next takes much less time. You can cover the same territory faster by leaping over the valleys.

When I deal with established Christianity, I inquire into its greatest difficulties. They have to know how to deal with society, for instance, and how to make a relationship with God. I treat one problem after another and solve Christianity's worst headaches.

Another difficulty in the religious world today is that people talk a lot but don't know how to act. There is too much talk and not enough substance. So we have demonstrated a religion of action. God is looking for people who not only know the answers to the universal problems but can act upon them.

Wherever you go, whatever mission you have, do not complain that it is too difficult. Instead, you should ask, "What can I do that is even more challenging? This is nothing! I want something even worse."

I took up tuna fishing because tuna are the most challenging fish in the world to catch. It is very difficult to outwit tuna. They are such smart creatures. After several years, my boat "New Hope" has become known all over the world as the champion tuna-fishing vessel. If I ever presided over a tuna-fishing seminar, I know that the best tuna fishermen would come from all over the world to hear about my experiences and learn from me. Why? It is because I have overcome more difficulties than any other tuna fisherman, so naturally I know more about it.

We want to jump from one pinnacle of suffering to another. From the Unification Church, we want to take the one final leap into the Kingdom of Heaven, on earth and in heaven. How can we do it? By digesting the worst problems in the Unification Church, by making the best contribution toward solving them.

How many of you have experienced national MFT? There are many who haven't. Would you rather not go to MFT? When you realize that your present mission no longer challenges you to improve yourself, you should move on to something else. Do you have a home church area? After I have been speaking about it for five years, is it right not to have an area? Some of you may be thinking, "I'm going to leave the Unification Church anyway, sooner or later, so why should I have a home church area?" If after five years you still don't have a home church area, who is wrong: me or you?

Do you think my teachings are logical, or am I just a tricky speaker who can make all kinds of things sound right? What I am saying is the truth, so why don't you try it? Some of you will be able to accomplish things more quickly while others will take longer, but truth is truth. It's just a matter of time. Your achievements will correspond to the effort you make. When you put forth greater effort, the time period will be shortened.

Once I set a goal for accomplishing certain things, I totally commit myself to it. Whether eating, sleeping, talking or walking, I am always focused on that goal, concentrating 100 percent of my attention there. If my strength is not sufficient, I know God will supplement it and I will never get exhausted. This is not just my opinion; it is universal truth and applies to everybody.

When you get married you may face seemingly insoluble problems with your mother-in-law or other relatives. But actually, when you look at such a problem from my point of view, the solution will be very simple: just follow the Principle.

Do you want to take a long time, zigzagging back and forth, or would you rather leap forward from one pinnacle to another? Is it easy to leap? You don't like to take the difficult way, do you? But you know the truth. To become true sons and daughters of God, you need to be champions of leaping from one difficulty to another. I will be the umpire and judge your accomplishments.

Once you decide to take the righteous path you should not stop until you reach the end of your life. Even at the risk of your life, you must follow the course to its completion. Trying to avoid risks is what places you in the greatest jeopardy. That is why Jesus told people, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it."

This is the moment of decision and commitment. Nobody can make this decision for you -- not your wife or husband, not your friend, not even me. The commitment is only yours to make. Those of you who can say, "Yes, I want to leap to the goal of perfection. I will continue, even at the cost of my life," please raise your hands.

You have made this resolution and I pray that God will be with you all the way, just as He has been with me throughout each day of my 62 years. That same Heavenly Father shall be with you every minute throughout your entire life. In your life you shall have hope, you shall have joy, you shall have vision. You have the best future under the sun.

Shall we do home church? Who will make the commitment to do your home church: me? Rev. Kim? Only you can make that resolution. You must push yourself to complete home church -- even if it is midnight or 4:00 a.m., it makes no difference. Whether people see you work or not doesn't matter. Just persevere for three years. You love me, but the people in your home church will love you even more-you will gain the authority to become their tribal messiah. Until you go through this route, you cannot link yourself to the nation or the world.

Do you know that you have a destiny to live? Who makes the commitment? You do. You must choose the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of hell. I am not the one to make that decision, you are.

Today is already the last day of January, 1982. This is the year of "Victory of Home church," our slogan for the new year. Whoever says, "I don't want to be persecuted in my home church area," is really a heretic. The greater the persecution you receive, the more assurance you have that you are leaping from one pinnacle to another. You ought to have a competition among yourselves over who can get the most persecution.

If I had come to America and sat here idly and comfortably for ten years, do you think the Unification Church would have advanced to this point automatically? Not at all. I never sat still for one moment. I have always been on the move, visiting all 50 states, going on the 21-city tour and the 8-city tour, speaking at Yankee Stadium and the Washington Monument. I was constantly shocking people and they could not ignore me. In other words, I even instigated controversy. Through such good controversy, I have been introducing solutions to the worst problems of this nation.

Bo Hi Pak has been reporting that although American conservatives have been negative toward me in the past, they are changing. They have been looking for a champion, and finally they see one emerging: Reverend Moon. In the recent past, the power of the conservatives has been very minor, but there has been an upsurge of conservatism which was able to put Reagan in the White House. Since our battles with Fraser and Carter, many conservatives have been giving us a lot of credit because we have been constantly speaking out, injecting good ideas into the American way of life.

We are seated here in a wonderful gathering place; we have a wonderful way of life. My final direction to you today is this: don't behave in a small way. Act like a giant. Go out into the world like a superman or superwoman. Be proud of what you are, who you are, and where you belong. Express that pride. Once you have committed yourself and have succeeded in some project, you will have a great sense of accomplishment. Then go on to another project and carry it out. Then go on to another. Eventually you will feel invincible; you will feel power coming to you directly from God. That is the real way of life of the real Moonies.

Are you strong and committed? You are the master of yourself, the number one person to decide your destiny. Do everything the best way, and you will gain the position of subject over your environment. Your destiny is in your hands; you shall be the one to decide.

We are too busy to complain. Once you have made your decision, then act on it. Those who don't act have no right to speak. You can't just follow the ways of the world, taking vacations and enjoying easy times. In all my 62 years I have never thought about taking time for rest and relaxation. Mother has been worried because I push myself so hard, and she constantly reminds me that I am no longer a young person. "So what?" I reply. "Age is no justification to stop and rest. If I go to the spirit world, plenty of work needs to be done there, too, so I will continue to work-whether I am here or in the spirit world."

There are eight stages of restoration, eight decision points and opportunities to leap. If there was a way to make one leap that would cover the entire distance, would you take it? There is such a way: home church. When you perfect home church you jump the "A-1" way. Home church is that one leap from bottom to top.

Now persecution is decreasing and our job is becoming easier and easier. This is the time to take up the task and do it well. Can you tell me, "Father, even if you abandon us and go away somewhere, you won't need to worry. We will pursue the mission to its fulfillment and victory. Trust us, Father, we will do it"? Can you show me such confidence? There are many methods; it doesn't matter which one you use. You can devise the best one.

To become a victor in home church is the greatest of all titles you could desire. Won Pil Kim will no longer be needed if you can make your own judgment and decision. Then you are your own leader. That is the best way. You shouldn't wait for anyone else's instructions. Become a dynamic leader yourself. Go out and do it.

We have made the decision and have determined our destiny for the victory of home church. Let us march forward and obtain that victory. Amen! Thank you very much. God bless you.

Destiny and Judgment [Part 1]

Sun Myung Moon
January 31, 1982
World Mission Center
Translator-Bo Hi Pak

We must realize that an individual's life is not fully under his own control. A person's surroundings and destiny are not something he can regulate, for the environment was there before he ever existed. Of course, each person feels he is important and envisions himself at the center of things. As a rule, people disregard their surroundings in the process of advancing. Without an environment, however, there is no center. Only within an environment can a subject-object relationship exist. This is a universal law of existence.

God created the environment first and within it all things in pair systems of subject and object. This applies to the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Finally, God created one person-Adam-in that prepared environment. Adam was a unique creation in that he could harmonize and fit into his surroundings. Since everything around Adam existed in subject-object relationships, Adam also needed an object, Eve.

A person may be proud and boastful as he talks about himself, but upon deeper reflection he will wonder for whom he was created. Each individual exists to harmonize with his environment and create perfect surroundings.

All creation exists in harmonious give and take. Man is meant to be the central point of harmony in creation, but a solitary person would be unable to have the fullest give and take with his environment. Therefore, man alone cannot fulfill his central role as harmonizer. A man and woman together in harmonious give and take can be the center of all creation. Now you can explain clearly why men need women and why women need men: if all of your surroundings exist in subject-object relationships, then you also need an object in order to fit in.

Men and women clearly belong to their environment first of all. In order for your presence to have value, however, you must make a relationship with your surroundings. You lose value if you try to remain isolated. The environment must recognize your worth and affirm that you are needed. Next, you must be recognized by your object. Before you can claim to be the subject, your object must want you to be subject; that is only natural. You should not be subject because you need to be one, but because your surroundings feel that they need you. This should be a key element in your thinking. When this value system is lacking, people find themselves constantly embroiled in struggle. Strictly speaking, you cannot say that God gave you everything for your own sake. Actually, what you were given is also for the sake of your environment. Particularly here in America, people have fundamentally mistaken attitudes about this.

Suppose you asked your eye why it exists. It could not reply that it exists for itself. Certainly the eye serves to provide vision for the body, not just for itself. It exists to fulfill a larger purpose. For your ear to proclaim that it hears for itself makes no sense. Ears listen for a higher purpose.

If your nose wanted to exist only for itself, you would have the right to cut it off. Why would it be needed? It has a purpose to fulfill for the rest of the body. Does your mouth receive food for its own sake? Suppose one day it refused to open up! The mouth clearly functions for the sake of the whole body. Your sense of touch also exists to benefit the entire body.

Obviously, all five senses exist for the whole. Expanding this pattern, we can visualize one person having the position of an eye, another the position of a nose, existing for a greater whole.

It wouldn't make sense, then, for a man to say that he exists only for himself. A man's masculinity was not created to be appreciated by other men but by someone different-women. Likewise, women are not shaped for other women, but for someone different-men. Men and women were both shaped by a creative mind that envisioned them relating to a counterpart. Do any of you women feel you were created for the sake of other women?

In creation we find positive and negative, convex and concave fitting together harmoniously. It is not natural for positive to join with positive, or convex with convex. Upon analysis, this appears to be a simple principle, but it expresses a profound truth. A man is a man in order to fulfill something for the sake of others; women also have a purpose connected with others. The individual exists to satisfy someone other than himself. Everyone is involved in daily activities; you carry on your daily life to satisfy some universal purpose in your environment.

Do you engaged brothers regard your fiancée as your personal possession? Do you sisters feel that you can forget about the church now and depend on your fiancée to take care of you? Do you want to simplify your existence by forgetting the complications of church life?

All of you are anxious to know when I will announce the Blessing. Why do you want me to be involved in your life this way? Am I a good person or a bad person? You have a family environment, a social environment, a national, worldwide and cosmic environment, as well as God's environment. Before the Creator began His work, He already had certain ideals in mind such as a desire for a love-centered environment.

God created mankind to fulfill a central role in the universal environment, so mankind has a unique quality not found anywhere else in the animal kingdom: the ability to think. We function the same as animals, but we are set apart since we can conceive of moral and spiritual values.

For what values do we live: animal or human? Are people today really living according to human values, or are they closer to animal values? What about you? If an engaged member is annoyed that the time of Blessing hasn't yet been announced and gripes every day about how complicated Unification Church life is, can we say he is living closer to the human level or the animal level?

When a husband and wife hold hands and rejoice together, they are representatives of the universe. Our whole environment will find satisfaction in our unity as couples and families. You should realize that your unity is fulfilling a cosmic purpose. All your deeds, including your engagement, are meant to satisfy the rest of creation. You can feel that God, mankind, and all creation take delight in your engagement.

You can delight in truly living on the human level in this way, for this is where human dignity begins. Why do we need such human dignity? It is so we can be welcomed by the environment. When you have satisfied the needs of the environment, God can rejoice and welcome you personally, dwelling in love with you.

Evaluate yourself and ask whether your actions truly represent the nobility of human life. If your five senses did not exist for the whole but only for themselves, why would you need them? A man does not exist for himself, nor a woman for herself. We exist for a universal purpose, and we must harmonize with our surroundings, uniting everything. When you live this way, the universe can help compensate for any shortcomings you may have. Therefore, you don't need to feel discouraged or worry about being inadequate. You don't need to be concerned about your fiancée being less than perfect.

In Unification Church life we have certain rules and traditions, but what is their purpose? I am trying to show you how to harmonize with the universe, not isolate yourself from it. We need to shape ourselves in a certain direction in order to create perfect harmony. The path of this universal principle seems difficult, but by following it, you will ultimately be victorious. If you ignore universal destiny and just try to make things serve your own purpose, nothing will work out; obstacles will block you in every direction.

Should someone who tries to do things his own way be accommodated or rejected? If you make wrong decisions, history will judge you. I want you to make the right decisions and harmonize with the universe. Through this teaching we are rejecting the animalistic way of life, and striving to create heartistic relationships with one another and also with God.

By practicing divine love you can have an eternal relationship with the Creator. Let's use the term "divine humanity" to represent true human dignity. We don't want to bring God into our lives except in the dignity of divine love.

When you join the Unification Church you cannot avoid confronting the rule of subject and object. In order to find fulfillment in the Unification Church, you have to be able to harmonize with Reverend Moon as its subject. If you don't want to harmonize with this subject, the environment will kick you out. There is no way you could remain.

Perhaps after several years you may think, "I have gone along with Reverend Moon for some time now; why doesn't he do things my way for a change?" I have no objection to doing things differently-as long as it produces greater achievement of that divine element. In such a case I will become your follower!

I am definitely developing my leadership and traditions according to the universal destiny, never in accordance with my own desire or whim. I feel that eventually the United States will follow this way of life, not because I insist upon it but because it is the only way this country can elevate itself to the level of the divine human life. Whoever opposes that universal goal is only opposing his own well-being.

Universal power supports these principles, not America's present way of life. As long as I live within these principles, I cannot help but prosper, and my opponents will dwindle away. This principle is like a rock and my commitment to it is unshakable. God is in a position to sustain and strengthen this way of life. If God supports it, then judgment has already been passed. Anyone who thinks I am merely trying to justify myself should step forward with a better alternative. This is not just a theory.

We begin in the small environment of the family and then move on to successively greater levels of environment, finally reaching the spirit world and the Creator. You have to harmonize with what the Creator wants you to be. Otherwise, you are simply destroying yourself.

Because I keep moving from one level of the environment to another, people discover new aspects of me as they relate to me. Twenty years ago, the Korean members felt that I would always be with them, talking often until midnight. But now they recognize that I am not just a Korean teacher; I have a universal mission. When Korean members come to the United States, they don't receive all my attention. They miss those times in Korea. Some day you too will talk about the "good old days" when you sat here listening to me.

There are different methods of education for each level of a child's development, each presenting him with varying challenges. But no matter at which level I am teaching you, the central principle will always be that of universal harmony. I want to move with God's destiny, not my own, and receive all the protection of the universe.

Those who examine my life at a given point may feel that I am zigzagging, but if they look at the whole picture it will be clear that I am always following a certain vertical line. Since I have to deal with the reality of this world, I may have to make certain turns, but I never lose sight of the central line. In order to reach people on the right or on the left, I have to move back and forth. When I came to America, for instance, I had to reach out to you where you were. If I had been rigid and unyielding, we would never have made contact. But once my course crosses a certain boundary, the path will lead only straight forward.

The directions I give you may sound too steep, and you might prefer that I demand less of you. But you should know that your present activities are at an elementary school level. The high school and university levels are much tougher. When you finish the Unification Church Ph.D. course you will be truly universal men and women, able to overcome any obstacle.

After your education in the Unification Church is finished, you have another course to undertake: dealing with society and the rest of the world. The Unification Church is not only a place for spiritual training; you also receive social and economic training here.

Many people evaluate themselves from a very pragmatic, materialistic standpoint. "I joined the Unification Church five years ago," someone might say, "and all this time I have really done my best. As far as I'm concerned, I have given everything, but what have I gained? All I can see is that I've gotten five years older. I had several suits when I joined, but now I have only one. I had lots of shoes, but now I have only one pair-and even they have holes in them. I have a fiancée, but she doesn't seem to be anybody special. What's good about this life?" He might even think about the girl he dated five years ago and remember her as being so much better than his fiancée.

You may think you have gained nothing, but once you go out into the secular world, you will find that you excel in many ways. Of course you will excel in spiritual matters, but you can surpass people economically and socially too. In other words, no other kind of education can approach the one you received from five years in the Unification Church.

From a pragmatic viewpoint, members might wonder why the Unification Church way of life keeps getting tougher. "I thought I finished the lower levels and things would get easier," some people might say. "Instead, it's getting tougher and tougher." Once you finish elementary school and enter middle school, the standards are higher and the expectations greater. When you go on to high school, more is expected. All the way up to the Ph.D. level, more and more is demanded. The higher you are elevated, the greater the demands upon you. Do any of you think you have graduated from my school, or are you still in the process of learning? There is no university in America where you can hear this kind of lecture. That's for sure.

When you really listen to what we are discussing, you will realize that we are not talking about some specialized ideas but about the very roots of life. When you understand and absorb the Principle and achieve a high standard in your life, although you may not have a college degree, you will have your "Reverend Moon degree." When you go out into the world and discuss things with professors and people with doctorate degrees, you will realize what a deep knowledge you have gained about all aspects of life. Because of the depth and breadth of the understanding you have acquired, you will even feel confident to teach college professors. The secular world will come to respect Moonies because they have such shining inner strength.

When a little child begins kindergarten, her mother dresses her up in the nicest clothes. But as that child goes on to higher and higher levels of education, the less time she will have to spend on external appearances. Especially at the university level, the exams, term papers, dissertations-all the demands on students' time-leave virtually no room for worrying about clothing. Sometimes college students have such a demanding schedule they don't even take time to wash or shave! The university student might look back and envy his easy time in elementary school. Just because a student has no time to shave or keep himself attractive, however, doesn't mean he is miserable. There is something within him that is solid, valuable, and growing.

You are in Reverend Moon's university, and you are being called upon to do many demanding things. Under such pressure, you may look pale or even sloppy. However, although you may not appear so great externally, you are like a dynamo internally. In your true, internal self, you are becoming a life-giving force, like the sun.

What about me? I am well dressed today because I came to give you a sermon. But normally I dress very casually, even carelessly. Does that alter my value? Am I more valuable when I am well dressed than when I am sloppily dressed? Of course not. No matter how I dress, people respect me for my internal qualities.

Yesterday Bo Hi Pak said, "Father, all the leaders would like to give you and Mother a day of rest during your birthday celebration. We feel sorry that you have to work such long hours every holiday, and we would like to take over your speaking responsibilities for you. However, the truth is that nobody else has the ability to inspire the members the way you do!" Why is it that nobody else can duplicate my role? Am I fulfilling this role with external or internal qualities?

You may look at me and feel you know me, but nobody truly comprehends the entire depth of my internal self. If I were to preach for ten years continuously, do you think I would run out of sermon material? No, I wouldn't.

We talk a lot about the spirit world. You realize that it exists, but how much do you really know about it? Once you reach spirit world, all of you will feel lost and will call out for me to guide you! Then I will come and speak to you. Don't you think there are further things I can teach you in the spirit world? Certain things cannot be explained here on earth, but only there. Ten years of sermons in the spirit world would not even scratch the surface of knowledge about it that I have to share with you.

When you look at me, you see a very mysterious person. I am doing unique and extraordinary things. The main reason the United States is troubled about me is that it cannot measure me or figure me out. Even if the greatest computer companies wanted to run all the data about me through their sophisticated equipment, they wouldn't be able to enter everything into their computers. I wouldn't register on the screen, because I just don't compute!

You may have been following this way of life for the past several years and feel that you have achieved a certain degree of understanding. But knowing that the horizons are unlimited and the realms of knowledge infinite, how can you demand that I do things your way? How can you say you have learned enough from me?

The physical world and the spirit world are linked together. The spirit world is already under God's direction. Being the world of truth and order, the spirit world is controlled by the Principle. In this world, however, I have been treated like a swindler and a charlatan.

In the spirit world, do you think there will be a special Dr. Durst-type of heaven, since he has such a high academic degree, or will the Kingdom of Heaven be a Reverend Moon-type heaven? Do you think heaven will adopt my style or Dr. Durst's style? How about a Bo Hi Pak-style heaven? How about a Rev. Kwak-style heaven? You say Reverend Moon-style heaven, but which would you prefer: a Reverend Moon-style heaven or a God-style heaven? I want to live in a God-style heaven and I am sure you do, too.

There are many leaders in our church: state leaders, national leaders, and directors of various activities. Some of them think, "I want to create my own way of reaching heaven; I want to compromise just a bit on the Principle." But that is crazy. In this respect, I am absolutely logical and scientific.

Some people, without any scientific reasoning or logic, decide they want to go a certain way just because they feel like it. That is superstitious and wrong. We must base our actions on logic and deep philosophical understanding. If someone decides he wants to go off in his own direction, do you think the rest of the world will follow him? Perhaps people in this world will, but what about the spirit world? Will God go along with him?

Many people complain about the way I am going and fight against it. I have created a great deal of controversy and endured much persecution here on earth. But the amazing thing is that whenever someone tries to follow this way, he receives help from the spirit world and from God as well.

The Japanese leaders have followed my direction and have received showers of blessing from the spirit world. But they know that if they begin to be skeptical about what I say, all such assistance will cease.

Many people have their own logic and method of doing things. If you listen to their various ways, you might get confused. Why not just disregard all the other ways and follow this one? And if you don't like to do things this way, then I recommend you try to find another way to do God's will. Since you probably don't have a method of finding God's direction, you will have to rely on someone's expert guidance.

If you want to place an overseas telephone call, could you just dial numbers at random and expect to be connected? Of course not. You must go through certain channels; you must call an operator, who rings another operator and ultimately connects you to your goal. If you said, "I'm going to discover my own, unique way of placing an overseas call; I'm just going to dial the number my way," you could dial all day long and never reach your goal. It wouldn't work. Even though you may not like the voice of the particular operator you have to use to place your call, still you must call her first.

Likewise, in order to go to heaven, you must go through a certain channel. You may say, "I don't like Reverend Moon's way of talking or the things he teaches," but you have to talk to the right operator in order to connect with God.

If you should call the wrong operator, she might plug you into a totally wrong place; you might end up talking to Moscow instead of Norway, for instance. Likewise, the wrong spiritual leader might plug you into Satan instead of God and the good spirit world.

The members of the Unification Church are smart people. You are clever and know where the truth lies. You pay attention to me because you know where the greatest value lies. You are interested in what I have to say. You are curious about what I look like when I laugh; you wonder what makes me angry! Whole new horizons have appeared; an entire new spectrum is visible to you.

When I came to America, I never disregarded the reality of this environment. Each nation has its own head of state and government. When I came, Nixon was President, followed by Ford, Carter, and Reagan. I realize that they faced many serious challenges. My viewpoint is to solve problems on a worldwide level, but the highest consideration of national leaders is usually their own nation. I can offer answers that will resolve not only national problems but the problems of the world as well. Whoever brings universal solutions will become the universal subject.

The three major problems in the world are the spread of communism, the decline of Christianity, and the moral corruption of the young people. Once someone can bring a solution to these three challenges, he will definitely be in a subject position. Heads of state, the world's external leaders, are suffering from an inability to deal with the onslaught of communism. The world's internal leaders the religious leaders-agonize over the global decline of religion, especially Christianity. Young people are the hope for the future. If the youth are corrupted, there can be no hope for tomorrow.

We are tackling all three problems and offering solutions. We are bringing hope for the future by assembling renowned scholars from all over the world to give the world intellectual direction. They have concluded that there is only one power strong enough to deal with communism: Reverend Moon's ideology. The major foundation has been laid. These unique assemblies of scholars and intellectuals have agreed that the hope for the future lies with Reverend Moon's new ideology.

In December 1981, a truly unique conference was convened: a conference on God. Leaders of all major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, assembled for the first time in history. The discussion focused on the Creator, God.

A long time ago, I initiated a World Religious Congress, aiming at the unity of all the world's religions. I announced very plainly that wherever a movement for unity among religions occurred, I would give funds to support it. There are tremendous divisions within all religions, not only Christianity. There are religious leaders who long to find some bond of unity, and I was the only one volunteering to help. So they used the assistance I offered and called this conference. In dealing with the unity of religions, their discussion first focused on their shame that they could assemble only with the help of Reverend Moon.

I want to stimulate unity among all the religions of the world. During this conference, the religious leaders could evaluate themselves and begin to realize how trivial are the things which separate them and cause them to fight each other.

Out of this conference a great movement -- World Youth for God -- has begun. Beginning this summer, an evangelical team of young people, accompanied by famous scholars, will go from nation to nation and continent to continent trying to create an international movement for unity. When they visit a Muslim country, they will invite all the famous Muslim scholars to discuss the Creator. When they go to Asia, they will examine religious concepts with Buddhist leaders. And when they travel to Christian nations, they will invite Christian scholars to speak to them.

With such a movement, denominational in fighting will have to stop. Once the various religions begin to communicate with each other, the era of denominational differences and divisions over dogma will cease. What is amazing is that this entire project is sponsored by Reverend Moon. Can they point their fingers at each other, in front of me, and cry heretic? How can they accuse another religion of being inferior or take issue with certain aspects of another belief? They will be unable to accuse and judge each other that way.

Participants at this past conference knew it was funded by Reverend Moon and that Moonies would be there to help them. They came to the conference totally ignorant of my philosophy. They knew only one thing: they were great scholars. They began the conference in a very boastful manner, looking at our members somewhat scornfully. They thought we had nothing to offer them, but within three days, the participants' attitudes had completely changed. They concluded that religious unity in the world was possible. They could feel hopeful.

This was the culmination of many years of hard work and suffering, particularly in the founding of the Unification Theological Seminary, which is the base from which all these things can happen. During 1981 there were at least 30 major academic conferences sponsored by the Unification Church, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences being only one of them. Many thousands of scholars and professors became exposed to Unification ideology as well. All of them have concluded that it is an advanced philosophy with unique, extraordinary thought behind it.

They are experiencing the dawn of new hope; they feel that a new day is beginning. They see that we are talking not just about a dream but a reality, and this gives them hope for world unity in the future. They thought that the world had come up against a stone wall, but now they realize that there is a way to push that stone wall aside and witness a new era on the horizon.

It is amazing that Christianity had been confronting Judaism for 2,000 years without any genuine dialogue taking place -- only accusation, hatred and killing. But the Unification Church is now fostering dialogue among the religions of the entire world, including Judaism and Christianity.

On February 4, 40 top Korean Christian leaders are coming to New York as my guests. They will be taking a 40-day tour of the United States and other countries. I want them to open their eyes and realize that the world is far bigger than they assumed.

Until now, all kinds of persecution have been mounted against the Unification Church, but people no longer have any excuse to harass us. The decline and degradation of the religious world is obvious; this has been a dark night for religion and spiritual values. But now all of a sudden, religious people can see the coming of the dawn in the philosophy of Reverend Moon. This has been achieved in a very short time.

We will not have to keep climbing as we have been. We are reaching the pinnacle of the mountain. Soon it will be easier; once we go over the peak, we will pick up speed. As I mentioned, the greatest headache for God as well as for all philosophical and religious people has been the problem of communism. And now we are offering a solution, both internally and externally. We are also bringing a solution to the religious decline by starting a new movement for religious unity. Nobody had thought such a thing possible, but it is happening.

Communism is like a cancer spreading freely all over the world, including the United States. It is even more rampant in Latin America. The world is helpless in the face of this cancer. Consider what is happening in Central America. The people in these countries are looking for an answer but weapons are not the solution; an ideology is needed. Before Unificationism, however, there was no ideology capable of combating communism. Young people are finding new life through Unificationism. What is taking place is almost like a resurrection.

I have one worry: leaders may get so inspired by this new ideology that they will organize a home church system. Then the Moonies will be out of a job! If such a situation arises, however, they will seek out experienced leaders to help them do home church. And whom will they call upon? You.

You may think you are repeating the same activities every day; you may find your duties monotonous. "I am doing home church," you think. "I go fundraising, I witness, and on Sundays I go to hear Father speak." You may think your life is repetitious, even perfunctory, and you don't see many results. But I want you to know that while you are fulfilling your responsibility, the world is changing. When America realizes it has to confront the challenge of communism, it will choose our way.

There are many religious leaders, but they don't stimulate much true excitement, so people will have to come and listen to my teachings. What result do my teachings bring? You bright young people are its fruits. You are so young; you look green and fresh, while other churches are filled with gray people almost ready for the cemetery! Religious leaders will have to notice this amazing difference. When smart young people come and stay, when they are filled with fervent, burning zeal, something must be happening. This is the very thing America needs. Therefore, people will come and ask for my advice.

I have been talking about a global evangelical team traveling around the world. They will hear lecturers from Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and the Unification Church. When people hear speakers from all those religions, which one do you think will be the most convincing?

One feature of our religion is that we deal with the reality of the present society and offer a solution for the future. In many cases, religions are concerned only about the next world. Many religious philosophies have almost no bearing on this world or offer any hope or solution for the future. Bright, idealistic young people long for some solution to the present world and some hope for the future. If they choose a religion, would they choose the Unification Church and the Principle, or Islam or Hinduism?

The Vibration Of True Love

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
January 30, 1982
World Mission Center
Translator - Bo Hi Pak

As I look at you, your faces are so beautiful. Many times when I look at the beauty of men and women I wonder whether there was any way that Heavenly Father could have created us better than we are. What would make a man more handsome or a woman more beautiful? I have imagined making the two eyes totally round, the nose square, the ears upside down, and wondered whether that would make a person more beautiful. But every time I come to the conclusion that no one can improve upon the way God made men and women.

Truly each one of you is a masterpiece of God's creation. Some men and women may wonder why they couldn't be prettier or more handsome. But don't think that way; you are God's masterpiece. No matter what, God worked very hard to make you just as you are. Even if someone condemns himself as ugly, when you look at that person you can find some special characteristic that nobody else has.

Basically, Heavenly Father has only four items to work with: eyes, nose, mouth and ears-and furthermore, He always has to put them in the same area. But still in that limited realm, God created an infinite variety of faces! God uses only four items to create the human face but no two of them are identical; each is unique. So there is an incredible mysterious beauty among the four billion people out there. Each face is different, although it has the same four components. I cannot think of any better miracle. Suppose you were given the task of taking eyes, nose, mouth and ears and combining them to come up with four billion different faces. Could you do it?

When I consider those four billion faces, the mystery is so great that I am filled with a feeling of awe. There is no way to avoid feeling gratitude and awe, surprise and shock at this fact. I always feel that it is our duty to live with confidence and pride in being a masterpiece of God's creation.

Have you ever thought about a world that was filled with only women, lacking men-a "no-man's land"? No matter how beautiful and well-dressed a woman might be, if there are no men around she has no flavor or joy in living. I am very sure of one thing: if there were no men around, no matter how much people might pressure you to put on make up, you wouldn't do it; there would be no incentive.

When we think about it, it would be the greatest calamity if the world were filled with only women and no men. Or imagine another situation: suppose there were two billion women in the world and only one man. There would definitely be war after war among the women, all fighting over that one man. There would be nothing but struggles, battles, and conspiracies all focused on the one goal to occupy that one man. Women, you don't like war, do you? But if there were only one man, would you just sit still or engage in some kind of war? What would be the natural thing to do? On the other hand, suppose it were an all-men's world with only one woman. It would be the same situation.

It is a miracle and our good fortune that God distributed men and women evenly in the world. There are enough men for the women and enough women for the men. Suppose there was an entire country populated only by men and another populated only by women. Eastern philosophy is generally centered on men so everyone there looks forward to having a baby boy. Everyone wants a son, but suppose God answered all their wishes and gave them nothing but sons. What would happen? You Americans, would you want a son first or do you feel it doesn't matter? American women said sons, American men said sons, and Eastern culture says sons. But if God answered all those prayers, what would happen? Wise men do not pray that kind of prayer, knowing that it is useless. People give birth, but God controls the balance; around the world, the population of men and women is about the same. This is another great miracle.

It is the greatest of all miracles that we are alive today. Life is mysterious and the mysterious element is beyond man's control; somebody else must be controlling it. Those who possess high goals and high ideals look for some mystic or mysterious element. People want and look for miracles. But we are eyewitnesses to the greatest miracle of all: the four billion people living on this earth. We look at ourselves and life today as mysterious, as a miracle. When you look at one person, look at him or her as the source of wonder, God's creation, a miracle of which you are an eyewitness.

Every one of you has a broadcasting station in your brain. You emit waves all the time, but the colors of waves vary from one person to another. The variety of these waves makes for harmony; they don't repel each other but rather create a universal harmony. The vibrations you impart are not narrow. In other words, there are no white vibrations which look for only white persons. These vibrations go around the whole world and try to embrace the world and everything that God created. That vibration will go to the Oriental people and embrace the Orient, then go after black people and embrace them. This vibration creates a sense of harmony and unity.

However, in history man has been blocking and chopping off this harmonious vibration. This has been the greatest of all human crimes. Religions have been very narrow-minded also. Christianity sees a limited road from which one may not deviate. Religious people accuse each other of being heretics and much more. Nationalism is another example. There is a Japanese way of life, a German way of life and a Korean way of life without flexibility. People are boxing themselves in, blocking themselves off from infinite possibility.

What kind of history does God want? He wants a history of limitless possibility in which all vibrations go out, encircle the world and embrace everybody. That is the way God created His history, but it is man who has blocked history. We must discover where in the world we can find people of true freedom, of true vibrations.

Suppose you cut off the spiritual dimension and considered vibrations within the physical world only. Would these vibrations be limitless? The answer is certainly no. In the world today, where can we find people and an organization which vibrates not just in the physical world but also in the spirit world, in the vertical universe? Let us ask another frequently-asked question. What is the Unification Church and who are the Moonies? What is Reverend Moon trying to accomplish? Today we are gathered together for what is called True Parent's birthday. Here in this room we have an Oriental man and woman surrounded by Western people. We must find and define the meaning of this day. An Oriental man has won the hearts of people of the West and they joyfully come together for a celebration out of their own desire, not out of duty. It is amazing that Reverend Moon could come to America and somehow convince these bright and beautiful-looking young people to follow this way of life. Deprogrammers try to pull them away, but it doesn't work because the tie that joins us is love.

I am sure you will agree that this is an extraordinary event. Another way of describing this scene is that an Oriental man gave out a vibration that encompasses the Western world, the Western mind and Western people. This is a religious phenomenon, but the amazing thing is that it is a very unusual religious phenomenon. Even in the field of religion this has not often occurred.

Everybody has heard about major newspapers collapsing, for example the Washington Star and the Philadelphia Bulletin. Every day we hear that the Daily News, the greatest tabloid paper in New York City, is dying. Then people hear that Reverend Moon is trying to create a new newspaper in the face of all these newspaper failures. Those companies which are collapsing are strictly business-minded enterprises, concerned about the destiny of the company and the fortunes of one or a few individuals. They have no way to link their purpose to the nation or to the world. Therefore, no ,matter how big a company it may be, it can only grow within the realm of individual enterprise, individual wealth and company success. Their business philosophy is that when their enterprise or their fortunes are damaged, they fold.

The starting point is different with me. We are not beginning a new newspaper for any person's or any organization's glory. We are doing this for the purpose of God, the purpose of the nation and the purpose of the world. Therefore, hard work and sacrifice can be made in order to achieve the higher goal.

Today we see Western civilization based on materialism. It has now hit a stone wall. Western civilization has filed bankruptcy. A new philosophy, a new civilization has to begin and carry on. That is where we are. We must realize that people are facing all kinds of bankruptcy-moral bankruptcy, business bankruptcy, family bankruptcy. But the Unification Church has a new goal and a new motivation. We know that the world needs help and true salvation is needed. No matter what, we are going to move forward, overcome the difficulties and obstacles and bring salvation to the rest of the world. That is our standard. We are imparting the vibration to encompass this nation and other nations around the world in order to bring about a positive change. We must be confident and proud of our position and our standard.

We have been talking about a new beginning, based upon a different motivation. What is the true motivation, goal and purpose of Reverend Moon? What is the image of True Parents? True Parents are the core vibration through which all the vibrations of the universe can be harmonized. All creation, all people and nations and the spirit world as well need this essential core through which they can have give and take with the universe.

An important consideration is what kind of vibration people impart. Are we talking about a money - gathering vibration? If money was the goal of vibration, poor people and nations would not deal with it. They would think it had nothing to do with them. The wealthy nations might like it, but all the underdeveloped nations would not want to have anything to do with such a vibration.

What about the power-craving vibration? That might be good for the ruling class, but for the people who are oppressed, suffering and disregarded, such a vibration of power would be hard to relate with.

Others might say that the ultimate vibration must be one of knowledge. Knowledge is the ultimate quest, they believe. People with high IQs might approve, but there are many more people who are not geniuses than those who are. Most of the world would respond, "The heck with it; go away."

Vibrations centering on money, power, or knowledge always lead to an imbalance. One side will be high, while another will be low. So the vibration of True Parents must be centered on true love. Many people think Reverend Moon is a swindler, gathering young people and brainwashing them. They think I am sitting behind a big desk pushing buttons, moving around thousands of robots. People are saying this and are trying to convince the rest of the world about this.

Since Reverend Moon has appeared a new chapter in the human experience has started. Parents have started kidnapping their own children. This could be either the most terrible incident in human history or the most joyful and incredible event. There is no middle ground for such a situation. And the amazing thing is that while the parents are trying to persuade their children to listen to them the children, even after 35 days of captivity, are singing and happy and something fills their hearts. If I were to tell you, "Go to your parents and stay with them," you might make a show of leaving but would return to the Unification Church and sneak in the back door!

The real judge of all this is the spirit world. As they look at your deeds, do they think it is right or wrong for you to stay with Reverend Moon and commit yourself to the Unification Church? Is the spirit world on the side of the deprogrammers or the Moonies? Is your answer an objective one? That means I can be mighty proud of you. No one has seen any man come from the Eastern part of the world to the West and have this kind of impact. This is probably the first and the last time that this will happen in America and the West.

True conscience is vibrating in the world of professors and eminent scholars. As far as intellectual ideals are concerned, they have the highest. In the religious world, theologians are the top thinkers without question. Those who hold power are in the ruling class, but even above them is the ruling class of the mind. In other words, the intellectuals are the governing class of the rulers because they govern their minds. That is the way society is. The amazing thing is that while the ruling class is trying to get rid of Reverend Moon, the people on the highest intellectual level are welcoming him with respect. This is the academic world.

Reverend Moon has been the first to bring together the scholars of the East and West and give them a new horizon, uniting the academic minds. No one else has done that. The time has come when scholars are ready to write about Reverend Moon's philosophy and movement. In the world today a miracle is happening: the scholars discover new hope, a new way of life, and a new philosophy that will give hope to the future world. Those people are ready to use their pens to testify to millions of people. They are bringing the attention of the world to a certain focus: Reverend Moon and his way of life, his philosophy and his movement.

In America there are evangelical meetings, individuals witnessing, home church, and so forth. Lecture teams of our members are giving comprehensive three-day workshops on the philosophy of Reverend Moon around the world. They call it Unificationism. After the three days, many people wrote their impressions of the training explaining, "I was a communist, but listening to Unificationism, I now have a new hope, a new ideology by which to live."

I spent several months in Germany. Scholars heard rumors of my visit to Germany. They wanted to see me so much, but I wanted to hide myself, wear humble-looking clothes, and go around looking like a laborer. I was living very unassumingly, just leading a humble, average way of live. But while I was doing this the impact of Reverend Moon was spreading all over the world, expanding faster and faster every day.

Many scholars who study my ideology testify that I have an intriguing, magnetic power, which pulls them to attend scholars' meetings sponsored by Reverend Moon even if they try to stay away. A similar thing happens to Unification members if they try to forget me and the Unification Church.

In the business world as well, I am a puzzle. Some newspapers say, "Reverend Moon is more than a religious leader; he is an industrialist." They look at me and try to analyze me from the business or enterprise point of view, but they still cannot figure me out.

Also, Rev. Moon has become a puzzle in the cultural world. After the Tenth ICUS in Seoul, Korea, renowned scholars were impressed by visiting the Little Angels School. I am now receiving letters from them saying, "Rev. Moon, I have come to understand your vision by observing your cultural activities."

A world-renowned ballerina came to Little Angels School and was totally impressed. She asked if she could organize an Asian ballet school at the Little Angels School.

This morning's talk almost sounds like an advertisement. But I feel that by a heart-to-heart talk with you people whom I love so much I can help you to understand what we are accomplishing and what we are fulfilling.

Before we talk about the True Parents let's talk about God. The most important qualification of God is that He is the common Parent of all mankind. When we speak of mankind, we are speaking of millions of different variations, types and levels of people. Being the Father for all man kind, black, white, yellow, easterners, southerners, men, women, this is not easy. Think about the women's world: both Eastern and Western, women like to talk a lot. God, as their common Father, has to listen to all their chattering. He decided that His best response to all the talking was simply silence. If He tried to answer back all the conversations, He would have worn out His lips a long time ago!

There are all kinds of people in the world-rich, poor, well-educated, ignorant, tall, short, sick people, suffering people. God must be the Father to all of them. All individuals, whether joyful or suffering, are trying to find some communication with their common parent, God. The Parent has to try to answer each individual and to meet his needs so that all can be satisfied.

You are looking at me and wondering what kind of life I have experienced. Do you think I went through my youth like you? Certainly you know I wasn't born 62 years old! What do you think I was doing when I was 17? Even before I was given my life's mission, I always had the heart that I wanted to be a friend to the suffering people in my village. When I was a boy, there was a rich, arrogant boy who always received a hard time from me. But those who were unfortunate and suffering were always my friends. If I heard that some household had no money to buy groceries, I considered it an emergency and I did everything possible to obtain some food for those people. Until I had done that I could not sleep. I wanted to be more than a friend; I wanted to be someone who could serve and help others. Between the ages of 20 and 30 which is considered the prime of youth, people normally want to dress well, and have pleasant experiences in life. But I lived in exactly the opposite way. I never wore a new suit; I always bought surplus clothing at thrift shops.

My hair never looked neat and attractive. I was always busy doing my mission. In those days I spoke very little, even though I knew that I had many valuable things to say. I determined to be silent and look very unassuming.

During the prime time of my youth I spent every day experiencing the most desperate, suffering situations in human life: labor camps, miners work, begging, dock workers, farmers, coal miners. I looked at every aspect of human life, even the world of prostitutes. I learned why women become prostitutes and why men go to prostitutes. I studied all the miseries of human life.

When I was a student in Tokyo, I rode on the railway looking for the places where the most miserable people were living. Even on rainy days I would get off the train and go and sit on the bench beside unfortunate-looking people and make friends with them. I always thought to myself, "What if this roan were my elder brother or my father and he was suffering on my account, what could I do for him?"

I observed the students at my university. They were always laughing, talking, and behaving very boisterously. I compared myself with them and thought, "Your laughter is meaningless; it has no weight. But through my silence and meditation, as I seek the solutions to life's problems, mankind will find new hope in the future." I knew that the silly gaiety of my fellow students would pass away like a puff of smoke, but the sorrow and sadness I was sharing with the miserable people of society would bring a new future for the world.

I want you to understand that to earn the title of True Parents is a very difficult task. The position of True Parents exists for the sake of mankind. To be qualified to be in this position one must be able to satisfy all the needs of mankind. The first qualification of the True Parents is to taste the suffering of humanity. This is how I spent my entire youth, going to the places of poverty and misery, visiting the homes of miners and laborers. Also, I acquainted myself with middle-class people and upper-class people.

In a way, I was a miserable person. I was totally alone; no one understood me or what I was trying to accomplish. Even my parents and brothers and sisters didn't understand me. Of course, Mother is always with me now, supporting me constantly, but even Mother doesn't know everything I envision for the future.

Throughout my life, I have been a pioneer charting a path that never existed before, one which no one had even thought to go before. In order to go that way I had to fight every day a lonely battle in tears and sweat. That path was full of difficulties by itself, but on top of that there was persecution and discrimination. In my village, even though I had never committed a crime, people began to wonder about me and I could not move about freely or live my life freely. Ordinarily, a person becomes a folk hero when he excels at all his activities and does deeds of kindness for other people. But my scale of thinking was far greater than just my village. I was thinking of the nation and the world. Because of that, I was completely misunderstood. People would laugh at me, point their fingers at me. They had no idea what my true motivation was.

My mother was the only one who was close to understanding me; of course, even she didn't understand everything. Sometimes I would reveal certain things to her. Most of the time, I would go to the tombs of my forefathers and speak to them, revealing my heart there. I could reveal my secrets there, knowing that all my ancestors in the spirit world were in a better position to understand what I was doing.

Once I undertook my life's mission, I encountered opposition on every level. My village opposed me, the society opposed me, and the nation opposed me. The most severe opposition came from established Christianity. Ministers and elders of the churches were pointing their fingers at me, accusing me of being a heretic, telling their parishioners, "Don't even go near Rev. Moon; he has a demon!" My relatives were mistreated simply because they were related to me. If I went to a village inn or to a restaurant, I was not welcome. I did nothing wrong and I committed no crime. All I was doing was pursuing the highest possible goal, which they could not understand. But I continued to lay the foundation step-by-step, in spite of all the opposition.

Under such circumstances, winning a true friend and creating a small organization was not easy. But the entire spirit world was always on my side. In the early days of the Unification Church nobody bore witness to anybody else. Members came to the Church through contact and guidance from the spirit world. If you have visited Korea, you have probably met our elder grandmothers in the Church. None of them came because someone invited them; they received revelations from spirit world directly and came on their own initiative to look for me.

My entire life can be described by one phrase: it has been a life in the shadows. Always I have been misunderstood and persecuted. I was the first Moonie and all of you are the contemporary Moonies. When I look at you I envy you very much; you are so free. Compared to the way I lived in my early days, you are literally living in the kingdom of Heaven. If I were in your position I could accomplish so much because you are in the optimum position to do great things. But when I see you with no determination and up and down in your spirit, it pains my heart.

Here in America your position is actually easier than mine. Yet most of you are thinking of all the things you want to receive from me. Very few are really telling me, "Father, please rest. Let me take over your burdens." Why do I still bear this kind of burden, since I could say that my job is now done? I carry this responsibility still because I am in the position of True Parent and my responsibility is to be the common parent to all. Even if some champion did come forward saying, "Father, I will outdo you," I feel that I cannot let that happen. As far as doing my mission of fulfilling the will of God, I will not fall behind any man under the sun. In order to do my mission, I have poured every ounce of energy into it from the beginning until the present. With such a serious attitude I have persevered through the first three 7-year courses and was able to consummate this victoriously and announce the home church crusade. Now we are moving into the second three 7-year courses.

My own base has been established and from that I can launch a spiritual offensive against the evil world. I have been attacked so many times from so many different directions. However, we are now going to take the offensive; but the offensive position is not one of revenge. We are going forward to bring salvation and this is the big difference. Our enemies' goals are simple: they want to destroy the Unification movement. But our goals are different; we want to save the world, including our enemies.

We have a Moonie heritage and we must be proud of that heritage. You should be proudly proclaiming your membership in the Unification church. We must be proud of the philosophy and the way of life which we are leading as Moonies. Maybe some of you still feel shame and fear when you think of the world knowing you as a Moonie. But if someone on the street is openly scornful of you as a Moonie. you should grab his necktie and speak right in his face: "What are you saying? What do you know about the Moonies?"

For a long time I have not spoken out plainly, but inside my heart I have harbored an iron-willed determination: "One day, I must vindicate the good name of God, the good name of the Unification Church and the True Parents." This has been my internal determination burning in my heart for my whole life. Wherever I go, I go with pride. Even when I went to prison, I became like a father to the other men there. When I went to the ocean, I went in the position of great strength in order to be a father to all the sea-going people. For seven years I went out to sea and no one else could tolerate the schedule-not the crew, not the guests. Some guests came and could not endure even one day. They would have to take a nap. Every morning, I would wake up the captain so that we could leave at 3:00 a.m. Many times the captain would fall asleep at the wheel as he drove the boat and I would have to take over. In the entire seven years, I only had to lie down in the cabin one time, because of a headache.

I persevered through the experience, hanging on, because I always knew I was in the subject position, the position of True Parent and I had to set the tradition for seamen, not only in the present, but for all the future as well.

For three years I poured all my energy and heart into the Unification Theological Seminary. I drove to Barry town every day or every other day for three years. Many times I would return at night but early the next morning I felt that I had to go back to Barrytown. I was pouring my heart and soul into it in such a way.

There are many different conditions of Unification Church members. There are some who say, "I am a Moonie, but I don't want to go to MFT." Others say, "I'm a Moonie, but I don't want to do home church." But I tell you, the conditional Moonie will not succeed.

Rev. Moon is the first ancestor of the Moonies, setting the tradition. God has His own tradition. I came to America declaring, "I am here to assume the responsibility of the worst problem." Since communism is God's worst problem today, I told God I wanted to take over that battle here in America. Also, I told God I wanted to take over the job of revitalizing religion in America, especially Christianity. Another terrible problem in America is the degradation of the young people. Therefore I asked God to let me restore the morality of the youth.

I feel that my responsibility is to bring nothing short of resurrection to these three major headaches of God. Thousands of graves are being dug each year to bury all the drug addicts in this country. I am putting enormous energy into solving this terrible tragedy; every bit of money, time and energy I can use to solve this problem, I do.

But because I have been pursuing this goal and you have been following me, I am persecuted and condemned and so are each of you. This must not continue. My key words to the world have been, "Wait and see." Do you want to wait and see too, or are you fighting Moonies, declaring war against all evils and iniquities? You should have the strong enthusiasm to vindicate God, to carry out the heavenly will. I am seeing so many good examples being set in the Orient. Can I expect you here in America to do the same? The hope of America lies in you people right here in this room and all those in the country who are working for this Principle. You will surely inherit my tradition and multiply it by thousands in order to give new life to America.

When you see people who are suffering, who are on the streets, who are sick, please look at them and think of me and compare yourself to my record of accomplishment. My entire life was spent suffering for the sake of God and humanity. The hardest kind of labor I experienced was digging tunnels for mining, but I mastered the work.

You must be unconditional in your commitment. It is a simple fact that in order to move forward in our movement we need money. You must be able to make money with your own effort. Nobody will give it to you. With my own hands I created the foundation for this movement. Economic problems will always be with you, but without solving economic problems you cannot fulfill God's dispensation.

If someone abandoned me on a desert island, I would know how to survive, even if there was nothing to eat but grass or the bark of trees or insects. I could devise a fishing pole out of simple materials and catch fish. I have absolute confidence that wherever I go, I can and will survive.

My strategy is to teach all of you how to overcome difficulties and out of those difficulties to learn how to prosper. There are two major areas of endeavor: first, the economic activities and second, human relationships. You get trained head-on in these two major areas. When I look at a man for the first time, I can tell what kind of a person he is. My major field of study has been human beings. According to a person's expressions and behavior I can see precisely what kind of person I am dealing with.

As Moonies, you have to be capable in these two areas. You must be successful in economic activities and you must be able to relate well with people. You must win people for God and lead the people. The third skill we must master is control over the spirit world. In order to do that you have to understand the way the spirit world works.

I have set the goal of a new tradition for America even though that new tradition may not be acceptable to contemporary Americans. I may be persecuted in the present day, but the time will come when America will respect and follow this tradition.

We are getting closer to our goal, particularly with our Washington Times project. The people of Washington, in spite of having the reputation for skepticism and cynicism, are certain that if Rev. Moon said he would do something, he will do it. Some people are trembling and fearful to hear that Reverend Moon's newspaper is coming to town. But others are happy and hopeful to see me coming.

For ten years, since I first arrived in the U. S., we have accomplished this much under incredible persecution. Imagine what we can accomplish in the next ten years. The sky is the limit!

When you look at the suffering people of our society, remember that my heart longs to be a father to those people. I'm sure you are persecuted, but remember that I have been persecuted a thousand times more. I have been hit, thrown in jail, tortured and almost killed. There have been violent attacks against me throughout my life. Do you lose your strength when someone comes against you and persecutes you? Suppose I had weakened during those early days of persecution in Korea. Suppose I had said, "I can't do any more, God. Please leave me alone; ask someone in America to help you." If I had said that there would be no world-wide movement today and you would never have heard the words "True Parents."

We are fighting all levels of iniquities. Our key words are "bold and strong." What about each of you; are you a kitten or a baby tiger? It is true that each of you is in the position of spiritual baby, but the important thing is what kind of baby you are. If you are a baby tiger then we have hope because you will grow up to become a tiger who can climb the mountains and roar down to the villages. As a baby tiger, you must follow the mother and father tiger. The baby tiger has to work very hard to learn how to be a big tiger. On the other hand a little kitten just cries and can't even get himself off the top of a chair. Kittens love to take naps lying on pillows in the sunny spot of the house. Ask yourself, are you a kitten or a baby tiger? As a baby tiger, you know that you have to be able to go up to the top of the mountain and survive even if you are thrown down into the valley.

Where does the tiger sleep? Is it on a comfortable and warm sofa or on top of a mountain, in the limbs of a tree, or on a rock? The tiger must live on the snow-covered mountain; that is his environment. But the kitten's environment is in the comfortable living room. Have you been seeking the comfortable life of a kitten? If so, you should repent and change. At midnight, the tiger must climb up the mountain to get to his bed. His path is cold and lonely; the sharp wind cuts through his ears, but he walks his lonely way with dignity and authority. Can you tell me, "Father, in order to preserve my dignity and authority I must have a king-sized bed with an electric blanket and a nice pillow?" That is not dignity. It's too bad I cannot sleep on the top of a mountain; if I did that the world would think it too strange. What I really want is to continue my tradition. I seldom sleep in the bed I now have and often fall asleep in a chair.

Today's sermon is about vibrations. The words I am speaking right now are vibrating all over the world and the spirit world. The entire spirit world is connected with our way of life. Your vibration is communicated over the entire world and you can communicate with all of creation. What a wonderful way of life! Even when you are fund raising, as you prepare your product, you can know that each item vibrates your love to the world giving your message of love to others. How dramatic that is!

The people of the secular world are pursuing their own aims. But here we are living and working for the sake of the world and the entire spirit world. You must think, "I am not just an average individual. I am a somebody whose actions echo throughout the world. and the entire world and the spirit world respond. God Himself is smiling upon me." When you throw a stone into a pond, the waves spread out from the point of impact all the way across the pond. Reverend Moon and the Unification Church are throwing stones into ever-bigger ponds, lakes, and finally the ocean. We have been making waves from the smallest to the cosmic level. That stone is the word of God of which I have been speaking. The time has come that whenever I say anything, even the communists debate among themselves as to what the true meaning is.

How blessed we all are. Look at us within this room: lots of laughter and beautiful, shining faces with the happy give and take of joy, inspiration, excitement and enthusiasm. Compare this room with the outside world. I'm sure that many of you only got a small amount of sleep last night and came here very early in the morning. On your fund raising teams you experience the worst of the severe winter weather and many of you have suffered from the cold. But even in those kinds of circumstances I'm sure you felt joy and determination. To eat well, dress well and have great social status are not necessarily the standards for happiness.

This celebration is because of Mother's and my birthdays. Some might think that we would be sitting around, receiving many gifts and enjoying the day in leisure. On the contrary, every celebration that comes brings me more work than ever. This past God's Day I spoke at midnight and by the end of that day I had given six long sermons for a total of eighteen hours. My legs were like poles stuck in the ground; they felt like they wouldn't move. But still I kept talking and walking and moving around. Many people think of me with pity, thinking that my life is miserable but I don't think I am miserable. I am a happy person because each deed I do vibrates with love. I can send out waves of love that will vibrate throughout the world.

The Unification Church is the church of vibration, the vibration of true love. You did not come here for the sole purpose of singing "Happy Birthday" to True Parents. I don't want you to come for that. I want you to become somebody. Become a Moonie of true love vibration. From today, as a birthday gift take back with you the vibration of true love. You are starting to vibrate today for the sake of the world. Those who want to become true vibrations of love, raise your hands. Where will you give your love vibrations? Home church. Thank You.