Master of the Seas Will Control the World
History has shown that the country that controls the seas becomes the leading country of the world. Consider Britain in the 16th century. Soon after she was crowned, Queen Elizabeth I strengthened her country's maritime policy. She mobilized capital and technology to have strong ships built. Then she manned the ships with brave sailors, and sent them out to sea. They did not know what was waiting for them beyond the seas, but they risked their lives to The British were not always a people who were strong on the seas. In fact, they were invaded by the Vikings from Norway and Sweden. They came to realize, however, that if they lost the sea they would lose everything. By the dedicated effort of Elizabeth I, the British became a powerful maritime country surpassing the Vikings and Spain. As a result, Britain, a small island country in the Atlantic, came to possess colonies on all the continents and oceans and built an empire on which the sun never set Western civilization centering on Britain saw tremendous development in science and technology. With the compass, British ships journeyed to many different places in the world, planted their flag and created colonies. As their knowledge and technology developed, they worked to make the whole world their own.
Korea, and the rest of the East, was different. The Eastern world places importance on the spirit, and it does not discard the spirit for the sake of the material. If there is a conflict between the material and the spiritual, the East would rather discard the material. So, compared to the West, life in the East has been more difficult. Spirit, however, will not be dominated by material forever.
As the material civilization of the West goes the way of degradation, opportunity os approaching for the East. Civilization developed from Egypt to Greece and Rome to Britain and the United States, and is now moving to the Pacific region surrounding the Korean peninsula. The era of a Pacific civilization is opening. The leaders in this new era of civilization will be Korea and other Asian countries. It is not by mere coincidence that Korea and Japan have been able to become powerful countries in the world in a short time. This development was a historical inevitability demonstrating that the Asian era is coming.
The United States and Russia, however, will not stand by and watch as our country rises to become the leading country in the world. It is possible that mere will be a major conflict among the U.S., Japan, Russia and China in the vicinity of Korea. We must prepare this contingency in two ways.
First, we must protect ourselves by weaving the United States and Russia together in a giant band that links to China. What do we use to weave these countries together? We use a philosophy and a heart that create oneness. Only a philosophy that says that humanity is one, transcendent of race, nationality and religion, can prevent wars between religions and open a path to a peaceful world. If only for our own protection from the dangers of war, we must plant a philosophy of peace in the world.
The second preparation we must make is to build up our ability to live in an oceanic era. The Pacific is an ocean. Anyone who cannot rule the ocean cannot become a leader in the Pacific civilization age. Even if heavenly fortune comes, if we are not prepared we cannot take advantage of the opportunity If we know that an oceanic era with Korea at the center is about to begin, the Korea must make the necessary preparations to be the leader in an oceanic era.
There is more than fish in the ocean. A greater treasure is its ability to provide energy. As crude oil reserves decrease, a sense of crisis over sources of energy is growing day by day. If the world runs out of oil, human civilization will turn dark immediately. There is an effort to develop alternative energy from corn, but this does not seem realistic when there is not enough food to feed the world's population as it is. The true alternative energy source is the ocean. Energy from the hydrogen in the sea represents the future of humanity.
Two thirds of the Earth's surface is ocean. In other words, two thirds of the raw materials that will support humanity are buried in the ocean. So we cannot open a new future for humanity without being able to govern the ocean. Developed countries are already extracting oil and natural gas from the ocean and pumping out deep ocean water and selling it at high prices. The world has only begun to discover the resources that arc in the ocean. The day is coming soon, however, when humanity will find itself dependent on the oceans.
The oceanic era will not begin on its own. We must first go out to the oceans. We must go out on boats and fight the waves. Without such courage, we cannot prepare ourselves for the oceanic age. The country that conquers the oceans will become the dominant power in the world. The culture and language of the country that conquers the oceans will become the language and culture of the world. So we must administer the oceans in line with the will of the Creator, and manage the resources well.
The oceans can become a central point to bring the world together. To take ownership over the oceans, we must be trained to be able to live there freely. When I train people to fish, I will have ten small boats go out with one large boat. When the boats leave port, the small boats are towed by the large boat. Once they are out on the open sea, however, the small boats are responsible for the themselves. They must know the direction of the wind, what is on the ocean floor, and what route the fish are taking. They must learn all this themselves.