Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
When we say, "Everyone is heading somewhere," this is a universal statement. People in the past were heading somewhere; people in the present and also those in the future will all be heading somewhere. But what is their destination? When children set out for school in the morning, the schoolhouse is their goal. Although students may go to the same school, they can be learning entirely different subjects.
Modem science has become so specialized that it is divided into many fields, with each scholar focusing on something different. Years ago, before modem technology was highly developed, people who worked in factories were involved in the whole manufacturing process. Everybody knew what the others were doing. But in factories today, the workers feel like a small cog in a giant machine. They don't know what is going on in the rest of the factory and many feel that they play an insignificant role.
People enrolled in a Ph.D. program are often focused on a very narrow, specialized area. When they accomplish their goal in that field and contribute to the body of knowledge about it, they can be awarded a doctoral degree. They are like residents of a metropolitan area, such as Seoul or New York, who go to the countryside and search the streams for a certain insect or tiny pebble. For that person it may be important to pursue the study of such a pebble or insect because through it he will get his degree. But the realm of metropolitan New York cannot fit into the world of a tiny insect! Such research needs to connect to the realities of New York.
Western civilization is headed toward more and more specialization, concentrating its focus on very tiny areas. Blinded by their limited outlook, people lose sight of the whole. They lack the perspective of the world, nation, society or even family. Many people don't want to think about ideology; traditional value systems are crumbling. Americans and people of the free world are suffering because they don't know what is taking place in the universe. Lacking any vision, they don't know what to expect tomorrow.
After someone obtains his Ph.D., what direction should he move in: up toward the universe, or down? To go down is to decline, to plunge into darkness. The further you descend, the less you see until everything is pitch black. You become more and more confused. Your path is blocked and you see only people's misery and suffering. That is the direction many intellectual people are heading in. Many so-called learned people actually have closed minds. Great universities and institutions are headed that way because of the individuals leading them.
When people become animalistic, wanting only to have fun and enjoy life, they see no need for ideology or morality. "Why should I follow a disciplined life? I don't care; I just want to eat, play, have fun and be stimulated, one way or another." People live for such goals.
Without any -foundation, individuals can't relate to something greater than themselves, some higher cause. They don't even want to think about a higher purpose. They see themselves just as individuals. They realize the world is full of wrongs, but they want to have fun anyway. They don't worry about history because they think somebody else is running it.
Those who have such an attitude aren't concerned about their community and they don't have strong patriotic feelings. They have no goal and they make no effort to go anywhere. They have a country so they could at least pursue its well-being. If they cared about their home town, they would have some place to return to. People meander around and when they look back on the past, they conclude that God doesn't exist because they can find no trace of Him. Then they also conclude that religion is unnecessary.
In a tough competition at school, the student who is a little better than the others will be the winner. Young people see someone with a doctorate from Harvard and think he is worth following. But to follow a Ph.D. who has no goal or purpose in life and keeps running into stone walls will cause you to find disaster. Mankind is heading towards disaster. We have to go somewhere, but where?
There is a comer of the human mind which simply cannot accept a totally animalistic way of life. Some portion of the body rebels and says, "Ms isn't the way it should be." People hear such a voice whispering to them from within. Their carnal desire tries to push them rapidly in a certain direction, but some part of their mind applies the brakes, saying, "No, that's not right."
Suppose someone decided to sample all the Chinese food in town. Let's say he ate at ten Chinese restaurants a day for a whole week. By the end of the week, he wouldn't even want to look at the Chinese food he had coveted such a short time ago when he was hungry.
This is the age of free sex. People meet and have relations without even getting to know each other. They may satisfy their carnal desires, but then what? Imagine a man who has sex with dozens of women and believes that he is getting full physical satisfaction out of life. But when he sits down to think about it, he feels empty. He may recall a time many years ago when he was a youth and loved a simple country girl. That girl may not have been pretty; she may not have worn make-up, but she had a pure heart.
He reflects on the days when he was in love with her and realizes how much better a time it was. Even though the girl may have smelled like the cows, still he will think of her and miss her. Although the man thought he had everything he needs to enjoy life, it doesn't satisfy him. He feels empty when he looks back upon his early days, when he was living a pure life and feeling pure love for someone.
There are people who will quarrel once with their spouse and then say, "You don't care about me. You have nothing to do with me and I have nothing to do with you. I'm leaving." On the other hand, a true husband and wife may disagree at times, but their relationship has a cohesiveness that nothing can destroy. They may fight but they don't break up. Which kind of person would you prefer for a spouse? You like the first kind, don't you? Why do you say no?
Not only Moonies, but anybody with a conscience will say no to this. Everyone comes to the same conclusion. Can you talk about the ideal in such a situation? Can you find true love? In a society of selfishness, can you find righteousness? You feel, "This is an evil world-bleak, dark and sinful. I don't want to have anything to do with it."
To follow the path of the world brings only calamity and disaster. Does anyone disagree with me? Since that is the road to disaster, collapse and death, what shall we do? There is no solution in America, nor in Great Britain, nor in the great Western world. In fact, the Western world and all the so-called advanced nations are walking that path of destruction.
We can conclude that if God exists, He must be hastening the decline of Western civilization and letting it crumble in order to give birth to a new world. The less developed nations-the relatively unstained societies out there-need to be protected. It is almost like killing germs so the rest of the world will not be infected.
Don't you think this is a logical conclusion? If God exists, He must want to exterminate the evil germs quickly, to keep the mom healthy parts of the world from becoming infected. People whose thinking is parallel to God's are also concerned about reversing the trend of Western civilization and guiding it toward a new direction.
Some Western people decide they would rather live somewhere else, so they pack their things and leave, denying their own home country. But when Americans take their dirty smells to another country, they are not welcome. People are rejecting U.S. civilization saying, "Yankee, go home." This is the reality today.
America's greatest need today is finding hope in the midst of despair. There must be a beacon of hope somewhere; it must be possible to stem the tide. Anyone thinking about how to accomplish this change is taking up the most critical challenge in America. Has any philosophy or religion been able to save America? So far, there is none. God seems remote to most Americans. The power of religion appears to have been eradicated.
Is there a solution? Various philosophies have been proposed which offer some pragmatic compromise, attempting to justify. people's fallen way of life. Religions have become virtually powerless. Many people today claim that God is dead. Where can we find the solution? God almighty, the God of love, must somehow devise a solution for this nation. Something new and great needs to come about so that change can come to the United States.
Communists claim there is no God and they scorn Western civilization. 'Me Marxist ideology has been on the offensive in the world and many Western societies have been intoxicated by its overwhelming ideal. The problem is that if you follow communism, you decline. But if you follow the Western way of life, you also decline. There seems to be no hope in either camp. One side, communism, denies God; the other side, the free world, recognizes God but has departed from Him. Then where should we go? Everybody is headed someplace, but where?
The situation of humanity is like that of blind people in a boat approaching Niagara Falls. Everyone knows they are going somewhere, but they are unaware of the imminent danger of plunging thousands of feet to their death. How can we stop moving toward destruction? Ibis is not just my theory, but a very real problem. Can we make some extraordinary, revolutionary leap and escape disaster? Is there enough energy out there to do it?
The world scornfully calls those of you sitting here "Moonies. "The entire world scorns me as well. Who are we? Why are we here? First, we proclaim that God exists; He is not dead. Next, we have a concrete philosophy of hope, not despair. Our philosophy is based not on expedience, but on the living God. Furthermore, our religion has a genuine solution to the world's problems and is capable of bringing people into unity.
Communism is the arch-enemy of God and religion;. thus communists also hate me. Because the United States has abandoned God, it has also become my adversary. Both camps have fought against me and have tried to destroy my work. But if I disappear, what can be done for this world? Where would you turn? Would you go back to the same old America?
You have been pulled out of the United States to become a new breed of people who can go out to the world, bringing new life everywhere. You Americans of this new revolution can go to Africa, for example, and instead of hearing, "Yankee, go home," you will be welcomed with, "Yankee, please come." When that change comes about, we can quickly influence the world and turn it in the right direction.
When people of the United States demonstrate such a new way of life, I know that the rest of the world, particularly the less-developed nations, will follow. This is the reason I came to America to work and force a showdown here. Is that wrong? Is it wrong for you to join me?
Western civilization has been based on selfishness, not caring about others. Many people just want to take advantage of the poorer and less-developed nations. But I am working to transform the American way into an unselfish and sacrificial way of life. For the first time, a group of white people are going out giving their sweat and blood for the sake of other nations, creating a true revolution. This is the only way the United States can survive and prosper.
Who will establish this turning point? Will professors from Harvard University or the dean of the Harvard Business School do it? I am the only one who is proclaiming this and working to make it a reality. Yet I have been opposed by the United States and the entire world. Still I am like a tower of strength, an immovable rock. When you see me living by this standard and moving in this direction, it makes you feel repentful, remembering how often you criticized me in your heart and misunderstood me.
You think, "Of course, Father is trying to do some good, but he is doing it in his Oriental way. He is just forcing the Korean direction on us." But let's think together this morning. Does America need my direction and the solutions I offer? How much does, America need a solution? If your parents oppose you and if the government or the entire nation came against you, would you still be convinced that this is the right way of life? But what would you do if nobody helped you? If you were all alone, would you give up? We must not give up. Our devotion will continue as long as we have breath. Can you say you are fired of doing home church, witnessing or fundraising?
I came to the United States from somewhere else. This is not my native land, so if anybody gets tired, it should be me. If anybody retreats, it should be me. 'Mere is no way you can compare your position with mine. I never get tired and I will not retreat. I just march forward without faltering. Do you want to say, "Let's go further," or Let's take a rest"? When you set out for Belvedere this morning, I'm sure you thought, "Oh boy, why should 1 90 this early? It's raining outside." Do you truly like and love me? Maybe you think I'm just a big swindler!
March is a revival month. All things of creation are preparing to burst forth in springtime. This is the season to grow by leaps and bounds; we need to make an extraordinary jump.
I have drawn an open book hem on the blackboard. Do you want to turn over the page? If you turn the page, you have to cover the previous one. In order to go another direction, people must turn 180 degrees; to find a new course, you have to turn about-face. Each of you is Re this book. You want to get rid of your past and become a new person. You are going to turn over a new leaf and begin a new life.
The Unification Church uses key terms which the rest of the world does not have: True Parents and true children. We are becoming new people, new family members, new men and women. We have completely turned around and are heading toward the greatest ideal. People never before worked for such a goal; most never even dreamed about it. We are not only thinking about it but we have turned around and am reaching out for it.
When Christmas time comes, you want to go home to see your family and old friends, don't you? I have the same emotion. I want to return to my home town, mingle with my old friends, and take some time out to play and relax. The only reason I don't do it is that it would hold me back instead of helping me advance. I cannot allow myself to retreat; my thinking does not permit it. New horizons and new goals are there waiting. I want to work to fulfill them every moment of the day. Every moment is so precious.
How about you? Do you see new days ahead? Do you foresee a new life? When you go fundraising, do you say, "Oh boy!" and ask, "What is the next goal, Father? I want to accomplish if'? Or do you go out listlessly, expecting another tough day? Sometimes you hate fundraising; sometimes you feel passive about it. But you will really appreciate such training once you go to work in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. You will be very grateful for the kind of discipline you gained here.
I am determined to eliminate immorality in America. Likewise, with my own hands, I want to save the Mafia, the drug addicts, and prostitutes. I want to drive out communism. Do you feel the same way and are you determined to accomplish this with your own hands? Perhaps you see no mason to try, since the other 240 million Americans aren't doing much. Perhaps you want to live your life like everyone else?
Am I doing this because I am a fool? By coming to know me, you have learned about the true value of existence, the meaning of creation, God's will, the true way of life, and true love. But in your heart, how often have you scorned the movement and even me? Those of you who wished the Unification Church didn't do fundraising, please raise your hands. I'm sure that not only these, but practically all of you have felt that way. When you listen to me, do you think, "Oh no, I don't want to fundraise"? The world is decaying, and our mission is to go out there and save it. Our responsibility is to apply the brakes and stop the world's decline.
I heard that the 120-day workshop included some periods of 24-hour lecturing or fundraising. You may protest that it is too much. You all have your opinions about this and that, don't you? You may be right. The United States may not need it, but we have to turn the page. Think about it. Is what we are doing an easy task? You and I know it isn't. I know it better than anyone else. But does that mean we shouldn't do it? God realizes that this way of life is essential for mankind and the whole spirit world. Heaven and earth need it. Eventually, the entire universe will recognize our deeds. This truly is a precious way of life.
Do you want to go this way or not? This world is not everything; we will all go to another world eventually. Your every deed on earth will be judged in the spiritual world, which is the real, eternal world. When you get there will you say, "Boy! I didn't know the truth"? God will reply, "What are you talking about? I sent Reverend Moon, my messenger, to earth and through him I told you the truth clearly. You heard it in his Belvedere sermons." What excuse would you offer? There is no excuse. This kind of instruction is so important, even though it may seem bitter. We have to make a leap. Now you know that unless something drastic happens, this world will crumble.
After you joined the Unification Church, did you make a little change or a giant change in your way of life? It's virtually impossible for you to return to your original life. If you went back, you couldn't stay there even one day. You would have to turn around and come back, even though it's difficult. You are a new kind of citizen, not ordinary Americans at all.
I have dealt with tens of thousands of people. Many have betrayed me, many have left. I didn't say anything when they left, but I knew they would eventually return. When you are doing God's work, you can face me. But someone who becomes weak and turns away cannot face me; he runs away when he sees me. Still, in many cases people return with a bowed head and say, "Father, can you forgive me? I was weak. I wasn't thinking deeply. But when I went back to the world, I saw your true value.
When you joined the Unification Church, you learned the truth and you came to know God. You know you made contact with a true religion. Whether you fulfill or not is up to you. Many fail, but many succeed. I want you to be successful. You have taken a giant step-those of you in this room are transformed people, no longer your old selves.
Can anybody remove the knowledge of Principle from your brain? Think about it. Even if you went away and tried to live like a millionaire, nobody could eradicate the Principle from your mind. Even if you became a millionaire, would your life be satisfying if you knew you were not following God's will? I know that nobody can be happy until he lives up to the requirements of the Principle way of life.
Today is the first Sunday in March, the first month of spring. Now the truth rings clear in your heart, doesn't it? You entered this room with a cloudy mind-rainy, like today's weather-but now your thinking is all sunshiny, right?
When I came to America ten years ago, I foretold this nation's decline. I declared that the United States must turn around and make a change, but nobody took me seriously. People laughed at me then, but now many of those who mocked me have come to the realization that I was correct. The problems haven't ended-ten years from now you will see people weeping as they realize how right I was. But in ten years I will not even be in this country.
I have done my duty in the sight of God. I received a mandate from God and I have done my best to fulfill it. I have dealt with the highest possible authorities of this nation. I carried out my mission for the sake of America.
Of course, most people of this nation have not treated me with anything like true courtesy. This nation has done a lot of wrong to me on the individual level, but I always transcend my personal feelings. I act based on the Principle, for the sake of the nation and the world. So who is doing the right thing: me or the government administration? History will be the judge. Them will come a time when the people of the United States will recognize what I have done for them. They will flock to my tomb to pay their respects. My tomb will receive more homage than the tomb of any President.
There is hope for America. A new generation of people will come to understand the true value of our movement. People may not understand today, but in the future they shall. I know this. I have brought hope to people. Do you think this is so? Do you know it in your heart? You will see that this is true. You will see my words fulfilled.
I know this like I know the sunlight. I see this truth so clearly. Once we turn America around, the whole world will turn around. Think about it. The United States is a gigantic country, so it's not going to be easy to turn it around. I knew this from the outset.
Are you moving forward or standing still? You all think you are moving forward, but I tell you there are three types of people among you. One is indeed moving forward, another is standing still, and another is retreating.
Where do you stand? Which group do you belong to? If you say you don't know your status, you are fooling yourself. Those who think they don't know where they are exactly, those who can't evaluate their position, raise your hands. You know precisely where you are, don't you?
Who should get an approval rating of 100%? The one who wants to relax and go slowly every day because tomorrow is always another day? Or the one who moves forward constantly without stopping? It is the one who moves forward. Give yourself a grade. Are you 100%, 50%, 30%. minus 30%? Is anyone minus 100%? There must be someone here who is spying for the communists. Someone else may be an informant for the CIA, FBI, or another group. The communists in particular who come and sit here listening to me are truly minus 100%.
To be called a Moonie, you have to be at least above the 50% mark. Those of you who think you are above 50% might wonder why you should be marching forward, since nobody is ahead of you and nobody is coming along behind. You might think you should turn around and join everybody else! Those of you who are 50% and above, will you still move forward? Are you 50% and going up, or 50% and going down?
When you listen to me speak at Belvedere for an hour and a half, you suddenly find you are a new person. "Boy, I changed so much," you say. You discover great power surging through you. You shout, "Mansei!" and "Yes, Father," but when you reach the World Mission Center a couple of hours later and discover a mountain of work waiting for you, you wonder, "Where has all my energy gone?" When you go back to the dining room and find the same old peanut butter and bread, when there's no time to watch even one television program, when Sunday is no holiday, you wonder, "What am I doing here?"
Well, there's one simple solution: quit. I also have that option. I could tell God to let somebody else do this job. Do any of you want to be a candidate for my position? All kinds of tough news and difficult situations are brought to me. "There's a problem here," someone says. "There's been an accident," another person reports. There are fundraising campaigns, new developments, and various problems to be solved in Great Britain, Germany, Asia, South America, Africa, and everywhere. Our movement has spread throughout the world and our members are engaged in all kinds of intensive activities. We suffer casualties, like in a time of war-people are dying on the front line.
When you face one problem, you wonder how you can handle it. But I listen to difficult news every day. So many discouraging, shocking, and agonizing things happen, day after day. Think about how many problems nation and throughout the world-are on my side. I know that conscientious people, especially young people, are on the side of God. What about you Moonies? Central figures are being chosen right now for the world stage. Are you indecisive, wishy-washy, mediocre, half-hearted? If you are at the 50% point, you are 150 points away from the minus 100% point. If 100% on the plus side is the destination, you have only 50 more points to go. If you are wise men and women, which direction should you choose: plus or minus?
The most important thing is not to stand still. You must move forward, like running water. The world is stagnant, corrupt, and rotten. The world's water is too impure to drink. But if you become running water, everybody will come and drink and be nourished. Where are you now: standing still or moving? Moving forwards or backwards?
You are smart. Others might say you are foolish for investing yourself in the home church providence. They wonder why you are working so hard. Maybe someone would prefer you to do only a little so the central figure won't be able to compare you. If you do very well, the central figure will come after someone else and chew him out for doing so poorly!
Do you welcome a person with great accomplishments? Do you want to move forward and take the tough route? Maybe you would rather not move forward and prefer standing still. Perhaps we need a baseball bat to move you forward! Shall we make a special resolution and vote on it? You don't like a dictatorship, so let's decide it democratically. Will you join me in the resolution?
Think about it. If there were no Reverend Moon, the Unification Church would not exist. Whether you like me or not, I am here. A true, real central figure of the universe is exerting mental and spiritual force to move everybody forward. There is no way you can drop out. You have to go forward and reach the goal. I am a spiritual force, like a hurricane. We could go on analyzing this point for hours and hours, but I don't think you need that kind of thing. You are already inspired, aren't you?
You want to enjoy a beautiful sunny day, don't you? Maybe you only do distasteful home church work when it's raining or snowing. If you go to home church only in stormy weather, taking time off when it's nice, what do you suppose your home church area will think of you? "Boy, you are weird. We waited for you all day when the weather was nice and you never showed up. How come you're here only on rainy days?" Do you think people would say that? Or how about the other way around: you go to home church when the weather is good, and on rainy, miserable days you stay home. Then you will be accused for not moving on the rainy days.
How does God think? If it's cold, if it's raining, if there is a hurricane, God will feel concerned about the people suffering in home church and want to go and help them. That is how a saint thinks. You may not be ambitious to reach sainthood, but at least you should become a great person. That is the way of a great person. Whose way do you want to follow: that of a normal person, a great person, or a saint?
Am I walking a normal or abnormal way? Mother tries to bring me closer to a normal way of life. "Father, you aren't a young man anymore," she says. "Please don't act like a 20 year old!" Mother also has another good piece of advice: "You shouldn't give sermons longer than two hours. It's bad for your heart!" When I go beyond two hours, Mother always gives some warning signal. Indeed, I am surely living an abnormal way!
Normally people expect to eat three meals a day, but I don't have such a concept. Who wrote a law that we have to eat three meals a day? One meal is okay. Two meals are okay. No meal is okay. Sometimes I speak all day long and at the dinner table I say, 'This is my breakfast." That is the kind of schedule I keep. I don't know whether I'm having breakfast or dinner! I am always hungry when I eat and always enjoy a meal, no matter what its content. I think that's how I keep healthy.
What benefit do I get from this? How does the abnormal way of life benefit you? It is far better than a normal way of life. You are doing it not for selfish reasons, but for the sake of the generations to come. People who follow you will benefit from your abnormal way of life. History will never forget those who live that way today. Posterity shall always honor and revere them.
In our world there are two basic groups of people: those who act altruistically for the sake of others, and those who act primarily for their own bodily pleasure. The latter type don't like to think deeply because when you really think deeply, you have to forget yourself. When someone's thinking is self-centered, he will act accordingly. So we are talking about people who seek to live sacrificially for something greater than themselves, and those who want to live only for themselves.
Unselfish people revere patriotism, altruism, saints and religious role models. They try to apply that to their contemporary way of life. The other type of person doesn't care how the saints felt, what religions teach, what the Bible states, or what philosophers write. They don't want to listen to any of that. They just pursue the carnal life or, shall we say, the animal life. They live for physical gain and seek their own satisfaction.
Which type are you-selfish or unselfish? Which way is real for you? The problem is that you know the altruistic, righteous way is correct, but you can't always follow it. Fallen people are geared up to automatically think of themselves first and follow their physical instincts. There are many "don't care" people in the world. Students don't care about anyone or anything else. They say, "Nobody tells me what to do. I know what is good and fun for me and I don't want to be bothered by anybody else." What about you? Are you that type of person? What does your original mind tell you?
As the fallen descendants of Adam and Eve. people have inherited a selfish mind. Adam and Eve passed on a, self-centered attitude to all their offspring. How can that way of thinking be revolutionized? How can such people be turned around? To be free and do whatever you please sounds like a wonderful way of life, so why aren't we going in that direction? Why are we even trying to prohibit such a way of life?
There are all kinds of perverted activities and lifestyles in the world and people don't even feel guilty about them. In a family, the father may sleep with his daughter, or the grandfather sleep with the granddaughter. Some people reason, "The animal world does it, so why shouldn't we? We are part of nature, after all. Why should we be different?"
From the perspective of the world, the Unification Church lifestyle is weird and abnormal. Some of you people have been engaged for two years and don't even talk to each other very often. You don't write very many letters, either. That is going against nature! Why should people do this? No teacher out there is telling people clearly what is wrong with their free, pragmatic and fun way of doing things. There is great confusion in the United States right now, particularly among the young people.
What about you? Do you think first and then act, or do you just do something and think about it later? Only Moonies can answer the way you do. Do you want to go back to that other way? Many people want to act on their physical urges; they let themselves get carried away by their emotions so they can have fun first and think about it later. But a confrontation is occurring between the new age and the old. Two ideas, two schools of thought are clashing: the carnal way of life versus the thinking way of life, the selfish way of life versus the unselfish way of life.
To go in the right direction, we need a clear standard of right and wrong, good and evil. If six self-centered people comprise one family, there are six different ways of life in that family. The daughter says, "Daddy and Mummy, you follow my way; I think I know best." The son says the same: "Daddy and Mummy, you are old fashioned. I want a new, fun-filled way of life. You just listen to me." In such a home, there are daily arguments and fights. After every battle, morale drops until a disaster results. Can people become greater by fighting? No. Fighting brings division and weakness.
Democracy is based on a consensus of the majority of people. Their unity is meant to safeguard the whole. We can conclude that in a democracy each individual cannot just proclaim his own way of life. People must reach a consensus about what benefits everybody. When we speak of benefiting everybody, are we moving up or down? It means moving upward. As individuals move upward in consensus, they reach the level of society. As society moves upward, it will reach the nation. As the nation moves upward, it will reach the world. That is how it works. If them is something beyond the world, we want to transcend the world to reach it.
Nobody can deny the truth of that theory. Nobody can say it's no good or that it doesn't work. In your heart, you want to be appreciated and popular, don't you? You want recognition from the society and nation; you even want to become a world champion in something. You want to go still higher and be recognized by God and the spirit world on an eternal basis. That is human nature. Isn't it true?
If Orientals think that way, do you Westerners think the same? Then we are all the same people, aren't we? We have the same course, the same original mind, the same origin. That is why we have potential for world unity. We must come up with a unified way to benefit everybody and raise them up. In order to survive and prosper, we have to devise some course, not only for the present. The same principle should apply equally to past, present and future. We have to come up with one criterion or principle that will enable everyone to unite and move forward. Is this something only Koreans want, or do Americans and all mankind desire it as well? Is this something only people want, or, does God want it too?
We all have to move upward together. Do you think you can solve the problem by yourself, or is a joint effort needed? Can such a unified effort be found by following a selfish or unselfish way? Only by following an unselfish way can people be united. The selfish person would say, "I want to benefit from you. Work for me and sacrifice yourself for me." But nobody would respond. The basic principle by which you can reach the goal is to five for the sake of goodness. The credo of history is to live sacrificially.
Sacrifice and service are the cardinal rules of life even though nobody really likes those words. Fallen people hate a sacrificial and serving way of life, but that is the only way to reach the ultimate goal of human life. No one can deny it. So you need somebody to assist you. If you are a very self-centered person, do you think others will like you and want to help you? However, if you truly practice the sacrificial and serving way of life, everybody will want to help you. Such a way of life will raise you all the way up to the spirit world and beyond, to God. Everyone wants to assist a sacrificial person and accompany him.
Do you think that because I am a great speaker, because I am such a gregarious person, I can make anything sound reasonable? Whether I were here or not, what I have explained would still be universal truth. All these years, I have been teaching you how to be sacrificial, dedicated, and serving people. Is that a great teaching? Why do you answer yes? It is because you are living this way. You know it. Because I have always practiced this way of life, people have followed me. It is incredible for a Korean to come to the United States and gain so many followers. Not only in this country, but in more than 160 countries around the world, people are following me even at the cost of their lives. Why do they do it?
You are clever, sophisticated people. Do you realize this truth? I was born with a rather tough spirit, so I could have been a very selfish person. A self-centered person faces constant difficulties and obstacles because of how he treats others. Truly the most loving teaching one can give is how to live in harmony with others.
Someone who truly practices a sacrificial way of life is totally free. He can overcome any obstacle and can pass freely in all directions, finding welcome everywhere. When such a person returns home, his whole town will give him a hero's welcome. When he leaves, they will give him a farewell party. Such a person is free to come and go with honor, any time he wishes. That is the ideal way of life and it should be your target. Of course, such a way of life is not easy. Is isn't easy for unselfishness to become ingrained in you, is it?
Whoever lives unselfishly dedicates himself for ever bigger goals. He sacrifices himself for his family, his family for society, society for the nation, the nation for the world, and the world for the entire cosmos and God. That is the most ideal way of life. It is God's way but most people don't want to follow that way. From this standpoint, the Unification Church is truly offering the greatest teaching. Our way of life is very clear: we are learning to sacrifice ourselves for the family, our family for society, our society for the nation, the nation for the world, the world for the cosmos, and the cosmos for God. Is there anything wrong with this?
My desire is to make every one of you a truly great person. Since I live this way and I practice this Principle, Koreans who initially misunderstood and persecuted me are now calling me the greatest hero of all Korean history. Asian people are calling me the great Asian man who has affected the world. They take pride in Reverend Moon. Why are they changing their attitude? It is because they come to understand the value of this truth. They have realized that I am living for the highest ideal and that I am leading mankind toward a new hope and goal.
How do you demonstrate that your way of life is one of sacrifice and service? What is the content of sacrifice and service? Would you give away money? You have to give the very best you have. The sacrificial and serving way of life is a reflection of the heart of God. Religious people emulate their religious leaders, saints, the spirit of their founder. Christians follow the way of Jesus Christ. In your home, you learn the heart of a parent. Toward the nation, you learn to exhibit a patriotic heart. Toward the world you embody a saintly attitude. To express God's heart, to live God's way of life is the most dramatic way.
There are no loopholes to this theory. You should do everything possible to reach the goal. You have been freely taught and guided along the way. If there were no Reverend Moon, you would have to go out and look for this way of life yourself. However, I came here and have freely given it to you, making your job much easier.
You are pursuing a "Ph.D. degree" in God's heart the greatest knowledge one can seek. A Ph.D. from Harvard doesn't compare; it doesn't even come close. I would like to sign your certificate. Are you doing everything possible to earn my signature, or are you just doing whatever you wish each day and expecting to come and receive my signature? Even if it is difficult, you have to live the right way. Great scholars, as well as the presidents of Harvard, Princeton and Yale Universities all have to go this way.
You don't deeply realize my value. In many cases, you treat me with less respect than you do secular people. You honor government leaders, you admire senators, and you think congressmen are great people. But when you look at me, what do you feel? When I was a very young man, I discovered this universal truth of the Principle. I have sacrificed everything to pursue this truth and bring it to fulfillment. I never gave up and I gained a triumphant victory.
Why is self-centeredness wrong? It never succeeds because it causes division. It will isolate you and hold you back. But when you live with the sacrificial heart of God, you will encounter no barriers. You will just move on, always advancing with total freedom.
You may think I am wrong and my ideas are crazy and you may tell me so. But the important thing is that this way of life should be followed, no matter what. If you don't follow, somebody else will. If white people don't follow, black people will. If black people don't follow, yellow people will. If yellow people don't follow, somebody will. One way or another, this way of life will certainly influence the entire world.
If this same sermon is given hundreds of years from now to your great-great-grandchildren, will they agree with it? Why? Because it is truly describing the best, most righteous way of life. It is the eternal way of Principle. You cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven in spirit world without going on this broad, well-paved, special super-highway. Don't you like this way? Now you understand clearly.
I From this standpoint, do you see that America is heading in the wrong direction? We have to stop it and make it turn around. Even though Americans put up a big fight, we have to do it. Are you confident you can do it?
If you are a fighter, can you just sit thinking at a desk all day long, never doing anything? You know the way; you have thought about it and reached a clear conclusion. Only action remains. You have to make a move now. Are you going to keep on thinking, mulling things over and over? If you encounter a barrier, break through it. You may think that you have hit your head against it so many times, your head will break into pieces. But actually, the stone wall will break when you are strong with the truth. That is why I am strong, bold and courageous.
I am fearless in this court battle, standing up to the fight. An incredible conspiracy has been at work, but I will shatter it. They can go ahead and put me in jail, but I know that the jail door itself cannot defeat me. I am tough and strong and I am not acting blindly. My actions are based on commitment as well as logic.
People may call you crazy but if you are revolving in a disciplined fashion along the true axis, you are not crazy. When people turn without any central point, without any axis, they are truly crazy. But the Moonies have a disciplined craziness. I am the king of craziness!
The reality is that I am centered on the axis and I never waver from the center even one iota. No matter how many turns I make, the axis remains firm, like a rock. But the problem is that as you turn, your axis moves.
I want to ask you a very frank question: do you think you made a big mistake by joining the Unification Church? If you say no, you are better than I am! Every day I wish I weren't the leader of the Unification Church! The only mason I stay in this position is that I have accepted the responsibility. No matter how I evaluate the situation, this is the only right way. I cannot leave it. What about you? I know exactly how you feet. Whether you say yes or no, I see your heart. I know dud sometimes you lie a great deal!
To make a long story short, this is the only way Period. No student likes to work hard to prepare for an exam, but still he has to do it. People have to discipline themselves to Set good grades. The Unification Church is a tough school- -ours is a lifestyle test. Nobody likes to live our way of life every day. However, it is the only way. We must do it to reach the eternal heaven.
I have come this far successfully and so have you. Am you going to pack up now and go home? I have a solid foundation now. In many places people are asking me to come and visit. When I go to Korea, I will be welcomed. But what about you? Have you laid your own foundation? Do you want to be a coward? You Americans hate cowards, don't you? You admire bravery and a courageous spirit. In western movies, you applaud the strong hero and you boo the cowardly characters, don't you? Do you think I want the Moonie movement to be cowardly?
Our title today is, "Everyone Is Heading Somewhere." As we have said, them are only two basic ways we can go: the selfish way, or the unselfish way. Which way is the Unification Church going? Is it selfish or unselfish not to meet with your fiancee? Are you for this concept or against it? When you meet your fiancee, if you have the time or energy to kiss her, you should be thinking mom about your nation, your world, and God. Your fiancee can wait. He or she is a good person and will not be corrupted, but this nation is crumbling, society is crumbling.
You have to become the spiritual fire fighters and doctors who can save this nation. Is what we are doing right or wrong? Perhaps I will hold the next engagement ten years from now! Why? I want you to devote your youth totally to the salvation of the nation. Think about it: is my teaching wrong? You are engaged, but in the meantime, you am fighting for the salvation of this nation. You am sacrificing yourselves during this time, but God will preside at your marriage. You can have no better wedding than this!
I have no reservations about letting you suffer for the sake of the nation and the world. When you do that, the entire earth, spirit world, and God Himself will embrace you. This movement will be the guide for America to follow. You will automatically become leaders of the nation.
We are going the right way. We are headed in the proper direction, so we must march forward with courage. You bear the name of the Unification Church on your forehead. This is truly the most prestigious and distinguished way of life. You should be proud and never try to hide it.
When you finally come before God, He will ask, Are you proud to be a member of the Unification Church?" What will you say? Will you be able to answer "Yes" with confidence? Or will you have to reply, "God, I wasn't that proud; I was hiding sometime?
Whatever I do, I do with pride. For example, I am always proud to be fishing. People may no know me now, but the time will come when they will follow
proudly. They will want to profess my name over and over and over. In years to come and during future generations, I will still be proud of myself and my way of life.
I have lived a truly remarkable life-one filled with great drama. I may appear to be a normal person, doing nothing and knowing nothing, but I have special penetrating vision. I have super-sensitivity to the heart of other people, so I know many things about each of you. My way of life is to sacrifice myself, my family, my wife and children for the greater purpose.
You should know your direction clearly now. Those who are determined to follow this unselfish way of life the Unification way-raise your hands and show me. God bless you.
