Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
The title of my message this morning is, "With Whom Shall I Live?" The "I" in this particular title has various interpretations. When you say "I, myself," you mean Joan, John, Robert, Susan-or whatever your name may be. That is one level of "I." The family is a bigger "I" than the individual, but it is also an "I." The nation is a still greater "I." The world also can be an "I." Even God can be that "I." With whom shall I live? With whom shall this world live? With whom shall God live?
When most people today think about whom they want to share their life with, the "I" is blown out of proportion. Everybody thinks in terms of himself. Self becomes the center of their way of life. Suppose we think about this as it applies to America. With whom shall America live? How should America live? Each nation has a destiny. It may decline and fall, or it may prosper.
Each individual has a destiny, as does each nation and even the world as well. In order to survive, with whom should this world live? This should be our concern. Even God's situation is not stationary. His destiny rises and falls depending on the situation of the world. As we keep asking the question, "With whom shall I live?" it becomes, "With whom shall America, the world, and God live?"
First of all, life is a partnership among people. We are surrounded by the things of creation, for instance, but our partnership has to be primarily with other people. But what kind of people? Americans would reply that they want to live with good men and women-with true people. That is a common goal. All things want to live with a true person; the nation wants to live with a true person; the world wants to live with a true person. If you ask God what kind of partner He would like to live with, even He would say, "A true person."
If a true person exists, would you rather search after him, or would you expect him to come and live with you? You have two alternatives: to go searching, or to wait for him to look for you. Do you think a true person might say, "I don't care about America, I don't like the world and I don't care about God. If you want me, come to me and I may consider your request"? America is a nation which is very sure of herself and doesn't want to make a move. "You come here," she will say. Also, people are stubborn about certain things and have their own peculiarities. If they make a claim, they want to stick to it and have other people bend their opinions to that. This is an idiosyncrasy almost everyone shares.
But what does the word "true" really mean? Does it mean stubbornness, standing your ground and claiming your own position? What does it mean to say true man? I certainly don't mean Harry S. Truman. I remember him as the one who fired General Douglas MacArthur. Because of that, the free world has suffered greatly and America was set back. This is a vivid example of how the leader of a nation must make correct decisions. When his decision is wrong, it affects the destiny of the nation and even the world. What kind of true person are we talking about? The category includes true mother, true father, true son, true daughter, true uncle, true aunt-everyone is included. We need a clear concept of a true person.
If someone claims to be a true person but insists that you come and serve him, he certainly does not belong in that category. He hasn't reached the level of a true person. The true person is one who goes beyond himself to make unity, even without being invited. Suppose one person has more enthusiasm and inclination to act than another. Whoever takes the initiative to accomplish the goal is the truer person.
In our way of life, the virtues of patience, submission, meekness and humility are very valuable. These words imply that you hold back and let someone else go forward-but, at the same time, you remain willing to take the initiative to do good. Suppose two people, such as Mr. Pak and I, meet. If each wants the other to bow to him first, what is the result of this confrontation? It is not unity and harmony. That is not the attitude of a true person. The true person takes the initiative to say, "Hello, how are you? I missed you." So in daily life, the greatest virtues are humility and meekness rather than egoism. It is ideal to offer the first position to others, and always remain willing to take the initiative to do good first. We can conclude that our universe longs to live with a true person-one who wants to live for the sake of others, one who lives with the conviction that he should serve others.
What kind of children do parents want to live with? The children who look for every opportunity to serve their parents, without complaining or nagging, definitely win the hearts of their father and mother. This principle applies in any family. Suppose the parents bring home a bundle of clothing for the children and tell them to share the clothes. The oldest child might run and rip into the clothes, or he could let the others go first. If the elder brother tells the younger brothers and sisters, "Pick out whatever you want and I will take what is left," he is behaving as a true brother. The whole universe likes the person who follows the principle of living for the sake of others.
When you rise in the morning, look in the mirror and ask your eyes, "For whom do you live?" One person's eyes might say they live to seek out attractive clothing for the body. But another person's eyes might reply, "As soon as we find something good, we want to see somebody else-a family, a nation, or the world-enjoy it. That is our delight." There are also two kinds of ears. One kind likes to hear sweet things such as: "You are so handsome, so pretty, so wonderful." Those are not the ears of the true person. The other kind likes to listen to advice such as, "You must live for others, for the country, and for the world."
A mouth can have various purposes. Some mouths move constantly, like a machine gun, speaking in self-defense: "I didn't make any mistake. What did I do wrong? You are the one who did wrong." On the other hand, the mouth can glorify goodness in others and praise them. Both kinds of mouths may express anger or wrath, but there is a difference between anger out of self-defense and anger to safeguard the public good. When you are rebuked, for example, you don't respect the one scolding you if he does it for his own benefit; however, if he does it in an unselfish way, you can respect him.
Ask your hands for whom they live: "What did you do yesterday? Something for yourself? Did you do more taking in or giving out?" Ask your legs for whom they walk. Ask your brain for whom it works.
Do you know what it means to be a true person? If you draw a base line, is the true person above or below that line? What about you? Do you live above the line or below it? Are you good men and women, or bad? When you reply that you are good, why do you look uncertain?
People have generally disparaged the religious virtues of meekness, humility and patience. "I have only a short life to live," they protest; "Why should I be so humble or meek?" Whom have you heard praising these noble virtues? Where can a person learn how to live? Businesses don't explain it. American schools no longer teach it; prayer has even been forbidden in schools. The only place you can find such a teaching is in religion.
There are three levels of a true person: formation, growth and completion. What is the completion or perfection of a true person? A true person is defined as one who has absolute true love. But what is absolute true love? A perfected, true person loves his enemy, for instance. What kind of enemy-one who steals your clothes? One who curses you? The worst kind of enemy is the robber of love, one who infiltrates and invades love, one who commits an adulterous sin against you. In other words, your enemy is the one who steals your love or your lover. This is the worst form of enemy because such a person destroys you completely. A perfected true person is defined as one who can forgive even the enemy who has destroyed his love.
We are talking about true people, but there is also the true God. What is the definition of the true God? Again, the same definition applies to both people and God. God has an enemy who stole His love. Satan made himself God's worst enemy by stealing God's love. That was the worst crime against God. If someone abducts the one you truly love, he destroys you completely because he takes away your entire universe.
Now we know that the perfected true person and the perfected true God are the ones who can forgive their worst enemy who stole their love. If you asked God what kind of person He would like to live with, He would reply that He wants to live with the kind of perfected true person who has the capacity to forgive the very enemy of love.
Who shall be entitled to the ideal heaven? Who shall live in daily communion with God and dwell in His kingdom? It is the perfected person who can forgive his worst enemy. How about you? Nobody wants to be that forgiving! Of all the kinds of education, what is the most valuable? Of all the religions, which is the most precious? It is the one whose goal is to form true people, the one that teaches people to forgive their worst enemy.
The Chinese character that means patience is formed from a combination of two symbols. The top part represents a sword, and the bottom part represents the mind. Thus, patience means to guard the sword in one's mind, to bury the sword in your mind or heart. To accomplish a great mission or to do mighty deeds, you need to be able to remember the meaning of this character. If this is God's standard, do you think it is easy to produce a true man?
If you stretch out a string, where is its most vulnerable spot, near your hand or farther away? The full strain of pulling on both ends of the string falls on the center; the center always carries double pressure. Patience is like a taut, unbroken line, one that will never break no matter how far it is stretched. A patient person cannot be easily conquered. We can declare that nobody can conquer God, since nobody can approach His degree of patience. In our human life, the most difficult virtue to acquire is that of patience.
Let's compare the personalities of Chinese and American people. Americans are often bubbling over, aggressive, eager to say the first word, anxious to take the offensive. A Chinese can take a beating without uttering a word; when you beat a Chinese, he will retreat, but as soon as you stop to take a rest, he will come forward again. When you hit to the right, he moves to the left; when you hit to the left, he moves to the right. He can move back and forth without a word a thousand times over, if necessary.
On the other hand, when Americans proclaim something and get knocked down once, they say, "The heck with it; I don't want to be a part of this." Western temper is exemplified in a dueling match: you want quick showdowns and immediate results. That's why you like everything instant. The nature of the Chinese, however, is to fight one day, take a day off, and return the next day to fight again-on and on. They are prepared to fight again even a year later.
Suppose you are riding a horse and a rattlesnake bites him. When the horse cannot function any longer, a Westerner usually makes a quick decision and kills the horse right away-like you see in the Western movies. On the other hand, an Oriental is very reluctant to shoot his horse; he will weep with the horse, lamenting over it, unwilling to give it up. Who knows-maybe the rattlesnake had no poison; maybe a miracle will happen. Which do you consider the better approach?
Western culture has experienced successive periods of rapid prosperity followed by sudden depressions; it declines as quickly as it prospers. But five thousand years ago, the Chinese culture was there. The Chinese have been growing for five millennia. That accounts for their huge population. One billion Chinese are the fruit of patience. For thousands of years, they have told each other to endure and go over each hill. Nobody can conquer the Chinese. No fad can come in and sweep through the land. Fashions change every year in the Western world; one year it's the mini-skirt and a few months later, long skirts. Chinese wear long garments spring, summer, autumn or winter-it makes no difference. They wear their garments until the sleeves become so dirty they seem like leather. By the same token, once they have a vision and an ideal, they live patiently for it for the sake of the people and the nation. Thus, they are truly a great people.
I came to America to bring the Kingdom of God on earth. The tradition I want to set is Kingdom-building. Do you think I should establish that tradition here or go to China and work with the Chinese? This tradition wants to endure, not die away. Do you think America can preserve it? I don't want it to be short-lived. In America people speak rather quickly and cheaply. Everything may seem okay, but the next moment it changes because it can't be sustained.
When Chinese people gamble, they sometimes bet everything. If a man runs out of money, he may bet his house and even his wife. He may lose his wife! Perhaps a master and his servant gamble and the master loses everything to the servant. Would he shout angrily, "Get out, you are only a servant"? No, he would quietly drink some poison and die. Then his servant could claim his house, his wife, and all that he had.
Look at the expression "OK." The "O" is empty, with nothing inside; it invites people in. The "K" is like a coffee table turned on end, always unstable. The Chinese would never trust a character like "OK." When an American goes to China and says, "OK," the Chinese would never reply in kind. They would say, "Wait and see."
Who can conquer and govern China? That will be a significant question in the future. Americans are very easy to govern; it is easy to get them to react, mobilized and turned around. But the Chinese are absolutely the opposite. It will not be easy for them to make changes. Will we as Unification Church members have the capacity to digest everything, including even the Chinese? If you can be welcomed as a Moonie wherever you go in the world, you will become the kind of Moonie who can digest the Chinese.
I would welcome the day when a mother will say to her crying baby, "If you keep crying, the Moonies will come and fuss at you!" I would like to see American children growing up hearing that the Moonies will come! When a child is old enough to understand, he will discover that his aunt and uncle are Moonies. He will be flabbergasted and will have to study his uncle. He will go to his uncle and touch his eyes and hair; he will check whether his hair and his backbone are real. He will try to test out his uncle. Ordinarily, if a child touches someone's eyes or jumps on his back, he would tell him to go away. But the Moonie uncle would say, "Let me carry you around; I'll do whatever you want." Such a willingness to accommodate, an ability to digest everything, and an infinite capacity of heart, all characterize the Moonie attitude.
I would like to see a competition between the Moonies and the Chinese. I want Moonies to be far superior to the Chinese in every respect-even in patience. What if you were told to wear the same suit of clothing for the next ten years, and it becomes dirty, ragged and smelly. Could you do it?
Americans are so concerned about their body odors that they wear perfumes and deodorants and brush their teeth three times a day: That is the American way of life. But the Chinese don't care. They can go without brushing their teeth for ten years and still live together comfortably. Americans love their wife or husband only when they keep themselves clean, but the Chinese don't care if you smell; they love you anyway. Which love is closer to the true love? This is a very serious question.
When you study a tree, you can see that it grows in two different directions to reach two different goals. The leaves and branches grow upward, toward the sunshine and beautiful air. The roots, on the other hand, penetrate the dirty, smelly soil-the dirtier and muddier the better for the roots. The branches and leaves go up to the clean air and sunshine, and the roots down into the filth. When cold weather strikes, which remains: the leaves or the roots?
You can find universal truth in this analogy of the tree. Look how the universe works. It is basically fair. People with an advanced technology, culture and scientific achievements are like the branches going up. Other cultures dig down deep. You might call them underdeveloped or primitive because they are digging down. But their root is the source of supplies so that the branches and leaves can grow.
You call yourself a developed nation, but a developed nation cannot survive without less developed countries. Should branches and roots isolate themselves from each other, or have give and take? The highest leaves need give and take with the deepest roots. One extreme must share with the other in order to survive. The United States is like a leaf way up on the top of the tree. People living in Vietnam, Burma and India are like the deepest root tips dwelling in dirty, underdeveloped places. Should there be give and take between the two? Yes, absolutely. It is vital to world survival.
Like the leaves and branches which are in a position to receive fresh air and sunshine, America says it doesn't care about the trunk and roots. For America to have such an attitude is like cutting its own throat. America is like a tree floating rootless in a giant lake. Because it has no root, such a tree can easily maneuver around, but it may easily be blown down. Americans don't think much about the future, so they say, "So what?" The tree may not mind being in the water, but the branches and leaves will eventually wither in the water, or else the tree will float down to the ocean and be killed by the salty water. Let's decide, is the destiny of this nation going up or down?
What we need then is a root. Roots are indispensable. The tree must be firmly entrenched deep in the soil. Our movement here in America is trying to transform some of the leaves and branches-the American people-into roots. That is why I am pushing you down to become roots of the tree, instead of just leaves and branches.
The grafting process is amazing. You can cut a branch off, plant it in the soil, and eventually it will grow a root. I come and put the branch into a rich soil, but the American people can't stand it; they keep pulling it up before the branch has time to grow a root! Such a branch has a miserable life; eventually, it dries up and withers away.
People have come to this movement after being part of the hippie and drug cultures and living a promiscuous life. But I have planted you in a firm ground. You should be willing to remain there patiently long enough for a root to take hold, but you cannot wait that long! You want immediate results, so you pull yourself out. Then what happens? You dry up and have no place to plant yourself. You are no longer a hippie, but neither are you a Moonie. So what are you? You cannot go back to living as a hippie or drug user because you have the Principle in your head. But neither can you remain in the Church and be a good Moonie. You become like a floating spirit. Then what will you do?
Once the Chinese people accept Unificationism, they can be engrafted and they will sit for a million years. They will sit so long that their bottom will rot and become fertilizer and sprout a new branch! On this road of faith, would you rather be an American or a Chinese? I am making this analogy in a joking tone, but there is a lot of truth to it. If you go to China as an American and try to bring about some change, you won't succeed.
Communism came to China, but even communism cannot digest it. It is just a matter of time before China abandons communism. China is very fertile ground for Unificationism, however. The Chinese have such patience and perseverance that when Unificationism, which has the capacity to digest their culture, hits them, they will spread it all over the world. The Chinese people are the ones who are capable of spreading this movement to the entire world.
The United States is becoming more interested in the Orient, but generally it is the Far East, not necessarily China. Look at what is happening to fashions, architectural styles, and food. Spirituality and Eastern things have become a fad in this country. All along, the Chinese people have been sitting still and waiting. Now they can say, "You see, you have been wandering around all over the place, doing all kinds of things. Finally, you have become like us and are following our pattern. We have waited long enough; it's about time. The Chinese way is the best, and now you have come to us. For thousands of years we have been sitting and meditating about life, survival and eternity. You are masters of analytical science, materialism and consumerism, but you found nothing there. In the meantime, we Chinese people have been concentrating on something deep."
Western culture will soon learn about its self-generated hell-pollution. Pollution is poisoning our bodies and our environment. Soon manufacturing plants will be closing down. You have been doing all kinds of things for the sake of looking pretty and fashionable, but for what end? Suddenly, people have discovered that nature is their best teacher. Many people have decided to disregard status and fashionable things. Some advocate returning to nature's fashion-no clothes. Such a movement has begun in the United States; its ultimate goal is to return to the most natural source-Mother Nature.
Let's return to our theme of patience. You may be pulled to an incredible degree, but still you must not break. You need to be completely resilient. Even if you were forced into a pressure cooker, you must maintain your identity, be patient, and endure. Nobody should be able to break you. Whom would you prefer for a friend: a patient person or an impatient one? What kind of parent is more admirable: one as patient as the ocean or an impatient one? Which kind of parent would command more respect? What kind of husband would you like: one with unlimited patience or one who always nags you?
You like the virtue of patience, don't you? Is patience a good virtue for American people in general to develop? Is patience a quality Moonies should have? Are we patient or very impatient? We have received persecution throughout the country, but we are like the Chinese-it doesn't bother us. "Go ahead and do as you like," we can say to America, "We will endure."
The United States has opposed and persecuted me, but look at me now. Do I seem fatigued, dragged out, or discouraged? When they summoned me to court for the trial, was I so totally upset that I didn't know what to do? No. I was patient like a rock and it didn't change me one bit.
Wherever I may be, I am always thinking about one thing: who is closer to the truth. I am investing every ounce of my energy, every penny of our resources, and all the power of the Unification Church for the sake of America. In doing so I have not asked for recognition or medals. I don't expect it. But the United States has responded with such vicious revenge. Instead of offering me a reward, the United States has been trying to push me out of the country.
An ordinary person would react to such persecution by wishing to push this country to its destruction as quickly as possible. Instead of that, I am trying to save America and prevent its fall. I could have created The Washington Times and News World Communications with the intent of pushing America down, but instead they arc working together to put the brakes on America's downfall. Why am I doing this? It is because I am looking forward to the new America that will come, not to the present America that is on the decline. Somebody has to invest the energy to keep America afloat long enough to reach that new era. Nobody else is doing it, so I have voluntarily taken on this mission.
Even under these incredibly adverse conditions, I have not changed my principles. I am still loving this country, forgiving it, and supporting it-for the sake of its future. Is this the kind of virtue a true man should have? I have amply demonstrated this virtue in America. No one can deny that I truly love this country and that I have demonstrated this love. When Americans realize how deeply I love their country, they will have to pay respect to me and bow their heads.
God is manifesting these same virtues and working toward these same goals. God is heart-broken at the situation of the present world. However, He has hope and a vision for the future. The new world will emerge, the new order will come, the new culture will appear, and new people will prosper. God is looking forward to that world, and He is trying to sustain this world until it can reach that goal. Ultimately, God considers His present enemies-those who are trying to hurt, block and destroy Him-the ones who will praise His glory when the new day comes. God foresees that happening. Those who are in the worst position now will see the true hope of mankind and when that day comes, they will honor and glorify God. The most dramatic praise is that offered by one's worst enemy. Such praise is the real victory.
Satan has been carrying out his work, and he wants you to worship him. He wants the adulation of his own people, his own clan, his own surrogates. But that has not been God's desire. God is looking to the future, to the day when His enemies will turn to praise and glorify Him. When your enemies turn around and honor you, your world has no enemies. This is God's ultimate goal. This is the highest possible goal God and man can conceive. Nothing else is needed; nothing is greater. The ultimate command Jesus left for mankind was to love your enemy. The final goal can be reached by practicing that principle. Jesus was not just talking about one's personal enemy, but the enemy of God, the world and the universe-Satan.
I want you to understand that God's ideal starts from within His enemy's heart, the core of the heart. God wants to begin His tradition in the very place where the enemy's heart can pray, respect, love and be transformed. Once God's highest and purest tradition takes hold in that enemy's heart, nobody can destroy it. Nobody can deny it because the very enemy accepted it in his heart. That's final.
Now that you understand that this has been God's goal and Jesus, goal all along, you realize how shallow traditional understanding of Jesus' heart has been. Christians proclaim, "Believe in Jesus and you will find yourself in Heaven." This is a narrow and self-centered view of Jesus. Many Christians have not really been trained to forgive anybody. When somebody hurts them a little bit, they might spend all night thinking about how they can hurt him in return. "I'm really going to crush him," they might say. Do you think God can base His ideal on that kind of heart?
I want you to understand that God's thinking is so broad and deep because He is God. Therefore Jesus, as the son of God, could make the statements he did. How about Reverend Moon? Is there anyone who has been persecuted or misunderstood more than I have? Stalin and Mao have been criticized for killing so many people. Even though I have never touched one life, I am more accused than Stalin, Mao, or anyone else. Instead of killing the enemy, I have just forgiven and loved them. In return, I have been blamed incessantly. Actually, it has been my strategy that if people don't criticize or curse me, I will poke them until they do. "Go ahead," I say. "Go on and curse me!"
The fact that I am criticized by the news media and by society doesn't mean that I am doing anything evil. I am being attacked for doing good deeds, such as reaching out to drug addicts and transforming them into patriotic, healthy and determined young people. My work is making trouble, but it is for the good. Impossible young people like you who don't listen to parents, teachers, aunts and uncles, or friends, but who are a law unto yourself, come to me and somehow I clean you up and transform you into goal-oriented, dedicated men and women. People just cannot imagine such a thing happening.
I am going against society in a good way. Your parents want you to date and they worry if you don't. I don't worry about that; I don't even want men and women to hold hands. My thinking is 180 degrees opposite to the American pattern, but the amazing thing is that you young people listen to me. That is the problem-if nobody listened, there would be no problem!
You independent, bull-headed American men and women don't want to listen to your parents' advice. You tell them you want to choose your own mate. But I matched several thousand couples in one day; people accepted their matches and got married. The American mentality just could not imagine such a phenomenon; they could not comprehend it. The only logical explanation they could conceive was mind control. They consider me a criminal and accuse me of mind control and brainwashing. Do you think you are brainwashed? Should I be criticized or praised for what I have done for America? The whole American society has come against me. Why? My approach is 180 degrees opposite to their understanding and accepted standards. Therefore, they cannot accept it.
For 37 years I have been confronting incredible opposition and persecution. By the time of the Washington Monument rally in 1976, the opposition had become worldwide in scale and reached its pinnacle. When somebody criticizes me, I forget it. I forget what the enemy says, I just don't retain it in my memory. Instead, I try to love them, digest them, and win their hearts. I have done this over and over again.
So if I ask you with whom you would like to live, would you prefer the secular American culture or me? Today I happen to be in America, so you can say you want to be with me because I am here. But would your answer be the same if I went to Africa and lived like an uncivilized person, wearing only a loincloth? If you Americans came and saw me like that would you call me a savage and return to America? If I went to Africa and lived like the natives - eating frogs, rattlesnakes and even monkeys - what would you do? Would you think I had lost my mind? Apparently, the most royal treatment you can give a guest in some parts of Africa is to serve a live monkey, open his mouth and squeeze out the raw brains. That is VIP treatment. What would you do in such a situation?
If that was the best, cleanest and most sinless way of living, I wouldn't mind doing it. I wouldn't mind following African culture and living in the jungle if that was the purest and most God-centered way for me to live. Would you join me? I am training you to be able to do that. But to do it all at once would be too drastic. Therefore, I am training you step by step, so you can ultimately reach the goal. Would you welcome it?
It doesn't make any difference who you are; this training applies to everyone. If President Reagan became a Moonie, don't you think he would call me Father? Suppose President Reagan and I were to live together for three months. Would I become his disciple or would he become mine? After three months together, the first condition I would give him would be to go out fund raising on the MFT. If I made him commander of the fund raisers in some place like North Dakota, even the flowers would be excited. They may have been offended when Moonies sold them and people chased them away! Even flowers get offended, not only you!
We can imagine if President Reagan were fund raising, telling people, "I'm the President of the United States. Could you make a donation of $5.00 for these flowers?" The flowers would get more excited than anybody and say, "Look, we're important now!" If Reagan were to fund raise with flowers, do you think he would have a hard time getting rid of them, or would people line up to give $5.00 per bunch? Then President Reagan could appeal to the people, "My dear fellow Americans, this is for such a wonderful cause. I appeal to you, please give $5.00 for a carnation. Please give for the sake of the world and for the sake of God." Would they all say yes, or no? Would it be good or bad for the President to do that kind of fund raising for the sake of America?
What would you do if you were President of the United States? The idea is so dramatic. Just think of the impact your actions could have on the world, not just America! What is most amazing, however, is that you could say to Mr. Reagan, "Well, you may have raised billions in one day, but I am your senior in fund raising because I did it under persecution. You didn't fund raise under persecution." Which do you think would have more value in the sight of God: your efforts or President Reagan's? Fund raising under persecution is such a privilege. People won't have an opportunity like that much longer, only during your lifetime.
With whom do you want to live? The one who truly lives for the sake of others is the noble and true person. So the correct answer is that you want to live with such a person-one who loves others unselfishly, one who lives patiently for the sake of the world. If there is a group of people or some organization that really wants to give themselves sacrificially for the well-being of mankind and the entire world, they will definitely be welcomed by God, mankind, the nation, and the world. All will want to live with them, not temporarily, but for eternity. They will be buried in eternal love. Don't you want to live in such a place?
Therefore, I am telling you to go out and suffer and be sacrificial. Become a loving person and learn how to be patient under any circumstance. Are these words a curse, or an expression of love? What have you been thinking about Church policy? Do you say, "I have been in the Church for ten years, and I have done a great deal during that time. Now Father asks me to do more. How could he ask that? How could he be so cruel?" Think of Satan. He is such an outrageous being. He is always coming before God to provoke Him by saying, "God, how can You treat me like that? I cannot stand it." God could reply, "You rascal, get out of My sight." The human mind would normally think that way. But God has infinite patience. He always treats Satan with patience. Otherwise, God would not be God.
So if you want to be qualified to become a son or daughter of such a God, should you be small-minded and impatient, like a peanut? Can you say your mind is based in God's mind and you are able to melt away all the anger of the world? Have you become an infinite Moonie? Have you reached the standard of sons and daughters of God? The answer is no, not yet. I try unceasingly to help all of you become that kind of son and daughter of God, reflecting God's absolute image.
I gain no benefit by yelling at you and pushing you out. What can I gain by being hard on you? Nothing. It is much easier and much more comfortable for me to say nothing. I am not earning one penny from this. Instead, I am bringing every ounce of energy and every resource I have to America and spending it on this country. I keep pushing you out, but I get no gratitude in return, only criticism. I am doing all this for your sake, for the sake of the enemy. In a way, you are the enemy, coming from the enemy country.
According to these criteria, do you understand me to be a good man or an evil one? You may think I am being cruel to you, but actually I am even more cruel to myself. I am the leader of the Unification Church, but if I sleep two and a half hours at night instead of two. I feel I must repent in the sight of God. If I push my members so hard, how can I sleep comfortably?
When I stay at East Garden, I want to wear the same underwear, T-shirt and pants several days or more. Sometimes I don't change underwear for a whole week but Mother complains. I keep saying I can wear them another day. Sometimes things become soiled and I turn them inside out and wear them again. Do you think I do this because there is no washing machine at East Garden or because I have no extra clothes? No, I do it because I am thinking of you. When I take a bath at night, Mother very sweetly takes away all the soiled underwear and puts it in the laundry bin. Then, when she is looking at something else, I come out, take the underwear out of the bin, and wear them again! I do this because my mind is always with you.
I know the fund raisers don't always get a chance to eat regular meals or wash their underwear often, so I want to be united with them. I skip a meal sometimes; I don't wear a clean shirt everyday. I don't want to do something if my members aren't doing it. I feel the happiest and most comfortable living like this. I also know that when you members go through mental and physical suffering, you think of East Garden and Mother and me. My mind goes to you, and I support you in thought. Even though my body may be stationary in East Garden, my mind has constant give and take with you members-not only here, but all over the world.
One missionary died recently. His last words were that he was sorry he couldn't get out of his bed and bow to Father before his death. "Please ask Father and Mother to forgive me," he said; "I wanted to make a final bow to Father but I couldn't." How can I not be connected to such members? Even in spirit, I love them, think of them, work more intensely, and suffer with them side by side. My physical body is limited to one place, but in the world of thought I am unlimited; I can go anywhere. I have constant give and take with all the members, particularly those who think about me. Because I don't want to be burdened by you, I am always aggressively looking for ways to give you more. Therefore, when anyone calls out my name, I will be there.
Beyond space and time, I am leading the movement all over the world. Many people are receiving instructions from me through dreams, visions and voices. I manifest myself in all kinds of ways and give members exactly the right answers. There are millions and millions of examples of such phenomena all over the world.
I stay at East Garden, but it has no joy for me. I feel sorry about riding in a big Lincoln limousine, but when I have to travel a long distance, it is necessary for security. Still. I never feel I have the right to these things. The only time I can sleep well is when I travel, so I sleep in the car. Even there, I feel I am working because I am in motion, but before I doze off I ask God if I can take a little rest. That is the only time I take the liberty of napping. At East Garden, I don't feel free to sleep. I am always pushing myself, so I never take a nap inside East Garden-only when traveling by car. Because of this intense give and take of love, all the members of the Unification Church, without exception, can be truly connected to me. If you think of me intensely, my thought waves will match yours-and even more.
The title today is "With Whom Shall I Live?" The answer is, "With a true person." Included in that category is true son, true daughter, true teacher, true friend, true parents, true brothers, true sisters, true family, true country, and true heaven. What is the true heaven? It is the dwelling of those who practice the principles of a true person. True heaven is where true people go. I am the one who knows the way to that true heaven.
If I offer a gift or do a special favor to the person closest to me, I always forget it immediately afterwards. The good things I do I want to forget. I have never felt that I have done enough, because there is always a greater enemy to love.
Do I see Belvedere and East Garden as comfortable places-a paradise-to spend the remainder of my life? No, after building up America I want to go on to Moscow. I may very well end up in prison there, but still I want to go. I want to live by the truth that says: "Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I am practicing that principle. That was how I came to America-not for this country's glory, but for its prison. I don't mind going to Moscow, even to its prison, because people there are waiting to be liberated. I will go to Russia to suffer for the people. People there don't want to live with Lenin and Stalin; they want to live with Reverend Moon. They want to live with me as much as you do.
This is a most difficult way of life. But I want you to know how truthful and valuable such a way of life is. I want you to learn to shed tears of patience, not tears of anger, wrath or revenge. When you endure to the utmost in tears, I want you to understand that God, who is always in tears, will become your friend. When that happens, the entire spirit world will come down to help and support you. Do you follow?
So with whom would you like to live? With a true man? Yes, that is the correct answer. The true man is a serious man. In all of human history, who is the supreme king of seriousness? God. God is number one. God is the top. Do you know God now? He is infinitely patient, forgiving, and enduring. He puts up with Satan-still wanting to love His own enemy, the one who stole His love. That is God.
Who are the precious members of your family? When you think of your family, think of your grandmother and grandfather as well. Your immediate family encompasses your grandparents, your parents, you and your spouse, and then your children and their spouses.
What did Satan do? He is the worst criminal of love because he always destroys love. In front of everybody, Satan commits the worst crimes: rape and murder. He does this at every level, and he does it in front of people. He is the worst criminal under the sun. Not only does Satan do such evil within our families, but also within the central sovereignty of the nation. Satan has committed the same crimes in the family of the king and queen of a nation. Furthermore, Satan committed the same crime against God. You do not know all the evil history of Satan, but God does. He knows every evil deed Satan ever committed, but still God has put up with Satan and forgiven him. He is still guiding history and trying to restore people back to Himself.
Any righteous son who sees terrible crimes going on in his home would thirst for revenge and long to punch or kill the evildoer. People would go crazy if they saw what Satan does. But we cannot become crazy because of Satan. We must subjugate him until he completely surrenders. Until then, our patient, steadfast battle must continue. We cannot challenge Satan to a duel, bump him off, and finish fallen history. We must do the things Satan cannot do. The true person's way of revenge is to be patient, to witness, to fund raise, and bring the message to people one by one, winning them over to God's side. That is the realistic way to take revenge against Satan for working such incredible evil. How can we refuse to do it?
Every day and every year of my life, I have been speeding toward that goal. I have faced persecution from all over the world, but I have gone patiently over each stage. If the entire population of the United States and the whole world came against me, I would say, "Let it come so we can quickly pass through the gates."
At every stage of the game, instead of shooting Satan down in a physical or violent manner, I must subjugate him by love. Satan must be dominated by love so that he will willingly come to bow down to me and God in tears and say, "I was a criminal; please forgive me." Then, when Satan is successfully subjugated, all his victims can also be liberated. That is the battle we have been waging. It is still going on. In this battle, God's position has been very miserable and tearful. God put Himself in the most miserable situation and deserves all the sympathy we can give.
Look at what I have been doing. Korea and Japan were enemy countries; Japan and the United States have fought; the United States and Germany have been on opposite sides. All these have been enemy relationships, but I want to create a heavenly tradition based on the relationships between these enemy nations. That is what I have been trying so hard to accomplish. All these countries have strongly opposed me. Korea has persecuted me more than any other nation. Japan, the United States and Germany have opposed me as well. But this will pass, and they will come to realize that they have misunderstood me. While they have opposed me, all these countries have been declining, but the more the Unification Church receives persecution, the more it prospers.
These four countries must be united. Without that unity we can never become children of God, and we cannot begin the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven. I expounded on this for a long time last February. That is why I sent out missionaries from three enemy nations-Japan, the United States, and Germany-the three most impossible countries. They went out to their mission fields, but their most important job was to unite and not fight among themselves. Dr. Durst may feel his leadership would be simpler if there were no complications of Koreans and Japanese. Even stubborn Germans have been added to the combination of nationalities working in America. "Boy, my headache is big," he might say.
But God has sent you a great headache so that you can digest more. Korea is East, Japan West, Germany North and America South. East and West, North and South- four directions should come together. Koreans and Germans are unique people, very special. Americans and Japanese have to learn from these people and follow them, and all must become united. When you speak of East and West, North and South it sounds all spread out, but actually even a small house has four directions to it. Even a duck can turn its head in four directions and unite them into one.
There were four nationalities sent to every mission country. Only three people went out together-one Japanese, one German, and one American-but spiritually I am always there with them, too. I am a Korean, so four nations are always together in the mission field. They are like a totem pole or lightning rod to receive persecution. The entire world has hit them hard, but the more they are persecuted and hit, the more compressed and compact they become. Opposition pushes them to the center. When they are in the center, however, unless they are fully united they will crack.
I want you to understand that eventually blessed couple trinities will be formed, making a four-position foundation with four nationalities-one Korean couple, one Japanese couple, one German couple, and one American couple. They will form something like a modern-day Noah's family. The Korean couple will represent the parent couple; and the couples from the United States, Japan and Germany will represent Noah's three sons and daughters-in-law. Altogether there will be eight people living as members of one family in a household. Thus, a modern Noah's family will be created on a universal scale in order to indemnify the positions of Noah and the eight members of his family. Without creating such unity, nobody can enter the ideal heaven. Do you follow?
For instance, Dr. Durst's Noah family will be formed with the German couple he most dislikes, the Korean couple he most dislikes and the Japanese couple he most dislikes. He is the leader of the United States, so he should demonstrate his love and embrace these couples until they all become one. Theirs will be the exemplary Noah's family. When Dr. Durst can proclaim to me that his Noah's family is heaven, he will be a true heavenly citizen. The very place that Dr. Durst calls heaven is where eternal life will begin.
You understand that you are to become sons and daughters of God and build the Heavenly Kingdom. Today you know that very clearly. Actually, I have been expounding on the Bible passage that says, "Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Furthermore, the Bible says, "Love your enemy." So what is the distinction between Unificationists and the rest of Christianity? We all have the Bible. The difference is that Unificationists are fulfilling those teachings on the universal level; we are practicing them on the worldwide scale. Therefore, God must use this foundation as the base of His Heavenly Kingdom. The Unification Church is providing God with His foundation. That is the difference. Therefore, the Unification Church is the place in which God takes the greatest delight, joy and satisfaction.
Now you know with whom you shall live. You want to live eternally with Mother and me. Physically Mother and I may be far from you, but spiritually we are with you. So what should you do physically? Go after true brothers and sisters, live with them, think about them, support them, encourage them, and inspire them. That is the task of true men and women. Be beaten for the sake of others. Be the lightning rod for the world. Go ahead and don't complain. Be patient and move forward like an elephant-without shaking or being shaken. That is the best advice.
Now you know how you should live-from the highest ideals down to the most practical level. I have taught you much this morning. Following this principle, the Unification Church shall have no divisions. It should be absolutely clear who is in the mainstream and who is in the side stream. In the mainstream are those who uphold my teaching at face value, giving themselves sacrificially for the sake of others, trying to be true people with patience and love. Those who try to take the easy, mediocre, selfish, or comfortable way are clearly not in the mainstream of Unification Church tradition. Therefore, you now have the clear and complete criteria for distinguishing who is a true person and who is not.
I used the analogy of the Chinese people in order to instill in your mind an idea that you won't forget. I also asked you to have a greater capacity for digesting circumstances than the Chinese. I asked you to do better than the Chinese. That is the goal.
Another ten years should not matter to you. You should feel that you can wait for 10, 20 or 30 years without getting tired. Think of the Chinese; they won't get weary. You should resolve to be better than them, so that when you are planted in the ground your bottom may rot, but a new root will sprout from it and produce new life. The tree will grow; leaves will sprout and flowers bloom. Resolve to be patient. Your ultimate desire is to live with God and become like Him.
Who of you will say: "I want to lead a dramatic life as a child of God and I will be a patient child of God"? Those who pledge to God and True Parents to be patient men and women, please raise your hands. Thank you.
