Belvedere
Translator: Dr. Bo Hi Pak
How are the cultures of the East and West different? There are many fundamental differences -- in the way of life, the cultural and political history, and the environment. Everything is different; however, the roots are the same. Mankind is like one giant tree coming out of one root, branching into many different colors and types. Why do you think the branches are all so different?
The climate has had a very significant effect, causing the human races to have different features. For example, the black people, who originally lived in the tropical zones, have short, wide noses because they had to breathe in hot air. They didn't have to warm that air to body temperature; so the air only needed to go a short distance up the nose. On the other hand, the white people, originating in the cold northern zones, needed to warm the air before it got to the lungs. They developed long, narrow noses so the air could be heated well. The noses of yellow people are just in the middle, of medium length and width.
Out of the 5 billion people on earth, 3 billion are members of the yellow race, while the white race probably numbers 800 million, or 1 billion at the most. Since the yellow race is the predominant race in the world, anyone who wants to lead the world in the future has to be able to accommodate the yellow race. That is why Communism has been trying to conquer Asia; however, it has not been able to completely dominate Asian territory. America is trying to influence Asia as well. Christianity is the predominant religion in the West, particularly in the United States, but it has not had widespread influence in Asia.
Today there is a great deal of struggle in the world, with many different ideologies and religions trying to bring about peace but contradicting each other, thus failing to do so. How can we bring peace out of this turmoil and conflict? There are three ways. One is by using superior power; another is by using persuasion. But there is something better than either of the two. If people are given a choice, they will always go after the better alternative. With that better alternative, we will be able to create lasting peace among the conflicting parties.
Today the world is embroiled in conflict between two opposing worlds -- between Communism and democracy, between freedom and tyranny. We must have either a greater power than Communism or democracy, or a better ideology. Where can we find this? You are saying True Parents are the answer, but that is because you are Moonies! Who else would believe that? I want to be objective, so how can we say this is a solution?
It seems to be an absolutely impossible task to bring world peace at the present time. Many people say there is no God, but when their situation becomes desperate, people begin to think that if there is no God they had better create an artificial God. Without some supernatural intervention in human affairs, they see no hope. There are so many world religions, all professing to believe in God, yet none of them has offered the correct solution to the world problem. What it boils down to is one fundamental question: Is there really a God? Does He really exist?
When we think about the East and West, which side is internal and which side is external? You're from the Western world, so why do you say the Eastern world is internal? You don't like to be external, but you honestly confessed that the West is external, didn't you?
I began his speech by saying that we come out of one root; therefore, the fruit and harvest will ultimately be the same. Whether internal or external, we're going to bear the same result, the same consequences, the same fruit. Actually, division and conflict between internal and external, between East and West, wasn't what God desired. Originally everything was supposed to be part of a whole, but because of the fall of man, division inevitably occurred. Therefore, the work of restoration is to bring everything into ultimate unity and harmony.
External and internal, East and West, should be harmonized into one fruitful result. Who shall do that? You say you will do it, but if you try to harmonize the world all alone without God's intervention, that unity would not last long. Things would become separated and divided again. No one wants racism in this country, yet racism is a reality, even despite man's desire for interracial harmony. Even though people try, they cannot achieve the ultimate goal alone.
We must seek the power of intervention from something above us that can unite us -- that is, from God. Each one of us has the ambition to find something of greater benefit and higher value -- to receive it, grab it, and hold on to it. Everyone is competing to find a higher value. If God truly exists and possesses that higher value, then everybody will want to go after and possess God. God will say, "All right, you come and get me. I have absolute power, absolute persuasiveness, absolute preciousness. You want to have this and you are entitled to have it. However, if you are trying to obtain this, I will have to impose upon you one condition." That condition should be even higher than the value of God Himself, so people will say, "God, more than You, we need and want to receive that condition. Please give it to us!" God Himself absolutely needs to bestow that condition. That condition is so precious and so incredibly valuable that in order to obtain it, the conflicting parties will have to give up fighting and cooperate with each other to reach it. So what is that condition? [True love!] Where did you learn that? You're not so dumb, you're clever!
God is almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent, and has all powers and all knowledge and all preciousness, yet if God didn't have that condition of true love, He would have no real impetus or desire to live. His life would be boring, don't you agree?
What is true love? True love must be whole. It must make a complete circle through all 360 degrees; otherwise it cannot be true love. Love is not yours, it comes from the object. The object will return and give you love. In order to be able to receive true love, you should be completely humble. You should open yourself up and always be ready to embrace. In other words, the attitude of the recipient of love is to be ready and able to receive.
When God created all things and human beings, He did not do so for His own sake, for Himself, for His ego or selfish purposes. God created for the sake of true love for the object, for the sake of others. God totally invested Himself, His entire energy, heart, and soul into the object. Since that is the original basic principle of life, then for God to possess true love He must make a total investment of everything He has.
If white people want to possess that love, then white people must invest everything they've got. Black people have to do the same, and yellow people as well. Otherwise, you are not entitled to that true love. When you invest everything you have, that means you empty yourself and a total vacuum is created. The only way that true love can come in is when you truly empty yourself; then true love can come in and fill it. It is with the fulfillment of true love that conflict begins to be resolved.
As true love starts to manifest everywhere, there is no conflict anymore; eventually the concepts of conflict and struggle will no longer exist. Everybody will be united completely. My conclusion is that in order to have world peace become a reality we must have true love as our way of life, from the very lowest grass-roots level on up. True love must become everyone's goal. True love always follows the person who invests himself entirely for the sake of others, who always empties himself and creates a vacuum. That kind of person will attract true love. When there is true love, there is no disunity; only unification and harmony prevail.
The United States can become a kingdom of true love. You can create it by living a selfless life. You Americans must give to others and begin to sacrifice yourself for the sake of all humanity. Then the United States, without a doubt, shall become a kingdom of true love.
There are rich people in America who have beautiful homes, even mansions. They must come to the realization that they would rather possess true love than a big mansion, that they would rather sell their mansion and go to Africa to serve the millions of suffering and hungry people there. What if America really practiced this kind of altruism in a very pragmatic way? The problem with America today is that everyone wants to be lifted up to heaven, but they want to go to heaven without giving up one penny, one ounce of energy. They want to keep everything for themselves, while in the meantime they are craving for heaven. This is a great contradiction.
If the United States cannot do this, perhaps there is some small group of people that can truly practice the principle of true love. Then those particular people would attract true love and could actually create the kingdom of love on the face of the earth. Where are such people? What about you Moonies? When you get hold of true love, you shout, "I've got it, I've got it!" But instead of keeping true love to yourself, why don't you try and give it to all the people of the world? Are you such Moonies?
We're the chosen people; we're the heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, should we think that eventually God will empower us so that we can dominate the world? No. What is the definition of chosen people? Chosen people must be thinking, "God has chosen us; therefore we are ready to become a sacrifice and to give ourselves up for the sake of the entire world." The chosen people are chosen to invest themselves totally.
America has been blessed for the last 200 years simply because America's original settlers, the Pilgrim fathers who came to this country, came for the sake of God. They wanted to create God's Kingdom. America is selfish in wanting to protect only the white people's interests. Americans think, "We don't want the people of all those different colors of skin coming to this country. They'll take away our jobs, our fortunes, and our future." This is wrong thinking because this nation does not belong to the white people. Who were the original landlords of this country? The American Indians. So white people are actually the guests of this country. The guests came into the country and kicked the hosts out. But still God blessed the white people and allowed them to prosper in this country, while the Indians were sacrificed.
Why? Because when God looked at the Pilgrims and the early settlers, He saw that these white people were a different kind of white people. They were here sacrificially trying to build a nation under God and trying to offer hope and inspiration to rest of the world. God allowed the white people to prosper for 200 years because He knew they had the capacity to help the rest of the world. However, unless white people serve that greater purpose of God, they no longer have any justification to claim ownership of this country. God blessed this nation because God expects this nation to be a God-centered nation. This nation should become the ideal society, expounding true love and going out to help the rest of the world.
But today, as American people do business with the rest of the world, are they doing the will of God? Are they committing themselves completely for the sake of other countries? American people should be saying, "Even if we lose all of America, we'd rather give to benefit the entire world." Then America will never perish. But America has alienated the rest of the world. Why? Because this country lives selfishly and tries to win benefit for itself, while at the same time spreading immorality throughout the world. If Americans truly worked unselfishly, and committed every ounce of their energy and every drop of their blood and sweat for the sake of the world, then the entire world would line up right behind America. There would never be such a slogan as "Yankee Go Home!"
America has been known as the melting pot, a land where the oppressed people of all nations can live together peaceably. But today in this country, there is more division among races and nationalities than ever before. More and more, individualism prevails. How can true love survive in such an environment? This country cannot survive with this attitude.
I came to America in 1971. Did I come to make a great fortune for myself? No! Most Americans are probably shouting, "Rev. Moon, go home. We don't need you." When I came and began to teach these novel and monumental principles, many people thought, "Let him alone. He won't last more than five years, because everything that comes to America is eventually Americanized." But almost 17 years later, they found that instead of Rev. Moon becoming Americanized, America is becoming Moonized. For what purpose am I Moonizing America? To teach the true, altruistic way of life and to try to make America great in the sight of God. For the last 17 years, I have invested every ounce of blood, sweat, labor, and tears in America, reserving nothing. Are you Americanized, or Moonized? Is Moonization the way of decline or the way of prosperity?
There is a change now, and black people are seeing that this spreading of altruistic love is for their benefit and is supporting their well-being. The black people, as well as the Hispanics and other minorities, look at Rev. Moon as a hero. When minorities get together, they become the majority, and the majority becomes the minority.
The world historical trend and God's providential will never stand still. The world is turning to the East, across the Pacific. American people themselves are evaluating whether America is in decline. I am not the only one talking about the coming Pacific Era; the American media is predicting it as well.
Orientals tend to keep their secrets inside; they do not talk very much. That means they accumulate their fortunes inside their mind. But where do white people like to accumulate their fortune? In jewelry, fancy cars, houses, boats, airplanes. Oriental people have small eyes, which focus on things in the distance; they can see into the future. I can focus on objects a long distance away with my vision, but I am not satisfied with that. I like to close my eyes so I can see into the even more distant future. American eyes, on the other hand, are big. Big eyes always focus on a short distance; they look at things and work for things immediately visible. Americans try to enjoy the present, but the day will come when they must offer what they have achieved for a higher purpose. The world is destined to become one, there is no question about it. In order to become one, you need a central axis around which to become one, a core ideology. I have come to the conclusion that the core ideology must be the true love ideology. Those who are trying to make themselves a vacuum, emptying themselves out and living and breathing for the entire world -- those are the kind of people who shall prevail and unify the world.
Let us examine whether this truth holds up. Let's say there are 10 members in one family. Among them, one member is totally selfless. He serves the grandfather, the parents, and all his brothers and sisters -- everybody. He totally empties himself and gives his entire heart and soul and mind for the sake of others. Within 10 years that person will not doubt become the central figure of that family. Even the parents and grandparents will come after him and try to come under his domain, don't you think so?
That same principle can be applied to the national level. Let's say there are 10 nations and one nation is truly altruistic, serving all the other nine nations. What will eventually happen? The rulers of those nations might not welcome it, but the citizens of those nine nations will go to that one country and want to become part of it. If there were an ideology of true love, wouldn't the entire world and universe want to make a connection with that true love? Who is the source? It is God, You would like to have such a God, wouldn't you?
If a nation is of absolutely no benefit to humanity or to history, then that nation will perish. When I came to America for the first time, I declared, "America, if you continue this way of life, you will decline." The American people thought I was anti-American. But that declaration came from God, not from me. Today the statements I made 10 or 15 years ago truly make sense, don't they? We didn't understand 15 years ago. The government sent me to Danbury and thought that would be the end of Rev. Moon. But after Danbury, I am still saying America is declining, without any hesitation. American people don't want to hear it. They just want to block their ears. The people who are gathered together here are of many races and colors, but one thing is clear: Your two eyes are looking at the same thing. Your desire is the same -- you want to make heaven and earth into one. You are ready to devote everything and commit yourself, totally.
You know the Unification way of life is not going to be an easy one. You have not been living an easy life, and you know that my children and grandchildren are going the same way too. You may feel, "Oh, I better quit now and turn around," but if you try to turn, you cannot leave. You cannot go away. You just try to turn your head but your legs say "No, stay!" Your body may complain, saying, "No, I cannot do this the rest of my life. I don't want my children to go this way." But your mind, soul, and heart know that this is the right way of living, the way to eternal life. You know it.
You just cannot separate yourself from Father and Mother, and when Father and Mother are away from the United States you feel America is quite empty, don't you? Why? When you come to see me at Belvedere at 6:00 in the morning, I do not even give you a glass of water or a glass of McCol or a soft drink. All I give you is a hard pounding, and then I send you out, but still you cannot separate yourself from me. What you are getting is something absolutely special. You're breathing special air in this room. When you come here the spiritual air is different and the environment is different, so you feel something special. You have a cleansing experience of getting rid of all the dirt in yourself.
If I crossed the Pacific and never came back to America, would you rather follow me or tie me up and bring me back to America? The best would be if all you unmarried men and women married Koreans. By doing so, the world will become one within your own family and there will be no separation between the East and West. If you bring children into the world and your children bring more children, after three generations will your family be Western or Oriental? Our Unification culture is entirely unique and different from all others. It is a universal culture. It's goal is to be the true love culture. So whom do you think God would choose as champions to make one world under God?
This is true liberation. All things of creation want liberation; they're longing to have that liberation. When God created the , He committed everything He had, every ounce of energy, but what happened? The result of that creation was snatched away by Satan through the fall of man. God has been waiting for the liberation of all things from this bondage of sin, the bondage of Satan. The five billion people all over the world should take God's position and invest everything they've got in trying to restore the original ideal. As all things of creation are restored into the original form, they and God will be liberated, centering on true love.
On the Day of All Things, what do we want to celebrate? We want to celebrate our commitment to the total liberation of all things and the liberation of God from His grief. So we must all set an individual goal. Wherever you are, choose a territory and say to your own heart, "I am going to invest my total self and bring the territory I have chosen into total freedom, into total liberation from the bondage of sin."
Where do we do this? In our hometown. Return to your hometown, where you were born, and you are returning to that place on God's behalf, with the mission of God. As much as God devoted His entire energy for creation, you go to your hometown and devote your entire energy for the recreation of your hometown. Renew the lives of the people there and give them liberation. Help them really feel that they are true, re-created beings, with nothing to do with sin or the bondage of Satan. If you do that, and because of that you perish, that proves I'm wrong, and you can hold me responsible. But my entire life has been a testimony to the success of this formula.
I have been in prison many times, but wherever I go I practice the Principle, and resurrection, renewed energy, and great blossoming always come out of it. That has been my life testimony. My children and my grandchildren are continuing my tradition and doing the recreation work for the sake of my territory, my own hometown. By your also doing so, your hometown will become your inheritance.
God will give you the right of possession. In the sight of God, it is your land. Because of the fall of man, all things belong to Satan and are under satanic domain. You must create a new order under the principle of true love. You can take ownership away from Satan and offer that ownership to God Almighty. When all things of creation are returned to their original ownership under God, then you have given them true liberation.
I want you to know that when you go out as a good child of True Parents and go walking down the street or through the village or in the forest with the trees and flowers, all things will be pleading with you, "Please, you be my master, please restore me. I want to return to the true ownership of God." You must hear those appeals crying out spiritually from all things of creation. It is because of their need for liberation that I began the home church providence. In addition to the home church providence, now we have to restore our own hometowns. This is one reason why we are buying land. The land becomes jubilant when we buy it, because it enters into heavenly ownership. This is the reason I would never sell the land I buy. I could never disappoint the things of creation.
We must lay bridges across the Pacific Ocean and connect Asia -- Korea, Japan, and China -- with the Western world. Doing this is difficult, so you must be grateful that I am a representative of Asia and have already created the bridge between the two worlds of East and West.
The major religions of the world -- Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity -- are rooted in Asia. What about the Unification Church root, is it in the West or East? It came from the East to unite all the religions of the world so that together they can embrace the external Western world. I am working not only with the internal world of religion, but also with the external, material world of the West and embracing the Western people, so that I can make one great offering to God in which all religions, all races, and all civilizations are included.
This is all done in the name of true love. On the altar of true love, Asian people and Western people can come together with all things to be offered to God. In the Old Testament era, offerings had to be cut in two pieces because at that time separation from Satan had to be made. But now all things will be restored with true love, so things don't need to be cut. In the name of True Parents and true love there shall be the final wholesome offering of humanity to God on the altar of true love.
What is the difference between good and evil? Evil is always trying to force itself forward, but good is always staying behind, remaining hidden, doing its work quietly, devoting itself, committing itself, and investing more. Why? Because true love will blossom in this kind of environment. Why do we need true love? Because it is the only power that can bring liberation to all things. Upon the Upon the liberation of all things comes the liberation of God.
Today, the members of the Unification Church are gathered together for the celebration for the Day of All Things. Today we should again commit ourselves to give, empty ourselves, and invest everything for the sake of the liberation of all things and the liberation of God. That is the commitment and the pledge we ought to make today. We want to be the final offering on the altar of true love in the name of True Parents.
Those who commit themselves for the liberation of America, stand up and raise both hands. Amen. God bless you all.
Later, at the cake cutting ceremony:
The Unification Church way of cutting a celebration cake has been changed. Until now, we have been cutting the cake once vertically and then once horizontally. Since the birth of Father's grandson, Shin Gil Nim, which was February 13, 1988, we no longer cut the cake in a cross. Father cuts two parallel vertical lines, dividing the cake into three sections, symbolizing formation, growth and perfection. Please, everybody follow Father's tradition from now on when you cut a cake.
