16. Peace Road and the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences

Book 1: Global Unity Through True Parents
Part 4: The Process of Realizing World Peace
Chapter 2: Peace Road and the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS)

Peace Road

True Father made a lot of preparations out of his concern for the future of the billions of people who inhabit the Earth and that of the Earth itself. The providential history of salvation would have been difficult even if it had received the cooperation of the 2,000-year Christian foundation and a national level foundation. At the ICUS conference in 1981, he advocated the construction of a world peace highway for the realization of world peace. Father later re-emphasized this project in 2006 during his speaking tour of four major cities in the United States. I also did the same later on in my speaking tour of 120 nations.

This World Peace Highway will begin at the Cape of Hope in Africa, traverse Europe and Asia, and continue all the way to the Korean peninsula, and then from Santiago, Chile, in South America all the way to New York. True Father talked about the Bering Strait tunnel. He also proposed the Korea-Japan tunnel, which will connect Korean and Japan, making it possible to travel by highway from Korea to anywhere region of the world begin from Japan, cross through Korea and then connect to the world.

The Peace Road project was started to call attention to the World Peace Highway, and to encourage international cooperation in building world peace. In each participating country, people gathered to bicycle, walk and run together, traveling across portions of their country, encouraging those that they met to think about world peace and cooperation. A total of 121 nations participated in the Peace Road project in 2015, which was safely concluded just ahead of the third anniversary of True Father's Seonghwa (Ascension).

The people of the world's nations are self-centered. They think of their national interests first. True Parents, however, are opening the way to communication that can bring all people together. (2015.08.30, CheongShim Peace World Center)

Father taught us many things and started a lots of projects. I am making plans and working hard to ensure they yield more concrete results. A few days ago, I visited the construction site of the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel in Japan. Father presented his plans on the World Peace Highway and the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel at the 10th ICUS conference in 1981. Japanese members who heard about it then wanted to carry out the project and bought land in Karatsu, located at the shortest distance from Korea. They began digging the tunnel five years later. They were able to tunnel under the sea 600 meters. They had to stop, however, as they could not focus on that alone due to the on-going global providence. However, there are still Japanese members who continue to work hard on this project.

Powerful nations today are not looking into the future of this world and are putting their national interests first. It is today's reality to see nations prioritize their national interests regardless of what happens to their neighboring countries. The Korean peninsula is still divided between the North and South and these circumstances make it difficult for the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel to be constructed. However, as the True Parents, we must think of the whole world and cannot stand still.

Great Britain and France waged the Hundred Years' War against each other in the past. However, when Germany began to rise, they felt threatened and joined hands to build the Euro Tunnel under the Strait of Dover. Their heads of state joined forces and mobilized private capital to build the tunnel. If the Korean and Japanese governments could likewise join forces, this project also could be fully realized through private capital. We have prepared for this project for the past 30 years, and 28 prefectures in Japan are supporting the project. If Japan makes that connection to Russia, Korea will become like an island nation. Yet, there are no politicians foreseeing this.

I asked that an actual map of the World Peace Highway be drawn. We should not simply talk about a path leading to one world. Hence, I asked that a map be drawn—a map that shows how this can be executed in the next few years on the basis of a substantial plan. At one end, the highway will begin from Santiago, Chile, in South America, go through Central America, cross Canada, pass through the Bering Strait Undersea Tunnel, traverse Russia and move toward Asia. At the other end, the highway will begin from the Cape of Hope, Africa, cross through Europe and the Middle East and move toward Asia. In conclusion, all of these roads will meet in Korea. I hope you will all participate in this project. (2016.l 1.18, Cheon Jeong Gung)

Korea and Japan have become one through the Peace Road Cycling Journey. Starting on August 3, the cycling journey began in Hokkaido, worked its way down the Japanese archipelago with great fervor and continued in Korea from Busan, where the Korean and Japanese teams came together and cycled together all the way to Imjingak. The twenty-two-day Peace Road cycling journey was an actual expression of Father's ardent hope for the unification of North and South Korea-the unification of his fatherland. Our devotion, however, will not end at Imjingak, but will continue past Baekdu Peak, across Asia and on until the free, peaceful, unified and joyful kingdom of heaven on earth that God has hoped for is achieved in the world. (2013.08.23, CheongShim Peace World Center)

This year, more than 140 nations participated in the Peace Road, a movement promoting the establishment of a road to world peace. Together with the founding of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace in each nation, politicians and other citizens are participating, warmly welcoming these initiatives. When we look at what is happening, we come to understand that the hearts of people all around the world yearn for a world of peace, but have simply not known how to reach that objective until now. However, they are wholeheartedly participating, supporting, and happily joining the Family Federation for World Peace in this initiative. (2016.08.19, CheongShim Peace World Center)

International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS)

Heavenly Parent's dream, True Parents' dream and humanity's wish is to have one family under Heavenly Parent; however, the world we live in today is filled with many problems. When we reflect on the religious conflicts, racial conflicts, territorial conflicts and all other kinds of conflicts happening today, we come to see that they all are self-centered, egoistic actions. People's standard of living may have reached a high level through the industrial revolution, and yet, with the emergence of superpowers, the industrial revolution caused more problems than it brought benefits, raising serious concerns for the future. One example is the devastation caused to the Earth due to climate change. Light, water and air, the most precious elements that allow human beings to live, are being polluted.

Observing this phenomenon, True Father felt that effective steps had to be taken toward preparing alternative solutions for a future food crisis and for climate change. That was why he invested so much in South America for so many years. People who have been concerned about the future of humanity have identified many issues caused by climate change; however, they have not been able to provide good solutions to these problems. One of the reasons is the presence of superpowers. Many of the scientific advancements our advanced civilization has made until now have been focused on war and destruction.

Therefore, I want to revive the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. Originally, God created a beautiful earth; hence, I am calling for a movement and for efforts to restore the earth to its pristine state. To do so, experts and scholars must take the lead. That is how they can earn the trust of all of humankind. (2016.08.19, CheongShim Peace World Center)

Though we are enjoying the conveniences of twenty-first century civilization, to say that civilization until now spurred development based on a destructive perspective instead of understanding God's circumstances and heart, and bringing all people to live together, would not be wrong. When we look at the history of civilization and the history of warfare—far from making the world that God originally created, a world of abundance and health—our highly developed civilization has utilized its scientific knowledge for producing destructive weapons of war and pushing for nuclear development.

Do you know how many nuclear reactors there are in South Korea? Though these reactors provide us with energy, what will happen if something goes wrong with them? You have probably heard of and are familiar with the dropping of a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. A nuclear reactor in Ukraine also went wrong and caused extensive damage. Korea is a nation that possesses many such dangerous nuclear reactors. Recently, an earthquake hit Gyeongju. There is a nuclear reactor in the vicinity, and I have heard there are still plans to construct more in the future.

Originally, human beings were supposed to research and develop the energy created by God in a beneficial direction. Today's nuclear weapons are the result of researching and developing energy in a destructive direction. If we cannot resolve this, there is no future for the world, no future for the human race. True Father brought together and educated many intellectuals through the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. In the midst of this, he proclaimed the end of Communism and was able to actualize that result. When the United States, a world power, could not imagine such a thing while facing the threat of Communism, True Father was able to do it without anyone's help. Yet, this nation—the United States, which was raised as the central nation of the providence—lives in the midst of chaos today. Once again, for you and me, our task is to give the world not despair, but hope! That is why from next year, I will stimulate research to take a direction that can heal the damage inflicted on the Earth and on its inhabitants by the misguided developments of scientific civilization. (2016.09.25, CheongPyeong Training Center)

You must unite with True Parents and become models in front of the world. We must realize the one great big family that Heavenly Parent and True Parents desire. The people in all nations-all 7.3 billion people, are one family. Yet, today, it seems as though there is nothing but incidents that drive people to despair around the world. Many walls exist. There are religious walls, ethnic walls, cultural walls and national borders; religious people even kill one another without hesitation.

Moreover, the earth is sick as a result of human wrongdoing. Recently, many earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters have occurred, causing great loss of life. However, all nations—especially the more powerful nations—are thinking only of their own national interests instead of thinking of the whole. Just as it was with many countries in Europe in the past, the United States was raised to establish a foundation for the Returning Messiah. Heaven blessed the United States to make preparations for people to attend the Returning Lord. The United States, however, failed to attend the Returning Messiah and was losing her fundamental values. Who then saved the United States from such a state? True Parents did so. It is unfortunate, however, to see that the United States has not yet realized her potential.

I am trying to approach and resolve, one by one, stage by stage, all the problems remaining from the past. Internally, I am creating a strong environment for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and I am raising capable leaders for the future from among the second and third generation members. Young people are leading the way in carrying out God's Will and in becoming one with True Parents through university campus activities; they are changing the actual environment in such a way that this nation and the world will take notice.

On top of that, in order to embrace the world, Father brought together scientists, intellectuals and professors, and set before them the responsibility and task of bringing about world peace. However, many programs conducted back then have ended. I will newly convene scientists for the restoration of nations and the world. (2016.10.04, Cheon Jeong Gung)

It is true that scientists have contributed much to human civilization. Nevertheless, their research has also created weapons with fearful destructive power, such as nuclear weapons. Ultimately, these developments have caused pollution on our Earth. I would like to restore the Earth that God created, this beautiful Earth, to its original state. Science must develop in a good direction.

There are many nuclear power plants in Korea. Nuclear plants are contributing to civilization but the nuclear waste disposal problem remains a serious one. Simply building many such plants may not be a good thing. If these nuclear power plants were destroyed in the wake of an earthquake, living things would be wiped out. If that happened, we, human beings, could not live there either. As True Parents, can we just say it's dangerous and not do anything about it?

That is why there are many things I must do, and I need your help. I receive strength because of you. While I am still here, I hope we can achieve many things and hear Heavenly Parent say, "Thank you for becoming one with True Mother and realizing my dream.” We can no longer delay further in dealing with this urgent reality. You must feel the urgency of what we are facing. In God's providence, postponing dealing with these matters until tomorrow is not an option. We must succeed today. I pray that you can all become proud filial sons or daughters and loyal citizens, Cheon Il Guk soldiers that will liberate Heavenly Parent's and True Parents' desperate hearts. (2016.10.04, Cheon Jeong Gung)

Last time, I said we would revive the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. Look at the natural disasters happening around the world. Why do these things occur so often? Originally, God created the Earth to function naturally and reasonably. The conclusion is, however, that human beings are ignorant. Unilateral human greed is destroying nature. The environment is gradually being pushed into a more extreme state, to the point where human life is endangered. Many people have been worrying about this, but they have not been able to find any solution. In order to research and creative alternatives, cases will arise where we may have to request those who enjoy great wealth to give it up for the greater good. For this reason, economically advanced countries have not been able to act on these problems even though they are fully aware of the necessity to do so. As the True Parents, we cannot just stand back and watch. We must accomplish God's dream, True Parents' dream, the hope of all humankind. (2016.10.06, YongPyong Resort)