Cham Bumo Gyeong
Book 2: The Birth of True Parents
Chapter 3: True Father’s Childhood and Youth
Section 1: Love for Nature, Lessons from Nature
Section 1: Love for Nature, paragraph 11

Chapter 3 True Father’s Childhood and Youth

Section 1. Love for Nature

Lessons from nature

True Father spent about 18 years of his life within about ten kilometers of his birthplace. That area was the stage of his activities until he graduated from primary school. This was an important time in his life, when he learned about nature and had many realizations from observing and experiencing it. As he studied nature, he showed unusual interest, inquisitiveness and passion for learning. Numerous experiences with the world of nature and his agricultural surroundings nurtured his emotional sensitivity and depth. As he observed the love of birds and insects for their young, he verified the principles of human love. All things in nature became his friends, and they also became his textbooks of heart and love.

1 As we grow up, our hometown provides us with abundant opportunities for learning and emotional growth. Just by looking at the mountains, we realize that they are enveloped by a huge net of heart—it is unforgettable. It is the same for a creek with the variety of fish and insects that live there. We can grow when we utilize all of the creation as our basic textbooks, from which we can learn and gain knowledge that we never forget. We can learn from all the animals and plants in the mountains and indeed every single thing in the natural world. What we find in our hometown provides us with abundant materials to help us learn and grow internally in heart and feeling. That is why we miss the mountains, fields and rivers of our hometown.

2 When I was a child, I went everywhere in my village, the neighboring villages, the mountains and over the mountains, with the thought to go and see everything throughout the land. That is how I was in my childhood. I went to a reservoir and caught the different kinds of fish that lived there. I caught all kinds of birds. I caught all kinds of insects. There was nothing there that I did not catch. That is how I became knowledgeable about the things around me. I knew where the crabs lived, where the different species of fish lived, what animals lived where, and so on. Having discovered and investigated all their dens and nests, I knew very well what creatures lived in each place. That is why I knew the best fishing spots.

3 I did not spend much time in the fields. Every day I roamed throughout the mountains. In the mountains there are all kinds of flowers, all kinds of birds and all kinds of wild animals. Everything is there; it is like a natural museum. Human beings have learned how to make many things by imitating nature. We have to love nature. On the night of a full moon, I never wanted to stay home and sleep. There is something mystical about the night of a full moon. On such nights I would go into the pine forest deep in the mountains and sleep where the wolves and tigers lived. I would lie down on a bed of pine needles underneath a huge pine tree, where weeds do not grow and where you do not get wet even when it rains. You cannot imagine what a marvelous feeling it was to sleep there. When you go to such a place and see the bright moon, even the blowing breeze will sound mystical to you. And when a tall tree shakes in the wind, it will reflect all kinds of colors, and you will be entranced by them. Mysteriously, the trees jostling with each other will sound like people talking together. The Principle can be found in the natural environment rather than in other places.

4 I truly love nature. I used to go to the mountains and just enjoy nature while sitting on the grass. Sometimes I would fall asleep leaning against a large tree with nature all around. I picked wild vegetables and ate them. These were unforgettable experiences. I believe that nature provided me with the fundamental materials that facilitated my emotional growth. When I observed the trees in the mountains and by the streams, although they were all trees, no two looked the same. That made a deep impression on me. Nature is a museum containing all kinds of materials that each of us can find memorable.

5 I knew all the migrating birds that came to my village. Once I saw a flock of migrating birds that I had never seen before. They were so colorful and beautiful. I wondered where these birds would hatch their eggs, since they had migrated away and returned after having their young. I also wondered why they came to my neighborhood. I thought it had to be one of two reasons, either for water or to nest. Birds drink water, but they want good water. So I looked for a good source of water and found a spring. I thought to myself that they would come there for water. So I went to that spring every day and waited for the birds to come. I waited for about two weeks. Then, indeed, they came! Birds are truly fascinating creatures.

6 There was a brook in my hometown. I caught many kinds of freshwater fish that were living there, including mudfish and eels. I thought, if I had a large pond at my house I would bring them home and put them in it. These days it is relatively easy for people to have a pond at home and to raise fish. How wonderful it would have been if I could have done that! We simply could not do it back then. But, still young and not knowing any better, I simply dug a water hole and put some small fish in it. I thought that fish could live in any kind of water. But, after keeping them there overnight, the next morning I discovered they had all died. Without knowing that they needed certain conditions in order to live, I sadly said, “I invested all of my sincerity so you could live; why did you die?” Looking at those dead fish, I said, “Oh, your mom will cry over your death. I will cry for you too.” There, alone, I cried for the fish. From this, you can tell that I am a caring person.

7 I was a champion at catching eels. The sea was about eight kilometers from my home, and I could travel there and back faster than most people. When I was young, my nickname was Tiny Eyes. Rumors spread, “Tiny Eyes catches dozens of eels every day and steams them; then he even feeds them to the pigs and cows.” Villagers who heard the rumors came to my house and talked about eels. Then, after telling my mother to prepare to cook eels, I would run out to catch them. By mealtime I was back with the eels I had caught, and my mother would serve them to the visitors either stewed or steamed, whichever way they preferred. They could eat as much as they desired, enjoying eel to their hearts’ content.

8 All of the creation exists for the sake of human beings. Therefore, once we possess the qualifications to be its owner, with the ability to truly love even the tiniest living things, we will not feel ashamed but stand with dignity to receive the love of God. That is why puppies want to receive love from us; sparrows and even spiders want the same. All creatures want to receive love from human beings. In the old days, I was a champion at catching birds. There was no kind of bird in my neighborhood that I did not catch. When migratory birds came into my area, I even caught them; I would not go to sleep until I had caught them. This is how I was when I was a little boy. When I grew older, I dug a bird-bath for the birds and left food for them. After I had invested my loving heart in digging the bird-bath, they came and drank. I brought food for them and sprinkled it on the ground; then they would not fly away when they saw me coming. When birds come to understand that you will not harm them, they will surely like you. That is because human beings are their lords.

9 When spring comes every animal goes about searching for its mate. Birds do that, and so do insects. When the season turns to summer, try listening to the sounds of insects. There are exactly two kinds. One is the sound of crying from hunger. The other is the sound of singing, looking for a mate. The signals are simple. One is signaling to its friends, “I am hungry; lets go together and eat.” The other signals, “Come with me; I am a good mate for you.” These are the two kinds of signals they make. Living in the countryside, there were many insects for me to catch. Also, I caught many different kinds of animals: lynx, raccoon and rabbits. It was fun and very exciting. I thought that they were living alone, but in fact each had its own mate. All were in pairs. It is the same with the insect world and the world of birds.

10 I love the Korean white pine tree because it bears fruit—pine nuts—that we can eat. However, these pine nuts cannot be shelled easily. You must use a stone to smash the shell. Even if you know what to do, your aim must be precise; otherwise, the shell will not open. That is why I say that not just anyone can shell them. Another thing about the white pine: when you plant it, it only germinates when the ground is frozen. Hence, its planting time is opposite that of other plants. Because it must freeze, you should not plant it in spring, but in the autumn.

Nothing can change the nature of a Korean white pine. It is not influenced by the conditions of its environment; on the contrary, it carries an attribute that causes it to burst out even if it finds itself in the most severe environment. Then with the arrival of spring, its seeds will sprout and grow into Korean white pine trees. That is the nature of a Korean white pine. The tree has five needles in each cluster: one representing the center and the others representing the east, west, north and south. That is why I love the Korean white pine tree. Also, this tree grows very well. It grows straight up. It sends its root straight down, and its trunk grows straight up.

Training in self-sufficiency

In his childhood, True Father experienced all the tasks of farming, including plowing rice paddies, plowing fields, planting rice and weeding rice. He learned through experience the secrets for successfully growing rice, beans, corn, sweet potatoes and other crops. He did not mind spreading manure and raking leaves. He eagerly took part in every kind of work and learned to do the best job he could in whatever he was doing. He also learned how to mend his clothes and knit his own socks, hats and gloves. In this way, he trained himself to live alone, without needing to depend on others.

11 As soon as I came back from school, I would take off my school shirt and jump into farm work. I was always on the job ahead of my siblings, even my older brother and older sisters. I thought, “Unless I earn the title of champion farmer, I cannot become the leader of the farmers’ world.” So I taught myself how to become the best farmer. I became an expert on where to plant regular beans and where to plant red beans. I learned how to tell what crop would be best for the soil by looking at the ground. Without hesitation I would say, “Sweet potatoes should flourish here. Why did you plant something else?” Others responded, “How do you know that?” I learned it all through experience. Hence, when I go to a rural community, I am a farmer’s farmer. It is the same when I go to a fishing village. I invented an unsinkable boat, and I developed a unique and effective system for catching tuna.