Cheon Seong Gyeong: Episode 313
Cheon Seong Gyeong Book 10: The Philosophy of Peace
Chapter 3: The Means to Realize World Peace
Section 3: Culture and World Peace, 05-18
(5) The ultimate goal of artists, and those who work with the arts, is to reach the world of God’s heart. God, the Creator, wants to feel boundless joy through all the different things He personally created with His own hands, one by one, as works of art. God’s heart is such that He wants to give again after He has given. After doing things for others, He wants to do more for them, and even after investing unconditionally, He wants to forget what He has done. That heart is the basis of the world of true love. God's ideal of creation for the created world arose from that heart. The starting point of art is the desire to represent that heart. Accordingly, in the world of art there are no national boundaries. The purpose of art is not to serve as a tool of an ideology or an agenda. Its fundamental principles are harmony and unity. Divisiveness and conflict are fruits of fallen nature. Therefore, the world of art demonstrates universal characteristics in all directions, bringing the East to understand the West and the West to accept the East.
(6) To usher in the age of peace, we cannot exclude the roles of the arts and sports. With this in mind, it is amazing that we have achieved world-class standards in those fields. First, it was in the soccer world. Next, it was in the world of art and culture, where our ballet company is almost as well-known as the Bolshoi Ballet. In the future, when we enter a world of freedom and peace that is free from war, sports and the arts will be absolutely necessary.
(7) I have a plan to inspire the general public through the arts. Dance is a vehicle by which women are moved, and sports are a vehicle by which to inspire men. I have a dream to elevate these two vehicles to the highest global standard. Sports and the arts have the power to move the public in an instant. In them lies enthusiasm and vitality. Once we link this enthusiasm and vitality with the spirit of the Unification Church, God will surpass Satan's world. How much has God toiled to surpass Satan's world, while harboring bitter sorrow in His heart? He suffered because we human beings were unable to climb over that wall. However, once the age comes when we can climb over that wall, we will be unstoppable.
(8) We need to renew the worlds of sports and the arts. Ballet is the greatest of all dance forms from the West, but its value has not been appreciated enough. I intend to elevate it to a new level. The same goes for sports. The arts and sports need a philosophy behind them. Ballet is like gymnastics with respect to the splendid technique it requires. Yet, in addition to technique, it should have a noble spirit. Then its attractive power will draw in even those people who had no interest in it. In the contemporary world of the arts, however, that noble spirit is moribund. The world of sports also requires a spirit of complete dedication.
(9) Societies originally promoted sports in order to maintain physical health and public safety. Today, sports are spreading worldwide, bringing pleasure to billions of people and enriching their lives. Therefore, from various angles, we need to find ways to contribute to peace for all people through sports.
(10) I plan to bring sports and the arts together. I am trying to integrate dance and music with exercise. I want to create something that is not simply an exercise, like gymnastics, but dance-gymnastics combined with music. I am planning to transform even something like karate into an art. I am actually doing such exercises every day; they are exercises that integrate sports and art. In them God's spirit is reflected.
(11) People may wonder why Rev. Moon, a religious leader, takes an interest in sports, soccer in particular. Sports will be absolutely necessary in the future, for the purpose of enhancing the vigor of young people in cultural festivals or a cultural Olympics. The flourishing or perishing of a nation depends on the vigor of its young people. No matter how knowledgeable, brilliant, or handsome a person may be, it is all for naught if he or she lacks vigor. A nation that has young people of high spirit and increasing vigor will flourish. Therefore, this philosophy is crucial.
(12) The World Culture and Sports Festival is not just for sports. It also includes culture. It will be a great meeting, where men and women of all callings and religions can demonstrate their talent. Consider how wonderful it would be to participate in this event. Every soul must create unity between yin and yang, centering on loving others. How awesome it is to hold an event that promotes this harmony!
(13) Since religion is the center of culture, the Assembly of the World's Religions and the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace will stand at the center of the World Culture and Sports Festival. The ideals, wisdom, and values of religion should be embedded in this world's education, academics, arts, sports, media, politics, and economy, and become their standard. The World Culture and Sports Festival is a history-shaping event. It advances the culture of the human spirit and exalts the true values that make for human happiness. It promotes a new worldwide culture of peace, in which God, human beings, and all things are in harmony.
(14) Sports fans participate in a world of emotions that transcends national boundaries. If the Ilhwa Cheonma Football Club were chosen as the team to represent Asia, it would become the focus of Asia. If it went to South America and swept all the teams on that continent, the team would rivet the attention of all soccer players and fans across the world. Everyone would welcome this soccer team and relate to it independent of religious considerations. Everyone knows that when it comes to soccer, South America has the best teams. Therefore, if the Ilhwa soccer team can attain a standard higher than South Americas teams, the world will naturally pay attention. People will follow this Ilhwa team, and in the short time of ninety minutes, billions of people will applaud and cheer for it. This sort of thing can only happen in sports.
(15) Why did I make a soccer team, and why am I taking an interest in sports? Sports are instrumental in promoting harmony and peace. When a famous soccer team plays, the entire world watches. Boxing requires only one player, but soccer requires eleven players. A soccer team needs to play in harmony. The players first need to unite and harmonize with one another. When a soccer team attains peace and harmony, free from conflict, the crowd can find even more enjoyment setting aside their mundane existence and watching them play. Right there, unity is created between the players and the crowd. The soccer team itself symbolizes harmony and unity, namely, total oneness. That is what we need in our families, societies, nations, and in heaven and earth. Peace is needed everywhere. In order to bring about peace, we need unity. Without unity, we never will attain peace.
(16) As early as the 1960s, I founded the Little Angels to exalt Korea's beautiful performing arts across the world. On that foundation, I established the Sunhwa Arts School with the founding philosophy, "Love God, Love Your Nation, and Love Humankind." I also founded the Universal Ballet in Korea and the Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington, D. C., and revived the New York City Symphony in New York.
(17) Look at how the entertainment world spearheads the destruction of true love. Consider the singers and athletes in that world. Even in the luminous world of the Olympics, athletes are involved in fallen activities that contradict the spirit of the Olympics, such as taking drugs. With the intention of putting an end to this in the field of performing arts, I founded the Little Angels and the Universal Ballet to represent something totally opposite. I created a school for the arts that includes the dramatic arts and even sports and martial arts. They center on original love, which is needed in order to turn around the entertainment world.
(18) In the 1960s it became my dream to introduce the Korean culture to other countries. At that time, I founded the Little Angels, a Korean children's dance troupe. Since then, the Little Angels have performed in more than sixty countries. Their performances have been broadcast on television more than three hundred times. I formed this dance troupe of children because, in my opinion, children can express the world of the heart better than anyone else. On seeing those children dance, even the coldest person removes his or her mask of formality and experiences purity and love. It puts that person in touch with the essential pursuits of all human beings.
FFWPU, USA