God’s Will and the Ocean: Episode 13

God’s Will and the Ocean
True Father Speaks on: The Founding of Ocean Church, page 32-34
October 1, 1980, Morning Garden

What you heard this morning was not the primary talk today. After breakfast, there will be much more to say. However, this was for your daily life. You need it because it isn't just conceptual, but is really practical for your daily life. So, there is nothing to feel bad about. There is such a thing as a vertical way of greeting and a horizontal way of greeting. But, now that you know about the meaning of a vertical way of greeting, you have gained a lot.

I know about America, and probably more than most Americans know about themselves. I know a great deal about Western civilization. There are some very good points, such as getting things into action and bringing about results. Orientals have a lot to learn from you and we are going to adopt that. I know you can learn very quickly. I am encouraged even by the way you sit. When I first came here, you couldn't do that. But now, you can sit on the floor for hours without stretching your legs. When I came here I saw that Americans would put their legs up on the coffee table and watch television. Even the women did that. I am not yet accustomed to seeing that. You ought to know the Oriental customs since you are going to be people of the world. You have to be aware and sensitive to these points if you are ever going to visit or live there. Well, getting back to the Shogun program, in that show one of the actors talks about "six minds and three hearts." Such a saying really baffles the American person. You always expect an immediate reply to things and when it doesn't come you try to figure out what the Oriental person might be thinking. However, you Americans would never ever find out because they don't express it. This is one reason why, traditionally, the Chinese have been better diplomats than Westerners. The Western person expresses his mind immediately. You show what you have, whereas they never show what they have.

The Chinese may feel something inside, but goes all the way to the North Pole and does something completely different. There is no way of finding out why until a very long time later. If I spend three days with you, I will find out everything from you. On the other hand, the Oriental husband and wife may be married for years and still they take a long time to find out about each other. Even friends are like that.

There is a world of difference between the Oriental way of thinking and the Western way of expression. Even though you are Western people, you are about to set out into the world, and you have to care about how other people think and feel. So, I am sharing with you about the Eastern people, what they value and what they don't, what they think is bad manners and what is courtesy.

Korea is a small country. In the past, a large country could engulf a small country and there was nothing that could be done about it. It is just like a large fish swallowing up a small fish. There was simply nothing you could do about it. In this respect, Korea has been unique. It was small and could never win against an invasion. However, each time it reappeared. No one could completely engulf it—not China, Russia, Japan, not anyone. They quickly adapted to every situation, but still remained intact as Korean people and kept their Korean culture. Koreans learn very quickly because they had to survive so many things. Also, they are righteous in some ways, and they never want to depend on anyone else; they quickly become independent. They observed the American way of life and quickly picked up all the good points about it. They have a viewpoint of the world and a clear idea about life. So, they estimate a situation and quickly make up their minds about it. If you look at schools like Harvard, you will see more and more Koreans attending and graduating from such places. In history, the Jewish people have usually been the ones to forge ahead in this way. The Korean people also have such qualities, and you will see them making an impact in many areas now that they have begun to come out into the world.

If the Koreans and Japanese had developed their nations together, they would have had a great influence over all of Asia. However, it didn't work out that way. Everything would have been led by these two nations, but this didn't happen. I am looking to the future now, and waiting to see what the offspring of Korean-American couples will do. I expect some unique qualities to emerge in these children.

I am not just a Korean man; however, I did inherit the basic characteristics of Korean history and culture. One of those basic qualities is that once I decide something, I will never give up. I am entirely consistent in this way. Korea is a very small and weak nation, but they have survived conquest over and over again. Also, Korea is a very religious nation. Almost everything in life is related to the basic meaning and concept of religion. Almost every Korean has had some kind of experience with the spiritual world. Many of them have had spiritual healings, and they understand very clearly about the interaction between the spiritual world and the physical world. They understand about their ancestors, and they know or sense how good actions influence the spiritual world.