Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 05
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 1: The Principles of True Peace
Speech 1: The Ideal World for God and Humankind, pg 27-30
We must transcend the nation to save the world
It is my view that a history of indemnity is unfolding during the Last Days centered on the United States. If the United States is unable to fulfill its responsibility during this period, I believe that it will no longer remain under the protection of God. Americans must not boast about the United States shouldering responsibility as the leading global power now in the latter half of the twentieth century. Even if the United States ceased to exist as a nation, you need a philosophy that you can be proud of, even to the thirtieth and fortieth centuries. If you Americans have such a commitment for the sake of the world, I believe that you will become a people who can guide the world.
Based on this viewpoint, let us interpret the mission that today’s Unification Church is trying to fulfill. The Unification Church is trying to attend the bride of the Lord and to prepare a multinational movement to construct the kingdom of heaven of hope that God requires on this earth. To do so, this Unification Church must reject the idea of working for its own sake. God’s strategy requires the individual, family, tribe, and nation to sacrifice for the world. It is our mission to raise such individuals, families, tribes, and peoples and pave the way for the kingdom that God desires.
We need to become individuals, families, tribes, and peoples established on the principles of internal unity and unity with the Messiah. Who will take the lead in carrying out this task? Will it be a nonbeliever or a believer? Will it be a person of religion or a person without religion? This task needs to be carried out through the joint effort of Christians and all religious people. Such a movement needs to be realized in the world now.
Thus, do not focus only on your own religious denomination. Instead, become one with the motto of serving God’s Will and saving the world. In organizing such a movement, do not think about taking a leadership position. Instead, you need to go to the lowest position and support the movement by serving others. Do not become a central figure by employing every means you can and seeking influence through the power of money, authority, or knowledge. You need to build a new movement worldwide through which others will voluntarily install and revere you as their central figure. Otherwise, there is no way to save this world.
The man standing before you has had to walk the path of much persecution before he could be where he is today. Even though I was working for Christianity and proposing the way for it to go forward, Christians have opposed me. Even though I was proposing the way for the nation to go forward, I have been opposed by the nation. Based on this viewpoint, I believe that a day will come when this group of hardworking people will also be criticized by the United States.
The way of goodness is to endeavor to save the world even at the sacrifice of those on your own side. This is the historical tradition. Therefore, unless we inherit such a tradition on this earth in this day and age and build a movement worldwide through sacrifice, we cannot show the direction toward the ideal. Henceforth, only an organization that teaches people around the globe to save the world by living for the sake of others, and promotes the principle of working to save the world, even if it means sacrificing oneself, will have authentic authority.
Let us think about the United States, which represents the democratic world. If the United States had stayed its course in giving assistance for the sake of the world, it would have remained a nation that is revered by the world. If it had continued its movement to love the world even more than its own people and nation, the United States would not be in the position in which it currently finds itself.
However, as a nation representing the democratic world, if the United States believes that historically there has never been a country that prospered by supporting other nations, and that it must follow that historical tradition, and it turns around and starts to prioritize itself before others, it will be isolated.
The United States today is placing its national interest ahead of that of the world and serving the people of America more than the people of the world. God’s vision is different. God is trying to save the world by mobilizing the United States. God is trying to have the United States go beyond itself and serve the world. Democratic nations cannot progress if they are divided amongst each other.
Only a united world can realize God’s ideal
A movement that teaches and practices the principle of serving the world more than its own nation or people, that is, a movement capable of loving God above all, will remain to the end. Therefore, the problem is finding that principle and multinational movement that can transcend the nation and lead us to the place where Heaven’s love and the love of the people of the world flow freely, beyond national borders.
If the Lord of the Second Advent is indeed coming, he does not come to save just one nation. He comes to save the world. When that time draws near, it will be the Last Days. Therefore, we conclude that the world will come to ruin unless we can love beyond our own nation, honor the people of Heaven, and establish a movement through which we can go beyond the nation and love God. This is the path of unity, the teaching that the world will need in the future.
Respecting this ideal, one’s skin color is not an issue. In this matter, one’s cultural background is not an issue. Our shared hope and purpose will be to love God and become one for the world that lives for the sake of God’s Will. When the world becomes one in this way, I believe that the ideal world desired by God and humankind will be realized. Therefore, the mission of the Unification Church is to teach the path for individuals to follow, the path for families, tribes, and peoples to follow, and the path for the nations and the world to follow.
In closing, please have faith that the ideal represented by the title of my speech, “The Ideal World for God and Humankind,” will be realized and that we are beginning the work to bring this about on the earth. Thank you.
FFWPU, USA