Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 220
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 5: Absolute Values and New World Order
Speech 17: True Knowledge, True Family and World Peace, pg 792-795
True Knowledge, True Family and World Peace
August 22, 1995 Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel, Seoul, Korea
Twentieth International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences and Sixth International Congress of the Professors World Peace Academy
Respected scholars from 120 nations across the world, distinguished guests from home and abroad, and ladies and gentlemen:
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and I are delighted to welcome you to Seoul, Korea. You are gathered here to discuss the most serious problems our world faces today.
Development of science and the human crisis
The twentieth century has seen tremendous improvement in the conditions of human life, made possible through remarkable advances in science. However, it has also been a century of worldwide conflict and moral confusion.
The development of scientific knowledge and civilization has on the one hand allowed people to enjoy an abundant life. On the other hand it has resulted in such global problems as the abuse of nature, global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer. Serious problems have also arisen in relation to the human condition. Industrialization and modernization are destroying the family, and serious problems such as drugs, AIDS, violence and crime warn us that humankind is facing a crisis.
People have continued to pursue peace and happiness in many ways, but satisfaction remains elusive. World peace has not come even through the worldwide efforts of the League of Nations and the United Nations, established to prevent further conflict following the First and Second World Wars. Nor has a world of happiness been realized through the efforts of religious organizations. The ideals of international communism and the dreams of fascism have likewise failed to bring about an ideal world. Even the highest levels of technical skill and political effort have failed to bring peace and happiness to humankind.
Even now, tragic conflicts rage in many areas of the globe. A few recent examples include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya, Somalia and Laos.
Peace and human happiness depend on the moral and spiritual development of individual people. This is because a world or nation of peace is composed of individuals and families. Science and technical skills can be used for good—for the improvement of human life—only when they are utilized by good individuals.
Throughout history, the saints and great teachers have devoted themselves to guiding families, societies and nations toward a peaceful and happy world. But to take on the challenges of the twenty-first century, we need to go a step higher: we need true parents of humankind, true teachers and true owners who can raise impeccable leaders on the basis of morality and spirituality.
It is my absolute belief that, since God exists as the original embodiment of true love, He created this world and humankind to be the substantial object partners of His love and joy. God is the Parent of humankind. Human beings are God’s children. God, as the Parent, shares their joy and suffering. So God wants human beings to inherit true love.
God’s true love is the source of joy for humankind. Human beings are meant to become perfect through experiencing this true love—which happens through our life experience. The growth period for human beings on earth, then, is a precious time of experiencing this love, stage by stage.
Human beings come to know God’s love through stages of growth. First, they experience the heart of children; second, the heart of siblings; third, the heart of husband and wife; and fourth, the heart of parents.
The smallest unit in which God’s love can be realized is the family. Accordingly, the family is the foundation for human happiness, ideals and life. Throughout my life, therefore, I have taught the importance of the family and have held marriage Blessing ceremonies around the world for the sake of forming ideal families.
Today the world needs a model for an ideal society where people can peacefully coexist, embracing all nations, cultures and religions. In March and April of this year I issued the Sao Paulo Declaration and the New Hope Farm Declaration. With these, I initiated the establishment of a model society in Brazil and I will work toward its gradual expansion to other nations.
A community of true love and coexistence, mutual prosperity and universally shared values.
Representatives from forty nations have begun the task of building this model society. In a harmonious society, there is a balance in the quality of life among its citizens. Such co-prosperity develops naturally through love on the basis of mutual responsibility. There can be no crime, discrimination or corruption in an ideal family. The realization of this comes about only on the basis of the practice of true love. This is a historic movement of people with different nationalities, skin colors and traditions, with the goal of establishing communities of true love.
Our world today is facing a serious environmental crisis. Abusing the natural environment desecrates the beautiful and holy world God created. People who lack true love simply regard the natural world as something to be used for their own selfish purposes. A serious result of the Fall is that Adam and Eve could not inherit God’s true love and people could therefore not properly love each other—or love the animals, plants and the earth. All things of creation are longing for the true love of human beings. Therefore I would like to establish this model, ideal society in South America—a model demonstrating the right relationship of love between human beings and nature.
I am working toward the realization of a world with no starvation. In these days of scientific advancement, we cannot just be observers or remain indifferent when we see something so terrible as millions of people falling victim to famine. In the past twenty years, I have allocated tens of millions of dollars for the development of ocean-related enterprises, through which we have developed a high-protein fish powder. Through our International Relief Friendship Foundation, we are helping countries in areas of Africa and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the earnings generated from foodstuffs produced by our farms in Brazil and Argentina will be invested into solving the problem of starvation worldwide.
I have advocated the establishment of a society of coexistence, mutual prosperity and the common good. An ideal world means coexisting politically, prospering together economically, and creating an ethical society of goodness.
The essence of the ideology of coexistence is co-ownership based on God’s true love. By co-ownership I do not mean ownership merely in relation to material possessions but ownership based on God’s love. For example, in a family, which is the basic unit of a society of coexistence, even though all property is legally held in the parents’ names, in practice it is jointly owned by the whole family—parents and children alike—but each family member would have his or her own room, clothes and personal money. In this way joint ownership among family members is based on love and trust in the family, with individuals still responsible for their own property. Thus the purposes of the whole and the individual are harmonized. In a system of co-ownership, this ideal, love-based pattern of ownership in a family expands to the society, nation and world. This is the type of ownership that exists in an ideal society.
FFWPU, USA