Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: Episode 361
Pyeong Hwa Gyeong: A Selection of True Parents’ Speeches
Book 9: The Role of Nations in Realizing World Peace
Speech 9: The Role of Island Nations in the Twenty-first Century, pg 1351-1354
The Role of Island Nations in the Twenty-first Century
June 16, 1996
Keio Plaza InterContinental Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Inaugural Convention of the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace (Given on True Father’s behalf)
Honorable guests from around the world, ladies and gentlemen who are gathered here to attend this global convention of the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace:
I am aware of your daily efforts toward the realization of world peace, for which I am sincerely grateful. I realize that this gathering presents the opportunity to further mobilize our intellect and deepen our friendship and understanding so that we can have the coming twenty-first century as a brilliant era of peace. For me there can be no greater joy than sharing our responsibility and mission, and making an unwavering determination among ourselves for the realization of world peace through this convention.
Allow me to begin, first of all, with my explanation of the history and background with which I have come to propose before you the establishment of an unfamiliar organization named the Federation of Island Nations for World Peace. When we look at the stream of development of civilization in human history, the ancient civilizations, which emerged in river valleys, passed to the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Rome and the Iberian Peninsula. Then civilization developed through the European continent, including Germany and France, and bore fruit as a Judeo-Christian culture in the form of the Atlantic civilization centered on Great Britain, an island nation. Afterward, civilization passed westward through the American continent, and presently we have the era of the Pacific Ocean centered on Japan, an island nation. This represents expansion of the Judeo-Christian civilization into Asia.
When we recognize this kind of movement of civilizations in light of God’s providence, we can see that the island nation that has been placed in the center of heavenly fortune today is none other than Japan. At the conclusion of the twentieth century, Japan has come to stand in the limelight of human history in God’s providence. Therefore, Japan’s current prosperity cannot be explained without considering her relationship to the Judeo-Christian providence of God. If Japan has a role in God’s plan, we need to pay attention to the providential mission Japan bears, because the purpose of God’s providence is the realization of world peace. World peace is the very hope for all humankind.
General characteristics of island nations
There can be no better hope for human society than if the island nations around the world get together here and commit themselves to a federation of nations for the creation of world peace. It is with this expectation and ideals that I established the Federation of Island Nations. I cannot but hope that world peace will be realized as the island nations all over the world inherit the heavenly fortune that God gave Japan, and form a group of nations dedicating their collective will to the pursuit of world peace.
What are the characteristics of island nations? The earth’s surface consists of land and ocean. Science today explains that the birth of the first life form took place in the realm of water, namely the ocean. This tells us that the ocean plays the role of mother who conceives and nurtures life. In this way, if the ocean can be regarded as symbolizing femininity, then the land may be considered as symbolizing masculinity.
Therefore, it can be said that island nations located in the ocean symbolize woman, and that continental nations and peninsular nations symbolize man. From a spiritual perspective, one might say that island nations have certain characteristics of woman, such as objectivity, dependability, nurturing, endurance and receptivity. On the other hand, continental nations may be seen as masculine, possessing such attributes as subjectivity, creativity and physical abundance.
Following this comparison, the role of an island nation may be described as identical to that of women in human society. Women get married and are traditionally expected to wholeheartedly love and serve their husbands. Women shine and blossom by means of building dynamic relationships of love with their spouse and giving birth to children. As mothers, women have the important responsibility of nourishing children, bringing them up and educating them to be wholesome and virtuous. We can say that island nations have similar roles to play.
History and the heart of God
Looking at the history of God’s providence of restoration, or salvation, we see the existence of central nations and a central religion that take responsibility for God’s providence. For example, in the Old Testament Age, Judaism and the Israelites took responsibility for God’s providence of salvation. In the New Testament Age, the bearer of the responsibility was Christianity, centered on Christians in the Western world. The core of Judeo-Christian teachings, which have been guiding the present civilization, is as follows: First, there is a God, a Creator. Second, the first human ancestors fell from grace by committing sin, and the Messiah is needed for the salvation from sin. Third, the sinful history of humankind will inevitably come to an end and the kingdom of God on earth will be built. Based on such a view of the providence of salvation, or restoration, the history of the people in the Old Testament Age unfolded based on the expectation of the coming of the Savior. Likewise, in the New Testament Age, the history of the Christians advanced centered on the hope and faith that the returning Lord would come to liquidate their sins and build the kingdom of God on earth.
God’s heart and God’s circumstances lie in the background of the providence of restoration. It follows that in order to fully understand God’s providence we must have eyes that can penetrate the signs manifested through the ages.
When World War II came to an end, Christianity worldwide was at an extremely important point in the history of God’s providence of salvation. Christian nations such as Great Britain, the United States and France were in the central positions of the providence at that time. In World Wars I and II, the three major Christian nations of Great Britain, the United States and France fought for democracy as the center of the allied nations.
It was God’s desire to see these three major Christian nations join their forces to practice God’s love in the service of humankind with a sacrificial and serving spirit to actualize world peace, without lapsing into nationalistic ideas centered on their countries. The end of World War II in 1945 saw the opportunity of providing lasting peace for humankind through the establishment of the United Nations. However, the historical reality was not the realization of world peace but the expansion of communism and the numerous conflicts that have come with it, as well as the spiritual decline and moral degradation of Christian nations. Humankind, which has endured the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union for more than forty years, is passing through a spiritual wilderness, which continues until the present.
FFWPU, USA