Master of the Seas and the Future of the World

History has shown that the country that controls the seas
will become a world leader. Consider Britain. It was once
invaded by the Vikings from Norway and Sweden. In the
sixteenth century, soon after she was crowned, Queen Elizabeth I realized that if Britain didn’t have control of the sea it could lose everything. She strengthened her country’s maritime policy, and through her dedicated effort Britain became a powerful maritime country. She mobilized capital and technology to have strong ships built, manned the ships with brave sailors, and sent them out to sea. They did not know what was waiting for them beyond the seas, but they risked their lives to go. As a result, Britain, a small island nation in the Atlantic, came to possess colonies on all the continents and oceans and built an empire.
Western civilization centering on Britain saw tremendous development in science and technology. With the aid of the compass, British ships journeyed to many different places in the world. The country’s highly developed material knowledge and technology gave it abilities with which it sought to conquer the entire world. Korea, and most of the rest of the East, has taken a different approach.
The Eastern world does not discard the spirit in the pursuit of the material.
If there is a conflict between the material and the spiritual, the East
would rather discard the material. So generally speaking, life in the East
has been more difficult than in the West because it is less materially
developed. In the West, however, spirit will not be dominated by the
material forever. As a totally materialistic civilization brings degradation,
the opportunity presents itself to learn from the more spiritually
oriented East.
Civilization developed from Egypt to Greece and Rome to Britain
and the United States and is now moving toward the Pacific region
surrounding the Korean peninsula. The era of a Pacific civilization is
opening, bringing together Western science and Eastern spirituality.
The leaders in this new era will be nations like Korea and its Asian
neighbors. It is not by mere coincidence that Korea and Japan have been
able to rise to international prominence in a short time. This development
was a historical inevitability pointing to the Asian era.
The United States and Russia, however, will not stand by and
watch as our country rises to a leadership role in the world. It is
possible that there could be a major conflict involving the United
States, Japan, Russia, and China in the vicinity of Korea. We must
prepare for this contingency in two ways.
First, we must create a strong bond between Japan and the
United States and link this to Russia and China so as to protect
Korea. How can we do this? With a philosophy and a heart that
create oneness. The only philosophy that can prevent wars between
religions and open a path to a peaceful world is one that
proclaims that humanity is one, transcendent of race, nationality,
and religion. To protect itself from the dangers of war, Korea
must plant a philosophy of oneness in the world.
The second thing we must do is prepare ourselves for the new oceanic
era. The Pacific era is at hand. Anyone who cannot rule the ocean cannot
become a leader in the Pacific age. If heavenly fortune comes and
we are not prepared, we cannot take advantage of the opportunity. If we
know that an oceanic era is about to begin and Korea wants to be the
leader of that era, then Korea must make the necessary preparations.
There are more resources than fish in the ocean. A greater treasure
is its ability to provide energy. As crude oil reserves decrease, a sense
of crisis over sources of energy is growing day by day. If the world runs
out of oil, human civilization will immediately find itself in the dark.
There is an effort to develop alternative energy from corn, but this does
not seem realistic when there is not enough food being distributed to
feed the world’s population as it is. The true alternative energy source
is the ocean. Energy from the hydrogen in the sea represents the future
of humanity.
Two-thirds of the earth’s surface is water. This means that two-thirds
of the raw materials that humanity needs for the future are contained in
the ocean. A new future for humanity cannot be accomplished without
the ocean’s resources. Developed countries are already extracting oil
and natural gas from the ocean and selling it at high prices. The world
has only begun to discover the resources in the ocean. The day is at
hand when humanity will find itself dependent on the ocean.
The oceanic era will not begin without human effort. We must first
go out into the oceans. We must go out on boats and fight the waves.
Without such courage we cannot prepare ourselves for the oceanic age.
The country that conquers the oceans will become a dominant power
in the world and find the world eager to study its culture and language.
Korea must become the champion steward of the Pacific Ocean. It must
understand the will of the Creator and manage His resources well.

Cultural Projects Express God’s Creativity

sports
In 1988, Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics. I saw this as a potential
festival of peace in my own backyard and had many of our
members from around the world come to Seoul for the event. The
members helped guide the international athletes and officials, cheered
the athletes, served them food, and presented them with mementos
of their visit to Korea. Since China and the Soviet Union were both
participants in the Games, I saw it as an event that could critically alter
the Cold War era. Seeing the Olympic Games as a festival of peace gave
it the potential to create harmony between the communist bloc and
the free world. On the day of the opening ceremony I sat in the general
seating area of Jamsil Main Stadium and watched with great joy.
After the Olympics, I carried on the energy of the Games by founding
the Ilhwa Chunma professional soccer team. The Ilhwa team has
won several championships and built up a strong fan base. We have
since founded the soccer teams Clube Atlético Sorocaba and Centro Esportivo
Nova Esperança (CENE) in Brazil, the home of samba football,
and continue to operate them today. The reason I chose to create soccer
teams is that I enjoy the sport. I have enjoyed sports since I was young,
and for a time I did some boxing and some traditional martial arts. Soccer,
however, is the one sport that I continue to enjoy into my old age. In
my school days I used to run around the schoolyard diligently kicking
the ball, but now I enjoy watching it. When the World Cup was held in
Seoul, I had three television sets set up side by side so that I could watch
all the games. I never missed a game that Korea played.
Soccer is a microcosm of life. No matter how well I might dribble the
ball down the field, if someone from the opposing team who is faster
and more skilled comes along and steals the ball away from me, then
in an instant everything I did until then is for nothing. Also, even if
I might dribble all the way down the field and take a shot at the goal,
if the ball hits the goalpost and bounces back, that’s the end. It’s up to
me to dribble the ball, but it takes more than one person to get the ball
into the goal. I need a teammate like Ji Sung Park, who will assist me at
the critical moment, or someone like Young Pyo Lee, who will adroitly
draw the other team away from me.
The most important person on the team is the manager, who watches
over the entire team from the sidelines. The manager doesn’t run or
score goals, but his power is greater than that of all the players put
together. Similar to a manager who sees things that the players cannot
see and gives signals, God sees things that we cannot see and gives us
signs. If the players follow the manager’s signs well, they will almost
always win. But if the manager sends signs and foolish players either
don’t understand them or ignore them and play according to their own
thinking, the team can only lose.
Soccer is a sport where competition takes place and someone wins or
loses, but it also has the potential for significantly influencing countries
and increasing their cooperation toward peace. I was told that twice as
many people watched the World Cup as watched the Olympics. This
provides an idea of how many people around the world love soccer.
Therefore, just like the Olympics, it has the power to become a force for
harmony between countries, races, religions, and cultures. I see soccer
and peace among countries as potentially powerful partners.
Pelé, who was appointed as Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport
in 1995, once visited Korea and spent time in the Hannam Dong neighborhood
of Seoul. People remember him as the greatest soccer player
in the world, but the Pelé I met was a peace activist. He wanted to bring
world peace through soccer. When I met him, he laughed as he told
me the story of a game in Africa. He said, “I once played in Gabon in
Africa, but the country was at war then. How do you think we were able
play in a place where bombs were exploding all around? Thankfully,
there was a cease-fire during the time that we played. That’s when I
realized deeply that football was more than just a sport where we kick
a ball around. Football is a means shared by all people in the world
for creating world peace. After that, I decided that I had to carry out a
movement for world peace through football.”
I was so impressed with Pelé in that moment that I firmly grasped his
hand. We live in a competitive society where there is a great deal of stress.
Stress creates tension in our lives and takes away our peace of mind. When
stress accumulates, people can become irritated and sometimes fight each
other. Sports and the arts are examples of things that help us to lower our
levels of stress. These things help us to vent our pent-up urges and bring
humanity together. The reason for my devotion to soccer teams, symphony
orchestras, and ballet companies is that these activities are a means to bring
world peace. Pelé understands this kind of thinking.
Finding ourselves in agreement, Pelé and I created a new competition
of international dimensions called Peace Cup, and tournaments
have been held every two years since 2003. We brought famous soccer
teams from around the world to Korea. A corresponding women’s
tournament called the Peace Queen Cup is held in alternate years. In
the summer of 2009 we held the first men’s tournament outside Korea.
The 2009 competition was held in Spain’s Andalusia region. All profits
from the tournaments are used to support soccer events for children
and youth in developing countries. In particular, we use soccer to help
children with physical disabilities keep their dreams alive.
Working with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
the U.N. refugee agency, we held a soccer tournament for young people
in Liberia. This is a country where fifteen years of tribal warfare has
left its people exhausted. It receives special protection from the United
Nations because of its precipitous drop in population. The children of
this war-torn country gathered together to play soccer and sing songs
of peace. In the process of kicking the ball around, they were learning
skills of teamwork and fair play that are necessary for bringing harmony
between tribes.
The Peace Cup organization also has a goal of building a peace
stadium in the Israel–Palestine–Jordan region, as close as possible to
the Israel–Palestine border. The stadium would be freely available to
all as a peace-building venture. We want to bring famous coaches from
Europe and start a soccer academy for the children in the region. The
adults may want to point guns at each other, but the children will want
to come to the soccer stadium and kick the ball around. People say it is
unrealistic and shake their heads, but we will do this. Already a member
of the Israeli cabinet has said the stadium should be built in the Israeli
area, and a member of the Palestinian cabinet says it should be in the
Palestinian area. I am determined, however, to build it in a way that
connects the two sides. I am not one to be pressured into giving up my
dreams. I have a bullheaded strength of will that I use to pursue dreams
that will lead to a world of peace.
arts
The creation of our ballet company is a perfect example of the same
strength of will. People said it couldn’t be done. We established the Universal
Ballet in 1984. Today more people in Korea are enjoying ballet
than ever before. When we first created our ballet company, Korea was
like a barren wasteland as far as ballet was concerned. Korea now even
has its own world-renowned ballerinas.
Every time I watch ballet, I feel that this must be what art in the
Heavenly Kingdom is like. When a ballerina stands on her toes and
holds her head toward the heavens, this stance strikes me as a perfect
pose for the way we should hold God in awe. It has the look of ardent
desire. In ballet, human beings can use the beautiful body given to them
by God to express their love for Him. It is the highest form of art.
The Universal Ballet began by performing Swan Lake and the Nutcracker
Suite. It has added Don Quixote, Giselle, and its own original
creations Shim Chung and The Love of Chunhyang. It has developed
to the point of being internationally acclaimed. The Universal Ballet
receives invitations from the world’s most famous venues. Its dancers
are credited with adding a uniquely Korean beauty to the energetic
moves of Western ballet. They are praised for the way they harmonize
Eastern and Western styles in their performances. The Universal Ballet
has an academy in Washington, D.C. I also created the New York City
Symphony Orchestra and the New Hope Singers.
The arts enable humankind to reflect the high ideals embodied in
God’s own creative work. God poured His entire heart into human beings
and the world He created, just as artists invest their entire being
into their works. The Book of Genesis makes it seem as though things
came into being simply by God speaking a word, but that is absolutely
not how it was. God invested all His energy into creating the waters and
the land. In the same way, the movements of the ballerinas onstage are
fruits of the creative process that require total investment.
The same thing can be said about soccer. A successful soccer team
will invest its full energies into a ninety-minute game. In making a
single run for the goal, a player will invest every bit of energy that he
can call up, as if his life depended on it. This is similar to what God went
through as He created the world. To pour out everything we have, to
offer ourselves up completely for the sake of one moment in time—this
is how greatness is achieved and how humankind comes to resemble
God.

The Ultimate Purpose of Twenty-first-Century Religion

The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change.
More happened in that hundred-year period than during
the past two thousand years. It was the century when there
were two world wars and when communism rose to great strength
and then disappeared. It was also the century when humanity turned
its back on God and buried itself in material things. What about
the twenty-first century, then? Some say that advances in science have
proven that many religious beliefs are mere superstition and irrelevant
to the modern world. I contend, however, that the role of religion will
always be relevant as long as the spiritual aspect of human beings remains
a reality and a world of peace has not been established.
What is the purpose of religion? It is to bring about God’s
ideal world. The reason religions evangelize is because they
desire to increase the number of citizens under God’s sovereignty.
If everyone were to live under God’s sovereignty, we
would have a world of peace where there would be no war
or division. The ultimate destination of the path followed by
religions should be peace.
God created this world out of a desire for love and peace. If we create
division by insisting that our own religion is the only path to salvation,
we go against God’s desire. God wants everyone in the world to
work hard for peace, reconciliation, and coexistence. If people say
that coming to church creates division in their family, then I do not
hesitate to tell them that they should put their family first. Religion
is only a means to bring about God’s perfect world; it is not an end
in itself.
Humankind’s destiny is to bring together all the points of view that
are now divided against each other. The philosophy that will lead humanity
in the future must be able to bring together all religions and
philosophies. The days have ended when one country stands at the
forefront and leads humanity. The era of nationalism has also ended.
If we continue the era of people congregating together only by religion
or race, then humanity cannot avoid a repetition of war. The age
of peace absolutely cannot come unless we transcend cultural customs
and traditions. No ideology, philosophy, or religion that has influenced
humanity in the past is capable of bringing about the peace and unification
that is needed for the future. We need a new ideology and philosophy
that goes beyond Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. For my entire
life, I have called on people until my voice is hoarse to transcend their
religious factions and even their religions.
There are more than two hundred countries in the world, and each has
its own national borders. A border separates one country from another,
but countries separated by borders cannot endure eternally. Only religion
can overcome national borders. However, religions that should be bringing
people together have instead divided themselves into many factions that
are busy fighting each other. They have fallen into a selfish thought process
that puts their religion or faction first. They are oblivious to the fact that the
world has changed and a new era of selflessness has dawned.
It will not be easy to tear down the religious walls that have stood
for thousands of years, but these walls must come down if we are to
advance into a world of peace. Religions and their factions must stop
their meaningless fighting, find a middle ground for their differing
opinions, and develop concrete ways to advance the world of peace.
For humanity to be happy in the future, material affluence alone will
not be sufficient. It is urgent that the struggles of modern ideologies,
cultures, and races be overcome through interreligious understanding
and spiritual harmony.
All my life I have made the following appeals to the wide variety of
religious people I have met around the world: First, respect the traditions
of other religions and do everything you can to prevent conflict
and discord among religions. Second, all religious communities should
cooperate with each other to serve the world. Third, the leaders of all
religions should work together to develop a structure that will let us
accomplish our mutual mission of establishing world peace.
The right eye is there for the left eye, and the left for the sake of the
right. The two eyes together exist for the sake of the whole body. The
same can be said for every other part of the body. Nothing exists for its
own sake. Religion, too, does not exist for its own sake but for the sake
of love and peace. Once world peace is accomplished, there will be no
further need for religion. The ultimate purpose of religion is to bring
about the reality of a human community filled with love and peace. This
is God’s Will.
It is not easy to create an environment where people’s hearts are filled
with a craving for peace. Continuous education is the only solution.
This is the reason that I devote myself to projects in the field of education.
We founded the Sunhwa Arts School even before our church had
developed enough to stand on its own.
A school is a holy place where truth is taught. What are the most
important truths that should be taught in school? The first is to know
God and recognize His existence in the world around us. The second is
to know the fundamental origin of human beings, our responsibilities,
and how to fulfill our responsibilities for the sake of the world. The third
is to realize the purpose for the existence of human beings and to then
create an ideal world for that existence. These things can be understood
only after they have been taught with sincerity and dedication over a
long period.
Education today is focused on creating a winner-take-all society
where those who finish first are rewarded with a monopoly on happiness.
This is not the right way to educate children. Education must be
a means for creating a world where all humanity can live well together.
The philosophies and methods of education that have dominated us until
now must be changed to ones that let us advance toward humanity’s
common goals. If the United States were to educate only for the sake of
the United States, and Britain only for sake of Britain, then humanity’s
future would be dark.
Educators must not teach how to live selfishly but instead impart the
wisdom needed to resolve the myriad social problems we face today.
The role of religious scholars is even more important. Religious scholars
do not need to be teaching complex theories and the superiority of their
own religions. Instead, they need to give their students the wisdom
to love humanity and build a world of peace. They need to teach the
principle of selflessness. We cannot expect a future of happiness for
humanity if scholars do not take the lead in teaching our descendants
the principles of peace. Humanity is one brotherhood and sisterhood,
and the world is one family.
The most important wisdom needed by humankind comes from
knowing God’s heart and His ideal. For this reason, the role of religion
continues to be important, especially in the twenty-first century, when
science and technology seem to be replacing the role of religion in
understanding how the universe operates. Religions around the world
must understand the destination of the human journey and immediately
cease all major and minor struggles. They should not be fighting for the
purpose of protecting their own honor. Religions must pool their wisdom
and combine their energies and work diligently to build the ideal
world. They must forget the past struggles filled with hatred and work
out peaceful solutions. No matter how much we have done for world
peace, there is always more to be done. Religious people, whose mission
is to lead humanity into the ideal world, must not forget for a moment
that truly their only mission is to be apostles of peace.

From Suffering and Tears to Peace and Love

There is deep meaning in the tragic history that the Korean
people have experienced up to this point. Korea has suffered
a great deal because it is destined to become the foundation
from which world peace will emerge. Because it has endured suffering
and difficulty for such a long time, Korea can now become the central
nation from which God brings peace to the world. Even though Koreans
have experienced countless hardships, we have never made anyone our
enemy or hated anyone. Several of our neighbors have caused difficulty
for us, but we have never made them our irreconcilable enemies.
The Korean people have developed a culture of heart that enables us
to forgive our enemies. It takes mastery over oneself to love and accept
an enemy. The ability to love one’s enemy comes only after an individual
is victorious over his own internal conflicts.
People who are persecuted are the closest to God. To understand
God’s heart, one must experience His tearful heart. Even a person
who normally would not shed tears will do so if he loses his family
and his country. He would desperately plead with God in tears. Suffering
difficulties causes one to have a heart that sheds tears and cries,
but it is through this type of heart that one can receive God’s blessing.
God comes to a heart that is soaked with tears. Korea has become a land
of heavenly fortune because so many tears have been shed within the
hearts of its people.
Korean people honor their ancestors. No matter how hungry we may
be, we will never sell the land where our ancestors are buried in order
to buy food. Historically we have maintained a way of thinking that
respects Heaven. We are a modern, civilized nation that still honors the
world of the spirit. When we accepted Buddhism and Confucianism,
they gave rise to a beautiful religious culture. More recently Christian
and Muslim traditions have begun to thrive here as well. All these
religions live without conflict within Korea. They blend together and
coexist peacefully. What is it that has made us such a unique people?
From ancient times we have always had religious minds, and our
hearts have always been open to receive the word of God. In addition,
Koreans have always placed a high priority on education and
excellence. As a result the Korean language and the Hangeul alphabet
are considered treasures handed down by Heaven. Our language
is rich with adjectives and adverbs that can be used to express the
human heart.
I love the Hangeul alphabet that we use. I am very fond of the term
Hunminjeongeum, the original name of the Hangeul alphabet. It means
“correct sounds for the instruction of the people.” It has such a beautiful
meaning. The excellence of Hangeul has survived for centuries and
continues to contribute beauty to human communication, even in this
digital age. To me it is truly amazing that through a simple combination
of consonants and vowels humans can communicate and even imitate
For the past thirty years, I have been telling the members of our
church in other countries to prepare for the future by learning Korean.
Recently, the term hallyu, or “Korean wave,” was coined in China by
journalists to describe the rapid spread of Korean popular culture
throughout Asia. The popularity of Korean pop music, TV dramas, and
movies has generated a large increase in the number of people learning
the Korean language. There are now many people in Japan, Mongolia,
Vietnam, and even Africa who can speak Korean. This is certainly not a
coincidence. The soul dwells within language. The reason the Japanese
tried so hard to eliminate the Korean language during their forced occupation
was to destroy the soul of the Korean people. The fact that
many people around the world now speak Korean means that the heart
and soul of the Korean people are thriving in today’s world. It is because
of heavenly fortune that Korea’s cultural influence continues to grow.
The Korean people never want to burden others. When I was in America,
I saw the stubborn character of Korean people. The United States is a country
that has many types of social safety nets, but Koreans almost never want to take
advantage of these. Rather than relying on the support of the government, they
find ways to earn money in order to raise their children and take care of their older
parents. This is how Koreans show self-reliance. I also see this in the missionaries
that we have sent across the world. They don’t fear going to a country they know
little about. This is true not only for missionaries but also for businessmen. Once
they are given a mission, no matter where that mission may take them in the
world, they drop everything and go. They are not indecisive or reluctant.
Koreans have such an enterprising spirit that they can go anywhere in
the world and live a productive life. Our suffering history has taught us
that no obstacle is too great. We have learned to face the worst kinds of
situations and overcome them.
When there is a neighborhood celebration, people compete for the
best spot to view the celebration. This is a very self-centered kind of
behavior. The person who quietly sits down in the worst seat will be the
leader of the coming age. Anyone who worries first about putting food
in his own mouth will be a failure in the coming age. Even if we are
going to eat only one spoonful, we must think of others first. If we are
to receive the heavenly fortune that is coming to the Korean peninsula,
then we must be aware in the deepest part of our hearts that “others” are
more valuable than “myself.”
In the past, everything we loved was taken away from us. During
Japan’s forced occupation, our country was taken away. Our country
was split in two, and we were forcibly separated from our loving parents
and siblings. So Korea became a land of tears. Now, however, we must
cry for the world. From now on, rather than shedding tears for ourselves,
we must shed tears more sincerely and more desperately for the
sake of the world. This is what we must do on the Korean peninsula if
we want to continue to receive heavenly fortune. When we do this, the
heavenly fortune on the Korean peninsula will then spread out to the
world. Korean people have a great opportunity to be at the center of an
era of world peace.