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H.J. Moon: A New Vision of Peace in Malaysia
Written by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Co-Chairman, Universal Peace Federation
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 19, 2008
I love Malaysia! Each time I come here, I am deeply impressed at how this nation is becoming a model of interfaith peace and unity, with people of all religions, races and ethnicities living together as neighbors and as brothers and sisters.
Malaysia is truly a nation that loves God. When we visited the Putrajaya Mosque on Friday, I was inspired to learn how the government officials pause from their duties daily, and especially on Friday, to pray at the mosque.
Elsewhere, we saw preparations for the celebration of Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights, and we were reminded of your beautiful tradition of accepting all faiths, allowing all Malaysians to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.
Moreover, Malaysia has invited tens of thousands of students from all over the world to study here, many with generous scholarships. In this way, you are helping to create a new generation of peace builders who will play a central role in building a world of peace in this 21st century.
Young people like to dream big. Malaysia is young nation that is dreaming about becoming the world capital of peace. I have come here tonight to challenge you to dream the greatest dream of all, the dream of “One Family Under God.”
I think we can all agree that there is a long way to go if we are to truly realize this dream of peace. In recent weeks, financial chaos and economic uncertainty have been shaking almost every nation of the world.
Every nation also faces persistent problems of crime, unemployment, AIDS, poverty, family breakdown, and youth problems. On top of all that, there are record numbers of wars and regional conflicts that continue to plague the human family.
Recently, the United Nations released a very pessimistic report stating that progress towards the Millennium Development Goals is way off track. No wonder it sometimes seems that our world is actually further away from peace than ever before!
One thing is clear: if there is to be any change, the world undeniably needs a new vision of peace for the 21st century. Moreover, unlike the secular thinking of our recent past, it should be a spiritual vision, rooted in universal values.
We only need to look back to the last century to recognize the futility of tackling the world’s problems through the same old military, economic, political, diplomatic, and scientific solutions. Dealing with only the symptoms of global crisis and conflict and ignoring the root cause will not work.
We must be bold and break new ground in our search for peace and prosperity, if we are to really go beyond the failures of our past. Today, therefore, I want to share a new vision of lasting peace for Malaysia and for all nations.
That vision is “One Family under God!”
The one who has taken on the mantle to champion this vision around the world is none other than my father, the Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon. He has devoted his entire life and all his resources to the fulfillment of that dream. The dream to build “One Family Under God” is not the dream of just one man, woman or family but belongs to all humanity and, most of all, to God.
As my father explained in a recent Peace Message, "God, the Creator of all things under the sun, is the true parent of all humanity. He is not a parent in the parochial sense, existing only for a certain religion, a certain race, or the residents of a certain region. You may call Him by any name, be it Allah, Jehovah, God, Heaven or any other. What is important is that He certainly exists and lives as the creator and true parent of all mankind."
A True Family Is the Model for Peace
Why is the family the fundamental building block for peace? First and foremost, the family is universal. Regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, and religious affiliations, we are all members of families.
Secondly, the family represents the most intimate of human relationships. We use familial terms to describe the closeness of any relationship, saying “that person is like my father, like my mother, like my brother, like my sister, like my son and like my daughter.”
Most importantly, the family is the school of love. I believe that the three-generational model of grandparents, parents, and children is the paragon of family virtue.
Those generations represent the past, present, and future living in harmony in one family, setting the basis of establishing everlasting peace centered upon true love.
Before we call ourselves Muslim, Christian, or Hindu, before we see ourselves as Black, White, or Asian, before we identify ourselves as Malaysian, Chinese, or Korean, we are first and foremost brothers and sisters and members of God’s eternal family.
The dream of creating “One Family under God” can only be realized by uplifting all families beyond race, nationality or creed.
If Malaysia could own this vision of “One Family under God” it could inspire the entire continent of Asia, and even the world, to look beyond its narrow interests and recognize its common heritage and, thereby, its common future. Will you take on this challenge? Yes or no?
A New Culture of Service and Peace
Creating a culture of service is a necessary step for peace. The Global Peace Festival has created a new spirit of volunteerism around the world.
- In Paraguay, more than 10,000 high school and college students spent weeks cleaning almost every park in the capital city of Asunción.
- In Kenya more than 70,000 volunteers helped clean the polluted banks of the Nairobi River.
- In Mongolia, volunteers from Service for Peace and a dozen other agencies are working to make the city of Ulaanbaatar a place of beauty and harmony for all its residents.
- At the Global Peace Festival in Washington, DC, the GPF worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Points of Light Institute, and many local charities to hold a food drive to feed the hungry in the America’s capital.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with some of the thousands of young people who have been offering sacrificial service right here in Malaysia. I’d like to say a special thank you to the many organizations and dedicated individuals who have worked so hard to make this Global Peace Festival possible.
In particular I’d like to acknowledge the contribution of the Ministry of Unity, Arts, Culture and Heritage, the United Nations Association of Malaysia, and the men and women of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
To all those you who participated in the “Power of 10 Sen” campaign and in many other acts of service and kindness, I want to say a heartfelt “thank you!”
I’d like to see Malaysia’s volunteers and service partners joining with other nations to establish a Global Peace Corps. Imagine if young people from enemy nations worked side by side in service with the heart of “living for the sake of others”? Any misunderstandings and hatred that existed would fade away as they sweat, cry and laugh together with a common vision to build “One Family under God.”
Working for Religious Reconciliation
Another important goal of the Global Peace Festival is to celebrate the common universal values shared by all faiths.
Religious and spiritual leaders must lead the peace process. Instead of advocating their own narrow doctrinal perspective, they need to lead all people of faith to recognize the shared values and principles that come from our common heritage in one God.
I would like to suggest that Malaysia second the motion that my father made in the United Nations to establish an Interreligious Council of faith leaders, similar to the UN Security Council. This new UN council could be the forum for all faiths to find common ground and lead the peace process.
In addition, I believe the United Nations itself needs to recognize the centrality and sovereignty of God in its discussions on human rights and peace. Without a spiritual precedent rooted in our common heritage, fundamental human rights will continue to be abused.
Let us, therefore, be bold tonight and dare to dream big! The greatest dream of all is “One Family under God.” It should be the clarion call for our age.
The power of one human family united can quell the turmoil of conflict throughout the world – from the conflict in the Middle East, to the final remnant of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula, to the poverty and disease of Africa, and to the civil, ethnic and national strife of Eurasia.
As we stand under the steadfast gaze of our ancestors, let us make a solemn pledge to lead the world to peace by realizing the dream to create “One Family under God.”
Then, as surely as light overcomes the darkness, an era of peace and prosperity will emerge from the depths of distrust and hatred both at home and in the far corners of our world.
Together, we can dare to dream the greatest dream of all! Let us own the dream to create “One Family under God.”
May God bless you and your families, this great nation of Malaysia and all the nations represented here at the Global Peace Festival!
Terima Kasay! Thank you very much!