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H.J. Moon: A New Vision of Peace in Europe
Written by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Chair, Global Peace Festival
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Keynote Address given by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon at the Global Peace Festival in London, United Kingdom, November 22, 2008
Honored guests from around the world, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Global Peace Festival in Europe, celebrated here today in beautiful London, England! It is a privilege to be here at this exciting time when we all have new hope for peace.
Over the past two to three weeks, the eyes of the world have been focused on the results and aftermath of the presidential elections in the United States, hoping to witness the beginning of a new era and new policies that can bring about peace and prosperity for all people.
“Change, yes we can!” has become the slogan of not only a successful campaign but also a message of hope at a time of national and global crisis.
Of course, change for the sake of change is not enough. The goal and direction of that change is far more important. The Global Peace Festival is providing a new direction and opportunities for a growing international grassroots peace movement.
The need for a new vision
To articulate a meaningful vision for peace, we have to be bold and break new ground if we are to go beyond the failures of the past. We only need to look back at the last century to recognize the futility of trying to tackle the world’s problems through the same old military, economic, political and diplomatic solutions.
Of course, in Europe, much progress has indeed been made. War between Western European nations is today unthinkable. The abolition of most national border controls, the establishment of European courts and other institutions, and the creation of a single currency are important developments.
However, many are concerned that this movement toward unity is being accomplished at an unacceptable price, and that the cultural and spiritual traditions that have defined Europe for hundreds of years are being ignored or trampled in the name of progress.
Without a spiritual foundation, there cannot be real peace, universal human rights, or lasting union. That is why I believe that the vision of ‘One Family under God’ is so important for this age. Each member of the family of nations has a unique contribution to make for peace.
This ideal and vision goes all the way back to the very beginning of human history. Just as we have big aspirations and hopes for our children, God also great expectations for the human family. God wanted His children to create a family of true love, life, and lineage. Yet, this dream is unfulfilled and God has waits in sorrow for someone to realize His dream.
My father, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, has devoted his entire life to the fulfillment that ideal. To my father, the dream of building “One Family under God” is not just the dream of one man, one woman or one family but the dream of all humanity and, most of all, the dream of God.
The true family model for peace
Why is the family the cornerstone of peace? First and foremost, the family is universal. Regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, and religion 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, my brother, my sister, my son, or my daughter.”
Therefore, the family should be the school of love where we learn to love all humanity in its richness and diversity. Marriage and family are the fundamental building blocks of any society, but Britain, like the United States and much of Europe, is in danger of losing her most valuable institutions and traditions.
Divorce and family breakdown are at an all time high. The terms “husband” and “wife” have been replaced by the non-committal “partner.” Meanwhile, sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, even among the youngest teenagers.
An increasing number of youth are joining gangs in search of the love and support they cannot find at home.
Gang violence is the inevitable result, with the rise of violent attacks on young people — especially knife crimes — being reported even in the international media.
The social and economic cost of the breakdown of the family is staggering. Young people who cannot find love in the family do badly at school, are most susceptible to drugs, and are the most likely to enter destructive relationships.
The answers to all these problems do not lie in hiring more social workers, training more police, or building more prisons. We must make it our priority to support and invest in each and every family. We will create One Family Under God, one family at a time.
A new interfaith effort for peace
Another challenge facing this country, and indeed many European countries, is to integrate diverse religious and cultural traditions. It is encouraging that so many religions and faiths have found a home here on this island. Yet frequent tensions remain. The threat of terrorism is in the back of all our minds, and all faith communities are facing the same difficult challenges with their youth.
Just last week at the United Nations, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US President George Bush, and other international leaders met to discuss the urgency of a new interfaith effort to create peace.
The task of promoting interfaith understanding is an urgent priority for our world and an important goal of the Global Peace Festival.
The Universal Peace Federation is helping Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Middle East to rediscover their common heritage in Abraham.
Peaceful relations between faith traditions are not only about tolerating one another's prayers and rituals. A true interfaith experience is a celebration of the core principles that bind all people together as one family. We must learn from each other’s faith, not just about each other’s faith.
Before we call ourselves Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, or Jew, or see ourselves as black, white, or Asian, or identify ourselves as British, European or American, we are all the sons and daughters of God and members of his eternal family.
Building a culture of service
One of the best ways to move towards interfaith harmony is by working together in service for a common good. Building a culture of service is another core goal of the Global Peace Festival and a vital step for peace. There is something deeply spiritual in serving others. It is not something we should do for only a day, a month, or even a year. It has to become a way of life. When living for the sake of others becomes a habit, we come to see the true value God places on all human beings.
We are promoting a spirit of volunteerism and peaceful cooperation around the world. Communities and nations can be transformed through practicing the vision and the habit of living for the sake of others.
I’d like to see Britain, and indeed all European nations, build on these efforts and expand this grassroots movement to spread a culture of service. Taking this one step further, I’d like to see Europe’s community and volunteer partners joining with those of the United States and other countries to establish a Global Peace Corps.
Imagine young people from enemy nations working side by side in service. Any initial misunderstandings and suspicions would fade away as they sweat, cry, and laugh together with a common purpose and cause.
Call to action
As we celebrate the Global Peace Festival, we must renew the culture and traditions of Europe and expand her dreams of peace onto a global stage through the universal vision of “One Family under God.”
This should be the clarion call of our age! As my father said in a recent Peace Message, the time has come:
“to tear down the man-made walls of race, culture, religion and country, and establish the peaceful, ideal world of God’s cherished desire.”
The power of one human family united can quell the turmoil of conflict throughout the world. It can end the strife and poverty of Africa, the conflict in the Middle East, and the final remnant of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula.
As citizens of Europe and the world, let us make a solemn pledge to dream the greatest dream of all, to lead the world to peace at last through the vision of “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, in Britain, in Europe 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 family, and may God bless this great nation of Great Britain and all of Europe! Thank you very much!