FOLLOW US
P. Aguayo: To Change the World, We Must First Change Ourselves
Written by Pedro Aguayo Cubillo, Former Vice President, Ecuador
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Remarks given at the Universal Peace Federation conference on
“The Significance of Marriage and Family for Peace in the 21st Century”
Seoul, Korea, October 12-16, 2009
The presentations during the International Leadership Conference in Korea and the World Peace Blessing demonstrate the seriousness, respect, and yearning that the Universal Peace Federation has to unify individuals, families, institutions, religions, and governments in the quest for peace.
In order to change the world, we must first change ourselves and then others.
We have the mission to preserve our lineage and achieve sustainable development in order to secure the needs of future generations. In an atmosphere of peace, cooperation, and justice, we aspire towards fulfillment in our spiritual life.
In order to preserve our lineage, men and women must unite physically as well as spiritually so that, through their children, they can dream and work for a new environment of justice and cooperation, according to the original social institution which is the family with husband and wife united in holy matrimony.
The family, with its virtuous give and take of love between the husband and wife, parents and children, and among siblings, transcends time — past, present, and future generations. This vast congregation of such families will transform the world.
Let us recall the words of the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon: “Nothing can compare with the value of true love. It has the power to tear down man-made barriers, including national boundaries and those created by race or religion. Love is absolute, unique, unchanging, and eternal.”
This conference and the World Peace Blessing brought together representatives of all creeds, races, and people, as well as thousands of couples eager to unite through marriage in “One Global Family Under God” and live according to universal principles. We affirm that the road is full of much suffering but it leads us to the world of peace, which all of us long for.