Address to International Leadership Conference in Asuncion, Paraguay, February 29, 2008
I have a big hope for Paraguay and for all Latin America. I am finding in this nation an encouraging desire to embrace a new frontier, to finish with the old ways, and to enter a new age. I believe that if the Western hemisphere can unite it will demonstrate to the world a model of equality, freedom, and dignity that come from God, our eternal Heavenly Father.
My parents were born in Korea, a nation devastated by war. When I was four years old, our family came to America. Ever since then, our whole family has been traveling to all six continents, sharing the vision of all humanity as one family under God. My father teaches that this vision is nothing less than the original dream and ideal of God Himself.
As I grew up in the United States, I came to realize that it is a country of great material abundance that has lost its internal direction. The American dream was not merely an economic or political vision , but the conviction of a nation that recognized God’s sovereignty and respected human rights as the common inheritance of mankind. The US Constitution says that true human rights do not come from human institutions. They are an inalienable right, an inheritance from our Heavenly Father. As such, they are above politics and worldly laws.
In times of trials and difficulties, that fundamental legacy gave the US direction and purpose. Whenever political, economic, or social changes shook the nation, it was able to stand firm and prosper because it had this immutable foundation.
As a Korean who adopted that nation as my own, I came to understand that anyone who aspires to build a world of true prosperity, peace, and human dignity first has to recognize God’s dignity, and make Him the center of their conversations.
In this time of global conflict, the vision of building one family under God is starting to resonate in hearts of people all over world. UPF has been working with many governments to present its character education curriculum, sharing this vision of peace. We are promoting a global awareness that the abundance in this world is not for a few, but for all the children of God.
This message is the same message taught by the son of a carpenter 2000 years ago, born in a world that had accepted slavery, did not recognize women’s rights, and lacked a concept of salvation for all. That carpenter’s son gave a message of hope that changed history. The father of the fundamental principles ingrained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is none other than that son of a carpenter 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ.
But somehow, humanity lost that dream and divided into factions. We are divided by political position, nationality, race, ethnic group, and sadly even by religion.
One person who listened to Jesus’ call to peace, who listened to the heart of our Heavenly Father, who wanted to see the human family united and the barriers broken was also the son of very humble parents, peasants living in the mountains of North Korea.
Even though most churches taught that God is omnipotent and omniscient, that young boy sensed that God as a Heavenly Father must be a suffering God. How could he be otherwise as he watched Koreans dominated by another nation, forbidden to speak their own language, and forbidden to practice their customs? On an Easter morning over 70 years ago in 1935, that young boy was praying and meditating, searching to liberate the suffering heart of God.
In prayer he received a revelation. He learned that God wanted to create a human family that would recognize His divinity and holiness, inherit that legacy, and become divine as well. People have had many dreams, but this dream was the biggest of all because it has been God’s dream from the very beginning of creation.
He realized that this dream had to be shared with the world. Of course there were many who said, “Who are you to have such a big dream and speak about these big things?” Yet that boy had made a promise to God that no matter which road he had to take, even if he was sent to prison (which in fact happened six times), he would be faithful to that dream of building one family under God.
On that foundation we are standing here today, and that boy is none other than my father, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
I believe that his dream is not just the dream of one man or one family but the dream of all humankind. I would like to challenge you to make that dream your own and become the agents of its realization. We are in a world of global crisis, but a bright light of hope can appear if we have a common vision and purpose based on common principles that come from our Heavenly Father.
My father’s dream and his life work is to build one family under God. If anyone here is ready to dedicate himself or herself to that vision and dream, great things will happen through that person and to this nation. That is why my father invested in this country many years ago, even though it is one of the poorest South American countries.
You have inspired us to announce plans for a Global Peace Festival in Paraguay. Let us work together in this new era of cooperation to promote a bright future for this country, starting with a festival that celebrates the vision of building a big family under God, one family at a time.
We invite you to share this vision among your contacts so it becomes a national effort that elevates Paraguay as a leading nation on this continent, demonstrating the true leadership spirit needed in this new millennium and bringing prosperity and hope to this region and to all mankind!
Address to participants in UPF’s Conference on Leadership and Good Governance, Asuncion, Paraguay, February 29, 2008.