The Search for Absolute Values and the Creation of the New World
Sun Myung Moon
Founder's Address
The Tenth International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences
November 9-13,1981
Sejong Cultural Center
Seoul, Korea
Honorable Chairman and committee chairmen, distinguished professors, and ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply grateful that you have come to Korea to attend the Tenth International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences.
Korea is my native country. Here in Korea you may find reminders of the sacrifices made by the sixteen nations that participated in the Korean War. As Korea is divided into North and South, it is a sorrowful country, but nevertheless it is a country of great significance. I sincerely hope that you will take a deep look at Korea and Asia and come to understand them well.
Below: Eugene P. Winger with Reverend Moon
Unity Between the Upper and Lower Classes of Human Society
There are many confrontations and struggles in human society today. Confrontations exist between what might be called the upper and lower classes of races, nations and societies, but the most serious problem of all is the confrontation between the upper and lower classes formed by the difference between wealth and poverty.
The human population in the northern hemisphere centers mostly on the white people and is estimated at about 800 million. This group may be considered the upper class of peoples of the world. On the other hand, in China, India and other Asian nations, there are 3 billion people who form a middle class of peoples. Finally, centering on the black and brown people, the 500 million of Africa, Central and South America, and Oceania form an economically poor, or lower class of peoples. This difference in economic wealth presents itself in today's world as a most serious problem, and it is repeatedly dealt with as the so-called North-South problem by a number of international organizations, including the United Nations.
The most probable way of solving this problem is to unite these upper and lower classes through the Asians who are between the white EuroAmerican societies and the black African societies. All the important issues of the twentieth century today must be solved on a worldwide scale.
In this aspect, the most important problem is how to motivate the people of the upper class to lower down their status of their own will. Since the beginning of history, mankind has sought to diminish this gap between the upper and lower classes.
Communism, for instance, is the strongest example of this trend. The ideal of communism is to eliminate exploitation between the classes in human societies and to construct a society without any classes. However, the biggest problem with communism is its atheism, and the fact that it seeks to create an ideal world on a foundation which denies God. It is also a problem that in practice under communism all things are carried out according to the private will of a few dictators.
To overcome these problems and to find a new solution we must go beyond humanism to which we held on tightly A new thought founded on a new Godism and a new central nucleus for such unity are necessary.
A central medium which enables the upper and the lower classes to unite in the middle is necessary. This is none other than religion.
Originally, religion is supposed to accomplish this function. Religion's purpose is the salvation of the world rather than just the salvation of individuals or families. In order to unite the upper, the middle and the lower classes, new religion, which serves as a nucleus for unity, is necessary.
Then what is the Unification Church? It is the new religion destined to carry out this historic mission. I have been pioneering the path for that purpose. It is a historical inevitability that people of all races want to meet me in that path.
Below: Rev. Moon, Bo Hi Pak, and S. A. Manson
The Position of the Korean Peninsula From the Standpoint of Civilization
The earth on which we live is divided into land and ocean. If we took at peninsulas geographically, we see that they are centrally located so as to connect land and ocean. Accordingly, since ancient times, peninsulas have always been significant locations for the formation of civilizations. The ancient civilizations of both Greece and Rome as well as the civilizations of Spain and Portugal all began and flourished on peninsulas. But today, a new worldwide civilization, combining the civilizations of the East and the West, must emerge. In Asia it is on the Korean peninsula that this is happening.
World civilization has developed as it has moved around the globe. First came the continental Egyptian civilization, then the peninsular Greek and Roman civilizations, then the island civilization of Britain, next the continental American civilization, and continuing westward across the Pacific, there is the island civilization of Japan, and now civilization is being extended to Asia so as to concentrate into an emerging Korean peninsular civilization. The civilization brought together here in Korea is one of high dimension, and it will play a central role in creating a new world.
Japan, an island country, allowed Western civilization to become established in Asia for the first time. The next age will be that of a peninsular civilization. The Korean peninsula is the place where the Eastern and Western civilizations are merging. As the historian Spengler pointed out, civilization, like the four seasons of a year, has repeated its rise and fall. Today, the age of the Atlantic civilization is passing, and the age of the Pacific civilization is emerging.
If we look at the situation around Korea, we see that Korea is located between the four great powers of the United States, Japan, China and the Soviet Union. The United States is currently expending great effort to counter the expansionist Soviet Union. In Europe, the Soviet Union occupies half of a divided Germany, and in Asia, it divided Korea into north and south, and it has kept the north within its range of control.
If one is to truly comprehend the situation of the world today, one must understand the situation of Korea, where God has a special will, and that within Korea everything exists in a condensed form. For example, democracy and communism, which are the main trends of thought in the present world, exist in Korea, and the four major religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Islam, also exist here on a high level. As I said earlier Korea is the connecting point of the Eastern and Western cultures, and the four greatest nations of the world are politically confronting each other centering on Korea. Everything exists symbolically within Korea itself. In God's dispensation, Korea is responsible to inevitably bring all of these aspects into unity.
In conclusion, Korea has to accomplish four great tasks centering on the Unification Movement. They are:
First, a unity of religions through an ecumenical movement;
Second, a unity of thought by overcoming materialistic communism through a "Victory over Communism" movement;
Third, a unity of culture by establishing a new lifestyle in which the cultures of the East and the West are combined; and
Fourth, a unity of economy through a new ideology.
With God's love of absolute value, we of the Unification Movement will love all the people of the world even more than our own parents and brothers and sisters, form the unified world and realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. With this, the creation of the new world which God and mankind have been longing for will have been completed. Only with God's love can there be true victory, true peace and true happiness forever.
Below: Morton A. Kaplan and Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon
The Future of Asia Centering on Korea
Korea is capable of bringing about unity in the four areas mentioned above through the Unification Movement. Of them the first three have already nearly reached completion. And we are now trying to accomplish the fourth and last point, the economic problem.
Korea is developing economically at a rapid pace. However, it still cannot be said that it has reached an advanced international level. Then how can this be accomplished? To accomplish this goal is also the mission of our Unification Movement. For this purpose, I intend to initiate cooperation between Germany's high standard of mechanical technology and the industry of Korea. Spiritually, Korea and the Unification Movement have already successfully linked Japan and the United States. The United States and Europe are already linked culturally.
God has especially blessed and helped Germany and Japan to recover economically after World War 11 in order to accomplish this dispensation. In particular, Japan has become a gigantic economic power. Even Germany has come to feel threatened by the economic success of Japan. The only way for Germany to protect itself is to join together with Korea and produce superior quality goods at reduced cost and market them in Japan and other places. Likewise, it should allow the Third World to participate in equal profit-sharing. Then, if Japan is included, the road of world economic unity will be opened.
It is primarily in Asia, centering on Korea, and not in Europe, that these four great powers confront one another. Because of this, America is obliged to pay attention to Asia, a continent greater than Europe. Considering this situation, Korea is a country which in all areas will play a basic role in determining the destiny of the confrontations between East and West, and North and South.
At this point, let us take a look at the practical possibility of this. Koreans have a strong sense of justice and are religious, and they display their capabilities in many different fields. If they come to a deadlock in any situation, they cope with it, or if necessary, they can change directions in a bold and courageous way with much adaptability. This trait is one of the outstanding characteristics of Koreans.
I was born among these Koreans, and the Unification Church has developed from such a background. We of the Unification Church believe that as the fruit of such a history, we are to accomplish the worldwide mission of bringing the upper and the lower class closer together centering upon the yellow people.
The Unification Church has sufficient religious content to fully accomplish this purpose. To accomplish this purpose I am determined to do my best in all fields of endeavor and in all regions of the world.
God's Love -- The Absolute Value
To bring unity between the people of the upper and lower classes, we must bring the people of the upper class to unite with those of the lower class and bring them up to the level of those of the upper class. In order to accomplish that, a central point of absolute value is necessary. That central point is God's love. Then what is God's love like? God's love can be with both the people of the uppermost class and the people of the lower class. God's love is never one-directional. It is a force which moves in a spherical motion. It can move around freely from the highest point to the lowest. Wherever God's love appears, it is welcomed by all, everywhere, and it creates harmony everywhere, at all times.
God's love always possesses absolute value whenever and wherever it may be. If we have God's love, we are happy; we feel tilled and secure. Though one may be in a position at the bottom, he can still love those who are on top and those in top positions can love those in the lowest positions. In this way God's love is infinitely free. The people who have God's love receive a great welcome wherever they go in the world. This is the reason why people follow Unification Church members willingly and wholeheartedly wherever they may be in the world.
The Unification Church has sought salvation in God's love. As soon as people come to realize that the new thought which the Unification Movement is introducing is far more outstanding than those of both communism and capitalism, and that the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is realized by the love of God, all people will be only too happy to accept it.
In reality, as long as the aggressive policy of the communists persists, world peace will never come about, nor will economic unity be possible. If Korea, the United States, Germany Japan and China become one, it would be possible to block the Soviet Union's global aggression. Of course China is at present a communist country, but in hope of modernizing in the fastest way, it wishes to maintain friendly relations with Japan, the United States and Germany. Because of its past experience in history, China will never want to be close to the Soviet Union, however.
In order to oppose the Soviet Union, the United States is compelled to strengthen its armaments, and it also wants to maintain close ties with Japan, Germany and China. But Japan is unwilling to strengthen militarily because of its past history and because of its internal situation.
On the other hand, in view of its situation today, Korea is very eager to strengthen its military defenses. The United States wants Korea to serve as the axis of defense against the Soviet Union, but Korea alone is too small. Thus the United States may want to have China join this axis of defense against the Soviet Union. China wants to develop its own heavy industry, but this will take some time as its foundation is too weak. Even though China wishes to import advanced technology from Germany and other industrialized nations, geographically it is too far away from them and its culture is very different from theirs; thus it is nearly impossible to do so.
However, a good opportunity for China lies in utilizing the three and a half million Korean residents who live in the northeastern part of China. Through them, Korean and German technology could be disseminated extensively Korean residents in Japan, the United States and China are connecting these three countries. For this reason, the Unification Movement intends to connect Korea and Germany.
China would not mind joining together with Korea which has never attacked any country throughout its entire history. Although Japan may not want to strengthen its own armaments, it has the technology and the capability to produce weapons, and it could produce them in China.
Here we arrive at one conclusion. If Korea together with the Unification Movement plays a role, the technologies of Japan, Germany and the United States could move into China, thereby helping strengthen the defense against the Soviet Union, and Korea could further link the highest technology to the third world, eventually leading to world peace. These countries will realize that is mutually profitable for all of them to join together with Korea as a mediator. The three Asian countries could form an economic alliance, with the United States and Germany connected to them at the same time.
By so doing, the road of defense as well as the road of victory over the communism of the Soviet Union would be paved. In this sense, Korea is becoming a new base for an East-West civilization, and it is emerging as the center of the Pacific civilization.
My Proposal
As a conclusion, I would like to make a proposal. It is to construct a "Great Asian Highway" zone which would run through China, Korea and Japan, and then eventually link the world by constructing a "Great Free World Highway" zone to connect the whole world. This highway would be a great international highway around which freedom is guaranteed, and it would go through mainland China, crossing the Korean peninsula from north to south to an underwater tunnel or bridge to Japan, and moving north through the entire Japanese islands.
If this highway were constructed, the three Asian countries would be linked through the highway, and they would become one. The economic and cultural exchange between them would be so frequent that it would literally enable them to form an Asian Common Community.
China would probably agree to this, and so would Japan. Korea would undoubtedly welcome it. The United States and Germany would also participate. If this plan is carried out according to the framework suggested here, free traffic would become possible among all the peoples of the Asian countries and as a result, North Korea would have to give up its ambition of aggression through military means. It would be forced to choose peaceful means for unification instead.
Thus, by uniting the Asians, it would eventually become possible to connect the upper and lower classes of the world with the yellow peoples serving as mediator.
In order to concretely realize such an ideal, the Korean residents now living in Japan, the United States and China could be connected to form a technological group. Then automatically the direction of Japan and the United States would also come into accord. Then, based on the new economic foundation, a highway which guarantees freedom could be developed worldwide.
Thus through completing the unrestricted Asian highway, and realizing the historically long cherished ideal of joining the upper and lower classes, a great migration of the yellow peoples will come about. With Asia as its starting point, by establishing a realistic unified economic sphere and connecting the East and West in a new civilization, the peace of the new world can be realized, centering on God's love which is the absolute value.
In this age of the transition of civilization when Western civilization joins that of the East, and prepares to meet the new Pacific civilization, I sincerely hope that all you distinguished participants from more than 100 countries of the world who are participating in this memorable International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences here in Korea, will have deep insight into these matters and will offer concrete cooperation regarding them.
Thank you very much.
Proposal
Today, all humanity is yearning to free itself from hunger, disease and war, and hoping for the ideal world overflowing with peace and happiness We simply cannot look upon this cherished desire of humanity as though it were a dream which can never be realized.
Burning within ourselves, each of us has a passionate desire to live in a unified world transcending nationalities. This inner cry is nothing other than the true ideal and heart of man, as well as God's heart and cherished desire.
As we close out the twentieth century, which has been trying and painful, and prepare to greet the twenty-first century, I feel that we have come to a point where in order to create a true culture, we need to leave behind us the pursuit of the national good of our respective countries, which only leads to enmity and struggle, and establish a global sense of values.
At the same time, when we reflect on whether we can maintain true peace for our own countries without the happiness and peace of our neighboring countries, we realize that world peace can be thought of only in the context of a love for all humanity which transcends nationality.
From this point of view, I believe that now is the time when new academic theories with respect to established social and economic structures need to be proposed.
Moreover, we need to establish a new international economic body so that we can avoid the extensive economic waste and loss of the past, and push forward a new land use plan from a "world and humanity" point of view in order to endow all humanity with the right to enjoy peace and happiness together. On this basis an ideal world can be established, eternal peace will be realized and people will be blessed with happy and affluent lives.
Toward realizing this ideal of "humanity as one family and all men as brothers," I propose the building of an International Highway which will link the countries of the East and West (see figure).
One plan would be to begin with a first stage connecting Japan, Korea and China which would pass through the Chinese mainland, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe as far as the Soviet Union. Eventually, such highways would connect all countries in the world in a direct course. Pneumatic tube systems could be established in the median strip to handle the shipment of freight (see detailed figures of pneumatic tube system), and in large cities, airports could be built adjacent to the highway Immigration checkpoints could be established at interchanges, and a simple and quick entry and exit system requiring no visa could be adopted.
At least one kilometer on both sides could be set aside as a neutral buffer zone. This zone would be established as an area transcending national boundaries, and rest areas could be created here for the people who will be using high speed automobiles (250 kph) and tour buses.
This proposal is a part of a concrete plan to realize the ideal world of the future as quickly as possible. Such a plan calls for the realization of Heaven on Earth by developing a network of high speed transportation which will bind the peoples of the world into one. It is a clarion call for scientists to contribute to the happiness of future humanity by developing the technology necessary to realize a world in which round-trip journeys to any part of the world can be completed within a day.
With the integration of the world's economics, tremendous economic progress will become possible and the people, who will all be leading affluent lives, will be able to devote much of their time to leisure. They will have time to understand nature and learn from it, to give thanks to God for its beauty, and to live for and love each other, transcending nationality. It is my conviction that such an ideal world in which all people enjoy true life will certainly come.
Such a world is the world of God's desire, the world which is consistent with the ideas of the Unification Principle, and the ideal world for which humanity yearns.
Resolution by Participants and Observers
Inspired by its Founder, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences has been striving to emphasize the moral and human factor in the application of our science and technology.
Since its humble beginnings up to the present, this Conference has also dedicated itself to establishing a forum for communication amongst the various social and natural sciences.
This is the first International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences to occur in Korea, the homeland of our Founder.
This gathering, which has included more than 1,000 observers and participants from 103 nations, marks the Tenth Anniversary of the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences.
Be It Resolved that first of all, we express our heartfelt appreciation and recognition to our Founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, whose vision and commitment have inspired this Conference; and
Be It Further Resolved that on this occasion, we scientists and scholars commit ourselves again to the common task of bettering the well-being of Mankind, regardless of race, sex, or religion; and
Be It Further Resolved that as an expression of our desire to end human suffering, we applaud the spirit of Reverend Moon's proposal, as outlined in his Founder's Address, that led to his conception of an international highway to link people together and to realize the future peace of the world.
