Did you have a good
Thanksgiving? (Last Thursday 23 November was
Thanksgiving Day in the US) It’s a turkey day
right? I don’t know if it’s for purely being thankful.
(Laughter) When you talk about indemnity that’s
kind of a heavy topic isn’t it? But should it be?
In the beginning God expected us to be
something. He had a vision. He had the ultimate divine vision, the purpose
of creation, and in that light we had a crucial role to play.
Just based on that reality alone, that’s
something significant. That should be something that we should all
celebrate, that possibility in itself. Whether it happened or whether it
didn’t happen, whether we’re still struggling to make it happen, that’s an
afterthought, because hindsight is always 20/20 right?
It gives us something to try to strive
for, to achieve that ultimate, the vision of God. We all have that and we
all dream that we’d like to see ourselves living in a world where there’s no
wars and you can trust somebody even if you never met somebody in your life
you just walk up and shake your hand and somehow that alone can have a
lasting relationship.
Because even in a personal relationship,
if you try to build or even contemplate about making a true relationship, an
ideal relationship, it takes a lifetime. You can’t really say to yourself
that I can know somebody just because I’ve been with them a few times. I see
him do this. I see him do that. I see him in this extreme state; I saw him
in the opposite extreme state. So therefore I can conclude that I know. But
it’s not that simple. People can change and there’s all sorts of stuff in
between that makes us unique.
So even when you try to understand an
individual and try to accept the basic kind of religious teaching about an
individual being idiosyncratic; that they’re unique, something special in
the eyes of God, it takes a life time to really understand it.
Because if you don’t try to understand
people based on that kind of common sense based thinking, it’s improper; the
conclusion will be false. And you have to bear the responsibility in
judgment. Because ultimately in the end what you are doing is a judgment.
And that should be left up to God. We should try to understand what God has
intended and then try to create an ideal world, in essence, before we try to
be God.
Because if you don’t have the basic
understanding as to why you are here and what we’re struggling to achieve in
creating an ideal world there’s no point in trying to say that I’m great or
whatever or whatever that makes you happy, because that happiness, it’s just
centered on you. That greatness is just centered on you. That has nothing to
do with God. It has nothing to do with anybody else.
So before we try to define ourselves, even
though the most difficult kind of concept such as indemnity, and we have to
try to understand why that is necessary for us to become what God intended
to be.
Talk about indemnity. It’s like you’re
compensating for some kind of stuff right? You cause some kind of loss and
damage so you’re going to redeem yourself by making compensation. That is
the concept so when you think about any kind of situation where a standard
is set, and when that standard is breached what has to happen? Because
you’re going down the path of conflict; to diminish it, what do you have to
do?
You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to
do something to make that conflict into zero. If you don’t do that you can’t
rebuild, because indemnity is about rebuilding. It’s about recreating. It’s
rebuilding, but the process in which you rebuild and you recreate; it has a
standard which you have to earn. It’s not automatic. You have a specific
responsibility within that kind of give-and-take relationship that you have
to earn to complete that process. And because you haven’t done that
properly, therefore you are going into a process of conflict.
You have to pay indemnity. You have to
neutralize that. You have to make that into zero first to make it true,
because there’s a standard. Ultimately my view or concept of indemnity… The
important aspect that we have to achieve first is to have that understanding
of earning your way to your expectation, or your expected position,
especially in the divine relationship, the relationship between you and God.
Unless you address that clearly, and you
do it on your own; you earn it, it doesn’t work. It’s a very important
process that you have to understand through action, through your deeds. Earn
it. Earn that title. That’s the natural way. That is the proper way. That is
the Divine way. That is the way that will last and have a meaning after you
pass away from this earth, because you don’t live here too long.
I try to tell myself … because it’s
important if you want to have any kind of standard, if you don’t remind
yourself, it doesn’t exist. It really doesn’t matter, what ever you say,
what ever you do. It doesn’t matter, because you’ll never measure up to it,
even to your own standard in the end.
When you look at this world, and let’s say
this is on extreme and this is the opposite extreme. (Pointing to the
opposite corners of the podium) There are takers and there are givers, and
something in between. Takers will do anything and say anything to get what
they want. For what purpose? You ask those takers. And there’s the opposite
and what do you think normal people in general are? I hope you can make an
easy model and just take a little sphere and based on the center here
everybody just exists here and that’s the world; that’s the kind of bubble
we exist in. (Hyo Jin Nim makes a ball with his hands at the middle of the
podium)
But do you really think that it is that
the dividing line absolutely right down the center. I think the world is a
little more to this side. (Hyo Jin Nim positions his hands a little more to
the (left) taker’s side of the podium) That’s the problem. You would hate to
see a world living here (Taker’s side) right? It’s foolish to think it
exists like this (Hands all the way to giver’s side). That’s kind of God’s
stuff, a long way to go from reality. Would you imagine that it is
potentially doable because that we’re the children of God?
So be it, but the reality is there. So how
do you deal with people like that? How do you deal with people you can’t
really communicate with? There are no words that can transform these people
who are addicted to that lifestyle, who are absolutely absorbed into that
lifestyle. That’s how they’re going to find their meaning. They aren’t going
to change, until something happens.
And unfortunately the only way is can
happen for those people to change is for them to hit bottom, loose
everything. Crash and burn you know? What if that doesn’t happen in that
person’s lifetime? It will pass on to the next generation. That’s the
problem. That’s why even in the eyes of Father it will take generations to
make that happen, potentially. Why? Because you have to go through that
process. Unless you can somehow change that without allowing them to his the
bottom, those people that you can’t verbally transform through normal ways
of communication. They all have to go through that process, and if it
doesn’t happen in their lifetime then it will pass down to their children,
grandchildren… It will take time. That’s why it’s going to take time.
So how are you going to change something
knowing that inevitably that is the only way to assure that changes will
happen? What can we do about it? I know it’s difficult, but somebody’s got
to do it. Somebody has to do it if there’s another alternative. It’s a long
shot. It’s very difficult, never-ending stuff. But if it’s a long shot, if
there’s a possibility we have to do it and that’s what we have to do. And
there’s no other way of communicating.
We have to try to communicate; try to find
the best way, most effective way to the generation at hand at present who
are movers and shakers in the world, who are elders, and our young people.
And that line, that way of approach, let’s keep on trying. That’s the only
way. Otherwise you just have to wait for the inevitability to take place.
And that would be very unfortunate, because they won’t change until they hit
bottom. I know this. They won’t.
It’s too important to them to have what
they want. It’s unfortunate. It’s all about them, but that’s just the way it
is, and that’s real. I’m not making this up, as you know; all of you
understand what I’m saying; I know, but that’s reality. The only option that
we have is to keep on trying to do what we believe in and try to make a
better way of communication, find a better something… Use what’s out there
to communicate and elaborate on it as much as we can.
Give more, more, more, more. It would be
wonderful if we could constantly be in the presence of humanity. We could
have 24 hour stuff (programming about our ideas) and compete with the big
guys. Look at America for instance. When you look at Conservatism and
Liberalism, to me Conservatism is about homogeneity, because it has a
tradition mostly based on Christianity. There is a sense of a homogenous
effect like in a homogenous society like Korea or Japan. It’s easier to
unite because there is a kind of nationalism. For the sake of the national
interest you put aside your regional conflicts or whatever.
You have a conflict in your own family
too. I have a bunch of brothers and sisters. Trust me. (Laughter) You come
from the same belly but you still struggle with each other. (Laughter)
That’s reality. In America conservatism is pretty much like that,
because it’s kind of Christian based. Liberals are like "We don’t want
tradition, we want less tradition. Push the boundary! Push the boundary!"
"Hold the boundary! Hold the boundary!
Push the boundary! Push the boundary!" It’s that kind of conflict. In
America even when you deal with that kind of conservatives, as the
Unification Church we have to compete with them, and with all sorts of
Christian denominations, because they also want to do good too.
These days it is almost fashionable to
talk about moral degradation and blaming Hollywood and stuff. It’s
fashionable. And they are going to try to do something about it. As much as
we do they will do. And how do you deal with that ultimately? You have to
outlast them first of all. So having a standard of something beyond
change is good. Father stresses absolute value. That’s good. In what? In us,
his blood lineage.
And all the good things that we can
commonly share with the other religions who have good intent, we will do our
best to support them because we need to support each other, but at the same
time we are competing with them. The extreme Muslems will outright say
that they conquer with violence, that’s crazy people. They all, in some way,
want their religion to be the standard bearer, nicely put.
When it comes to indemnity I believe it is
necessary for us to understand the true meaning of indemnity. Everything
that we do even if we think that it’s promised by our faith, our discipline,
we have to earn it because that’s the basic way that the decent people can
communicate with each one another.
Decent people try not to take away from
something, right? You don’t just take, take, take, take from this guy, take
from that guy, take from your sister, take from your brother, and make
yourself fat right? "Because only I have the answer stuff." There is only
one Father in my house. You understand me?
You have to first realize that this is a
church first before anything else. That’s why you don’t do certain things.
You can’t do stupid stuff because of whatever crazy predicament you might
run into. If you are systematically trying to do something with
consciousness, you’d better be aware of who you are. Your church first
before anything else. It’s a fair warning.
We’re asking for it. It’s not a difficult
fight. I don’t even consider it a difficult conflict. It’s stupidity.
Anyway… You still here you guys? (Laughter) Sometimes, to be
honest with you, that’s my way of putting on a defense. I don’t want to be
hurt. Any way… I’m sorry about it. I didn’t mean it to come off that
harsh. That’s my fault. It’s not yours.
Take care, Okay!
