Pyeong Hwa Gyeong (122) Book 7. The World of the Culture of Heart CHAPTER 11. The Root of Peace Is in True Love
1. God’s ideal of creation and the basis of peace
Humanity is living in an age when change is taking place at a faster pace than ever before. The world is feeling the need for dialogue among religions, harmony among the races, and understanding across cultures.
I believe that is why the theme of the World Culture and Sports Festival 2002 is “Toward a World of a Culture of Peace of a New Dimension.” As the founder of this conference, I would like to take this opportunity to share a part of the philosophy of peace that I have believed, practiced, and taught throughout my life.
Respected guests, what do you think is the fundamental root of peace, the peace humankind earnestly hopes for and continually demands? Where do we need to go, and what do we need to do in order to achieve peace? What is the obstacle that blocks humanity’s path to peace? Is there any hope that we can bring about peace in this confused world where individualism and selfishness are rampant?
In order to know the fundamental root of peace, we have to examine God’s ideal of creation. We cannot bring about peace without knowing God and the spirit world. The creation of heaven and earth is nothing other than the manifestation of God’s true love. Human beings were created to be the masters of that world.
They were to establish God’s ideal of creation, that is, the kingdom of heaven on earth, and then go to the spirit world and establish the kingdom of heaven of eternal peace.
Unless we establish the kingdom of heaven on earth, which is a world of peace, we cannot expect to live in such a world in the spirit world. What we call “the kingdom of heaven” is a place where the creation and humankind live for each other and where all human beings live for one another in harmonious unity.
However, with the Fall committed by our first ancestors, God’s ideal of creation was cruelly destroyed, and it still has not been realized. Human beings fell into such ignorance that we did not know even that the relationship between God and humanity was that of Parent and child.
|