|
The Words of True Parents from 1973
Our Advancement And Retreat
Reverend Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1973
Washington, D. C.
Good morning! [Good morning!] I think you have heard that I arrived in Washington a few days ago; this is my second visit since then, so you must have wanted to meet me. You may have heard that I have been meeting some people over here and I found no time for you, except for this morning. All my life has been a busy one -- and it is becoming more and more so -- and well, you may think that for you to keep pace with me is something wonderful or something terrible. But we are busy for the great cause. So I want you to be really happy over that fact. Greatest job [Master in English] . I may have to stop by 8:00 o'clock.
"Our Advancement and Retreat" is my topic this morning. To you, those letters or characters may look strange [on the board] . I understand that Western people have been very much concerned with Oriental things -- but you have not yet become acquainted with the characters, I am afraid. Over here, I have been watching your way of life -- and I have found quite a few people using the left hand in eating, writing and in many other tasks. And I find it very strange. Your way is somehow the opposite of ours. While we call like this, you call people this way [movement of hand]. In bed, we sleep on our stomach, but you sleep on your back ... oh!, the other way around ... we sleep on our back, while you sleep on your stomach. Our way of writing is from top to bottom, from-right to left -- but yours is just the contrary. But are people that different, between the East and the West? You don't weep when you are happy and you don't smile when you are unhappy. You do it the opposite way, just as Oriental people do. You are happy when you gain something, but you are reluctant to lose anything. It is something like this: we have two hands; in a sense, our right hand is the opposite of our left hand. Those two hands, when used by the central organ or central being, are rightly used. When you are born, you are situated in different places, different positions -- but as you go along, you are nearing each other.
There are many things taking place in human society; but beyond our consciousness, there is God's will working behind the scenes. Most unconsciously, we are headed for a goal or purpose; but since we have the purpose apparent or evident -- accurate -- we are headed directly or straightforwardly for that goal. When your goal is forty miles ahead, you don't want to make a detour; but if there is any short cut which could help you attain the goal within 15 miles, you would take that way, wouldn't you? If you could find any way a pace shorter, or a mile shorter, you would take that way, wouldn't you? Even though there are some differences between the people of the East and the West, concerning those important things or mainstreams of thought, we resemble each other-or we are just the same. Our hands are the instruments which we use, and if our mind or brain knows that there is something big, great or precious, it wants to grasp it -- you want to hold it tight like this. But if you find a small, tiny, valueless thing, your hand may go out, but you will be reluctant to grasp it. Perhaps you have a thing of great value in your hand, and you hold it tight like this ... and you won't let it go ... but if you are given something of greater value, your hand will loose it like this, in order to grasp the greater one. Up to the present -- all throughout human history -- Western people have thought highly of one thing while the Eastern people have thought highly of something else. Each side has thought that theirs was the greater. But, as they are nearing, they want to be united into one or find some third thing of greater value or image. They have things in common, and they would let go of those things and be united into one in that final thing. [Mrs. Choi: "'Master thinks that I have gone ahead and said what he was going to say!"]
When you find those things are valueless, you let them go. You take a tight hold of that because you find nothing else which is of greater value. You want to look around in search of better things. On the way, those on the right side are somehow attracted to what is taking place on the left side, and want to go and join those there; while on the other hand, those on the left side fancy that there are things of more value on the right side, and will come and join that side. Both, revolving around with such speed -- in oneness -- would like to somehow find a third place to go.
You, as Americans, would not have noticed the changes that have been made here; but we strangers, or aliens from other countries, would notice that. There have been many changes, but the greatest of all is that the concern or interest of the Western people is focused on the Eastern world. On the level of spiritual things, even the Oriental people, who have hitherto envied what is Western, value what they have and feel there is nothing good to be found in the Western world. But we have something more advanced than the Oriental people, anyway; so we are attracted to each other, like this, and in doing that, we find something in between which we want to get hold of. Would we be united in one place -- inclined to the left like this or to the right like this, or in the middle -- we don't know yet. We define right or left centering on ourselves as the central personage. Likewise, what is taking place on the left side of the world or on the right side of the world -- in the West or in the Orient -- would have the central standard when they have God here ' and then with the central being having the goal like this. And when they join each other in the mainstream and head for that goal, then we can safely say that we are headed for the right destination. Viewed from the central standpoint, neither of those -- I mean those on the left and those on the right -- are good. So when we want to join and from there to start all over again toward the goals set forth before us, we are safely headed for the intended goal. That goal must be God's intention; and when we find that central being, people in both the left world and the right world will find that their standing is not quite right, and so they will be attracted to the central point. From then on, they want only to advance -- not to retreat. Those who have found that will not waiver or sway like this. But as it now stands, the Communist world proclaims that theirs is the greatest of all, and wants to attract the other party, while the democratic world believes that theirs is the only and final one, and would like to draw the other party to them. But those people cannot deny human dignity; we have the right to think our own way, so they cannot quite take us away and plant us in their position if we don't want that. And, centering on one personage, things on our left and our right are valuable only when I myself, as the central organ, think that they are good or valuable. In the Communist world, frankly, they are thinking -- without expressing it -- that there are some contradictions and wrong parts in their theory. In the democratic world, also, they are eager to eradicate and better their stand. Centering on ourselves, we are placed on the vertical line; when we want to broaden our stand, we want to reach out on the horizontal level. Both the democratic world and the Communist world want to discover something more valuable than material things. They are seeking something spiritual. If we set forth our theory of spiritual value, of a higher dimension than theirs, they are sure to be attracted to that. By the spiritual standard alone, we can enjoy the hope of a brighter future. Things on the spiritual level alone can steer our way through the process and help us reach the goal.
Every human being has spiritual power -- and we find that this spiritual power is the best part of ourselves. Where does it come from, and in what way are we going to use this spiritual power? Some use it for the very best things, and others use it for evil things. Sometimes the evil ones come in disguise -- and most of the people are attracted to that -- but in the long run they find that going that way will lead them to the wrong goal, and so they want to come back to the original point, to start all over again.
Right in the midst of corruption, a new life springs up. This is the phenomenon occurring in the Latter Days or at the close of the age -- and we, living in the close of the age, find great turmoil, chaos and confusion. But out of the confusion the light comes -- and when we are sensitive to the light and find that light, we all join our efforts in steering our way toward the goal set by the Supreme Being.
Then, what should our attitude be at the close of the age, when confusion and chaos prevail? Well, though the ideologies-or those things which have been different from each other -- should not want to draw the other parties to themselves, but should want to near each other and meet at the central point, then the light comes from above to show the way to the goal. That is a great ideology or ism, and we are for that, and the ideology we are now in or under is Unificationism. Through this ideology of Unificationism we want to draw what is Oriental and what is Western -- Occidental -- into oneness like this. Right after the procedure of mixing it into one we set the goal we are headed for; we want to head ourselves toward the final goal that the Supreme Being has set for us.
Up to the present, when those on the left side have wanted to subjugate, conquer or absorb the other party, there has been struggle, opposition and all sorts of prejudice -- and vice-versa -- but here, when they want to come near and meet each other at the central point, they are all happy and revitalized to go ahead toward the final goal. You have intellectual power and reasoning; so you can compare things, and you are not forced to do anything. You cannot be forced to do anything; but if you compare two or more things and find that one of them is the better or find a third thing, entirely different, to be the best, then you would join that. However old and worn-out your clothing may be, it sometimes has sentimental value, and you are reluctant to throw it away -- even if it is all torn and disfigured. Even if you have new clothing, somehow you will unreservedly take off your coat; but if you have something of great sentimental value here -- suppose this ballpoint pen -- even if you take off your clothing, your suit, you will want to keep that pen. That is the expression of the human mind -- trying to take hold of good things and keep them with you. When we say we want to join at the central point, it doesn't mean that we have to leave everything behind and discard everything we ever had -- but that we want to take the good things, the best things, along with us. Even when evacuating a former place at the time of taking refuge, you would wrap up things that you think are good. But if you are here and someone else is showing you better things and is ready to give them to you -- then you will readily discard other things. The moment you get hold of that, your hand will loose the other and let it go.
When we look back on our past, what other things have we valued? Wealth, tradition, knowledge -- but more than anything else, love, life, nothing more. There are not so many things. Even though you may enjoy the independence of your own country, if you are poor, if you are powerless, if you are without knowledge, if you are without love, you are unhappy people. But when you closely examine yourself, your way of thinking, you value your tradition, wealth, knowledge and everything as such; but there is nothing more valuable than your love, and then your life. Compared to your love, your life, all other things are worth nothing. But with your love and life you want to have better love and a better way of life. When a promise comes, then, of a better love and a better life, then you can give up the former things. At the close of the age, when the ultimate value comes, you can throw away everything under your position and set out in search of that. Even to the hippie people, wealth is nothing-position, knowledge, all those things they have hitherto enjoyed are just nothing to them. They readily give up all those things in search of something of more value; but without finding this, they are in distress -- in the state we see them in -- but we have now an ultimate goal set before us. On the way, we need knowledge, we need position, we need power, wealth and everything -- but the value of those things must be entirely different from what we used to think. All those things have been used for self centered purposes, we have been thinking, "This belongs to me," and we hold tight to that and don't want to ever let it go. But from now on we want to use all those things and all that we are for a greater cause -- and our aim or purpose is of a higher dimension. Isn't that true? [YES!] We have found the place, but people have not yet found one like that.
We speak of ideal individuals, ideal families, an ideal world, ideal life, something like that -- but those things remain in our minds. They are just concepts of an ideal self, ideal family, ideal everything -- but there is not a ready-made model of such an ideal person, ideal family, etc. You want to have it, incarnate it, or realize such an individual, family, clan, tribe, etc. But can this come about without any struggle or effort? [NO!] We find that in the history of the United States, what your forefathers have struggled to found or set up is here now as the fruit or crops. Likewise, on our way, we, as the forefathers of our descendants, will also want to struggle hard to set up the standard or to near the goal -- and our future generations will enjoy that, inherited from us. Even though we have already set out in search of those things or to set up those things, before us there is no foundation set up on the individual level, on the family level, or on the national level -- which we want at least to have now. We have still a long, long way to go. But since we have found the goal so apparent and so bright, would we retreat or would we advance forward? [ADVANCE!]
One thing you must know: are you sure that we have the ultimate goal of God's intention before us? [YES!] The greatest discovery by us all is the discovery of God, who is the Center of life, the Center of love, the center of all ideals, the Center of everything of value. Our God is not just a vague God; He has a purpose ahead of us, and He cannot do anything in the world all by Himself, but He has to use man as His instrument. In turn, we, as His children, need Him, and without His cooperation cannot advance. And with those two put together, we are the strongest beings, and can steer our way on with the fullest spirit. At the point of attaining the goal, we will see everything prepared there. We are co-workers on the way -- both God and people and people themselves, in cooperation with each other -- will steer on the way, and there we will find the ideal love, life and everything else. God will take His delight in everything there; both God and man will do that. There alone and then alone can God be a happy God and we be happy people.
The problem is: to what degree are we sure of the bright goal there after we cross over seas and mountains? In the early days of your history, your forefathers were drawn to the West; they went westward in search of gold. The rumor that the gold was rich in the western section of the continent was the thing that created power in them, and the strength to steer forward; with this, they built their culture and civilization. In the pioneer days, the motivation was to find gold; that gold was the motivating power for going through the struggle and hardship. Pace by pace, they would near the West, feeling they almost had the goal. On the way, we want to dash to the goal in our advancement, and we are reluctant to retreat. On the long course, however, we sometimes retreat; but if we don't lose that purpose ahead of us, sometimes retreat means something. When we retreat a little, a few paces backwards, then it means we want to run at full speed. In that way, we want to advance forward by using any means for that purpose. You must remember that the passed-away saints, prophets and martyrs were all headed for the final goal -- but having paved a little way more, they had to be sacrificed. They were ready to sacrifice themselves; they would do things at the risk of their lives. And even at the moment of death, they wouldn't let go of their dream, their goal. So they died successfully. But we have inherited all the foundations that they laid, and our goal is so bright and so near -- within our grasp, within our reach. So there is no excuse for us to say we cannot go on. We have already achieved quite a success here, because we can bring so many people together, from so many nationalities and live as brothers and sisters, transcendent of national boundaries.
In the present world, even on the family level, there is disunity; brothers leave brothers, brothers kill brothers, brothers fight against each other. But in this Family, despite national boundaries, we are one, and live in harmony and love. We have our problems, of course, and we have our agonies; but it is because we are living in a strong beam of light, and can thus see each other's faults all the more. But we want to be mingled together; God is working to mingle us and rub away the sharp edges. We are attracted to the central point so strongly that no other power -- Communist power, etc-can put us asunder or tear us apart. We are a group of world-problem, world-question -- in a good way -- unlike the other groups emerging. We are at one extreme end, while they are at the other extreme, still indulging in sin and darkness. We have had to deny all worldly things, and we are making what looks impossible possible. We are without a nation, without a race, without a family in the real sense. We have denied our brothers and sisters, we have denied our own parents. We have given up those things thought to be the closest and most beloved, and have set out in search of things far ahead of us. We had never before heard of True Parents; new terminology is being used here. We are somehow moved to this new world by leaps; and we find that after we have gotten hold of these new parents, True Parents, our physical parents are fading away from our sight. We call ourselves brothers and sisters, under God as our Parent; and then our own physical brothers and sisters fade away from our minds and we love these people more dearly than the old ones. Why is it so?
What is taking place is a breakthrough. We are entering a new era, and every value in the present world is being turned upside down. A miracle of miracles is happening now. You are asked to forget the grave past. You must be proud of this before the whole population of the world, before the whole spirit world. If you are in such a mood of happiness, ultimate happiness, God will dance about with you here. It is a funny idea, you may think, that God is dancing with you. God will make love here. The love here is not the lovemaking which you see in the parks and in the streets. People have never witnessed God's loving people, His failing in love with us. Have people seen that? People have never witnessed that; we are not only witnessing that, but we are enjoying God's love here. How wonderful it is. If you possess God's love, everything of God's is yours. Your wealth is here. The person whom God loves is mine, the family whom God loves is my family, and there will be my clan, my nation, my world; and when we possess God's love, everything belonging to Him will be ours. However hard you may struggle in search of something valuable, would there be anything more valuable than God's love? Then, if we have found God's love, with that we are the most wealthy people -- and we are the happiest ones. Under our ideology, under one ism, we are going to make God's love ours, centering on each and every individual. This central self of yours will be the center of your family, center of your plans. And you are going to love any individual, love any family, love any nation as ultimately as God would. We want to possess the whole world because God loves the world; we want to make it ours. There is no better way, no way more valuable than the way we are on. The place where we are situated is of untold value, and we wouldn't take the whole world for it. We must have a clear understanding that we have found the thing of the most blessed or highest value, including God. No power, no wealth, nor anything else in the worldly sense can take us back. Why? It is because we have found, for sure, that this place where we are situated is the ultimate place, and here we can enjoy everything we have been seeking for. This is our stand, and we are now marked to run a race from here. Pace by pace, when we run the course, the ideal love and life and will go with us and multiply. Farley, you want to run a track here, but you are not going on by yourself. God is with you; the whole world, with everything of value, is with you. You may cry out on the way, you may perspire, you may gasp -- but God is doing the same thing.
God is cheering you up; and all your ancestors, your relatives, your friends and your descendants on the spiritual level want you to run a good race and be the winner at the first possible date. Since you are sure of this being the ultimate thing, of the highest value, would you want to lose it by dozing off, by relaxing? Your nerve, your attention, your whole being and everything must be poured out into what you are doing now. You must be serious. When you breathe here, when you inhale the air ... you feel that the whole world is coming in support of you. When you exhale, the whole world will be relaxed, and the same thing will be repeated. And, in doing that, like wheels whirling and whirling, repeating the same thing, you will go ahead. In dashing on the way, would you make a detour? Would you zigzag like this or go straight forward, if possible? [STRAIGHT FORWARD!] Straight forward! By straight forward you mean not to zigzag or go in another direction? With only a small difference in the direction, in the long run, you will be led to an entirely different place. Are you really ready to go straight forward? [YES!] It is easy to answer; but have you ever stopped to think, to ask yourself if it is possible for you? If you really want to go straight forward, can you be distracted like this, glancing in different directions? Your eyes, your ears, every one of your senses must be focused on one point.
Suppose you want a large diamond, say ten karats, and you want to have a perfect one. There are technicians making the facets -- and if there appears a little scar, like this, the perfection will be gone. Then it is below the standard and it is a failure. Isn't that right? [YES!] But, in human endeavor, it is good that we can correct our mistakes. From now on, every moment, you must be resolved to go straight ahead without distraction, without any mistakes.
In advancing forward, you want to have today better than yesterday, you want to have tomorrow better than today, next year better than this year, and so on. And, sometimes in retreating, too, you want to do that for the leaps you are going to make. Then, at a point of such gravity, can you complain -- can you afford to complain? Do you have time for that? [NO!] Can you say, "Well, I have the record of having made 104 points; why doesn't he remember my having done that? Well, drive me out and scold me and try to spur me on." But if you are satisfied with the 100 points you have made, you are there always, never advancing forward. Then would you want him to let you alone, or accelerate your pace and drive you out? When you are reluctant like this, never wanting to go ahead, would you want me to? I don't want you to complain; but even if you complain, I want you to advance forward, not retreat. You are destined to go this way, and if I were you I would advance forward before being told to do this or that by the leader. Well, would you do that -- or would you wait until he tells you to do this and that? Without being told, you want to do this. Then you must revitalize yourself and gather your strength -- every morning, every minute -- and steer on your way.
The Leader, God, will run with you; and if you are ahead of Him, at the goal, waiting for Him to come, would He punish you? ... hurt you? Then He, God, the Leader, will praise you, rely on you, trust you and give you more responsibility. You must know that you are being trained in the United States. We are fighting for the great cause in this nation, for this nation. But after being trained here we are going to fight for the whole world. Some will say to themselves, "Oh, Master, when he is here everything is stirred up -- and why is he bringing so many European brothers? What is the necessity of his bringing the Japanese brothers? We are being chased; we are breathless from running." Well, those small Japanese brothers would like to run ahead of you; and without speaking your language, they would still bring in more people and raise more money in the economic campaign. So you feel behind them, at times. But you are not going to be defeated by them, and you are more determined to win over them in good competition. Are you ready for that? [YES!]
As a father, he takes delight in watching his children run in good competition. He cheers up the Japanese brothers and praises them -- and you complain inwardly and say, "Master does that because he is an Oriental man." I think I have already heard that. There is no Oriental, no Occidental in our Family; only God-loving children are we. So our purpose is to obtain the goal at the soonest possible date. That is the only thing we can think of. Be it Japanese, be it Europeans, be it Americans -- he is anxious to have one at least, or more, to be nearing the goal or at the goal. You think of the Israelites as being the central people of God's choice; now we know that the Korean people are the chosen nation -- but do you envy the Korean people? ... or far from that? They are placed in the most difficult situation: God expects more out of them, and God drives them more fiercely in the front-line. So, being the central figure, being the leader, is the most difficult thing. And after running the race, those who reach the goal first will win the prize. I am anxious to have you there. In sending you out onto the race track, I want you to be number one -- like this -- everyone number one, as a father. Would you prefer to do this or this or this? Even a small child will ask, "Would you do this or that?" He raises his hand like this. In doing this, you are willing to get rid of this or subjugate this or this or that -- but you wouldn't want to bend your thumb. Your efficiency will count, and your efforts. Those two put together will bring you success. Your efficiency and capability will come out from another source. It will come in proportion to the degree of love you have toward God. The crops will come about in proportion to how hard you have been struggling. Those are the two standards which will determine how much you accomplish. Does our Leader have a nation of his own? Does he have the world under his dominion? Is he enjoying the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth?
The Kingdom of God on Earth, the ideal kingdom, is not a ready-made thing which we can go and get it -- but we are making it, establishing it, with our own hands. In the fallen world of sin and filth, God has prepared the Latter Days -- the confusion and chaos, out of which will sprout new life. That is what we are for. Both our democratic world and the Communist world have come to a dead end, and they are at a loss as to what to do. But we open our way -- there is an opening from which comes eternal life -- and we are headed for that. We are like people who are going to take refuge; if there is a small opening through which barely one person can go, then the way toward salvation will be so narrow. But if we open up the way so wide and pave the way so smooth for other people to go, following us, then we are pioneers, we are God's heirs for the Great Cause. We are here now to open up the way for the people to reach things on the national level. I cry out, "Let us save the United States!" There is great significance in my crying out that motto. Without other Americans knowing this, we are opening up the way to reach God for this nation, and later for the whole world. You must have ambition, you must have desire. Without desire, without ambition, there is no future.
When we study ancient civilizations, we find that every type of civilization was established and cultivated around a river. By the riverside there are plains; the population becomes dense there. But the ambition of the people on this side of the river is to go across the river to reach the other side, and the people on the other side, vice-versa. What was on the other coast? Later, when the cultural spheres came to be centered around oceans and seas, especially the Mediterranean Sea, those peninsular nations -- they could see across to each other -- dreamed of reaching across to the other side of the sea. With that ambition of the people broadening like this ... when we reach the oceanic type of civilization of transportation, communication, all those things have progressed to the utmost degree. History proves that those who are more ambitious to get to the other end or other coast attain it and enjoy it.
Now we. look at the other planets. Man has dreamed of or endeavored to reach the other planets. Now we have succeeded in reaching the moon. All those things result from our dreams, our ambition, our desire to do that. Our fiery desire, when it is accelerated and motivated from the ultimate power, will bring us to the goal. When the first astronauts reached the moon -- that was the only moment -- the attention of the whole population of the world was focused on one point -- they were utterly united, absolutely united into oneness at that point. When people watched the television to see the astronaut stepping onto the moon, not even the Communists, at that moment, said, "Oh, that is an American fellow; I wish that he would fail." Never did anything like that happen. But at that very moment, every human being, including the Russians, were anxious to have that man reach the goal. All the people of the whole world became one, came into oneness at that moment -- because the endeavor there was their desire also. They were so glad that we succeeded.
All throughout human history, somehow, people have been struggling to establish the ideal world -- even though they may not have called it the Kingdom of God. If they have all died in vain, after such a long struggle, we can state that there is no God. But since there is a God and God is a loving God, our ambition, our human desire will be realized. People may call us fanatics ... but the more fanatic we are, the more ardently we try to attain the goal, the sooner we will reach that goal. All the rest, sooner or later, will be headed for it also. We are the only group of people who try to attain the goal with it set. Once the rocket Apollo 11 was in space they could not repair the machine, they could not put things in order right there. They had to do that before boosting the rocket. In the same way, we must put ourselves in order and be headed straight forward toward the goal. While struggling here, we are being trained through working. We are getting trained, but not at the goal, when we will have established the ideal kingdom. On the way, every moment, we can develop. At every moment we start and re-start. If our aim is to whirl our arms like this, would we like to pour out our full energy to go this much and repeat this more and this much and from the reaction we will go back a little more to the right direction. Would you like to whirl around in perfect oneness? [YES!]
When we propel around, we are sure to advance, when we are all put together. But can you do that all by yourself? With no compass? (By compass I don't mean the navigating one.) In turning around the compass, the axis -- God is holding the axis -- on the central core, you want to cling to each other; and the vaster the number of members, the wider the circle. This axis -- this is the pencil -- we can draw this big a circle, or this big, this big or even this big, with the same compass. What do you call this part -- the center, the axis -- this is the Messiah. The Messianic ideology appears there. If you are not connected with the axis, you cannot do anything. If we draw a circle, starting with the smaller one to a larger and still larger one, this circle represents the individual, the larger circle the family, then the clan, the nation and the world. If you want to draw a bigger circle, you want to be elevated to a higher standard -- and still higher, you draw a bigger circle, like this. You want to cling to him, you want to stick to him; but if you want to come closer ... if you only want to come close, like this, without ... you want to climb up, to have your spiritual standard elevated. But if you want to be close, to stick to him like this, would you be able to draw big circles? You want to spread your wings out to reach the whole world. On the vertical line, you want to be one with him, but you want to draw a big circle; in that case, you are physically separated from him. Likewise, he wants to drive you out to the front-line, and scatter you all to reach every corner of the world. We are not born for ourselves alone -- we are for our family, for our nation, for the whole world. Are you ready to be trained under me for that? [YES!] Would you choose to remain here to be trained, or to fight the real battle? [FIGHT!] To do that you need a strategy. I will teach you that, and then you can make one for yourself. And if you fight while others are asleep, you can move without obstacles, without counter-attack from the enemy -- if you go ahead while the enemy is asleep.
When all Americans come to know this movement, come to join us on the battlefield, it will be too late. You are pioneers; you have know and you have come to join this group before those people, and you have got to attain the goal earlier than they. In wanting to do that, we are not greedy people; we do not want to enjoy the happiness or the goal for ourselves. But by doing that, by pioneering the way, we are paving a smooth path for other people to tread; and we are setting up a tradition for the others to observe and follow. If your direction is different from what it should be, or your manner of going on the way is not wholesome, then you will be pointed out by future generations. You must love your God with all your might, all your love, all your soul -- and if you really love Him, you will do whatever He tells you. His desire for you is that you reach the goal set by Him -- and that alone will make you children of God, heirs of God. Isn't that true? [YES!]
We must conclude: we have known, we have clearly realized, that we are for that goal, and we are history-makers in carrying out our mission. Our goal is clear, only too clear: to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. You may forget eating, but don't forget this. You can forget sleeping, but don't forget this goal. You must do anything for this. Marriage is no problem here. You need your spouse, you need your friends, you need your brothers and sisters -- but only to do this. If that person is a positive influence, you will have him or her -- but not otherwise. With that goal ahead of you, you can be one with each other. If you really want to resemble God, since God's ultimate goal is there, you want to run and meet Him there. God is at the central point, and we want to join Him on the axis, on the vertical line, where our aim will be the same as one another. God is advancing forward, always anxious to have you follow Him. God is on the axis, to draw bigger and bigger circles to include the whole world. Obstacles are ahead of us, having been laid by the evil power; and we have to jump with confidence to get over them by leaps and bounds. We must jump over those obstacles. Sometimes we have to dodge past those obstacles, without desire, our courage, our ambition. Our desire and ambition must be stronger than anyone else's. Then we will be strong enough to get over the obstacles.
First you must have a fiery desire for the goal. You must have a clear goal, and a fiery ambition or desire to attain that goal. Are you like that? [YES!] Wouldn't you complain, saying, "Well, if God is a God of love, why is He putting me in such a hot shell?" When you run on the track, is it easy to do that? You have to perspire, you have to do your best, and no relaxation is there. But in doing that, you want to get to the goal and there is your prize, your pride and everything. And God, in driving you out on the track, means to give you- a prize when you reach the goal. If you are in a marathon, on the track, would you be so sympathetic and kind as to help your co-runner like this?...if you want to ... you will get behind like this, and you cannot be the first winner of the prize. Then you will be a failure there. The harder you run, the more God will be with you, helping you. Isn't that true? [YES!] We are desperate to restore our dignity as sons of God, and He is anxious to have you run and be the first winner. We will meet at the goal, and everyone must cling to God and pray to Him, asking Him to leave everything in your hands. You can shoulder the responsibility.
You think that I am stirring you up here, and harshly driving you ahead. But if you could run all by yourselves, so fast, in due manner, in a well-trained way -- why on earth do I have to be here? I can leave everything in your hands and go to another place to do the same. You still need me, I think; that is why I am here. Do you need me or not? [YES!] You have not quite reached maturity and you need your parents; but as soon as you are married, you don't need your parents anymore. I want you to be that. You have not quite reached that point, so you need me, and that is why I am here for you. You must find the central point, and on the way you must have the goal, the real goal, and the zeal or ambition to be the motivating power; then you must take interest in what you are doing, interest and stimulation. You are the heroes and heroines on the human stage. All the rest are just standbys, watchers -- but you are the history-makers. But you are not just actors and actresses, acting out false scenes. You are acting out things that are greater than those people. If I train these young people to solidify our foundation, so that ours will be recognized by the outside world -- we can do just anything to turn this world upside down, under God's will. We will let history prove it; we will be stronger than those people. We are going to be stronger than anyone else, and we will have made history -- or righted the wrongs, in other words.
I am the busiest man in the whole world. I am always the most tired person, too; but I am leaving for New York today and Boston tomorrow, then back, and I have many things to settle and to do. But if I am reluctant, or if I am horrified when faced with this amount of work, can I do it? I always feel stimulated; I am ambitious, I am stimulated and I take interest in doing these things. That is what makes it possible for me to do them. If you were God, would you like to have your children, when running on the track, relax and cry and run out of energy like this?...or would you like to see your children run a good race, with great glee and zeal? As we near the goal, the faster we must run. And if we win the goal, God will be waiting there for us, and a prize will be ours. We are going to be victors. But we are not going to enjoy the prize or victory -- we will enjoy our having been a success and having paved a smooth way for others to travel. We want to know the true way of advancement, to pave the way for others, to set up the tradition for others. If you continue to retreat, you will be a failure. Advancement means life, while retreat means destruction, failure or death. Retreat is not desirable -- because to stop is to die. So we must advance forward with all our might and all our zeal.
|