President’s Corner: There can be no true peace without...

We have incredible advancements in technology. My children will never know the pain of dial-up internet or having to rewind VHS video tapes. They live in a world where access to information is akin to breathing. “Let’s ask Alexa” is how we handle all of life’s unanswered questions in our house. They are lucky in so many ways, and I know this foundation will help them to excel far beyond my generation. However, as much goodness as these advancements have brought us, they have also brought us an increasing amount of fear and danger. 

How am I supposed to prepare my children for this world? I’ve taught my children to see the best in people and to be kind even to the most difficult among them. But I also have to teach them the worst of people. It’s impossible for them to fathom. The little details I’ve explained to them about some of the darker parts of the world are met with, “No Mom, that’s not true… are there really people like that?” I hate having to dampen their spirits and dim their bright eyes, but I know without doing so they will not be set up to live in this world successfully. 

My children know what God’s dream was at the time of creation but the reality seems so very far from this ideal. How can I explain it all to them in a way that won’t crush their hope? 

Without parents, there can be no harmony in the family. This is because parents are the center and origin of the family. Likewise, without You, the Parent of humankind, there can be no true peace in this world.

- Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, WFWP Founder (Mother of Peace Memoir)

This explanation from Mother Moon is the simplest way to answer these questions. It’s true that without my husband and I, our family cannot thrive. Even if one of us is away for a few days, our children feel the difference. We, parents, are the center of the family. Without us, there is no family and there is no peace.

The same can be said of our human family. No matter the differences in our culture, race or belief, we are one human race with one human Creator. We share a common Parent, and that makes us all brothers and sisters. The world is the way it is now because we are missing the acknowledgement of the identity of our shared Parent. 

How could we abuse people and take from those less fortunate if we understood who we are in relation to one another and to our Creator? We have caused the pains in our world because we have closed our eyes and ears to our Creator. It is only when we recognize our Heavenly Parent and our essence as brothers and sisters will the world change. How could we harm one another if we knew the pain it would bring to our Parent?

This is how we must raise our children. We must raise them to know who their Heavenly Parent is, who they are, and who their human family is. But, my human family, we cannot rely on the future generations alone. It must start with us. We must pave a more peaceful future for the future generations. We must know our shared Parent and we must know who each other are. Only then will we see true peace.