Independence

Hyo Jin Moon November 25, 2007 Belvedere, 7:00 am

Here are my notes from Hyo Jin nim's speech Sunday 25 November 2007. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo Jin nim said and are not a verbatim record. To see projects that Hyo Jin nim is working on log on to: definingmoment.tv Joe Kinney

Rev. Jack Corley is the MC. All welcome Hyo Jin nim and Yeon Ah nim and offer a standing bow.

Hyo Jin nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage.

Good morning. (Good morning)

America is the most proud nation on earth, right?

They're proud of their strength and they believe it came from independence.

How does one feel independent? What is independence? I mean, you can't really separate yourself from anything permanently. You are always attached to something; otherwise you have to live like a hermit.

Living in a society or being civil, you're connected to something, always, absolutely. So how are you independent? What is the nature of independence? And why is that important to you? And why is that important to everybody?

Because that's what you wave as a flag to the rest of the world.

How do you teach yourself? How do you get taught?

The first step is that you have to accept something. That's the first step. If you don't accept, you don't get taught. No matter what other people try to drill into your head, if you don't want to accept it... They can torture you; they can imprison you; you will not accept it. If you don't accept it, you will never be taught.

So if you can't accept something that comes from somewhere else, you'll never be taught. So as part of that process, what is important is acceptance. That's the first step.

And the next step is belief. You have to believe what you have accepted. And you have to be willing to act upon it, and to practice it, to try to live by it.

And the next step is faith. You have to be willing to die by it.

Otherwise it doesn't mean... you haven't learned anything.

What is the point of being independent when you have nothing that you can represent yourself with?

Anyway, there are many things that we can do in terms of choice making. But think about where that choice making stuff comes from. Think about the process of you making that choice. Think about what triggers what.

"Am I making a choice in a nasty situation or a good situation?" Think about the process. Think about YOU, where you stand. Okay?

If there's a conflict: "Where's the conflict in my acceptance? Where's the conflict in my belief? Where's the conflict in my faith?" You have to know how to determine that, in times of trouble, especially. Because if you don't, guess what? In the end you're at fault.

You will live with the consequences, nobody else. It doesn't matter how many fingers you can point to other people, you will face the consequences.

It doesn't matter how many people you can dupe because you are slick, but you will face the consequences. Ultimately you will face the judgment.

You will die.

This is a short life. Okay?

Thank God there are not too many old people here! (Laughter)

If you get old, you feel you're going to that stuff. And it is true, whether you like it or not, you have to think about that every day, every day. For what ever reason that you think your life is short, you have to think about life being short everyday and accept that as real.

So what are you going to do with your independence? You have to answer that question. Because it's you, you want to be independent. You have a name.

If I look in a phone book in Korea, I'm sure that there's Moon Hyo Jin somewhere, but most likely it's going to be a girl. There are a lot of girls named Hyo Jin. (Laughing)

So it's going to be you. When you practice anything, all your doing is you're trying to re-enforce your belief. That's about it. You're teaching yourself in belief. That's why you practice, Right? In any technical stuff or what ever, otherwise why do you practice?

That's what you're doing. When you accept something, there's a stage of growth. Okay? And when you practice something, that's all you're doing; you're just teaching yourself your belief, reinforcing your belief.

So it gets stronger and you feel: "Okay, Okay, let's go; I'll compete! I'll be number one!"

What are you going to do when you're number one?

What is your faith? What are you dying for?

Your life's short! It had better mean something!

Having faith is something that I feel that, I AM SOMETHING, something that is eternal, something that is greater than "I," I want to be there. I MAKE MY STEPS TO THAT! (Emphasizing each word tapping the podium). And I earned it.

There's lot's to change. Okay? It's a different story.

There are practical problems that we need to address. But we have to have the right attitude, you know?

You want to be independent; the key to victory is in your hand; hold on to it.

Believe in it.

Okay.