Role Model

Hyo Jin Moon February 18, 2007 7:00 am Belvedere

Here are my notes from Hyo Jin nim's speech Sunday 18 February 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. Hyo Jin nim's website is: www.canaanstation.com/ To see two of the projects that Hyo Jin nim is working on log on to: definingmoment.tv/ and definingmoment.eu/ Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo Jin nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo Jin nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage; he places a small notebook on the podium.)

Good morning!

(Hyo Jin nim pauses to survey the audience. He smiles and says)

There are too many young people here. OK.

Whether you like it or not, one of these days you are going to become a role model.

When we talk about the reality of how society is, we're always looking for somebody to blame or someone to glorify.

Why? Because it's Important whether people in general understand the concept, it starts from individual to family, and that family extension gets larger and larger and larger until society as we know it and to the nation and ultimately to the world. The vision on a worldwide scale happens because of a kind of individuality that can exist even within a family, that idiosyncratic dominance or preference. That's why you draw borders and that's what we see as a result in the ultimate thing.

Whether you're in a certain race frame work it doesn't matter; somehow it's going to be divided, and I don't think that is the intent of God because every religion fails to describe God in the ideal way as that kind of being, entity. However we're mystified by the reality, however lacking in terms of true knowledge, the bottom line is that God does represent the ideal and many times a conflict arises even among religions that believe in a lot of these things because they don't know the true nature of the ideal. There is a disparity somewhere. That's why it creates conflict.

So, having said that, what is the nature of the idealism of God? According to what we believe God cannot achieve the end result, the manifestation of the will of God, True Love without the presence of mankind. So if God represents the ideal, then man represents something else. The individual man that we start to create, humanity starts to become something important in the whole process of ultimately realizing the will of God.

When you put God as a representation, that individuality is humanity, because God is the representation of the ideal whether you like it or not. That's why we have religion. And we want to describe it (the nature of God) better than the other guy. That's the competitive factor within religion pursuing one God; who in the end is more persuasive, who can prove it better.

The fall occurred in the Garden of Eden, and because of the fall, all this chaos and conflict arose from that initial act. In order to restore that which is so crucial to the fulfillment of that ideal somebody has to be the true testimony of what blessing is. Because, as the objects to God, as far as we're concerned, the whole creation process is a blessing. Unless you can restore that blessing, that act of blessing, how do bless somebody?

Unless you can bring that back into humanity, and allow humanity to understand that and, on their own free will, to learn religion, manifest it to each other and to God, restoration is just a thought. It is not tangible; it is not substantial.

If we are competing with other people to proclaim and give a testimony a living testimony and be the bearer of the responsibility of rebuilding the ideal world, then ultimately that blessing factor has to be brought back through our efforts into the realm of humanity. In other words, in the end we have to be blessed by humanity. Otherwise it's not complete. It might be directional if you give to people to try to educate people as to how you can go about achieving it.

In the general setting of Christian thinking you have seven virtues, four cardinal, and three theoretical: justice, temperance, fortitude, prudence, faith, hope and charity. We have the basic kind of direction as to how we are going to represent that aspect of what God is. In terms of creating the ideal, we basically have a way in which we can try to live up to that standard as a basic guideline.

There has to be something beyond that. There has to be more than that. So when you talk about being a role model sometimes, even on a personal level, even when you have a family, it's a daunting task if you're just pushed into it. Some people might have been longing for that kind of opportunity but sometimes it can be shocking to the system.

How do you go about achieving the ultimate end of trying to represent something that is very serious because many times the importance is lost? When you try to do anything that doesn't come from the heart it is a meaningless quest. It is a meaningless task.

That is the difficult thing is trying to understand the importance of that individual thing, when we look at the idealism of God and God's representation. We are an individual to God and God and humanity has to become one. That aspect of achieving that important relationship, the value in that; it takes a lifetime to learn.

How often do you when you're old and think about something and you think about your potential and many times you want to show off and practice that basic virtue stuff, self restraint. All that little stuff that's important to practice, to understand, the ultimate value that we have and must understand in relation to God.

It's difficult. It's very difficult when you have to think about dying, because when you talk about value that is forever and everlasting and has to do with a relationship with God, it doesn't really matter what others think while you're breathing. The value as we know it in the secular realm can't go with you after death. Valuable things that we believe, as we try to idealize ourselves, and knowing what God's ideal is all about therefore I want to make that relationship workout and know God better; 'I don't know how much I know now but it has to be more than this. I need to know more. It has to be greater than this. 

As you push yourself in the end the answer is very simple: The values that you can take, there not many out there. There's not many here. You really don't see it. Things that are going to last; you really don't see it. It might be easier if money exchanged between hands and stuff and back and forth, but it's not like that.

It's about something that is of love, and try to describe love. How do you love your children? Pretty much that's the basic standard. God loves you right? God loves His children. In what way? How do you love your children?

Can you take that and put it in to someone that you don't know? That's difficult, but it can be done. That's the trial in fact. That's what we try to accomplish ultimately in the end. And how is that going to happen? I can't give you that answer. It's on a one-to-one basis.

You can try to simplify it but you can be over simplifying things if you're not careful. You have to know who you are. If you have to oversimplify something it got to be sort of an extreme circumstance, and yet you have to ask your self 'Why do I want to oversimplify this?  What am I getting? What am I looking for? What am I trying to get out of this stuff? In what way?

Because unless its war, oversimplification always is not ideal. Why because I don't know you, and I don't know you (pointing to audience members) and I can't say that you and you are identical. That's the problem.

That is the problem of dealing with people in developed nations. The level of expectation and self value, of course it varies, but it's very, very different in a developed nation. That's the problem. But that's not un-ideal. Everybody wants that kind of special attention right?

You can't fault you guys for that kind of desire. That's why it takes commitment. You have to realize what's right and what's wrong and it takes time and it takes time for us to figure that out even as we swim through this confusion of all these variations and differences and all sorts of separate existence.

It takes time. And it will take a life time for some people. And it will take a life time to the next generation until that is realized. It's not going to happen overnight. That's the reality and accepting it is a big step. You asked for it and you're going to get it. There is no exception to that rule.

I question myself some times. How far can I go along this path? There are many separate ways I could get off. I've figured that out. How far am I going to stay on this path?

It's up to you. You can't force somebody to do that.

I guess to have to have that desire for what is of true value to me. I must ask that and answer that to myself. That's the only way I'm going to be a role model to my children. One way, good or bad they're going to use me as an excuse. Right?

So how far? I don't know.

What is my highest or what is my greatest? I don't know.

How far can I go? I don't know.

Do I want to get there? Do I want to win? I guess so.

Something like that. That's all I can say sometimes, most of the time.

It's better than you having all the answers on that day. Then you should go to sleep & because you're no good when you're awake. (Laughter)

Anyway, take care of yourselves OK?

I'll see you soon.

I'll miss you a little bit.

(Hyo Jin nim is going to Korea for True Parent's Birthday and then will tour with his band in Japan. He will be gone for over a month.)