What is a True Person?

If there were a true being in heaven and earth, who would it be?

It would be the absolute being. In modern Korean, when we refer to the Absolute Being, we say, "There is only One." We shorten that to Han-a-nim (God), where Hana means "One."

Then, what kind of being is God? God likes both the good people and the bad people on earth.

Even those who are facing the death penalty in jail will cry out to God in their place of execution for their crimes to resolve to become good again and to make a new start with hope.  Why do they depend on God, offer their services to Him and want to be with Him in those moments?  Because God is true.

A true person should not just like people who like him. He should like even his enemies who would wish him dead. 

You can probably remember that there was a person that you hated when you were growing up.  If one hates another person, can they be a true person?  This is surely a false person.  There are many false people in this world.

A true person is someone that everyone can discuss and entrust everything with People would be able to place their hopes for in this person.

In order to become a true person,  you should balance both sides.  If there are members that really like the people who like them and actively hate those who hate them, then is this a good group or a bad group?

They are a bad group.

Therefore, we set the standard by liking even those who hate us.  If you observe that you like someone who hates you, he will also come to like you.  If you do this three times or more, acting kindly towards someone who hates you, he will eventually bow his head.

Treat a person nicely three times and you will win him over.  All you have to do is try it and see if this is correct.  You each have a conscience that tells you whether you are right or wrong.

An Admiral may be admired and a seen as a great man even though people do not know whether he is a true person or not.

An Admiral may be great to his nation and seen as a patriot, but to his enemy he is not seen as great to the people of his enemy country.  If an Admiral is to be seen as a perfectly true person then other countries will see him as a great man.

That which is true must be true everywhere: 

in Britain, in Germany, in America, in Korea, in Africa, and also in Japan.

If it is true, then it does not have any enemies.  There is no one that dislikes something that is true. If something is liked from one side and disliked on the other side, then it cannot be perfectly true.

I do not like someone who is less than a true person such as Admiral Yi.

A true person is liked by both bad people and good people.  If he is liked most by good people, does that mean bad people should hate him most?  He must be liked the most by bad people as well.  If we say that all people like something, we mean that not only good people but also bad people like it as well. 

Even though there is a mixture of good and bad people, all people desire the best things.  

If some people who are bad say that something is not good, then it means that it is not a true thing. True things are those liked the most not only good people but by bad people as well.  This is the definition of a true person.  One who bad people as well as good people like the most - this is a true person.

The source of trueness

Reverend Sun Myung Moon describes the essence of being true in the following speech:

"The essence of being true is not limited to individuals and applies even beyond the whole and seeks to make connections of value.  Since trueness is something that is liked and sought after by everyone it must be everywhere.

The congregation does not gather together for individual purposes but for the purpose of the whole.  This means that we should serve our family before we serve ourselves and our own people before our family.  We should serve our nation before our people, and our world before our nation.

First our families should be true, before we as individuals become true.

Human beings are engaged in the course of restoration where they as individuals cannot be the motivating source of all blessing.

Then what is that motivating source?

It's trueness.  In order for people to realize their true selves, they must have a relationship with God who is the source of life, love, death and blessing.  Without a relationship with God, one cannot attain their true selves as individuals.

Trueness must be centered on God. This is why trueness is realized when the decisive foundation is laid, upon which humankind can be brought into order and governed as a whole. You should know that without such a foundation trueness cannot be established. God is the source of trueness.

Trueness is established because God exists. When God departs, so does trueness. Then, rather than trueness, the origin of evil will emerge.

True results only come by through trueness.  Because God exists, His desire can be fulfilled.  Concepts such as trueness and goodness are mainly established by God rather than by human beings.

From this point of view, we can understand that trueness is not something human beings can define in any way they please. In other words, trueness is not subject to the arbitrary management of fallen people. Rather, trueness is to govern fallen people. Therefore, we should always submit to that which is true. We should elevate trueness and meekly follow it.

Even looking at your daily reality or at your conscience, there is no way to deny that trueness is owned entirely by heaven. 

When we pray, we often say, "Our true God, our holy God, who is in heaven" just vaguely out of habit. 

However, until now, trueness has not existed in the genuine sense. Because it has not existed, its origin cannot be found in the history of humankind, but at some point beyond human history. It transcends history. In other words, since this origin has to be pursued in a place beyond our present circumstances, religion is not something through which one's faith is based on a single person as the central point.

Of course, there are people who see their religious founder as the standard of their faith. However, there are also people who transcend this point and pursue "trueness" by inviting God in. In light of this, we can say that throughout history many people have been unable to grasp the source of trueness either in the course of their lives or in the society around them. Any situation that only connects people among themselves cannot provide a source of trueness.

Trueness is the absolute standard. Hence, it is necessary that God, the Absolute Being or deity, make an appearance here. Why is this so? It is because, until now, there has been no true person on earth. 

Thus, the person who lives in pursuit of trueness cannot of himself be the motivating source of trueness. This motivating source has to be God. In religion or history, God inevitably appears when humankind's situation comes to the final and crucial crossroads. A definite need for the Absolute Being then arises.

Even when you seek the value of existence which is the final goal of philosophy or dig into the origin of existence which is the final goal of true knowledge, these pursuits will inevitably involve God, the transcendent being or Absolute Being. 

Why is this so? It is because without building a relationship with the Absolute Being, questions about the origin of knowledge or the value of existence cannot be answered. This is why people in serious situations have always sought to resolve matters through that which is true. We cannot deny such a fact.

Hence, human beings alone cannot be the source of trueness. God, the Absolute Being, must be involved here. A religion that proclaims trueness without God is unthinkable. Human morality that emphasizes that which is true cannot deny God.

This is why Confucius said, "Those who follow heaven will prosper and those who go against heaven will perish." 

These are words centered on heaven. Heaven must certainly be involved. They are saying that prosperity, downfall, advance, and decline are not determined by people, but by heaven. Considering these things, since trueness cannot be attained without an originating point, the motivation for which comes from Heaven, the question arises, "Where is the true person among the people living on earth?"

Where is the place where trueness can dwell? With heaven as the origin, God would want to establish a place of trueness on earth. This is God's desire. So, the question is, "Where on earth can it reside?" 

It would stay in the vicinity of our daily life. This is why Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is in the midst of you." The Kingdom of Heaven, which is the true nation, is in the mind. It has secured its place in a deep, deep valley where there is no selfishness.

Our mind's fundamental aspects are the intellect, emotion and will. Among these, where is the kingdom going to dwell? Which is most fundamental among the intellect, emotion and will? It is neither the will nor the intellect. It is the emotion.

If you have something most precious to you, where would you want to keep it? You would want to keep it in a place that only you know, a place where no one else can touch or interfere with it. 

It would be a place where only you can handle it. Where is that place? It is in the deepest part of your heart. You bury it deep in your heart and, thus, you are led to say, "It is safe here; I can relax." In other words, you put it in a place similar to a chest where people commonly keep valuables. From this point of view, the place where trueness can stay is the deepest part of your heart." SMM


Return for Tomorrow's Post: How to Progress