Book Seven - Etiquette And Ceremonies
Chapter Four - Tradition and Daily Etiquette of Blessed Families
Section 4. Parents Must Establish the Law of Love

4.1. Parents are closer than friends

Parents exist for their children. If parents lived for themselves, the word parent would not exist. From now on, moral principles should be formed centering on the Principle of the Unification Church. How should parents live? Parents who give birth to children should live for those children. That is the first article of the moral principle. No explanation is needed for that. Living for the child is not an unhappy thing, but something happy and joyful. (62-214, 1972.9.25)

No parents teach their own children to do wrong. Nevertheless, it is possible for a teacher to teach his students to do wrong. If the teacher is in the position of an enemy, he may teach them ruinous things. There are two kinds of teachers and two kinds of brothers. But there is only one kind of parent. Even evil parents teach their children to do good things. (28-85, 1970.1.4)

To whom do you belong? You belong both to your parents and your child. To whom do the parents belong? They belong to both the child and to God simultaneously. Therefore, first you belong to God, and then you belong to your child. After that, you belong to yourself. When you reach that stage, you will be perfect.

That is why the moral principle of showing respect to parents still remains in human life. The phrase "respect for your parents and love for your child" is derived from this principle. A person without parents is an orphan. Only after you have the experience of receiving parental love and of loving your children can you distinguish your position in the four horizontal directions and up and down. (18-209, 1967.6.8)

Your children should be able to say, "Our parents are the best on earth." The people of the world will come and visit Korea in search of exemplary families. You should have something to show and to say to them at that time. (21-87, 1968.11.3)

A father should be the best friend of friends. When a father appears, his son should jump up to be with his father, even abandoning his friends. A father should also be the teacher of teachers. Hence, a father is to be considered even better than the president, the best and second-best only to God. Children should think of their father as their best friend and teacher, whom they would never exchange for any other friends or teachers. Sons should be able to say, "I would rather abandon my loving wife than abandon my father." (57-252, 1972.6.4)

I always caress the sleeping faces of my children when I come home. It is not easy to be a good parent. Through this, a thought is automatically implanted in the children's minds, "I will also love my sons and daughters as my father loves me." They should be able to realize that their father is the best in the whole world. (97-310, 1978.3.26)

Everyone wants to have a great son. They may ask how they should educate a child to be great. However, education continues throughout the parents' entire lifetime. They should offer sincere devotion. When the parents pass on their household to the children whom they have raised with utmost devotion or appoint them as their representatives, they have a common desire to have their children be like-minded and follow their ways. (24-257, 1969.8.24)

Parents suffer for their children so much that it could melt even their bone marrow, yet they would feel no pain. Why? Because they love their children so much. Do they record how much it costs after giving away their flesh and blood? They do not do that. Instead, they feel frustrated at not being able to give their children everything. (39-04, 1971.1.16)

Parents' love toward their children does not just come from their everyday relationships with each other. It is a love that springs up from the very marrow of their bones. Parents have a loving mind for their children that can never be forgotten or cut off. Therefore, parents love their children as long as their life endures. When parents experience that their life is connected with their children, a loving heart toward their children naturally springs up. Parents cannot help loving their children, not just because of a conscious intention to love them because they are their own, but because of the life force that connects them to their children more deeply than that kind of awareness. We vividly feel this reality in our daily family life. (32-15, 1970.6.24)

The man should take responsibility for all the disputes that arise in a family. He should maintain the central position of authority in the family. (21-87, 1968.11.3)

4.2. Tradition is passed on by parents

I am not worried about leaving behind the name of the Unification Church but about how to leave behind people who have inherited the tradition of True Parents. That is why I have been continuously educating them about the importance of tradition. (35-115, 1970.10.4)

Looking ahead, what is meant by living well in the future? Being well-off does not matter. We must take responsibility for the education of our descendants. We have to leave a good example for them. Until now all of us, including myself, have walked a miserable path. Like refugees, we did not have any place to stay as we walked through the wilderness course. However, from now on we have to settle down; in order to do so, we must be victorious. Unless we win as the Israelites did when they drove out the seven tribes of Canaan, we cannot settle down. We should gain victory in this battle by focusing on this nation. (77-251, 1975.4.13)

You should educate your children by teaching them to become like their parents. It is not shameful that you did not eat enough and that you wore terrible clothes while witnessing. That will become educational material for your descendants that cannot be exchanged for millions of dollars. (83-259, 1976.2.8)

Suffering is wonderful; therefore, you should set a tradition that will make all your descendants feel proud for many generations. (14-92, 1964.6.12)

The big problem is how the three generations of the children of our Blessed Families can live with me. If three generations together earn merit, they will be meritorious subjects in the spirit world. Have you ever thought about that? Thus, you should embrace your children and, from now on, devote yourself sincerely to educating your children with such an idea. (51-269, 1971.11.28)

You should leave behind a tradition followed by good and respectable descendants. You should leave behind strong, bold and worthy descendants. If you can do so, even though your nation may have been destined to perish, it will not. New benefactors will appear in a time of crisis, and a new victorious flag will be unfurled when that tradition is upheld. It should remain and will bring joyfulness not only to Koreans, but to all humankind. If we cannot do that, there will be no offering to bring before heaven. (99-329, 1978.10.1)

Up to the point when they die, parents should bequeath the heavenly tradition. For what does a family exist? Even though it exists for the children, first of all it should serve God and the nation. In the end, this is the path that will benefit your children. Only then can your children gain the fortune of God and the fortune of the world and nation. Accordingly, even though your precious children born after your Blessing go through suffering, you should not align yourself with them but rather with the fortune of God, the world, and nation. (21-87, 1968.11.3)

You should be the family living for the world and eternity, not just for the sake of your own generation. Your family should broaden the basis of love, gather the heart of all humanity, light a candle and burn incense to invoke God's help, and become a family that can live in partnership with heaven and earth and humankind. If you become such a family, God will protect you from trouble and misfortune. God will keep your family as the main seed. (100-306, 1978.10.22)