The Head-Wing Thought

Up to now there have been many kinds of education, each with its own image of the ideal person corresponding to its own idea of education. The Unification Theory of Education must also have an image of the ideal person. The image of the ideal educated person in the Unification Theory of Education is as follows: first of all, a person of' character; second, a good citizen; and third, a genius. These are the images of ideal man and woman corresponding, respectively, to the Education of Heart, Education of Norm, and Education of Dominion. Therefore, when education is seen in terms of the image of the ideal person, the Education of Heart may be called education to develop a person of character, the Education of Norm may be called education to develop a good citizen, and the Education of Dominion may be called education to develop a genius.

The image of the ideal person in the Education of Heart is that of a "person of character." Education of Heart is the education that leads to the experience of God's Heart. Those who receive this type of education become persons of character. Heart is the source of love, and it is the core of personality. Those who are lacking in Heart-regardless of how much knowledge they may have, or how healthy they may be, or how much power they may hold-will never be persons of character. In the secular concept, a person with a certain degree of virtue, knowledge, and health may be called a person of character, but in Unification Thought, a person of character is one who has internalized God's Heart and who practices love.

What, then, is a person of character? A person of character is someone who has perfected the whole personality, having developed the faculties of intellect, emotion, and will in a balanced way, on the basis of Heart (love). A person of character is, above all, a person who practices love. This is a person who loves brothers and sisters, practices filial piety toward the parents, serves society, is loyal to die country, and loves the whole of humankind.

The image of the ideal person sought in Education of Norm is that of a "good citizen." Ultimately, a good citizen is a good member of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Education of Norm may be given in schools, but the basis of it must be in the family. Since the family represents a miniature of the order of the universe, it can be said that society, nation, and world are expansions of the system of order in the family. Therefore, a person who has received a good standard of Education of' Norm in the family can easily observe norms in society, nation, and world as well. As a result, that person becomes a good member of the family, a good member of society, a good member of the nation, and a good member of the world. In other words, if one is well disciplined in the family, one can naturally behave in conformity with the norm of society, nation, and world.

A person who has lived as a good citizen on earth will become a good spirit person in the spirit world as well. Leading a good life both on earth and in the spirit world, such a person is called a good member of the cosmos. (The cosmos refers to the combination of the physical world and the spirit world.) Living as a good citizen in the family, society, world, and the cosmos is the same as living in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The image of the ideal person in the Education of Dominion is that of a "genius," which refers to a person with rich creativity. Originally everyone has tile talent of a genius, since humans originally are beings with creativity, having been given God's Creativity. Creativity is given to a person at birth as a potentiality. Therefore, except for those who are mentally defective, all people can become geniuses as long as they manifest their creativity one hundred percent. In order to actualize creativity, however, education is necessary. The kind of education necessary for that purpose is the Education of Dominion.

As mentioned above, the Education of Dominion should be based both on Education of Heart and on Education of Norm. In other words, education must be well balanced; only then can true creativity be expressed. If Education of Heart and Education of Norm are insufficient or lacking, creativity cannot be fully manifested. For instance, suppose there is a child with musical creativity who is trying to learn how to play the piano. If parents of that child are always quarreling with each other, or often strike or scold the child, then the child will go to school with a damaged heart. Then when playing the piano, the child will not be able to move the hands so smoothly, because of the disturbed emotions. Even though the child may have excellent creativity, that creativity comes to be diminished.

Since human beings have been given individuality, each person's creativity, likewise, has unique characteristics. Some people are endowed with musical creativity; others, with mathematical creativity; someone else has political creativity, and others have business creativity. If the creativity received is fully manifested, that person may become a musical genius, a mathematical genius, a political genius, or a business genius. That is to say, based upon individuality, each person can become a unique genius.

Due to the fall, however, people have become unable fully to display their God-given creativity to the fullest extent, and it has become very difficult for them to develop into geniuses. In fact, there may be only one person out of tens of thousands who can reach the level of a genius, while all the rest remain in mediocrity. That is the reality of the Education of Dominion in fallen society.

Moreover, we should know that, in education for a genius, there is cooperation from the spirit world as well. When well-balanced education is provided, on the basis of a God-centered family, good spirits will provide spiritual assistance, and, as a result, the children's God-given talents rapidly develop.