On behalf of the Founders, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, it is my honor to welcome you to this 21st World Media Conference. Thank you for your attendance here and for recognizing the importance of our coming together to consider the theme, “Forging a Path to Peace at a Time of Global Crisis: The Role and Responsibility of the Media.”

The World Media Association’s conference series is dedicated to the promotion of fair, responsible and truthful journalism, and to the promotion of high standards of professional ethics within the mass communications media.

This media conference is unique in that the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace is the primary co-sponsor, along with the World Media Association. The IIFWP is a federation of institutions and individuals dedicated to the promotion of peace, based on respectful cooperation among religions, governments, and the institutions of civil society. The IIFWP also understands and appreciates the significance of the media, and recognizes its needed role in building a world of peace for all people.

On October 3rd of last year, the IIFWP launched the Interreligious and International Peace Council. At the Inaugural Assembly of the IIPC, Dr. Moon delivered an address on the “elimination of boundaries.” In that speech, presented to a gathering of 1500 international delegates from more than 160 nations, he stated,

“When we love our enemies and make oneness with them, the boundaries between us will collapse. That is why God’s strategy and tactic has always been ‘love your enemy’…. Our responsibility now is to inherit this principle, put it into practice, and become a true human being. If you accomplish these things, you are sure to become a key player in bringing about a world of peace.”

As we participate in this conference, as we consider the current world situation, and as we reflect on our own careers as journalists, I hope we can keep this quote in mind. If the world is to change, we ourselves must change.

The core principle that guides the work of IIPC is “living for the sake of others.” This simple principle can be the basis of a new methodology for peace and good governance.

According to Rev. Moon’s teaching, peacemaking refers to the establishment of a realm of universal harmony, cooperation and prosperity among all people, beyond race, religion, nationality or culture. The foundation for this effort is God, the origin of all things. And, according to God’s ideal, all human beings belong to one family and are to be of one lineage of true love under God, brothers and sisters living together in true love.

However, as taught by all religions, human beings are separated from God. Due to The Fall, neither individuals nor nations, have been an expression of God’s ideal. On the contrary, our world and its institutions are tainted, and express the sinful, corrupted aspects of human nature. Therefore, God seeks to restore human beings and human history in order to establish an ideal kingdom of peace. In a restored realm of peace, true love will be the basis for human relationships. True love is characterized by the practice of living for the sake of others.

The principle of “living for the sake of others” is not the teaching of any single religion or moral philosophy. One can find it represented in the sacred writings of virtually all the world’s great religions, not to mention the great moral philosophers. We recognize this principle at work in the lives of Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Gandhi, and others.

Our greatest religious founders understood this principle to be as basic as the natural laws of the universe, such as the law of gravity or the laws of mathematics, physics or chemistry. When we violate this law, there are grave consequences.

Peace, most fundamentally, describes the quality of human relationships. More precisely, it has to do with the quality of our relationship with God, with one another, and with the environment. Peace is achieved when relationships are harmonious, even-tempered and cooperative. Harmony is achieved in the natural order as objects follow the laws of the universe. Harmony and peace can be achieved in the human order when we follow the spiritual and moral laws of the universe. For this reason, without an understanding of God, and God’s principles, peace will never be achieved.

As human beings, we are not merely physical beings. We have been created also as spiritual beings. We are spiritual beings who exist in physical bodies throughout our lifetime on earth. At a certain point in time, each of us will pass out of our physical existence and we will continue to exist as spiritual beings in the spirit world for eternity.

In fact, our physical life is little more than a training ground or preparatory school for our eternal life. Just as life in the womb precedes and prepares us for our life on earth, our life on earth precedes and prepares us for our life in the spirit world.

At one time in history, the reality of the spirit world was taken for granted, but increasingly, in a materialistic age, our spiritual sensitivity has been weakened. This has had serious implications for our world, because there is a strong link between spiritual awareness and the strength of our conscience and awareness of God.

Too often, we pursue peace through external means. We tend to associate peace with the administration of political power, and we often think that peace can be brought into being by an external force or by some external law. Peace, however, does not begin from the realm of politics or government. Peace begins with the individual transformation.

Furthermore, peace moves from the most internal dimension to the external, from invisible to visible and from spiritual to physical. Thus, when we speak of the individual as the foundation of peace, we refer most fundamentally to the internal character and spiritual awareness of the individual.

The first challenge for peace is my own self. If I cannot establish peace within myself, by establishing harmony and cooperation between my mind and conscience, on the one hand, and the inclinations of my physical body, on the other hand, I cannot expect to create a world of peace. For example, if I am troubled and conflicted within my own character, I will not be at peace, regardless of the situation in the external world. Furthermore, if I am troubled and conflicted internally, or if I am selfish or morally weak, I cannot contribute effectively to peace in the wider society.

I realize there are many who seek to separate an ethics of character from public ethics or professional ethics. However, we have every reason to believe that there is an organic and inescapable relationship between our individual character and our practice and behavior in the wider society.

Thus, peace does begin with the individual, and the way in which a person manages his or her own desires, interests, appetites, passions, duties and obligations. In addition, the way in which we treat others, or respond to the ways in which others treat us– hurts, wrongs, offenses, and injustices – is fundamentally related to character. A person who does not develop a heart of true love, including a capacity to give to others who wrong us, is not likely to be able to be a peacemaker in other social contexts, for example in the family, the workplace or other social or political contexts.

Professional ethics have the roots in individual character. We all are aware of institutions that are not governed according to moral principles. In many cases, for example, the profit motive has caused individuals within corporations to function immorally, violating the trust and the investments of shareholders, not to mention customers and other stakeholders. In the realm of politics, we often note individuals who are more concerned with fame, power and privilege than with the public good.

How do we become a true leader of goodness, a true teacher, a true owner, or a true professional within my field? The root is good character centered on God’s ideal of unselfishness. As we lose sight of this principle, and as we entrust people with power who are not persons of good character, we invite corruption, which in turn destroys trust, and leads to disharmony and, ultimately conflict.

This is true within all professions, including not only the media, but also even religious institutions and non-profit organizations. They are all prone to serious corruption and moral failure. For example, when religious leaders guide their followers according to narrow or self-centered principles, they are not practicing good governance. When non-governmental organizations become special-interest groups that only seek the immediate and narrow success of their particular community, we are witnessing a breakdown of public trust, making peace so much harder to achieve. When the media focuses on the salacious, the prurient, or stimulates the baser instincts of its audience, the wider society suffers.

Peace is not brought into being by external force or power. Rather, as we mature and perfect ourselves in the true love of God, peace will emerge naturally and according to God’s original ideal, without coercion or force, from the individual, to the family, the society, the nation and the world.

A true and lasting peace is established as we each come to inherit the true love of God, applying the principle of living for the sake of others in our families, our religions, our professions, and in our governments.

In all of this, there is a part played by the mass communications media that is especially significant because of the extent to which the media shapes our cultures and our national agenda. Before the modern age, rivers were the backbone of culture. On them flowed commerce, information and warfare. Today the work of those rivers is done by the media for news and entertainment. Just by the kind of content they carry, they are mighty rivers for the transmission of values.

In our conference, we will address the role of media in helping or hindering peace. We will discuss the appropriateness of the media as a builder of bridges between people, cultures and religions, and as a force for upholding the stability of families. In what ways is the media not only called to inform, to speak the truth, or to entertain, but to uplift and guide human begins in the ways of goodness?

The essential fact of life is that before you are an editor, or a reporter, a director, an actor – before you are anything – you are a human being, a son or a daughter of God. And therein lies the truth of your ultimate responsibility. This reality was probably easier to acknowledge in other times than it is today, when the abundance of technology and materials, of instant global communication and instant gratification, tends to get in the way of what we are at our core. That is, divine beings.

In our business, it is important to get the news first and get it right. I agree with that because this is a business, and our advertising rates and profits depend on us doing that. However, ultimately, you and I will be judged on criteria that are quite different. Our ratings share and our circulation will be irrelevant. At some point, you and I will judge ourselves on how well we used the precious gift of the free press to bring harmony and peace to people in our societies.

We will be judged by history on how well we served the interests of bridging the gap between peoples, cultures, races, nations or religions hostile to one another, and how well we used our media’s great capacity to promote understanding, to solve human conflict.

And lastly, I believe that you and I will be judged on how well we used the free press to close the gap that exists between God and humanity. I do not say this with any sectarian motive, for I do not believe that God is overly concerned with doctrine of religious affiliation. I say this because our commitment to truth should call us to appreciate the reality of the spirit world, God and eternal life.

Again, I understand the difficulties in conducting our profession with these responsibilities in mind. To do so requires an extraordinary capacity of mind and heart. However, I sincerely believe it can be done, and without making either an intellectual or moral compromise; but rather, by openly and courageously pursuing truth and goodness in their fullness. I encourage you to reflect seriously on this point. You are an extraordinary group of people. Otherwise, you would not be here.

Rev. and Mrs. Moon have devoted their entire lives to the realization of a universal Peace Kingdom centered on the true love of God. They have worked to establish a world without boundaries, a realm that is beyond race, religion, culture or national boundaries. Recently, on March 23, 2004, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, before an audience of US Senators and members of the US Congress, and distinguished leaders from 50 states, Rev. and Mrs. Moon received “Crowns of Peace” and were heralded truly as King and Queen of Peace for their tireless and sacrificial efforts to establish God’s Kingdom of Peace.

As we participate in this Summit, we will have the opportunity to study and learn about the Founder’s vision and the core principles, values and peace strategies that underlie the work of the IIFWP and the IIPC. Of course, you probably know that Rev. Moon has been described and understood in diverse ways. Some see him as simply a businessman, and others decry his teachings as heresy. However, increasingly he is being recognized for who he truly is, as one called and anointed by God to lead humanity to a Kingdom of Peace. We may call such a man a messiah or savior. Yet, based on my experience, I can say that he is a True Parent, a True Teacher and a True Owner; that is, he is a person who embodies the ideal of living for the sake of others.

However, you should not simply heed my words. Rather take the time to study his life. Evaluate the fruits of his efforts, the people he has uplifted, the lives he has transformed. What he most wants is not to be called a messiah, but to have the chance to allow his teachings to be heard and studied and, on that foundation, for the hearts and minds of individuals to be transformed. Transformed so that each person feels called to take up a life of service to others and to live as though the future of humanity depends on his or her commitment and service.

This is not an ordinary conference or summit, for truly we are standing at a turning point in history. History is not turned simply by external events or random acts, but history turns according to the heart, minds, will and actions of people. If we are to build world peace, an age that all humanity has longed for, then we must each help in turning the wheel of history. All our effort is necessary.

As we gather here, let us reflect deeply on our world, its critical problems, and the ways in which we can work together as media professionals to contribute to world peace.

Based on Rev. Moon’s vision, the IIFWP emphasizes the centrality of education for peace. According to this vision, there are three basic institutions for education. The first and most primary realm of education is the family, the first school of love. The second is the educational institution, from primary school through post-graduate education. The third realm of education is the media. In all three realms, we are called to be true teachers, guided by a heart of true love for our children, our students, and our respective audiences.

In this 21st century, we will witness many dramatic changes. In particular, the coming new era will be characterized by three primary developments.

First of all, there will be a growing interest and awareness of the spiritual reality that surrounds us. Whereas, recent history has been overly materialistic, humanistic and even atheistic, we are in the midst of a spiritual awakening that will transform history.

Secondly, more and more people will come to realize the sacred and social significance of the family. Once again, in recent decades, and in societies around the world, we have seen a breakdown of the family and the emergence of strange and dysfunctional family structures. However, in this century, as our spiritual senses are attuned, we will come to appreciate the value of the family as the school of true love.

Finally, the desire for peace will grow stronger as we open our spiritual senses. Peace is not the goal of any single nation or race or religion. Peace is a global issue. Unfortunately, our world suffers from so many conflicts. Still, peace is the hope of all ages, and we are going to witness the dawn of an age in which we learn to overcome the divisions of the past, and where we learn to reconcile with one another and love one another, beyond race, beyond religion, beyond nationality.

Without cultivating our spirituality, however, it is impossible to manifest or embody a character of true love. Without developing our spirituality, we cannot hope to establish an ideal family, and we cannot properly educate the next generation. Thus, these three trends are interrelated. Through spiritual development, we set the foundation for the establishment of families of true love, and on this foundation, a true and lasting peace is possible.

Our world is about to be turned upside down through a revolution of true love and goodness. The media can be an instrument that will help usher in a world of peace.

Thank you once again. May God bless you, your families and your nations!