Ocean Providence Education for FFWPU Youth
- JungH Joo
- Feb 7, 2022
- 25 min read
Updated: Feb 10, 2022
As a Strategic Preparation to Solve the Global Food Crisis and to Unite the Youth and the World under True Parents
Purpose
It is an age where economic and political instabilities, geopolitical power shifts, and climate change are causing more and more food crises in many parts of the world. During such a time, the Family Federation for World Peace & Unification must act. We must let the younger generation of our movement know about True Parents’ endless devotion in the ocean and lead them to inherit and take on the grand project of solving global hunger.
The Resolution of Global Hunger is a global project and will give the FFWPU youth a substantial goal to utilize their potential and unite under one cause and effort, which completion will substantially prove the arrival of True Parents of Humankind to the world.
This document summarizes the urgency, the principal aspects and goals, and practical methods of ocean providence education for FFWPU youth.
The Urgency of Ocean Education for Youth
The global food crisis situations are rapidly deteriorating due to climate change and global economic and geopolitical instabilities. The population is in the decreasing trends in advanced countries while the underdeveloped countries continue their increasing trends. Global starvation has been worsening since 2014, and due to production and logistical problems during the 2020 pandemic, the starving population increased drastically.
It is predicted that climate change will cause an overall reduction in global food production and recent studies indicate that over a billion refugees will be displaced by causes related to climate change such as sea-level rise, droughts, and famine. Many of them will try to cross national borders and will embolden nationalism and racism, which will lead to political instability and potentially develop into regional conflicts. Global political and economic instabilities disproportionately place more strain on the poor population and the food crisis will most likely worsen worldwide.
At this time, FFWPU must prepare to continue True Father’s plan to solve the global food crisis. This plan is called the Ocean Providence. However, with the limited scale of foundation in marine industries we have today, we cannot hope to implement Ocean Providence at the scale necessary to resolve the global food crisis, which True Father described as “the most pressing problem” of humankind.
When I look at the world situation, I feel that securing sufficient food supplies is the most pressing problem. Solving the food crisis cannot be put off for even a moment. Even now, some twenty thousand people around the world die of hunger-related causes every day. We cannot afford to be apathetic just because we and our immediate families are not facing hunger. (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Chapter 7, page 315)
The future economy of the world, the food problem of the world, the survival of mankind will be solved by the ocean. This time of study can determine the future life or death of mankind. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 14, Leaders' Conference June 27, 1983)
On August 1st, 1994, a few months after FFWPU was inaugurated, True Father described His detailed plan of creating a global network of families to collectively implement the ocean providence to solve the global hunger problem. True Father repeatedly said that all unificationist families must participate in the ocean providence in some way, in order to solve the global hunger problem once and for all.
Especially in the United States, True Father always led the Unificationist members to train in the ocean. However, most of the second and third-generation youths have not seen how much True Parents invested in the ocean. If we fail to let the younger generation know about the Ocean Providence, there will be no one to inherit and complete this crucial global project, and the world will continue to suffer from starvation and turmoil, not knowing that True Parents of humankind had arrived on earth.
Key Aspects of Youth Education
There are inequalities that exist in this world that people who have spent their lives in developed countries may not feel and understand. Those that grew up in wealth without seeing the suffering of the world tend to grow up with compassion deficiency. In addition, those that grow up only focused on their own immediate surroundings tend to overreact to personal difficulties but be apathetic to other people’s problems.
Without feeling the depth of the problems of the world, we can never understand the heart and the suffering of Heavenly Parent and True Parents of all humankind. Without understanding the heart of True Parents, we would never understand the providence and thus can never make appropriate decisions.
In general, what people see and experience in their youth can greatly affect the depths of their hearts and the understanding of the providence when they become adults.
What must we teach the youth such that they can understand the providence that True Parents desire us to complete? Ultimately, someone must solve the starvation problem by implementing the plan called Ocean Providence that True Parents had started. However, before taking action, we must first understand Their Hearts in order to understand Their Plan.
First, the youth of FFWPU must be taught to be concerned about the problems and suffering of the world. They must learn to see the world and understand the absolute reality from True Parents’ viewpoint. The most acute manifestation of human inequality is the state of starvation. Morality and logic have no meaning in the world of starvation. We must understand that True Parents felt the suffering of all starving children every day as the parents of all humankind.
A true global leader is someone who is able to embrace the world in his own bosom. A person who has no interest in the problems of the world cannot become a global leader, no matter how well he might communicate in English.
To be a global leader a person must think of the world’s problems as his own and have the pioneering spirit that is needed for finding difficult solutions. A person who is attached to a secure and fixed income, or dreams of having a pension after retirement and a comfortable family life, cannot be a global leader. To become a global leader a person must consider the whole world to be his country and all humanity to be his brothers and sisters and not be overly concerned that he does not know what the future may hold for him. (As A Peace-loving Global Citizen, Ch.8)
Secondly, the youth of FFWPU must know about the passion and investment of True Parents in their efforts to solve the starvation problem. True Parents even sacrificed their time with their family to instead pioneer the ocean with the Unificationist members. True Father fished almost every day and trained us continuously for decades in the United States, South America, and Korea.
I saw that the key to future food problems lies in the ocean and have endeavored to develop a wide range of oceanic businesses from nothing. I spent more time in the ocean than anyone else, thinking on the ocean, praying on the ocean, and struggled on the ocean. How much time and effort did I invest? You cannot imagine it. (The Unification Church and The Land and The Sea, June 1, 1991)
Thirdly, the youth of FFWPU must clearly understand the goals of True Parents. We can never understand the plan if we cannot clarify the goals. The goals of FFWPU are “World Peace” and “World Unification.” A world of peace is a world where there is no extreme poverty, starvation, and violence. A unified world is a world where materialism and atheism are eradicated, all religions are united in one, and every person in the world accepts True Parents as the parents of humankind.
Fourthly, the youth of FFWPU must understand the plan called the Ocean Providence. On August 1st, 1994 at the 20th Anniversary of Ocean Providence in America, True Father explained to members from 160 nations about the plan in detail, as “the fastest way” to bring world unification. It has been almost 30 years since then, but we must study the plan again and adjust the details as necessary to adapt to the change of time.
Finally, the youth of FFWPU must know what type of people they must become and which skills are necessary in order to complete the grand goal of solving global hunger. We must think of what we can do for the world in pursuit of the fulfillment of our original mind and make conscious choices of how to live for the world, rather than randomly make choices as though flowing through human society unconsciously.
Three Difficult Steps before Implementation of the Ocean Providence
A clear and substantive plan exists for World Peace and Unification. True Father had explained many times over decades through countless ocean training. It is in His autobiography (Chapter 7, “Solution to Poverty and Hunger”), Chambumo Gyeong Book 10, “God’s Will and the Ocean”, and “Pacific Rim Providence”. He also outlined the plan in considerable detail and clarity on August 1st, 1994 at Belvedere, New York.
The world would need a miracle for all countries to go beyond nationalism and unite to avoid the worsening of climate change. Likewise, there must be three difficult steps that must happen within FFWPU before we can even start to implement Ocean Providence at the scale necessary to tackle the problem of world hunger.
First, there must be a situation where all of the families of the FFWPU would learn about the details of the Ocean Providence. It is clear from True Father’s Words that all of the unificationist members must participate in the Ocean Providence in some way.
As you know, only one third of the surface of the globe is land; two thirds are ocean. Therefore, without knowing the ocean we can never have dominion over the entire globe. So every one of you, every member of the Unification Church, is required to take a basic training in Ocean Church, including navigation, repairing and so forth. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch. 14 Leaders' Conference August 26, 1983)
The ocean is our foundation for the future and we will all participate in some way or another in the ocean providence. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 11, True Parents and Indemnity)
When True Father was on earth, He trained all the leaders of the FFWPU through rigorous fishing activities, but unfortunately, the plan of the Ocean Providence was never clearly understood by the movement as a whole. For example, True Father initiated 30 sites around the United States for Ocean Church in 1980 saying that the era of ocean church had arrived, but most of these sites had failed. In South America, all national messiahs were brought to Fuerte Olimpo in Paraguay and were tasked to catch 160 fish in the national messiah workshops from the late 1990s. Even then, there are a very small number of national messiahs who had continued the Ocean Providence in their country of responsibility. Even though the internet has made it easy for us to access information like never before, it is still like a miracle for all the unificationist families to see the value of Ocean Providence.
Secondly, the FFWPU families must decide to participate in the providence. All leaders of the FFWPU have gone through ocean training with True Father in the past, but not many have actually participated in the Ocean Providence. In Yeosu, True Father trained 7,000 Japanese sisters in the ocean leadership workshop from 2004 to 2012, but only a few of them continued on the path of ocean providence. Most of us had given up on the providence. Another miracle must happen to change this trend.
Thirdly, the FFWPU families must have the capability to implement the plan. When implementing a project plan, it becomes difficult to complete the project goals if the project members worked randomly without coordination. For example, if there is a project plan to build a house, there are many tasks that must be completed in order. Some must work on the structure, some must work on electrical systems, and others must work on the mechanical systems in appropriate sequence as a single project team. Similarly, the FFWPU families must work together effectively as a project team in the grand project of solving global hunger. Without the ability to manage such a global project, its completion will be difficult even if all of the FFWPU families decide to participate in it.
What We Need to Prepare
It should be reiterated that the aforementioned "difficult steps" are things that True Father fully expected to happen. We only refer to these events as "difficult" because of the difficulties and resistance they had faced so far. Regardless of the difficulty, True Father saw the Ocean Providence as the only viable way to solve the food crisis, and continued to offer his devotions in the ocean.
The way I see it, this is the only viable way that humankind will be able to solve the food supply problem. That is why I have invested two billion dollars over the last 20 years to develop this area. (228-218, 1992.4.3 Pacific Rim Providence Ch 1, Sec 1)
Devotion must last for tens of thousands of years. Indemnity conditions would not be established if I offered devotion in comfort. So instead, I should be going out into the ocean. Today must be better than yesterday, and tomorrow must be better than today. The waters from the lakes gather in the Atlantic Ocean, and it in turn flows into the Pacific Ocean. If I continue offering devotion until the day I save all those people who are starving to death, I believe that the will of God will be established on the earth, even if I were to die. (279-308, 1996.9.22 Pacific Rim Providence Ch. 2, Sec. 3)
Regardless of the past failures and lack of possibility, we must once again prepare to newly devote ourselves to the task of solving global hunger. We have to let time ripe and let God work upon the conditions accumulated.
First, what we must prepare are historical records and educational materials in pure form, just as True Father had described, so that blessed families around the world can study in different languages. There are plenty of records related to Ocean Providence as True Father had spoken and fished extensively in North America, South America, and Korea. If we build an open online environment with educational materials to capture True Parents’ devotion and hope, there may be those amongst blessed families that may start to rise up to continue the work of True Parents.
Secondly, we must review the past plan and then update it as needed. True Father started Ocean Church in 30 locations in the United States in 1980. However, due to many failures and abandonment, by 1990, the Ocean Church was eventually reduced to a single location in Liberty Harbor Marina in New Jersey, under direct instructions by True Father. Although the goal remained the same, the providence or the plan needs to be reviewed and adjusted based on how the situation develops, just as True Father did. For example, when True Father started the Ocean Providence, the ocean was basically underdeveloped. However, since then, the ocean is overexploited and some of the species are facing extinction. Because the situation has changed, we must first consider the sustainability of the ocean before securing enough resources to solve global hunger. For this reason, we must see True Father’s plan as the base plan but investigate the technologies and world environment in detail to construct an adjusted plan.
Finally, we must start to prepare textbooks or manuals for fish farms, tourism, and other marine and hobby enterprises, such that the blessed families may start the businesses themselves as easily as possible. True Father told each of the blessed families to buy a boat, which implies that He wanted each family to use the boat to build businesses themselves around the globe. In addition, when True Father told the women who participated in the Ocean Leadership Workshop in Kodiak, Alaska, in late 2004, that they should use the textbooks that were developed in each marine business in order to globalize them. We must start to develop manuals and reference materials for marine businesses such that blessed families around the world can coordinate and develop their own businesses and create a global network of cooperation - a federation of families who substantially build the world of peace where no child starves.
A Brief History of Ocean Providence Education in the Americas
True Father arrived in the United States of America at the end of 1971 and began two major movements in order for the nation to fulfill its responsibility as the Abel of the Christian Cultural Realm and the second Roman Empire. The two movements were the “Revival of Christian Spirit” and “Ocean Providence''. From 1972, as He spoke at major events to revive the American Christian community, He had already purchased boats such as the Flying Phoenix to start fishing in the Hudson River.
True Father officially started Ocean Providence in the US in 1974 with Tuna fishing near Boston. From 1978, True Father started training the UTS (Unification Theological Seminary) students in New York about fishing. In the same year, He started building boats called One Hope to train the Unificationist members in various parts of the world, starting from Gloucester, Massachusetts. In 1980, True Father started the Ocean Church at 30 key locations around the coasts of the United States as the hope for the Unification Movement.
I feel in the future, the Ocean Church foundation can be greater than the land church. So far we've been living in the land church era, but from now on we'll be living in the Ocean Church era. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 14, Leaders' Conference August 26, 1983)
The only hope that Unification Church has for the future lies in Ocean Church. Don't you see how serious your position is? (God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch. 6)
Despite His high expectations and relentless summer training workshops in Gloucester, True Father’s hopes were never realized as members continued to fall short of His expectations.
I pioneered and developed every aspect by myself. Then, I had to convince the members. I watched many of them escape from Ocean Church during these past five years, but I kept going on. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 11, "True Parents" and "Indemnity" August 1985 -- Berkeley)
But now, some Unification members feel like they don't even want to look at those boats, that they want to run away from their boat. I see that kind of thing. My goal and desire and hope is built into this boat, but the young American members don't understand this and sometimes, they try to run away from this boat. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 12, The Heart and Spirit of Fishing July 3rd, 1986)
In the 1980s, there were Ocean Church locations in New York, Montauk, Gloucester, Miami, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and Norfolk, but in the 1990s, the HQ of the Ocean Church was moved to Liberty Harbor Marina in New Jersey and the rest of the locations closed down one by one. True Father then focused on this single location, visiting the marina often to fish around the New York harbor. Under True Father’s direct instructions, the Ocean Church laid the foundations in the restaurant business, tackle and bait shop, fish sales, technical school, boat factory, and witnessing to Christian ministers in the Jersey City area through fishing.
True Father also built the North Garden in Kodiak, Alaska, and conducted many fishing training. All leaders from the Unification movement were brought there to train with extreme schedules to catch salmon and halibuts.
In 1994, the first 40-year course as HSA-UWC had come to a close and FFWPU was inaugurated. On August 1st, 1994, True Father gathered and spoke to the members from 160 nations at the 20th Anniversary Exposition of Ocean Providence in the United States of America, held on the Belvedere ground in New York. At this event, True Father spoke in detail about the Ocean Providence as a practical global plan, but with words of lamentation that many have failed within the 20 years.
I started Ocean Church Providence 20 years ago, but only I am left at the end. Everyone threw it out on the way and disappeared somewhere. The next 20 years will be your time. (20th Anniversary of Ocean Providence in America, August 1st, 1994)
Despite many failures, True Father was ready to utilize the foundation He had developed in the United States and to globalize the Ocean Providence.
Following this speech in Belvedere to the members of 160 nations, He began to send boats to the missionaries in 160 nations to globalize the Ocean Providence He had built in the United States. However, these boats were not received well by the members who still did not understand the significance of the Ocean Providence. Most of the boats that were sent to these nations were abandoned or sold for cash.
This is how you can save people who would otherwise starve to death. They first need to know how to fish effectively; this is why I prepared to send four boats each to 160 nations. You are thinking, "What's the use of doing that?" because your hearts and minds are not enlightened. But I am telling you we must do it. (444-191, 2004/04/04 ChambumoGyeong Book 10, Chapter 2, Section 5)
On March 31st, 1995, with the Sao Paulo Declaration, the second 40-year course as FFWPU was officially started, and True Father had moved the frontline of the providence to South America. It was also the time to bring the Ocean Providence foundation that He had developed in the United States to South America. He spoke about the 20 years of Ocean Providence in the United States as preparation for South America and to save the poor countries in the tropical climate zone.
That is why for twenty years I have been preparing for the oceanic civilization sphere in South America. I have been paving the way for the oceanic age to save all the countries within the tropical climate zone. That twenty-year course was to pave the path of tribulation. (277-131, 1996.4.7 The Pacific Rim Providence, Chapter 1, Section 1)
In South America, True Father gathered all the national messiahs in a small town called Fuerte Olimpo in Paraguay and trained them to fish by having them catch 160 fish per person in the Paraguay River. Through this condition, the national messiahs were to inherit the vertical and spiritual foundations that True Parents had built and globalize them substantially and horizontally.
In 2004, True Father instructed a change in leadership of Ocean Providence in North and South America. He instructed the Ocean Church members in New Jersey to move to Paraguay to develop a marine hobby industry. However, during this time of change in responsibility in personnel and leadership of Ocean Providence, only a couple of Ocean Church members from New Jersey ended up moving to Paraguay.
The new leadership in the United States dissolved most of the Ocean Church foundation in New Jersey. The boat factory, which was located in Little Ferry, NJ, where True Father could easily reach from East Garden, was moved to North Carolina in 2005 by the new leadership. In the Great Recession of 2008, the boat factory in the United States, which True Father invested in since 1978, was effectively closed and most of the Ocean Church members were laid off.
From 2008, the Ocean Challenge summer program at Kodiak, Alaska was started. This program developed into the NOCP (National Ocean Challenge Program). Small groups of Unificationist members across the United States who continued the Ocean Church work started to communicate through Ocean Summit meetings held annually since 2014.
Meanwhile, in South America, after the workshops in Fuerte Olimpo ended, the boats were abandoned and even sold. From the 10 GoodGo boats that arrived in Pantanal and were used when True Father fished there, only a couple of boats remained operational at Puerto Leda, and others were abandoned, sold, or given to others. At Corrientes, Argentina, more than 15 boats were purchased when True Father fished there but most of the boats were sold off. Some members in Uruguay have been involving second-generation youth in the annual fishing conditions to catch Corvina Negra (fish called black drum in English).
In both North America, South America, and around the world, similar trends had transpired. Despite True Father’s repeated pleads to solve the food problem that is “the most pressing problem” of humankind, the explanation that the Ocean Providence was “the fastest way” to unite the world, and His endless investments of time and money in training activities and marine businesses, the urgency of the project to solve world poverty and hunger has not been understood and has been deprioritized and reduced to a minimal scale.
Although the Ocean Providence has been a series of failures and abandonment, it must be done. True Father repeatedly stated that if the first generation cannot do it, the future generations must accomplish the task.
You have to go out to the ocean. That is your role and mission. If you Americans fail then I may ask the Japanese or Koreans or even the blessed children to accomplish the mission. I am absolutely determined to succeed. Repent for the past and make a new hopeful beginning. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 8, February 8th, 1984)
The torch of completing the Ocean Providence has been passed to the “blessed children.” We must let the younger generation know about this important responsibility.
The Methods of Youth Education and Building the Environment
True Father tried to train all of the Unificationist members in the ocean.
As you know, only one third of the surface of the globe is land; two thirds are ocean. Therefore, without knowing the ocean we can never have dominion over the entire globe. So every one of you, every member of the Unification Church, is required to take a basic training in Ocean Church, including navigation, repairing and so forth. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch. 14 Leaders' Conference August 26, 1983)
All members were supposed to participate in the grand plan for solving the food crisis of this world.
The ocean is our foundation for the future and we will all participate in some way or another in the ocean providence. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 11, True Parents and Indemnity)
True Father also expected that the primary qualification of the leadership of the Unification Movement is to know about the ocean.
The ocean has everything to do with the future. Don't you know that? You have to become interested in the ocean or otherwise you will just disappear into history. In the future, the qualification for leadership will be to know about the ocean. The basic knowledge will be how to handle a boat. To know about the ocean and to be able to go upon it will become the two basic qualifications for leadership in the future. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch.3 Ocean Church and America)
In the perspective that all members and leaders of the Unification movement must go through ocean training and inherit the grand project of solving the global starvation problem, we must urgently create programs to educate the youth of FFWPU worldwide.
Most of the first-generation members and leaders have gone through the ocean training conducted directly by True Father, especially in the United States, and leaders had always accompanied True Father to fish until His ascension in 2012. However, most of the younger generations have not had the opportunity to directly see True Father and hear about the ocean providence.
As the generation changes within the FFWPU leadership from the first generation to the younger generation, it is important once again to include ocean training as one of the primary education programs within FFWPU.
As a general strategy to educate the youth, direct education such as lectures and ocean training workshops of youth can be reinforced by also creating an environment by (1) educating the parents and (2) collaborating with the educators who are directly responsible for guiding the youth.
Hence, educational materials and methods can be prepared with these three groups in mind:
For the youth, the learning should be primarily experience and emotion-based including activities and images (photos and videos). The ideological and historical information should be secondary. However, it is important to emphasize the heart of True Parents by showing them the images of how much True Father invested in the ocean. Another point to emphasize is the terrible situation of the current global food problem such as the starvation occurring in Yemen and Afghanistan.
The following are the methods described above that already exist in the United States.
Ocean Challenge Workshops
Since 2008, many youths have been trained at the ocean training workshops called the National Ocean Challenge Program (NOCP) in Kodiak, Alaska.
In this workshop, the participants experience ocean training in a vast ocean surrounded by the bare nature of Alaska, focused on learning the Alaska Spirit, the spirit of accomplishing the goals no matter what happens. Kodiak is a key holy ground in North America that True Father visited and conducted numerous fishing workshops at for many Unificationist members while living in a house called the North Garden. The participants stay at this same house and feel the history and devotion of True Parents.
In recent years, the program has attracted youth from all over the world to experience the Ocean Challenge program.
Fishing, Boating, Maintenance, and Captain License Program
At the NJ Ocean Tribe located in Little Ferry, New Jersey, it is customary to launch the boats for fishing every Saturday. Other activities such as maintenance, cleaning, and lectures are also conducted on Saturdays. When it is difficult to launch the boat, fishing from land/pier (selected by season) is scheduled.
The fishing activity is advertised by SNS and FFWPU members can participate in the boat-fishing activity by paying for gasoline.
There are three types of participation:
One-time fishing and cruising trip: FFWPU members can charter boats to go fishing or cruising. FAMILY FISHING!
Achievement-based programs using skill sheets: Youth can participate in periodic training activities which are documented as achievements
Training focused on obtaining captain licenses
Web Seminars
Web seminars are being conducted every 2 weeks. There are four primary texts that are repeated:
OCEAN PROVIDENCE TEXTS |
Text 01: What was Ocean Church? Its purpose and function (60 min) |
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Text 02: True Father’s Substantive Plan to Solve World Hunger (90 min) |
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Text 03: Why Ocean Training is Important and Urgent (90 min) |
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Text 04: The World Unification starts with North & South America Unification (90 min) |
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Youth Seminars
Starting from 2021, the Ocean Tribe Subregion 1 is conducting a 4-day youth program called True Parents’ HOPE (Heart in Ocean Providence Education), which combines lectures, physical activities, and discussions. The following are the themes of the 4-day program.
1 | Let us connect to True Parents’ Heart in the Ocean! In order to understand TPs Heart, we must first understand their situation through their Words & Deeds |
2 | Let us understand the Goals - World Peace & Unification! In order to fulfill TPs Heart in OP, we must first understand the Goals & the Plan |
3 | Let us understand True Parents’ Grand Plan (Providence)! In order to complete the Goals, we need to understand the Plan! |
4 | What Kind of People are needed to execute the Grand Plan? In order to be filial sons and daughters that can inherit True Parents’ Heart in the Ocean, what kind of people should we become and what can we do from now? |
Most of the youth cannot understand complicated concepts such as materialism and communism. Rather than teaching them about the ideological aspects, the focus is placed on the current world situation, how True Father invested His time in the ocean, and what His objectives were. Vast amounts of photos and videos of True Father fishing can be used as a clear indicator of its importance.
In addition, the program also places importance in physical activities such as (1) preparing fishing rigs, (2) use of fishing rods, (3) sushi party, (4) boat driving experience, and (5) trivia quiz with awards.
Educator Seminar/Discussions
In implementing the youth education, a simple set of educator-focused seminar materials were prepared so that they understand the historical and ideological background to guide the youth participants.
Online Archives and Seminar materials
An online archive for Ocean Providence is being built so that anyone can learn the history of the Ocean Providence in different languages. Students of providence and educators can download various educational contents from this site.
Online Video Channels
To reach out to the young generation who are raised by online video content, educational videos are prepared. There are several YouTube channels that focus on documenting Ocean Providence.
Ocean Hobby Seminar | Educational contents explaining the history and meaning of Ocean Providence |
Alaskan Spirit | Videos rich with True Parents’ fishing activities especially in Alaska |
Ocean Church - Educational Space
A space of educational activities is selected for anyone to visit and learn. One of the purposes of this space is to create an environment where people can learn simply by entering into the space. The walls of this space would be filled with images and diagrams to show the history and the meaning of Ocean Providence. The monitor will have repeating educational videos playing so that visitors can watch and learn casually.
In addition, there would be periodic events planned within this space. For example, on every Saturday, volunteers gather to study Ocean Providence through Hoon Dok Hae, learn maintenance, etc.
Ocean Training as a Solution to Psychological Problems
Unfortunately, many of the youths around the world have psychological problems. Suicide is becoming one of the top causes of death among youth in many developed countries. Many lack interest in global problems and the providence. Within the missionary families who sacrificed their time with their children for their overseas mission work, the number of youths with childhood trauma is not trivial. Many are addicted to games.
True Father emphasized that ocean training is a great way to build character and leaders. Let us examine the ways in which ocean training can help alleviate some of the psychological problems that the FFWPU youths face today.
Common Psychological Environment for FFWPU Youth
Recent studies of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) show that both physical and mental illnesses of adults have a strong correlation with their childhood environment. For example, many studies of ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) have shown evidence that adverse childhood experiences such as parental neglect can significantly raise the chances of cardiovascular diseases, depressions, and suicides.
There are a few adverse childhood experiences that FFWPU youths tend to experience. The first is religious persecution, which could be considered as a type of emotional abuse for children. In certain areas of the world, the unification church was considered a religious cult, and its members were persecuted greatly. For example, in Japan, FFWPU is highly persecuted and most youths hide their identities. The second common adverse childhood experience for FFWPU children is parental neglect, which has been very common within unificationist families due to the culture of prioritizing their missions over family and personal matters.
Hence the FFWPU youths tend to grow up in a relatively high-stress environment. In addition, they are subjected to even higher stress by the surrounding expectation of being “blessed children.”
High Expectation & High Stress
In developed nations, average daily life comes with tremendous stress, which is highly associated with risks of mental and physical health. What is stress? Stress is mental pressure and fatigue from sustaining a gap between one’s ideals and perceived reality. It is the mental pressure and fatigue that comes from what we think we should be versus what we perceive ourselves to be in reality. People who tend to have high expectations of themselves tend to have much higher stress. This is why countries with the most positive emotions in the world are poor countries in Latin America, where social pressure and expectation to be successful are minimal.
“People living a cultured life build up layers of stress. How can one get rid of that stress? It is not enough to just talk about it.” (Pacific Rim Providence, Ch. 2, Section 1, pg 1893)
What about our youth in the Unification movement? We teach them to have the highest expectation: To be perfect. To fulfill our original mind which begs us to live for the sake of humanity, God, and True Parents. But the current reality is that the youths are not exposed to appropriate paths to fulfill these expectations.
How can ocean training help the youths of FFWPU?
First, the Ocean Providence offers a substantial path for the youth to work together to fulfill the highest expectation to live for humanity and solve the most miserable suffering on this earth in the form of starvation. Having a purpose in life, especially in global, visible problems, will give the youths ways to direct their potentials and their original mind’s desire to live for others. Many studies have shown that having a life goal tends to reduce stress, allow one to cope with difficult situations, and promote healthy behaviors.
Secondly, ocean training will let the youths have healthier minds and bodies. When living daily lives, we tend to focus our minds on our closest relationships and problems, but nature allows one to feel the greatness of God’s creation and the relative size of one’s problems. Studies have repeatedly shown that spending time in nature improves mood, memory, and self-esteem, and even lowers blood pressures and risks of cancer. Psychologists Mark Wheeler and Nick Cooper claim that they were successful in reducing PTSD symptoms of war veterans by 30% by using fishing activities as part of their therapy.
"Getting rid of stress is the best cure for modern-day illness, and there is no better way to solve the problem than hunting and fishing, which are encouraged by the leisure industry." (Pacific Rim Providence, Ch. 2, Section 1, pg 1887)
Thirdly, ocean training will allow the youths to take the first step to becoming global leaders. When the youths learn about the global problems such as the food crisis in developing nations, their perspective will change from their own problems to problems of the world. This is the first step to being a global leader: To be concerned about the world.
"To be a global leader a person must think of the world’s problems as his own and have the pioneering spirit that is needed for finding difficult solutions." (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen Chapter 8)
Fourthly, learning about the starvation problem will allow the youth to be compassionate. The state of starvation is a state where morals, ideology, and logic bear no significance. It is the most basic and the most terrible suffering. When the youths understand that such suffering exists in this world, perhaps they can see the relative insignificance of their own problems and find the heart to be thankful of their lives, and be compassionate to others. This compassion will propagate within their families and the community of FFWPU, creating a better psychological environment for all youths.
Fifthly, the project of solving global hunger opens a way to unite with the heart of God and True Parents and a path to perfection. God and True Parents of humanity feel the pain of their starving children everyday. To understand the terrible suffering of starvation is equivalent to standing in the perspective of God and True Parents. Only by uniting with God’s perspective, can we become perfect as a human being. Human beings with original nature are designed to naturally desire to live for others and eradicate all of the suffering in this world. Today’s youths, especially, tend to desire to substantially contribute to human society, rather than speaking about ideologies inside church buildings.
The project of solving global hunger allows us to be one with True Parents’ True Love towards all of humanity, both in heart and action.
Works Cited:
A study on Climate Change's effects on refugees -
Australian Think Tank IEP, World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/climate-refugees-the-world-s-forgotten-victims/
Quote about the urgency of the food problem -
From the book, As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Chapter 7, page 315: “When I look at the world situation, I feel that securing sufficient food supplies is the most pressing problem. Solving the food crisis cannot be put off for even a moment. Even now, some twenty thousand people around the world die of hunger-related causes every day. We cannot afford to be apathetic just because we and our immediate families are not facing hunger.”
Quote about the key role of the ocean in unification -
From the book, God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch.11: “We have to make this foundation for the entire world. This is the fastest way to bring people and nations together. I am always thinking how this can be done and that is why I am making a foundation on the ocean. When we make this foundation, our direction towards the future will be straight.”
A study on the effect childhood has on physical health later on in life -
American Heart Association, 11/2019, “The Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Health: Factors that Influence Individuals with or At Risk of CVD,” https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/about-us/policy-research/policy-positions/social-determinants-of-health/aces-policy-statement.pdf?la=en
A report on the overall emotions of different countries -
Gallup 2019 Global Emotions Report
An article about health benefits of having a purpose in life -
Linda Wasmer Andrews, “How a Sense of Purpose in Life Improves Your Health”, July 14, 2017, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/minding-the-body/201707/how-sense-purpose-in-life-improves-your-health
An article about the health benefits of being outside and in nature -
Kevin Loria, “Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, and lower blood pressure — here are 12 science-backed reasons to spend more time outdoors”, Apr 22, 2018, INSIDER, https://www.businessinsider.com/why-spending-more-time-outside-is-healthy-2017-7#with-all-this-its-not-surprising-that-outdoor-time-is-associated-with-a-lower-overall-risk-of-early-death-12
An article about the therapeutic benefits of fishing for PTSD patients -
Ellen Scott, “Fishing therapy is helping war survivors with their mental health”, Metro, December 21st, 2018 https://metro.co.uk/2018/12/21/fishing-therapy-helping-war-survivors-mental-health-8272674/
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