Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Substantive Plan to Solve World Hunger

An Analysis of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Speech on August 1st, 1994 at the 20th Anniversary Ceremony of the Oceanic Providence in America

This has to be done. For the future, someone has to do it. You are my hope. If you don't know that, you cannot understand even who you are. The one who is close to me is the one who will determine to be successful on the ocean. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 6, Who Will Inherit the Ocean? July 3rd, 1983 Gloucester)

Overview

This article is an analysis of Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s speech given at the 20th Anniversary of the Ocean Providence in America. About 4,000 members from 160 nations were invited to attend the anniversary exposition, where Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s investments in oceanic enterprises in the United States were displayed including the boats, restaurants, seafood distribution and fish farm technologies.

Throughout the speech, Rev. Moon revealed and laid out the plan for the Ocean Providence that was meant to be carried out by Unification church members. This article will be analyzing and explaining what Rev. Moon talks about in his speech in the following manner:

Why Do We Need a Plan? For What Goals?

Before discussing the plan that Rev. Moon had laid out for members, we must first understand the goals of the Unification movement. To understand those goals, we can simply look at our name: Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU). As a movement, we are meant to literally be a network of Blessed Families that can bring about both world peace and world unification.

However, these are grand goals that no other organization in human history has been able to accomplish, and it is naïve to think that peace and unification would happen automatically. Naturally, we should understand that there is a need for an actual plan to arrive at world peace and unification.

Then how was Rev. Moon looking to do this? What are the key aspects to bringing about a world of peace and unification? We can take a look at Rev. Moon’s words with regards to peace:

The oceans can become a central point for bringing the world together. (As a Peace-loving Global Citizen, Ch. 7, pg. 305)

We cannot build a world of peace without first resolving the food issue. (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Ch.7, pg. 316)

True peace will not come as long as humanity does not solve the problem of hunger. If the person next to me is about to die of hunger, peace is a mere luxury. (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Ch.7, pg. 321)

Rev. Moon has said, many times, that the oceans play a key role to bringing about our goals to reality, and also that solving the food issue is an absolute must when talking about creating world peace. Rev. Moon stressed the important key role of the ocean in other speeches as well:

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. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Ch.11)

I believe this will be a shortcut to guiding all people toward a world of peace. That is why for several decades I have been researching, planning and pioneering all sorts of ocean-related businesses. (Chambumo Gyeong, Book 10 252-210, 1993/12/30)

Rev. Moon identifies the ocean as the “fastest way,” “shortcut,” and “central point” for achieving world peace and unification. He also points out that solving the hunger problem is necessary to resolve in order to bring about these goals. It can be concluded then, simply, that in order to accomplish FFWPU’s goals for World Peace and Unification, we must become involved with the ocean and with resolving the food issue.

This then makes clear that the Ocean Providence and the plan that Father had laid out during the 20th anniversary had to do with the two main goals, the ocean, and the food issue. However, one other question that might arise is why Rev. Moon laid this plan out when he did at the 20th Anniversary. What was the significance of this timing?

When the Unification movement had just begun in 1954, the name was Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC). This was the case for the next forty years until 1994. Throughout this first forty year course, the central responsibility belonged to True Parents. In 1971, Rev. Moon began the American Providence, and in 1974, he began the American Ocean Providence which lasted for the next twenty years until the 20th anniversary ceremony on August 1st, 1994.

May 1st of 1994 was when FFWPU was established, marking the start of the second forty year course, and in 1995 when the Sao Paulo Declaration was made, it was the start of the North and South American Unification movement. During this next forty years, of which we are currently in the midst of, the central responsibility had shifted from True Parents to the Blessed Family members.

Rev. Moon explained to the members on April of 1996 about this next forty year course and what was expected of it:

The first forty years of my life until now was a time of tribulations, centering on the developed countries in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as centering on the land. That is why for twenty years (1974~1994) 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 (1974~1994) was to pave the path of tribulation. (277-131, 1996.4.7 The Pacific Rim Providence, Chapter 1, Section 1)

Rev. Moon reveals that for the first twenty years he spent on developing Ocean Providence in North America, he had been preparing to utilize that foundation to save the countries in the tropical climate zone, such as those in South America. This is why at the twentieth year mark, Rev. Moon began the movement to unite North and South America at the start of the second forty year course.

To declare the beginning of this movement, he made the Sao Paulo Declaration on March 31st, 1995 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Sao Paulo Declaration talked about four main points: 1) the declaration of the official start of the second forty year course as FFWPU, 2) Central Responsibility has shifted over to Second Generation and Blessed Families, 3) the frontline has moved from North to South America, and 4) the beginning of the North and South American providence for the unification of the Christian Cultural Realm.

In essence, once the second forty year course started, it became the members’ responsibility to carry on the providence based on the foundation that True Parents had laid the first forty years, this time centering on South America. This is for the sake of the unification of the Christian Cultural Realm. Rev. Moon explained that in order to bring about World Unification, the Christian Cultural Realm should first be united.

Now, if North America and South America can become one through my efforts, then North Korea and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula can unify and Israel and the Muslim world can unite. The unity of Europe will not be a problem either. This will happen all at once. (266-134, 1994/12/22 Chambumo Gyeong Book 10 Chapter 3 Section 4, 8)

The prevailing culture derives from Christianity, and the leader in transforming modern society is North America. South America has opposed North America until now. If these two continents were to become one, they would form a great power base. If this were to happen, Europe, North America and South America, and then Asia would naturally join the Christian cultural realm. That is why I must unite the cultural realm of Christianity in North America and South America and then connect it to Asia. I need to unite Asia with North America and South America. Without doing this there is no future. (268- 311, 1995/04/03 CBG 10 Ch 3 Sect 4.2)

Based on the foundation and development made in the twenty years of Ocean Providence in North America, as a time of preparation, Rev. Moon looked to unite North and South America, essentially uniting Protestantism (Abel) and Catholicism (Cain) to create one unified Christianity. Once the Christian Cultural Realm in the Americas becomes one, naturally the European countries (representing the old Christian Realm) would also unite. Subsequently, the unity of all Christianity will lead to the unity of the Judeo-Islamic religions, and ultimately, this will lead to the unification of the Asian continent and the Korean Peninsula.

This is the direction and path we must follow when it comes to bringing about world unification, and Rev. Moon looked to do this through the foundation and preparation made from the American Ocean Providence for those first twenty years. The timing of his speech laying out this plan was really marking the end of that twenty year preparation and was Rev. Moon telling the members what they should do from then on and to take on the responsibility of the next twenty and forty years.

From then, the goal that we were meant to keep in mind was solving the hunger problem of the world to begin bringing peace and unification into reality.

STEP 1: The Gateway into the Marine Industry, Boats

In order to accomplish the goals of peace and unification and solving world hunger, Rev. Moon figured out that all this can be done through building a foundation in the Marine Industry. While this seems like a sudden and far-fetched conclusion, once you have an understanding of this comprehensive plan of his, this conclusion isn’t far-fetched at all.

So the FIRST STEP that Rev. Moon needed to take, before anything else, was to get himself involved with the Marine Industry. He knew that he nor his followers could suddenly dedicate their whole life on the ocean without first knowing anything about the ocean-going lifestyle. This is why Rev. Moon needed a way to get involved, to set that foundation, and the answer to that was to have a boat.

Without a boat, no matter how good the environmental conditions are for providence, nothing can be done. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

What Rev. Moon needed was a gateway into the Marine Industry. He needed a boat that would lead not only himself, but other people, to learn to love the Ocean and see it as their life mission. To do this, he needed a boat, a boat that would keep people safe out on the waves, be useful in both sea and fresh water, and was a boat that would attract people and is loved by people.

The boat that he worked to design to fulfill these qualities was the One Hope.

...In the end, the most important thing is to have human connections and develop good human resources. When working on the marine industry, it is important to develop human resources who want to spend all of their lives for it and that it is a God-given occupation. The key challenge is how to develop such human resources and how to instruct and pass that spirit to their descendants.

I thought about how to lay the foundation for young people to feel without fear “I have to go out to the sea again today because I went out to the sea yesterday.” At that time, the idea of ​​building an unsinkable boat came to me. Floating the boat on the beach or in a river nearby that even children can easily steer around, and the children in the village get on the boat or dive under the boat and have fun playing, they naturally become interested in the sea.

Even if we continued to fish for 20 years, the real thrill of going out to the sea would never end. We don't have time. The most important thing in business is that you have to have a solid foundation at the starting point.

It was the One Hope that I worked hard to make after thinking about various things.

You would not know this, but remember that One Hope is the best boat in the world for effective fishing in bad weather, no matter what kind of fish you catch, whether it's tuna or trout. Have you ever wondered how special this boat is? (Development of the Oceanic Realm,1994.8.1)

It’s interesting - One Hope is just one boat, yet it holds the potential as a catalyst for propelling this plan forward. Rev. Moon knew this, and it’s why he put so much dedication and effort into its conception. Not only did he make it so that it could be used in both ocean and river fishing, he also made the design so that people would be attracted to ride it, attracted to the industry and the thought of using it.

One Hope was made with the young people in mind, for their future and their life out on the sea, and for the world. The love and heart put into its design by Rev. Moon is in this way, unimaginable.

One Hope comes to my mind when I think of boats, and One Hope is the best. One Hope means One purpose, "One determination". Please memorize it like this.

The island symbolizes a woman. A boat like a small island floating in the sea symbolizes a woman. Well, in the world, the most beautiful boat, like the most beautiful woman, whether viewed from above or from the side, is our boat. Did everyone notice this? ...I am telling you to etch these words in your head permanently and never forget it.

Of all the Alaskan boats, the boat that is trolling and actually catching fish well, fast, portable and good looking, was our boat. It's not an average boat. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

The most important thing is to have a foundation, to fulfill the prerequisite - it is to have the human resources to begin this plan. That is why Rev. Moon talked so much about this One Hope. It was the hope, purpose, and determination for the future. It was the gateway. Without such a gateway, a gateway that could raise up ocean-going people, this plan could never begin. By making a boat that could never sink, was top of the notch, and was beautiful, Rev. Moon could begin the Ocean Providence by raising up the people who would carry it out - starting with one boat.

The Plan: Solving Poverty and Hunger

The idea was that once Rev. Moon could raise and train ocean loving members, he would begin the rest of the plan, this plan having two aspects to it: (1) Providing food and (2) sharing technology. What Rev. Moon planned to do was bring equalization to all the people of the world, which meant there had to be a plan to bring what the rich have to where the poor were.

Simply distributing food supplies by itself will not resolve hunger, though. A more fundamental approach to the problem is needed. I am considering two fundamental and concrete methods. The first is to provide ample supplies of food at low cost, and the second is to share technology that people can use to overcome hunger on their own. (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Chapter 7)

If we look at inequality, there are two core things that the rich have and the poor lack, and that is food and advanced technology. Hunger is the most acute manifestation of inequality - what does this mean? It means that the state of the hunger problem is what reveals the state of inequality in this world. If all people were equal, why are there people who struggle to find food for even just one meal?

To solve this, there needs to be a redistribution of food and resources, and equalization of the resources that have been hoarded by some while others are left to starve. However, Rev. Moon also understood that simply distributing resources was not enough. Resources could be depleted and could not be distributed eternally.

Therefore, an even more fundamental method of overcoming poverty and hunger is the second part of Rev. Moon’s plan: To teach and educate those in underdeveloped countries about how to generate food and be prosperous.

Throughout this article, Rev. Moon’s plan will be broken down by talking about these two parts of the plan.

PART 1: Distribution of Food at Low Cost

The first thing needed to solve the issue of world hunger is to bring food to those who don’t have it at low cost. The first part of Rev. Moon’s plan addresses this need.

STEP 2: Expanding to the Transportation Industry

As discussed above, Rev. Moon started with manufacturing boats to train the Unificationist families to love and be willing to work in the marine industry as a God-given occupation. Rev. Moon explained the next step, and that was to expand that foundation throughout the whole Marine Industry and more. In order to begin the plan to distribute food resources, there needed to be a way to create a network for transportation and distribution. To do so, Rev. Moon planned first to expand the shipbuilding business from smaller boat building to large transport ships

We will build high-performance boats of various sizes in Alaska. Subsequent goals are to build transport ships that carry fish and goods. As more and more fish are caught, transport ships will be needed and will naturally connect with the transport industry. By the same theory, if we continue to increase the size of the transport ship, it will become an oil tanker that carries hundreds of thousands of tons of crude oil. If you want to run a world-level shipyard, you have to expand your facility so that you can build ships of any size.

The most important thing in establishing a relationship with the sea is the boat. If we build a boat, it must be built so that the boats that the Unification Church builds are recognized and more famous than those built by other companies, at the global standard, and as history goes by.

Various industries develop from there, centering on manufacturing boats. In relation to the aquaculture industry, we will develop technology, deepen our relationship with the transportation industry, and gradually functionally connect with many manufacturing industries. In this way, we will create a relationship that controls the marine industry and open the way to control the land also. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

As Rev. Moon explained, by getting involved in the shipbuilding industry, we would naturally find ourselves getting exposure and creating relations with other manufacturing industries and many other fields. What the goal here is, is to eventually expand into all of the Marine Industry so that our boats would gain a global standard, to manufacture large transport ships, and eventually achieve a significant influence in the global transportation industry.

STEP 3: Creating A Global Network for Distribution

Once we have a foundation in the global transportation industry, we can then begin establishing a global network of distribution utilizing that global foundation. It is the step where the food is taken to those who need it, and to those who starve.

As Mike Lanian explained earlier, the purpose of Rev. Moon investing in the marine industry so much is to reach into any underdeveloped lands in any country using the transportation technologies of the marine industry in the future. In Africa, people are starving and die for lack of food, but food is abundant here and there in countries around the world.

A huge amount of food, called surplus products, sleeps in the warehouse every year. As you may know, in the 1980s, before I was imprisoned in Danbury, I bought more than 200 mobile home trailers, which are houses that move. I distributed them to each church, telling them to go around the country.

The reason for doing this was to use the trailers to go around the warehouses and transport various groceries such as canned foods and processed foods. In the United States, the surplus foods stored in warehouses can be taken by anyone who needs them.

If you say that you can transport more than 18 tons of surplus food for the poor, the national government will pay you compensation to help you with the costs of moving your vehicle. While doing such work, I had a vision that I was preparing for the future. When the time came, tens of thousands of tons of food would be shipped together and distributed to hungry people in Africa and around the world. I have been preparing for that. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

In wealthy nations like the USA, there are tons of surplus foods that go to waste every year while in other countries, people have nothing to eat. Father looked to change this situation by beginning some kind of system to distribute these foods to better equalize the food. Though costly, if our intentions for helping the poor are made clear through our efforts, we would receive willing support and compensation from the government.

What I spoke about has become a reality. In this way, let's connect the tourism industry and the hobby industry to the fishery industry, operate transport ships, and distribute the world's surplus food to poverty-stricken areas.

I developed a transportable, quality fish powder.

Humans can survive as long as they take enough protein in their daily diet. Fish powder is bone-free, finely ground and concentrated with good protein. As Ku Bae Park said just now, the purity of protein in other products is around 40 percent, while our fish powder has a purity of 98 percent. It's well done. It is incomparable with other products…(Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

In order to create an effective distribution system to eventually lower costs, however, there has to then be a way to more effectively and cheaply transport fish / food without refrigeration (one of the main reasons for high costs). With this need in mind, True Father developed top-quality fish powder that is not only healthy, but can also be cheaply and easily transported and distributed.

Along with the importance of fishing, we must advance the transportation industry from now on. We must foster a transportation industry that connects Japan, across the North Sea, through the Bering Strait, and to the Americas. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

It is through developing in the transportation industry that can allow us to develop a global network to start the work of distribution throughout the world.

...With the United States as the central nation and the representative of the world, the countries of the world must trade and form ties with the United States, in order to export or import. When the vacant ship approaches a port somewhere, if our members living in the land cooperate to quickly load and unload and develop a transportation system that effectively uses the vacant space, they will succeed as a transporter. If the local government sees such a transportation network using ships, it will surely be interested and come to help. This project has that much benefit. As we become leading companies in the marine industry and serve the world, nations around the world will support us. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

Not only will we be developing a global network of transportation and distribution, we will also accumulate the support of the world around us, especially if our purpose is clearly for the sake of helping the world. If, for example, the United Nations sees our selfless motive and our actions aligned with each other, they will naturally want to support our effort and movement.

Through our efforts, the people of the rich nations will begin to take notice of this goodwill and worldwide movement for peace.

Imagine the people of the world's developed nations getting to know, be inspired, and get excited as we use ships entering the harbor to distribute food to the villages of the world. All you have to do is go around the port cities all over the world, take a rest when you arrive, unload your cargo, and enter the local site. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

As discussed before, with the development of shipbuilding comes the development of this global network. But going back to the building of smaller boats, such as One Hope, we can utilize these smaller boats for much more effective distribution in underdeveloped nations. Unlike the large cargo ships that cannot enter smaller rivers and waterways, these small boats can enter through anywhere, even reaching the villages and people inland.

...Transportation such as roads is not well developed in the hinterlands of Africa. In undeveloped lands, humans are constantly pursuing water and settling at the water's edge and estuaries. So we make good use of small boats to get into the shallow interiors of the waterways.

The estuaries and sea routes are so well connected that waterways are more commonly used in the transportation industry than land routes. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

STEP 4: Entering the Tourism Industry

It is centering on the small boats that many things can be done - and along with all that’s been said already, Rev. Moon also saw the potential in the tourism industry, and that the boats we have could also be used for tourist business.

In the future, what we need to do is to start a tourism business that uses small boats to fish and carry goods. In order to develop the tourism industry, we will use the manufacturing technologies of small boats to eventually deploy small boats in major port towns around the world and hope to be able to guide tens of thousands of customers for sightseeing and fishing. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.81)

What Rev. Moon understood was that tourism and hobby would boom as an industry in the future, and along with that industry, we should as well, based on our foundation in the transportation and distribution industries. Not only this, but what tourism allows for is for those of developed countries to come, learn, enjoy, and help out in these underdeveloped lands (similar to the concept of ecotourism).

It would be the link for the rich and poor. It would be the link for us and the local people and all those we guide there.

Distribute the surplus foods in the warehouses of the developed nations of the world to save those who are starving to death. If the marine industry and the transportation industry are promoted centering on small vessels in this way and we promote the tourism business, supplies will be available at any amount and can be used effectively. In this way, we can open the way for developed and developing countries to trade with each other. We start a tourism business on a global scale.

What is called a hobby industry will be flourishing. Imagine that in the future, there will be no tourist destinations around the world where tourists will not experience the boats manufactured by the unification group. How can we create such a global organization?

The hobby industry. It's a hobby industry. Do you understand?

We go around the villages while bringing people on sightseeing trips, and distribute supplies while transporting them. Then, what kind of development will be made? While entering the villages and distributing supplies, you will be able to interact with and connect with local households.

We will develop a system that can supply fish all year round, regardless of the season.

...We can organize distribution stations in each region so that we can distribute fish to anyone. In this way, we can have interactions with local households. Do you understand? (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

STEP 5: Taking the Lead in the Global Market

Rev. Moon emphasized the importance of using the transportation industry as a way to create a global network and distribution system, exactly for the purpose of equalizing all this food throughout the world. This global system is what is key to reaching every corner of the impoverished world and it is through a global distribution system.

When he planned for this kind of system, he also recognized and had the insight that in the future (that is now), the key to leading (and reforming) the world economy would be through taking the lead in the global market and distribution. The trend of today’s leading markets only prove Rev. Moon’s prediction to be correct as distribution companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon begin to take the lead in the global economy.

To create a world where we could truly equalize and distribute food at low cost, we need to delve into distribution and really make it so that we can lead a global change to the world’s economic system. We cannot bring equality based on an unequal system - so it is the system that we should look to change, and this can be done by changing the path of the product to the consumer through developing an effective distribution system.

The fate of the future depends on who will take the lead in guiding the global economic base.

...In the end what the world will demand in the future is to seize the large global market. This will be the most important. Therefore, we organize distribution offices so that cheap products are directly passed into the hands of consumers. That way, you don't have to go to a department store or retail store for the products. The future consumer life will change like this.

Our company has developed an excellent freezing storage system. We can use it to expand our distribution and sales organization globally so that we can deliver any seafood to developing markets. The key to dominating the market is to manage the rational distribution and sales system down to the town / village level and reduce the price.Then it will work anywhere in the world. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

STEP 6: Transcending Borders and Feeding the People

Those who live in the United States must go beyond the United States, and those who live in the world must go beyond the boundaries of the world, seeking a way to move forward…We must know that the higher the border that we have to cross, in proportion to that, more preparation, suffering, patience, and hardship are necessary. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

Blessed families are meant to work as a federation of families who live for the sake of the world. With this responsibility, we must overcome nationalism, go beyond borders, and cross boundaries to help the rest of the world, the global family. True Parents have lived their entire lives for us and the world, and now, in the 2nd 40-Year Course as FFWPU, it is our responsibility to do the same for them.

The lifestyle of the future is not to live tied to one location.

Then portable foods will become a necessity. Traveling will be easy once the transportation system is spread all over the world. You can go by boat. There will be no ports or ships that are not related to us in the marine industry, so if you communicate well, you will be able to go anywhere. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

Rev. Moon saw the need to go beyond national boundaries and to travel easily throughout the world for the sake of feeding people. Through the establishment of a global distribution network where Unification members are found at every port and marine related industry, travelling and seeing the world would become easy. Not only this, but Rev. Moon also understood the value of the International Blessing with regards to creating a global network of families that can also be utilized alongside the distribution network, connecting countries with families.

It is our unity in this effort of distribution (throughout the whole world beyond every national border) that will bring people all over to recognize the peace we are truly trying to bring about.

I mentioned earlier that humans must cross boundaries. We live seeing the world...perhaps no one knows the world as much as the members of the Unification Church who travel around the world, and there is no country they don't know. You are trained that way.

You have relatives in all nations around the world. You can freely move between countries by inviting friends to your relatives' homes or visiting your friends' relatives' homes. Think about how wonderful it is...You will be invited by households all over the world.

You can expand your relationship and go to countries around the world during the tourist season.

We can do it because we are connected with various countries through international marriage. You can enjoy your work and actually do community service work. Imagine that 100 families live in a poverty-stricken village in Africa, and that relief supplies are shipped from 100 countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. The inhabitants of the land will admire us and say, "Wow, how great the Unification Church is. It's doing what the world's great powers and the United States can't do. It's really trying to unite the world." Through your efforts, they will be truly grateful to God.

Are you all interested in this job? For 20 years, I have been deeply and deeply interested in such a plan and was taking action. You must be the same. You never imagined it, but this is an amazing thing. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

PART 2: Share Technology to Overcome Hunger

Distribution of food alone cannot solve the problem of global hunger. For a more permanent solution, Rev. Moon spoke about education and technology, specifically with regards to the basic skills, knowledge, and technology needed for a person to survive without starving.

If people knew how to generate resources and feed themselves, then there would be no such issue as world hunger. Therefore, Rev. Moon planned first to educate the hungry about how to sustain themselves, and eventually offer higher forms of education.

Step 7: Spreading Aquaculture

Rev. Moon understood that people would not always be chasing fish, but instead one day look to cultivate fish. If one knows and understands the works of fish farming and learns fishing, starving would no longer be a problem.

If there is water, fish also live there. If there is one male and one female fish, the fry can breed indefinitely.

If you adjust the water temperature well and raise the fry, you can breed the fish naturally. We can place about 10 juvenile fishes in a plastic bag with a small hole and drop it into lakes with a low-flying Cessna plane. All you have to do is sit in the control room and instruct the aircraft number so and so to drop this kind of fish here and this other aircraft to drop this kind of fish over there. Then, schools of different kinds of fish will settle in lakes around the world.

If you breed fish, tens of thousands of households can eat from a single lake. It's not difficult to fill the dining table of the entire village.

You can fish anytime, anywhere. You don't need money, and in an hour, you can learn it in no time.

If in doubt, please pray. It helps to feed the children and make a living, and it also helps the husband who is struggling at work. You can make as much money as you want by selling fish. You will be able to survive in the hinterlands of Africa and in any wilderness. If you learn to fish, you will not starve to death.

Aquaculture can be expanded anywhere. The number of fish that live in the sea is infinite. We will cultivate the resources of the sea and, thanks to us, lay the foundation for people all over the world to eat. Don't you think it's a project that I should be interested in? (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

Step 8: Teaching Fishing, Hunting, Aqua/Agriculture

Why do you have to starve? All you have to do is hunt and overcome hunger. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

Rev. Moon emphasized that people do not need to starve. If only we knew how to fish, hunt, and farm, then we would not have to starve, wherever we may be.

He looked to establish model farms and facilities that would develop agricultural technology and teach members about these basic skills of fishing, hunting, and farming, so that eventually, we who know how to live and produce food, can share this precious education and technology to those of impoverished countries who have not been able to learn such things before.

This training was for the sake of bringing the ability to prosper and advance to the least prosperous and unadvanced places.

All members of the Unification Church have to learn hunting and fishing. Why do you learn? This is to save those who starve to death. It is a capability that must be acquired for that purpose.

What is the value of animals when many of God's children die? Animal offerings are almost always made to perform religious ceremonies. That is why I train you as priests to catch the animals for offerings. This is a holy act. Do you understand?

Learn fishing and hunting and go to Africa for missions.

Then what is the third thing that we should learn to save people? It's agriculture. The whites who came to colonize the Third World did not teach agricultural techniques.

If we use the agricultural technology developed here [in Texas New Hope Farm] to educate 100,000 to 150,000 people and dispatch them to develop the Third World such as Africa, no one will starve to death in the world.

From now on, you all have to learn. The unification members will have to learn fishing, hunting and farming in the future. It's basic knowledge as a human being, Once you have the skills, you go to Africa and do some service activities for about a year. We can begin tourism and bring people above average income to tour the farms and fish farms in Texas. Low-income people are interested in everyday leisure activities, so we promote activities where they can go fishing everyday. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

This was the vision Rev. Moon had to provide education and technology to the poor of this world, and to finally close the rift between the developed and undeveloped nations.

THE FUTURE OF THIS WORLD

The plan had been laid out. Rev. Moon dedicated his whole heart into this plan, and shared it with representatives from 160 nations. It was to give us this path toward saving the future of this world. And the future of this world now lies with us who know the plan.

It lies in the hands of those who now know where to start in order to bring a world of peace.

Begin With One Hope

Today, the representatives gathered from 160 countries should pay attention to the fact that we are commercially selling our boats. If we mass-produce boats and lower the price range, it will become a popular item. It will also be very useful for missionary work...The era will come when everyone will have a leisure boat.

One Hope has two major features. Not only can you ride the waves well at sea, but you can also navigate in freshwater. It's sturdy, it looks good, and you can operate it on seawater or freshwater as you wish. Would you like to get One Hope and be truly pleased from the bottom of your heart? Then you have to buy more than one. You can't enjoy it unless you buy it. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

It is the first step that we must take in order to propel this plan forward, and that first step starts with a boat. We know this, so what should we do then?

“Do you want to shorten or extend the Providence of Restoration?”

It is this plan that will bring about a world of peace that holds all qualities of the Kingdom of Heaven. All nations will be interdependent based on the global network we establish, all people will be mutually prosperous and not one will suffer from hunger, and ultimately, all the people of the world will see the fruits of the choices we choose to make to save them.

All the people would see that God is loving, and that True Parents really have come to unite all people under the original ideology of God.

Listening to the story thus far, did you get a concrete image of how to rescue Africans? Do you want to shorten or extend the providence of restoration? Then you have to be taught how I would do it.

Would you like to see the world's 5 billion people bow in the mornings and evenings, saying "Thank you, True Parents" within a few decades, before you die? Do you want to see it while you are alive? ("Yes!")

We have to hurry. So how do you do it? Everyone admits that it is now impossible to save the world with Christianity. Only 15 percent of the world's five billion people live comfortably, while the rest are putting all of their energy into just getting by. Even if one billion are Christians, the remaining four billion are not interested in Christianity.

If it takes 2,000 years to evangelize a billion people, how many years will it take to evangelize five billion people?

What do they feel when four billion people who are just trying to survive hear that "Rev. Moon has been struggling to prepare for them for 20 years and brought food to them"?

...It is clear, right? They will want to stay in the Unification Church all the time. In a short period of time, while the world looks on in blank amazement, billions of people will enroll in the Unification Church. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

It is seen through Christian history that evangelizing and witnessing are not an effective way to shorten the providence of restoration. However, through this plan that Rev. Moon laid out, members would be witnessing to the world through their actions.

If we solve world hunger and inequality, bringing substantial and visible peace, there is no one who can deny the validity of True Parents. The world will quickly unite. In this way, Ocean Providence is “the fastest way” to World Peace & Unification as True Father said.

Political reform is not a problem. Missionary work creates (political) power. God wants it, and everyone is waiting for it. Do you guys want it too? We need to lay the foundation for (political) power.

It is your turn to spread out and teach others. Are you going to rely on an old man who is close to 80 years old, to work? If you do that, heaven will punish you for it.

Until now, I have struggled to lay the foundation, so from now on, I would like to look around the foundation you are laying. Or will you continue to make me experience the same hardships as in the last two decades? Can I declare that the next 20 years is your era? (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

We are in the middle of the second forty year course, and it is the time where the responsibility to carry out the providence had been passed on to us, the blessed families. We are now meant to take the foundation that True Parents have laid for us, and expand it horizontally all throughout the world. It is our responsibility to carry out the teachings and plans that True Parents have provided us.

True Parents lived a life full of hardships to lay the foundation for us, so we cannot let their efforts go in vain.

We must fulfill God's Will in our time. The world will be saved if you are determined and serve with devotion.

I started Ocean Church Providence 20 years ago, but only I am left at the end. The next 20 years will be your time. Are you all ready to go this way? If you want to do it, raise both hands and swear before God. May God bless you. Mansei. (Development of the Oceanic Realm, 1994.8.1)

In the very end of his speech on August 1st, 1994, True Father lamented about his loneliness in the Ocean Providence.

It is now time to change this fact by taking what we know of this plan, and moving forward with it. Clearly, the Ocean Providence is our responsibility to complete. This is the method to testify to True Parents as the substantial parents of humankind.

The Urgency of Solving the Hunger Problem

This plan was developed for the sake of solving world hunger, however this speech had been made back in 1994, and human society and the world has changed rapidly over the course of just a couple decades. Then how has the food issue changed? Is it still as relevant as it was back then? Is it still an urgent matter needed to be attended to?

Is it possibly, too late to solve, even?

To answer these questions, it’s important to study and understand the current food situation.

According to Our World in Data, the human population continues to rapidly increase as time progresses. Even without seeing the data for this, most are aware of this population situation. In 1994 when Rev. Moon spoke about the plan, the population had amounted to around six billion, but when we take a look at today’s population, it’s increased to be almost eight billion.

Most of this population increase, interestingly, isn’t from the more developed nations. Rather, it’s in developed countries like Japan and Korea that we hear about issues with regards to the lack of population growth. So then where is all this population growth happening? According to the United Nations Population Prospects, the main source of population growth comes from the poorer undeveloped countries.

This poses a serious issue though, because in those places of high population growth are where the hunger issue and food insecurity is the most prevalent. Because the population keeps growing in these areas (note that most of such areas are in southern regions), there are more mouths to feed, but at the same time, the food insecurity is already high, meaning that the hunger problem would only continue increasing in these areas.

When we take a look at actual data with regards to future hunger prospects, things are indeed getting worse. While the hungry population did see a dip at some point, ever since 2014, the malnourished population began to rise again, and this rise is estimated to continue on for at least the next decade.

This increase in the hungry population was already predicted to happen even before COVID-19 happened, but after the pandemic hit, these future prospects got even worse. With the pandemic having worsened the food situation, now it’s predicted that even the best case scenario post-pandemic in respect to hunger will still be a jump from the pre-pandemic scenario.

Along with the pandemic is the ever worsening situation of Climate Change, something that many are beginning to realize the seriousness of. Climate Change, however, isn’t only affecting the animals’ livelihood, but is also heavily affecting human livelihood more than one would think.

According to National Geographic, Climate Change has and will continue to affect crop yields and food generation throughout the world. While Climate Change is seen to actually benefit the yields of developed nations in the north, the opposite can be seen happening in the southern already poor and hungry regions. While there are some countries that benefit, when taking a look at the world’s crop yields as a whole, crop yields are predicted to decrease dramatically all the way up to 2050.

Not only does Climate Change affect livelihood in this way, it has also become one of the leading causes for refugee migration. There are many predictions that Climate Change will cause hundreds of millions of people to migrate and become refugees due to a lack of food and sea-level rise. Although predictions vary and may not be accurate, the risk of future global food crisis is regardless, very high.

When we take all of this into account, we can begin to see the urgency of the hunger issue.

The human population will likely continue to increase in developing countries. Climate Change will cause a drop in food production and along with the worsening situation because of the pandemic, the food crisis will continue to get worse. This will likely cause over a billion people who are starving to become refugees in the near future, meaning that there will be an influx of refugee migration into developed countries. This will likely end up inciting inter-racial tensions.

The increasing tensions will lead to political and economic instability which can easily develop into regional conflicts. It’s an often seen pattern in nations that when such things like political and regional conflicts begin to rise, the government’s attention to infrastructure decreases, and poverty ends up rising in this situation.

All of this - instability, conflict, and government neglect - only feed into the food crisis, creating a vicious cycle that will continue to grow worse and eventually completely out of control if it’s unattended to.

This vicious cycle has been going on for the past decade, and Rev. Moon recognized this. We must also recognize it - it is clearly a precarious situation that can tip the world over if we let it get too far. It needs to be resolved, this cycle needs to be interrupted before it really does become too late.

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. (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, June 27, 1983)

CONCLUSION

“God blessed America.” This is a phrase that many of us have heard before, and this phrase can be said to be true. Throughout history, America has been given riches, land, and resources that brought about the leading nation it is today - but those blessings are not meant to be kept to itself. This, also, was something Rev. Moon always warned us about.

In this world, there are countries with countless blessings, prospering and filled with food and advancement - but elsewhere, beyond our short-sighted vision, there are those who can’t eat and don’t even know the basics of truly living.

This is the inequality that was brought about from fallen human nature - and this inequality becomes glaringly obvious when we look at the biggest issue plaguing the world: hunger.

Rev. Moon said in his autobiography that “True peace will not come as long as humanity does not solve the problem of hunger. If the person next to me is about to die of hunger, peace is a mere luxury.” Rev. Moon viewed that the most pressing issue in the world was hunger.

If there is even one out of ten people who is unable to eat because they have no access to food, then that group of ten people is unequal and can never be at peace. If there is even one out of ten people who does not know how to survive in the world because they cannot have education, then that group is unequal and can never be at peace.

Only when every person in this world has access to food, access to education and advancement, can the world become an ideal world.

Rev. Moon’s Ocean Providence is a plan that would allow us to transcend national borders creating interdependence, bring food and technology to every corner of the world so that all can be mutually prosperous, and would show the world that a kind God, a loving parent of a God, truly does exist, uniting all people under a universally shared value under one God and True Parents.

And all of this can happen - “where there is a will, there is a way.” That will, though, depends on us - do we have that will? There is already this plan, so now what we need is the will. And if we have that will, we have to take the next step forward so that we may surpass our boundaries and enter a world of saving people.

All of this can start with one boat, the One Hope, and entering the Marine Industry.

This is Rev. Moon’s - or rather, God’s plan - and it is our choice whether or not to follow it, or to leave the Messiah to be alone on a cross once again.

Ocean Tribe Subregion 1 Team

This has to be done. For the future, someone has to do it. You are my hope. If you don't know that, you cannot understand even who you are. The one who is close to me is the one who will determine to be successful on the ocean. (God’s Will and the Ocean, Chapter 6, Who Will Inherit the Ocean? July 3rd, 1983 Gloucester)