Why We Must Keep Going

Ocean Providence is a path filled with difficulties and failures. Many people have grown weary, perhaps, including myself.

Amid repeated divisions and problems, there are even those who say,

“Now is not the time for Ocean Providence.”

A second-generation acquaintance once said to me,

“Wouldn’t it be better to give up early, rather than keep involving more people and causing trouble for everyone?”

Indeed, many people have sacrificed and dedicated themselves to projects related to Ocean Providence—such as Leda, Jardim, Yeosu, and others. Under True Father’s direction, members launched numerous initiatives like krill fishing, the IOE, and Panda Motors, yet many of them did not last.

However, the vision of Ocean Providence—the great dream of saving countless people suffering from poverty and hunger around the world—is something I can never give up on, no matter how small the chance of success may be.

True Father once said:

"If you read the speech from when I began Ocean Church, you will see how serious and how important that message was. However, even after I gave that kind of explanation, many of them since that time went away from this Ocean Church activity. It's a shame, but I cannot give up." (The Will and the Ocean, Chapter 12, July 3, 1986)

Every year, about nine million people lose their lives due to hunger-related causes.

No matter how difficult Ocean Providence may seem, if there remains even the slightest chance, I want to continue. Is that not what we learned from True Father’s ocean spirit? If we succeed, what an incredible dream that would be—to save nine million people each year.

Therefore, no matter the adversity, we must continue. We must keep speaking about, discussing, and putting the True Parents' Words into practice. Even if we face criticism, even if we stumble and fail, even across generations, we must never give up.

True Father Gave Even His Life

True Father sought to continue Ocean Providence even at the cost of his own health and life.

In 1996, he said:

"Around the world, 20 million people die of starvation each year. How can we save them from dying? I do not go fishing for fun. When I fish, I gaze at the ocean and think about those 20 million people who live across that great ocean. I have to open the way to save them even if it means offering my own flesh and blood. No one has ever considered this." (Chambumo Gyeong Book 10, 278-319, 1996/06/23)

In fact, True Father truly sacrificed his own health and life to go fishing.

True Mother testifies in her autobiography why True Father continued going out to sea, even when his health was failing in his later years on earth.

"My husband, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, who is often known as Father Moon, was the same. He was born with a strong physique, and had he taken better care of his health, he would have had more time to work for a better world. But he too followed God’s will with unflinching devotion, and this damaged his health, ultimately to the point of no return. Up to four or five years before his ascension in 2012, he was in continual motion, living each day as if it were a thousand years. His work was strenuous, both physically and spiritually. For example, he often spent entire nights in a small fishing boat on rough seas. He did this for the sake of others, setting an example for our Ocean Church members as well as leaders who accompanied him. He wanted to help them cultivate patience and the spirit to overcome hardship." (Mother of Peace, Chapter 1)

True Parents even sacrificed their own family for the sake of pursuing Ocean Providence.

"Think about my heart. There is so much pain. The worst persecution comes from those closest to the heart. My own family wanted me to be concerned for them, but I could never once think of them first. This caused incredible pain for them. This has been my course. Sometimes, I even have to hear the cries of my own children, but I can't take the time with them that they need. My time is for others instead." (God’s Will and the Ocean Chapter 3,  8/28/1982, Provincetown)

Realize it or not, we stand today upon the foundation built by the sacrifices and prayers of True Parents and many others who represented them. To honor their devotion, we must keep walking this path.

What We Must Do Now

Several times, I have been told by fellow church members, “Ocean Providence is important, but now is not the time,” or, “It’s not a central part of the providence.”

But this is what we told True Father from the very beginning. In his autobiography, he describes when he built his first boat in 1963:

"Cheon Seung Ho was an exceptional boat. It sailed throughout the Yellow Sea and caught many fish. The reaction of many, though, was that we had enough to do on land and that there was no need for us to be going out onto the ocean and catching fish. I sensed, however, that the world was about to enter an oceanic era. The launching of Cheon Seung Ho was a small, but precious, first step in opening that era." (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, Chapter 4)

Helping those who suffer is an urgent and vital mission.

Working on the problem of hunger that plagues 800 million people will not yield immediate results. No matter how small the effort, if we don’t start early and continue steadily, it will never become a firm foundation for the future. There is no later. We have to start and continue as soon as possible.

Only through consistent effort can we build a new tomorrow.

We must diligently expand our technological and economic base and create a global infrastructure for food production, distribution, and education. Ocean Providence cannot be accomplished by a few individuals, nor even by hundreds or thousands—it requires tens of thousands of dedicated people. Therefore, we must never stop thinking, discussing, and speaking about Ocean Providence.

We must continue to raise the flag of Ocean Providence, to educate the next generation, and pass on the spirit and purpose of this mission. We believe that the accumulation of small actions by each person will one day become the power to change the world.

Even if our pace is slow, as long as we persevere, the day will surely come when many young people, moved by True Parents’ deep heart, will weep and take up the flag of Ocean Providence themselves.

October 15, 2025

John Sato

(Below: Mrs. Nakamura of Japan still consistently goes sea fishing at age 87, following the example of True Parents.)