Becoming Deeply Rooted - Our potential and our responsibility as elder 2nd Generation

S ince the day I started school, I can always remember working very hard to get the best grades I could, so that I would get into the best University I could, so that I would get the best job I could and reach my fullest potential. But not so long people who are deeply rooted and who know who they are. People who, just like the bamboo seed, have strong roots that firmly anchor them so they don’t topple over with challenges, people who are very clear in their identity, their values and on what ago, I realised there was something quite they will never compromise. It made me reconsider fundamental that I was missing in all of that, a lesson that maybe, life is less about growing up, and more that I can better express through the example of the about growing down, deep into our roots and bamboo tree. ourselves. The bamboo story made me realise that As any bamboo farmer will know, once a bamboo prioritising my individual success as my number 1 seed is planted, nothing happens to it in the first goal, and embracing the world culture that promoted year, nor in the second year, nor even in the third or results, recognition and showing off my personal fourth year. But with enough care and water, finally achievements, was very damaging for my spiritual in the fifth year, the seed suddenly sprouts and growth. shoots up. And in some types of bamboo trees, once Instead, real long-term success, I believe, cannot the seed sprouts, it grows 4 feet in the first 24 hours - come from knowledge and professionalism alone. making it the fastest growing tree in the world. What Equally important, and perhaps even more is going on in the first four years is not that the seed important, is our essence, or character: being a is sleeping or failing, but that it is building deep roots. person with strong values and a clear purpose; The thing I had missed was that whilst it is true that becoming people not motivated by promotions or the world needs people with expertise and status but by learning, growing and contributing to professionalism, more than that, the world needs something more than ourselves. Thinking back to my

Cambridge interview I realised that’s what the this by settling to create a generation of only professors were looking for. More than any exam successful individuals, we will greatly limit our full results or academic achievements, they were looking potential. for something deeper; for character, for a passion, a Secondly, I believe our success as 2nd gen relies on desire in me to contribute something bigger to the receiving good spiritual education. Education is my world with what they were going to teach me. passion. I studied it at University and then became a I believe that our responsibility as 2nd gen is not to teacher in a London school for three years. And from first aim to become successful and professional and my experience, I have clearly seen that education is then to somehow bring it back to our movement. It’s decisive. It has an incredible power to draw out the the other way round. I think that our responsibility is strength, the goodness and the potential in us as a to live deeply rooted lives – lives that are deeply 2nd gen community; to deepen our identity, principled, where our strength is drawn from our reminding us about the bigger vision and purpose of relationship with God and our clear, everyday our lives when we forget it. But, as we have seen lifestyle. Then, just like the bamboo seed, if our roots from the tragic number of Blessed Children who do and our character are clear, I believe the not see their future in our movement, the lack of care opportunities and job offers will find us and success and investment in healthy, relatable education has will come, because God will be freer to work in our hugely damaged our greatest resource – which is lives and bless us even more. Just like St. Catherine of each other. This past year, working for ESGD, I have Sienna said: “If we become who God meant us to be, seen repeatedly the power of investing in good we will set the world on fire”. However, I realised education and care. I am very hopeful that we can all that instead, I was trying to create success in the participate in transforming our leadership and world by myself and I forgot to leave space for God to educational culture, and that when we create the be part of my life and to reveal a much greater right environment, we as 2nd gen will grow. Just like version of whom I can be. the bamboo seeds, which need regular care and The world is desperate for people who have strong water for many years whilst they grow their deep values and a clear moral compass. And, in my past roots before shooting up, if we receive genuine care year now working full-time with the European and investment, we will also shoot up and grow in Second Generation Department (ESGD), I see huge amazingly strong ways. potential in our 2nd gen community to step up and I know that, personally, my blessing, my clarity and offer this - because that desire to contribute to my happiness in life is in every way due to the something bigger than ourselves is in our DNA. education I received from those who personally But for us to step up to this, I believe it relies on two invested in me. Therefore, despite whatever job or very important things. Firstly, it relies on us as 2nd career I will have next, I want to continue to support gen to resist the temptation that I nearly gave into, educating and caring for my younger brothers and which was to prioritise my individual success above sisters because I believe that will make the biggest everything else. Because the real strength in the impact. Received from my parents, who received it bamboo is actually in the fact that it is not a tree (as I from our True Parents, passing on God’s lineage originally thought), but a type of grass. The difference really does matter to me. is that, rather than forming an individual root and Therefore, in a time where we as 2nd gen have great trunk, grass roots are collective and form together by freedom to pursue our personal interests and talents, becoming interconnected. This is where they get I believe we need to remind ourselves that within this their strength from to grow so quickly. I believe God freedom, lies our great responsibility to each other as created us to be much more like bamboo grass than a community. I hope we can be inspired to create a trees. That actually, we were designed to live lives for culture where our greatest profession, far beyond something greater than our own happiness, to live any of our individual fields, is living for the sake lives where we prioritise others, our community, our others. Because maybe, just like the playwright friendships and relationships over our personal George Bernard Shaw once wrote, maybe our life is ambitions. I think that our destiny as a 2nd gen much less our own than we like to think, and instead community, is to be deeply connected and very belongs to the whole community; so for as long as we intimately interested and involved in each other’s live, we should see it as a privilege to do for others, lives. And it seems quite clear to me that in ignoring whatever we can.