The Vision Behind Tuna Fishing

Sun Myung Moon July 3, 1986 Morning Garden Excerpts from God’s Will and the Ocean - The Heart and Spirit of Fishing

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My goal is to develop once again the ocean cities in America so that fish and fish products can be exported to feed people all over the world. Some of you may be wondering why you have been called to Gloucester, such a small and insignificant town. You must inherit my spirit which overcomes persecution and difficult situations, because I have a vision of how to save the world and even provide food for the entire world.

The boats you are riding on were designed by me and built by the members. After nine years of experience, I developed the Good Go boat. When I first started building these boats, no one had any expertise. Mr. Kamiyama was at a total loss when he first heard my plan for the boats. He looked completely shocked and said, “What, we are going to build fishing boats?” He truly hoped that I wouldn’t tell him to build those boats, but I said, “Build 150 boats in the first year.”

Think about it. With so much money invested in such an expensive boat, each one was given to completely inexperienced members who didn’t know anything about its value. With these boats, they were trained how to fish for tuna. With each boat that we produced, there was a tremendous amount of tears and sweat and prayer involved. You may not be able to see that, but that kind of spirit is built into each boat. If you truly understand this, you must shed tears when you ride on that boat. When I took my first ride on a Good Go, did I cry or did I just laugh without much serious thought? What do you think? Therefore, you must pray to have the proper attitude and inherit the spiritual and international connection to these boats. Each country around the world sent their members to help build these boats, and they put their tears and sweat into these boats. No one understood anything. We started virtually from scratch. No one knew what kind of material to buy or how to begin the first step. I know the value of each boat will be worth more than 100 thousand or a million dollars in the future. Why?

Because people will say, “This is a boat built by Reverend Moon.” For this reason, I instructed the members to buy the best quality of materials that they could find; they had to build the boat with the highest standards, not just so-so.

I know that in the future sometime, in each of the fifty states, even if they have to sell their capitol building in order to buy one of these boats, they will do that. 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.

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. Even though I wanted to give this to American young people, they didn’t catch their opportunity, so I had to bring young Japanese members to do the job. In order for you to find the most valuable and precious treasure, you have to go the most difficult path. That’s true.

American members who are here this summer, did you come voluntarily or did you come because you were sent? Do you really want to be here? I don’t believe you, yet. You will have to show me. I have watched so many American members leave and run away from this Ocean Church activity, even though there might have been good reason for some to go. I stood by and just watched their coming and going. In the meantime, I never changed my goal and my spirit for this Ocean Church endeavor. Why? Simply because I know the value of it.

If you American young men go out fishing, who will point a finger at you? No one. However, everyone pointed at me because I was a Korean man. You must understand that with everything you go through, every difficult situation and every persecution, I have already gone through this course before you. Do you understand? I never retreat, but always move forward. People might have said this year, “Well, Reverend Moon was in Danbury prison last year and now he is out. His movement must have declined a little since he was there. Well, they had twenty or so boats last year, so maybe this year we will see only ten or so boats.” Instead I went right ahead and ordered seventy boats to go out this year! Do you have the same spirit?

I think you are just like any other young American out there. You are the same type. You are shouting “No!”, but I think you are the same type. What do you think? Is this true or not? I cannot trust you. You have to show me! When you bring result, then I can see you are different. From now, we are going the difficult way. Can you do it? Raise your hands. Can you do it? Those Japanese members who didn’t understand my talk missed the chance to raise your hands. Please do not forget that the boats you are riding in are the best of the best fishing boats in the world and they are made by Reverend Moon. We built this boat, Moonie spirit built this boat. Not because we wanted to make money, but because we wanted to make the spirit of America alive again.

Until this city of Gloucester itself disappears, we will come here every year. We will take care of this town; we will take care of this ocean. We have about 200 people here tonight. Everyone has a similar situation don’t they? You have two hands and two eyes and all your limbs intact. I may indeed have the same features as you, but when it comes to the ability to lead people, to having a fighting spirit, to being able to go on, I have more ability than all 200 of you together. The difference is in my determination and dedication, in my spirit.

They will welcome you. From now on, people will begin to see our motivation more clearly. We will win every fight. We have that foundation. First, you must save your nation. Second, you have to secure the future of the ocean. There used to be at least forty large fishing vessels working out of Gloucester. Now, there are only a few. There is no hope in this country for the ocean. We are bringing hope to this nation.

You cannot complain about anything. You are inheriting everything. The ocean has a great and wonderful future. I know it. You believe it. Who is that future for? For who? For us? For America. You came here, not because of your leader, but because God was calling you. You are here because of God’s calling. You have to know how special it is to be here. Don’t complain about being here.