The Burden of Destiny – part 1
by Rev. Sun Myung Moon
February 19, 1978, Belvedere
Translator – Bo Hi Pak
Edited by esgd
15 minutes
No one really likes to bear a burden. Animals are used for transportation and carrying burdens. Here in the West it isn’t a common sight, but in the Orient farmers frequently use cows or oxen to plow their fields. Here people ride horses, but even a horse will get tired if he is ridden too long. It is a universally true statement that no one really wants to bear a heavy burden, but the burdens are there to be carried and someone has to bear them. If you don’t do it yourself then animals or machines must do it.
Our lifelong journey to our ultimate destiny is also one of carrying a burden. There are three types of people. First, there is the person who carries the heavy burden all throughout his life. Next, there is the kind of person who carries no burden; he just wants to walk and live very simply. Finally, there is the type of person who carries the burden but who sometimes stops to lay it down. All Unification Church members fit into one of those three categories, and the United States as a nation also fits into one of those categories. Who is going to bear the heavy burden?
Perhaps a family has a certain burden to carry at home. The father of the house will carry the heaviest burden, but the mother will also carry a portion, as well as all the other members of the family. Everybody has a responsibility to share in carrying the burden; however, many different situations might arise in this. For instance, certain members of the family might refuse to carry anything. If one person out of five members refuses to carry his share, then the other four will complain because they have to carry more.
In another situation, suppose the members of the family gather together and decide that one member has no power or ability to carry the burden, even though he has not complained, and that they will give him a special dispensation, taking his burden upon themselves. When they notify him that they will bear his burden, however, he refuses their offer, saying, “No, I want to do my share.” Perhaps that person is exempted from carrying his burden because he is weak from illness. But if in spite of all illness he says, “I will willingly bear my burden,” he is trying to do something extraordinary and beyond his capacity. Then the whole family will look at that weak member with merciful eyes, and will pay more attention to him than to themselves.
This one member who is determined to fulfill his responsibility will give great inspiration to the other members of the family. They will be deeply touched by him, and they will always remember that particular episode. The mother and father will always think of that son or daughter as very special, and the other brothers and sisters will also give special recognition to him for fulfilling something impossible. When the weakest person carries his own share, he will command deep sympathy, but what would happen if he not only carried his own burden but someone else’s as well? The person whose load is carried by the weakest member will be far more indebted to him than to his own parents or other brothers and sisters.
In another situation there might be a strong, 250-pound son whom everyone feels should carry a heavier burden than the others. If he just carries a regular amount though, he won’t receive any sympathy. People might look up to him and respect him but he will not evoke their heartistic sympathy because he has the ability to carry much more.
It is inevitable reality that we all bear burdens in our lives. I have classified three kinds of load carriers. What kind of person should we become? Do you want to carry a heavy burden, no burden at all, or sometimes carry a burden? Do you really like to carry a heavy burden? Let’s answer very honestly. If you have a very heavy bundle as well as smaller ones to carry to a particular place, which one would you pick up first? Normally, people don’t pick up the big ones first. Also, when men and women are working together, women assume that the men will carry the bigger loads because they are stronger. It is natural for men to carry the big loads and women to carry the smaller ones. If the women are standing in front of the big ones and when the men arrive they just go ahead and take the smaller ones, then everyone will wonder what kind of men these are. We naturally react that way.
Suppose an unusual situation occurs in which the man is disabled and simply cannot carry the heavier load. Then people understand why the woman takes the heavier burden. This is how we commonly react in our everyday life, and the heavenly way of life is just the same.
How would God react to the situation? God reacts precisely the same as men do. When you look at a person who is trying to shirk his own responsibility, you don’t feel good and neither does God. There is one absolute difference between God and man, however; God is the eternal being who is always in spirit world, while men remain on earth for a given period of time. God has many different kinds of loads to carry and responsibilities to fulfill. God has a definite purpose for carrying these loads to a certain destination, and not only that, He also has a deadline in which to move them. Which load would God tackle first—the biggest, smallest, or the medium load? The problem is one of priority.
If God had to move some burden before a certain deadline, would He act just in time to reach it, or would He not care about meeting the deadline, or would He want to act in such a way as to have lots of time to spare? God definitely wants to reach the goal far in advance of the deadline. If the contract period is one year, God would say, “I want to do it far in advance and reserve some time at the end.” With one year to work, in what amount of time do you think God would want to fulfill the entire responsibility? If possible, God would certainly like to do it in one day or even one hour. If it can be done, why not do it in one hour? You might think that God is almighty, so why doesn’t He just take one hour and presto, make it happen? He is God, so He should be able to do that, no matter how difficult a task it may be. You may even think that God could do it in one split second.
When men put themselves to a task, some of them inevitably think, “We have 365 days to work. It’s only February 19, so we have ten more months to go. Let’s take it easy for a little while.” Man commonly thinks that if he does his best today and it can’t be accomplished, he still has tomorrow, and if it’s not done this month then maybe next month. If things are not done this year, 1979 is still coming. How would you tackle this task and how many days would you take to do it?
Is that the Unification Church way of thinking, or would you think that even though there are ten more months to go, you still want to finish it today? Perhaps you still have the work mentality of American labor unions and you plan to work precisely eight hours and not a minute more. If you wake up early and it’s still dark outside, would you think you still have a couple more hours to relax? When sundown comes, would you quit because it’s dark? Does it bother you to get up before it’s light and work after it’s dark, or doesn’t it matter to you?
You can carry the load in one of three ways. You can run with bubbling enthusiasm, or carry it even though you really don’t want to, or finally, you might carry it while not even realizing what you’re doing. Do you know you are carrying the load right now? Your faces have three expressions also; some of you are eager to hear me and your eyes are shining. Others think, “Why do I have to come here so early?” Others are happily sleeping. You laugh because you understand!
People know what it takes to succeed and even gain the big success, so why don’t they do it? To succeed, a person needs the necessary willpower and internal direction to command himself, coupled with a particular know-how. People know the method but still they can’t succeed. The problem is only that people cannot handle or take command of themselves. It is a deficiency common to people throughout the world.
It’s very difficult for most people to handle themselves, and only the unusual, extraordinary person can command and conquer himself. That’s why most people need leadership—someone to inspire and supervise them. However, many people feel that they would rather not have a leader because they want to live in their own way and have freedom. But what happens? Soon they cannot handle themselves and their life goes downhill, becoming dull and promiscuous and without purpose.
I’m sure many of you think about Sunday being the Sabbath, the day of rest, and wonder why we have to get up so early in the morning to come here. You set your alarm clocks, but when they go off, you think you can sleep another fifteen minutes. Everyone knows it’s rather difficult to get up in the morning. Would you rather have us gather together at 10 a.m. instead? Why do you say no, but laugh and smile? Your expression carries a double meaning. We have a job to do, and whether or not you have food or the proper clothing, it is our job to carry a particular load to a certain place by a prescribed time. There is no compromise.
One person carries our heavy load day and night, while another person thinks he has the day to work and the night to rest, so he only works during the day. One has all the food he needs and carries the load, while the other has no full meal but still fulfills the task. Some people wear the proper clothing in cold weather and do the task. Others carry the load although they are practically naked. Which type would command more respect—the person who does the ordinary thing or the one who does the extraordinary thing?
People are drawn to the unusual and the extraordinary. The person who tackles the task with absolute determination, whether or not he has proper meals, clothing, or shelter, commands the most attention. When night comes one person carrying a heavy weight might just sit where he finds himself and rest with the mission. Another would say, “I must get back because I need a comfortable bed to rest in overnight.” Which attitude commands more attention?
All of mankind has a burden to be carried. If one person comes forward and volunteers to carry that entire burden, the entire world will look at him with gratitude as the real champion. But later if that champion begins complaining that everyone just lets him do the work even when they can see he is exhausted, the world will exclaim indignantly, “We didn’t ask you to do it. You volunteered, and now you are complaining. Get out of here!” People will feel more and more gratitude toward the champion who takes up the task without complaint.