Rearing Monarchs #7:

A child’s genius
Unification Thoughts, November 2021

Welcome back
Blessed November/Autumn! And thank you for your continued interest in these Unification Thoughts. This month, we’ll continue looking into the role of grandparents in a family (Realms of True Love) and the “royal” nature of a blessed family (Three Great Kingships).

Without going into a long recap, the main theme is that grandparents in a family have a critical part to play in raising young people who can actually achieve and practice dominion. Just how critical is indicated in this diagram:

But many of our young people struggle seriously with inconfidence and a poor self-image. They might feel that their life doesn’t compare well.¹ And this, despite being taught about their special status and lineage.

I’ve found at least two key ideas in Unification Thought that address this situation, so in the last two articles, we’d examined the first one: the idea of a child’s unique individuality. In my own experience at least, that isn’t an idea that’s convincingly and consistently presented. Yet having confidence in one’s unique individuality in the eyes of HP is an essential pillar of a young person’s self-esteem. Nowadays especially, it’s critical to have that highest point of reference for individuality, rather than what popular media promotes.

The other idea in Unification Thought that I think can nourish healthy self-image and self-esteem is that each and every person is absolutely and uniquely gifted by God. Again, it’s my opinion that this too isn’t convincingly presented or understood, so the erosion of our young people’s self-image and self-esteem can persist.

Indeed, it’s our common experience in life to be evaluated and ranked. And starting in childhood, a few people are singled out as exceptionally gifted, while everyone else comes in at decreasing levels of talent and ability. No matter which category your grandchild (or child) falls into, or feels typed as, this way of valuing people simply doesn’t reflect God’s standpoint and it urgently needs to be corrected.

So let’s look into a second concept from Unification Thought concerning a person’s gifts.

Each and every person is gifted

The idea that every person is gifted is presented in the Unification Thought Theory of Education. Here’s how it’s stated in one UT textbook:

“The Unification Theory of Education…has an image of the ideally educated person. …first of all, a person of character; second, a good citizen; and third, a genius. These are the images of an ideal man and woman corresponding, respectively, to the education of heart, the education of norm, and the education of dominion.” - NEUT, p. 263–264

Here’s a diagram that depicts this:

There isn’t room here to explain these three forms of education—heart, norm and dominion; that will be next month's topic. For now, just notice that each corresponds to one of the three great blessings: We become a true person through an education of heart (particularly the three hearts of God²); we create a God-centered marriage and family through an education of norm (i.e., morality and ethics); and we learn how to care for and administer our environment (natural and social) through an education of dominion.

“Genius”? Really?

A sticking point here is clearly the word “genius”. One dictionary gives the essential meaning of genius as:

“…a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable” - Merriam-Webster dictionary

and then it gives the examples of Einstein and Newton. Which clearly implies that a “genius” is someone who is one-in-a-million.

Is Unification Thought then promoting an unrealistic position? Simply put, no. It’s using an ideogram which is translated into “genius”. And so—as in many translations—some clarification is necessary. Unification Thought explains that:

“…‘genius’ …means a person with rich and profound creativity. …the Chinese characters for “genius” indicate a person with talent which is given by Heaven.”- NEUT, p. 265

That's clearly different from the essential English definition³. Here's the character for genius:

The first character 天 means sky, heaven; god, celestial and the second one 才 means talent, ability. Put together, they mean God-given gift. That’s what Unification Thought means by “genius”. Furthermore, UT explains that this gift is given not just to a select few, but to every single individual:

“Originally everyone has the talent of genius, since human beings were originally created to become beings with creativity, inheriting God’s creativity. … Creativity is given to a person at birth as an endowed potential.” - NEUT, p. 265

Here, we need to mention an important concept from the UT Theory of Original Human Nature. And this concept explains that—as God’s children, made in God’s image and likeness—we humans inherit our HP’s Divine Character. As this section of Unification Thought explains, there are three Divine Characters: Heart, Logos, and Creativity. Which means that every person is naturally endowed with the divine ability to be creative.

And it doesn’t stop there. An earlier Unification Thought textbook⁴ goes so far as to state:

“Though some people are born crippled or intellectually handicapped, everyone, nonetheless, has the capacity to become a genius, because, originally everyone is given boundless creativity…” - Explaining Unification Thought, p. 228

This was incredible (i.e., not credible) to me when I first read it. But since UT represents TP’s standpoint, I couldn’t just dismiss it—I had to think about it seriously. Then I remembered a young person in our community who was intellectually handicapped. People noticed that he did in fact have a beautiful innocence which allowed him to be unusually trusting, receptive, spontaneous, and generous. I could then understand that he was indeed gifted, in a way that surpassed “normal” people.

So, over time, as I tested this way of seeing people, the benevolent perspective slowly but surely altered my own thinking. Through careful observation, I became convinced that every single child really is gifted in one way or another. And that it isn’t necessarily a single gift, but could also be a unique combination of them.

And somewhere along the way, I reflected on my own abilities and accepted that I also am endowed with some creative gifts. Though I didn’t consider myself gifted, after studying UT and looking back, my self-image began to adjust. I recalled that I’d indeed received encouragement and compliments from time to time.

So I accepted that although I’m not the “very best” in any area, still, when I exercised my creativity as best I can, I often experienced joy. And more importantly, I provided enjoyment to my family and friends, and sometimes even to folks I was meeting for the first time! What more could I ask for? I gradually came to feel deeply grateful for my God-given gifts. I became much less concerned with comparing myself and I even became more appreciative of—and grateful for—the God-given gifts of others.

So the way I see people was changed, and most of all, it changed the way I see children. It got to the point where, when I met a child, I started with the assumption—the conviction even—that they are gifted. They might not know it yet, they or their family might not have identified where their gift lies but, according to UT, it is there. So it’s their parents’ and their teachers’ responsibility to help them identify and then develop whatever gifts they have waiting inside. After all, they have a unique Divine Character. Unification Thought says:

“Since human beings have been given individuality, each person’s creativity, likewise, has unique characteristics. …If the creativity one possesses is fully manifested, that person may become a musical genius, a mathematical genius, a political genius, or a business genius.” - NEUT, p. 266

So a person whose God-given gift is identified and lovingly nurtured from childhood can actually attain dominion in their field. And they can experience satisfaction and even joy. So it’s so much more productive to focus on whatever we do have, and put our heart into developing it, rather than to spend time feeling badly about whatever we don’t have. (I'm small, short, and not terribly athletic. But no matter, HP led me to biking and later into Wonhwa Do [now Tongil Moo Do] to address that ;-) I clearly learned that overthinking where we fall short is an unhealthy waste of time. It can lead to a self-destructive downward spiral; especially for a young person who’s trying to find their footing.

One question…

In the UT sessions I’ve had with young people, there’s a burning question that always comes up: “How can you know what your gifts are?”

I think that the very first thing to do is to have a real parent–child conversation with our HP and sincerely ask what your gift is. That means you must pray. Because it’s critical to get God’s standpoint on such an important question rather than just follow exclusively what you’re emotionally connected to. After all, a God-given gift is probably connected to one’s destiny and contribution in life. And then, as in any meaningful conversation, listen for the answer. Open your heart, your eyes, your ears to the different avenues that HP’s answer might come through. In my own case, the observations and compliments of others were very important. I’d do something I liked and someone would spontaneously say something like “That was really nice; I liked that!” Embarrassed, but encouraged, I’d focus more effort into it.

So my answer to the question of discovering talent also draws on that. I’d respond: “Did you ever tell someone ‘Wow! That was really nice; what you did was so cool!’ Only to be told ‘No, no, no! That’s nothing…’” They recognize the situation, so I ask if they felt a little frustrated, a little aggravated. Yup, they clearly see their friend’s gift but when they tell them, their friend rejects the compliment and denies their special ability! Then I suggest that compliments can also be clues to look out for. Those may actually be HP trying to tell someone what their gift is, that they shouldn’t take it for granted, and that they really ought to develop it (especially for the sake of others). After all, HP can best use those who care about us to tell us important things.

A wonderful thing that usually goes unsaid is their own realization that they themselves have refused compliments and encouragement. And also that HP may all along have been trying to tell them something very special and important for their own growth and future.

…and one caution

Because of that last point—that gifts may be connected to one’s future destiny—there’s one thing to be wary of. And that is that what one is strongly emotionally connected to and what one’s main gift is may not necessarily be the same. So if you don’t pray and listen carefully but instead follow just your emotions, there’s a real danger of big disappointment later on.

For example, have you ever watched the auditions for a talent show such as America’s Got Talent? The toughest thing is to see a young person who says that the thing they “love more than anything else in the world is singing” (for example). But once they perform, it’s embarassingly clear that—no matter how strongly they feel—it’s not their best strength! When they don’t make the cut, if they don’t step back and reflect (or ideally, pray) they could feel depressed and heartbroken.

Just one more quick example: I was pretty heavily involved in music when I was young, so when I joined the movement and heard that Father Moon was holding auditions for a performing arts mission, I excitedly joined the audition. I did my best but was passed over. At the time, it was pretty disappointing, but in hindsight, as the performing arts mission unfolded, I became very grateful that I’d instead gone to the seminary where I could focus on Unification Thought. Because, while folks have enjoyed my songs at meetings or workshops, it’s very clear that those only add to the main offering, which is passing on the things I’ve learned from my teachers and from the Word. I believe that is my main God-given gift, and it’s shaped my life much more than doing music alone could have. The point? To determine what your main gift really is, pray and then listen hard—don’t just go on what you’re emotionally connected to.

We’re here to experience joy, of course. But the Word reveals that HP’s love comes into the world most directly through family; our lives are meant to be a blessing to at least them. That may not be clear in the Spring of life, but in its Autumn and later, I believe that emerges as the greatest of joys.

***

I think that I can conclude here with a recap of what I’d written two articles ago: That a child’s healthy self-image and self-esteem must be caringly and earnestly nurtured by their parents and particularly by their grandparents. So I think that it’s important to take at least these two points from Unification Thought to heart: one, that every child is a unique individual in eternity, and two, that every child is most certainly gifted by HP in one way or another, without exception. (Flashback to Father Moon in Belvedere sometimes telling us that we were princes and princesses: His standpoint of us was clearly very different from how we saw ourselves ;-)

If we could see our children and grandchildren from HP’s standpoint, treat them in this way, stop comparing them, and be committed to unearthing their beautiful uniqueness and the development of their God-given gift(s), how truly self-aware and different they could be! Because—when a young person struggling through their growth stages feels firmly believed in by an elder who loves them and sees them as HP does—that can be a life-changing experience for them.

And who else in a family can do that better than a devoted grandparent? As we’ve explained in the preceding articles, in our senior years, HP depends upon a family's grandparents to represent the deepest, wisest love to the children and especially to the grandchildren.

One last thing: If we take this attitude to attend a child with all our heart, we are in fact far from alone in doing this. Unification Thought explains:

A foretaste

“…all people have the potential to become a genius once they manifest their creativity one hundred percent. In order to actualize such creativity, however, a proper education is necessary. The kind of education necessary for this purpose is an education of dominion.” - NEUT, p. 265

For we Golden Agers then: Please. Let’s try to remember these two things when we attend our grandchildren: they are unique individuals in eternity; and somewhere within them, there is certainly some beautiful, special gift that HP has endowed them with. Let’s help them find it, and when they do, let’s devote ourselves to helping them develop it, as fervently as HP would.

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