The Words of the Ablong Family
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The Words of the Ablong Family |
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Merry Christmas!! My best wishes to all of you and your families!!
We are here for a reason. We are here for a choice. We are here because we have chosen to be here. We can choose to read and write, we can choose to be happy or sad, we can choose to be a friend or foe, we can choose to build or break and we can choose to be a unifier or divider. Let us use that power responsibly with love in order to grow individually and as a family, and to evolve better as a peace movement for the realization of Cheon Il Guk. We are all in this together.
Our messages have allowed us to see who we are as a people with heart and principles. Our interactions have been educational, enlightening and transformational. It has shown us that we are evolving as a movement of faith, unity and peace. Peace with those who agree and disagree with us or peace with those that we consider on the opposite side of the fence within the compound of True Parents' house of unification are what we need to offer this Christmas season.
The problems that we see right now are part of the training and solutions that God has put in place in order to educate us, train us and prepare us for the greater task of building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. I am just as equally thankful as some of us here that this latest developments are happening while True Father is still physically with us. It is giving us a reason to prepare or rehearse our pieces of solutions for the unforeseeable issues and concerns in the future. Having read so many viewpoints with a lot of common sense and God-centered purpose, I realized that we are indeed one big family. I see the following:
1) unity through diversity;
2)
unity needs heart and principle; and
3) unity needs peaceful
motivation and action, good words of encouragement and inspiration.
As a people, we all have the culture of heart to help someone who needs help; to understand those who are misunderstood; to pardon those who needs pardoning and to be humble when we win or lose, or rise and fall.
I am actually enjoying the peaceful and respectful interactions of brothers and sisters that sometimes turn into heated arguments. It seems that even those who find this forum "draining" are still reading the articles that have the potential to drain them over and over again. That's something positive!! That means, they are very much involved with the situation internally and they are praying for the early resolution of this seemingly gargantuan challenge that is glaringly beaming in front of us. That sounds like a powerful prayer for me. If there are more prayerful and concerned people who read the things they don't like to read, then that's something. I remember True Father saying this, "love what you hate, hate what you love".
All these things that have been brought out in the open in just a few weeks before Christmas are preparing us for the great liberation and ultimate event in our lifetime. From the interactions that I have read, I don't see division. I see mistakes and misunderstanding and a gradual shift to a specialization of labor and true cultural assimilation. I see family members trying to help each other succeed by pointing out our own S-W-O-Ts (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). People are talking about it because they care for each other, they want unity to True Father's direction and they want to be successful for God and True Father's providence. I see one group of hard-working family members desperately working for God and True Parents. We are liberating people from the bondage of hell on earth. We cannot afford to send some of us to the pits of hate and resentment because of a single, forgivable error. We are still one family whether we are for or against an approach.
That's how human beings grow and develop socially and responsibly. We grow by making, admitting and learning from mistakes; by solving problems, by righting a wrong, by doing good, by respecting and accepting each other. We should always put a circle around us instead of a line between us. In the culture of heart, there is always room for unity not for division and neglect.
There are always missteps, little stops and thoughtful misunderstandings and provocations as we go up the ladder of perfection. That normally happens in a family of imperfect yet smart and caring, loving and forgiving, faithful sons and daughters of God and True Parents. Sometimes, we make mistakes and we learn from these mistakes. True Parents has forgiven us many times. True Father has shown us the Way. We can always forgive and start again so we can move on. We should not be nailed down by our individual perceptions of the situation. Our overall goal is to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by true love and service for peace and unity in diversity. If we can promote peace through service with other religions and organizations, we can also do the same thing to ourselves. Let us do kindly to ourselves what we are doing kindly to others. Let us teach ourselves what we are teaching others to learn from us. After all, as a chosen people we can also be kind to ourselves and to our fellow brothers and sisters.
In this most recent development scenario, nobody committed the actual sin of Adam and Eve. Nobody physically or spiritually killed anyone. Every one is alive and working hard for the providence. Yes, we are comparing and rationalizing everything by heart and by Principle. All our psychological defense mechanisms are, kind of, pointing towards that purpose and direction. But at the end of the day, when we look at the reality of the situation, we are still alive and talking. Nobody preached against the Divine Principle. In fact, everyone is using the Principle to say something about something or someone. So it's not really that bad at all. We all have the Principle, so we have hope. Our discussions are DP-based or heart-thought. There may be little differences in how things are perceived and explained, but Heart and Principle are always in the discussions. Keep all those little and deficient elucidations of facts, rumors and feelings close to your chest. They make our individual world of feelings and ideas sweeter, more memorable, exciting and colorful.
We don't have to reply to every message. We have to assume that people are praying and taking responsibility for whatever they read and write. Let's pray harder for messages that are harder to keep or understand. There are always differences in opinions and ideas but let us not forget our common unifying denominator culture of heart and peace, love and understanding. Remember, we are an organization of Principle and Heart and we are still brothers and sisters despite our obvious differences, sins and mistakes in front of God and True Parents.
We are still brothers and sisters. If we made a mistake, we say sorry and we make it right, right now or next time. If we are on the right, we wait with love, patience and understanding for the other to realize the mistake. If we don't understand each other right now, then, let's keep the lines of communication open. Time heals, but it is us who can make it move faster or slower. As peacemakers, we are also diplomats of heart and right heavenly, Divine Principle-based attitude. We know basic conflict resolution techniques. We do not point at anyone when we are upset. We use the word and point at the offense when we are angry or discomforted not at anyone to avoid needless or unnecessary personal confrontations. We can always postpone war to make peace.
We do have hope for reconciliation and unity as long as we keep talking for goodness's sake. Once unity is achieved after this perceived "storm" of action and perceptions, then we will be stronger, wiser and more able to elevate our individual behavior and organizational operating standards. Unity that is tempered by heart, principle and experience is like a diamond. A diamond is made by applying powerful pressure on dead matter to make it stronger and shine for the utilization, joy and glory of others. As former CARP members, we know how to digest bad elements to grow and become good in swimming through the lucid waters of feelings and thoughts.
We can make God and True Parents happy by giving and forgiving, loving and serving each other. We can also make them sad and desolate by doing all the negative and draining talks that ordinary people do. We are extraordinary people in these extraordinary times. We debate, argue and drain ourselves and others because we want to become better at doing things for others. All these perceptions of negative and cheap talk bears a positive potential for growth and development if done, interpreted and multiplied wisely. Together, we can right a wrong. We can move mountains. We can avoid despair, frustrations and disappointments from the penury of debilitating talk and condescending polemics. We can move beyond all the disappointments and frustrations of the present for the betterment of our common future.
Being the tip of an arrow that is aimed at an iron wall covering the fallen habits and evil habitations of this world, we need to be sharpened. Sharpening the tip of an arrow is either rubbing it in hard stone with little or no water at all. After all these "rubbing" and "watering" we will become "sharply" responsible, wise and careful in what we say or do to ourselves and to other people. Then, God and True Parents will be happier. We are all concerned with each other. That's why we do not want anyone to make mistakes. We want everyone to follow directions. We care for each other because we are all in this together. We can not lose each other in the work for peace, spiritual education, personal and social transformation and organizational evolution.
As blessed families, we should know when to use the principle as a medicine for healing and when to use it for killing pain through love, forgiveness and acceptance. If someone makes a mistake, we always try to make that person accept responsibility for that mistake in a non-confrontational, less-invasive, non-provocative or non-aggressive and respectful manner. If we made a mistake, we do the right thing. We say sorry and receive penance or condition (e.g. admonition) for the mistake in order to reform ourselves and restore our relationship with those we are having problems with. If we are truly committed to realize the vision of True Parents then we can easily pass the litmus test of love, principle, maturity and respect for each others uniqueness. If we are armed with this attitude then our little misunderstandings, miss-actions or inaction, will be quickly resolved and we will grow together both as a chosen people and as a movement for unity and love, peace and reconciliation.
As brothers and sisters, what are we going to do when someone makes a mistake? Should we "lynch" or help that person? Are we "lynching" to help or lynching to demolish the person? Are we going to keep on crying, howling, whining, moaning, shouting, or complaining over it? Do we like to move forward or not? Do we like to succeed or not? Do we like to unite or not? We can always yes and move on. Let's move on.
We all have the power of choice. We can choose to read and write, we can choose to be happy or sad, we can choose to be a friend or foe, we can choose to build or break and we can choose to be unifier or divider. Let us use that power responsibly in order to survive or evolve better as a peace movement. We are all in this together.
Relationships after the Fall are not perfect. So we have to be ready to forgive and start again. Whether you are in the outback or down under (they mean the same thing to some people), we are all in the same planet. We are each other's keeper. So we need to forgive each other and start a new beginning. We will be more in number and stronger when we unite, we will be less in number and weaker when we fall out and divide. We should be like champion horses, the more we are whipped the faster we run forward to the finish line.
Lastly, let me say what Christmas means to me.
Christmas means thanking, honoring and keeping God's Love and Jesus' enormous sacrifice for the salvation of humankind.
It is about being patient and keeping our heart pure for True Parents.
It is about taking responsibility for everything that is happening inside and outside the movement. We are owners of True Love. The external environment is a reflection of our internal, spiritual environment.
It is the season to promote dialogue, peace and unity between peacemakers, enemies of the family and enemies of the state.
It is about accepting the things we cannot change, views we cannot accept and respecting other people's way of saying things.
It is about agreeing to disagree in a nice, respectful and loving way.
It is about giving and forgiving family members, friends and enemies.
It is the season to be jolly, for celebrations of merriment and messianic welcome and festive moods for the rich and poor.
It is about blessing those who are involved in a "conspiracy of true love."
It is about looking down when we are happy and looking up when others are sad.
About giving the best of what we have and having the least that we can experience in our life at the moment in order to understand, pray and help others who are in need.
It is about praying for the victims of: the Magauindanao Massacre, Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng, Mt. Mayon volcanic eruptions, AIDS, family breakdown, government corruption, shipwrecks, and wars in Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nigeria and the Philippines, etc.
It is about giving a smile, a word of cheer, a bit of love, a gift of love you hold dear, and best wishes for the coming year.
Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous
New Year!!
Happy God's Day 2010!!
I love you all!!
Yours through the years,
Raffy E. Ablong and Family
Kazuyo Ishikawa-Ablong
Masato
Benedict
Masahiro Monico
Moe Catherine