A "brave general" means one who achieves results by one's bravery. A "clever general" means one who achieves results by one's cleverness. And a "wise general" means one who achieves results by one's wisdom and virtue. These terms originated from Seung Tzu Bing Fa. (See Battle Strategy, by the ancient Chinese writer Seung Tzu.)

A brave general may neglect cleverness and be inferior to a clever general, and a clever general may neglect wisdom and virtue and be inferior to a wise general.

Whoever has both bravery and cleverness is surely superior to anyone who has but one of them. Whoever has all the qualities of bravery, cleverness, wisdom and virtue is surely superior to any other.

Let us compare these three types of generals with people working with the Unification movement. During the 1960s many lecturers of Divine Principle described the following three personality types: failure, sacrifice and glory. Adam is an example of the failure type, Noah of the sacrifice type, and Abraham of the glory type. In addition, Adam is a person who failed, Jesus a person who sacrificed, and the Lord of the Second Coming a person who experiences glory.

A physically young member may belong to the brave general type. Because his inner reason is not fully developed, he may retreat from difficulty if he is not with other people or is sent to the lonely front line. Then he becomes a person who fails. In the worst case, such people in society in general may commit suicide if their nature is introverted; if their nature is extroverted they may become a brutal killer or robber.

It may be good for young members and those who thinks of themselves as brave to have special concern about this. Such people belong mostly to the brave general group, and they may easily neglect others and march quickly forward according to their own plans. In the beginning they may make a good result, but sooner or later they will lose many members except people who flatter them. Therefore, seen from the viewpoint of the human lifespan, they belong to the failure type of personality.

Such people are useful for pioneer missions, in a sense, but after the mission is solidly founded, these people must be moved to another front-line mission. Otherwise, they will easily destroy the foundation that has been made. If we look carefully at our Unification movement, we can meet even some famous elder members belonging to this group, and they are gradually being removed from their mission.

Next, let's think about the clever general type of people who demonstrate the sacrifice type of personality. Because of their cleverness, they can make precise plans and do their jobs well;

however, they are often much too calculating and hesitant for their jobs. Because they know their cleverness, they may often neglect unconsciously the inner thoughts of others around them.

People of this type who don't understand Divine Principle are apt to become swindlers in this complicated and difficult secular society. In a sense, these people are much more likely to wrongly influence others than those who belong to the brave general group.

Clever generals who achieve good results are usually arrogantly proud and neglect to acknowledge the help of God and others around them. In addition, if they receive no reward for their good results, they easily complain. Then they become the people of sacrifice type.

If we look carefully at our Unification movement, we can sometimes find this kind of person. They are usually very smart, but they always seek an easy-going life. If their job is not going well, they often makes excuses and complain; then they retreat from their public, full- time missions to home member status. In the severest case they leave the church.

In order not to become this type of sacrificed people, we need to continually check ourselves based on the principle of true love, which means living for others. It is possible for me also to belong to this clever general group. Therefore, I am always careful to live a life of "self-spanking." I keep pounding myself with these words, "You, Rev. Kim, must be a little stupid." Such people must repent and spank themselves, otherwise they can't keep the same job for a long time.

Last, let's think of the wise general group, the people of glory type. When I look back over my more than thirty years of leadership, True Parents have always scolded leaders and given strong advice in the leaders' meetings. They do this so that the brave generals and clever generals will not become arrogant and make excuses or complaints. Otherwise, such leaders run the risk of becoming people of failure or sacrifice. This is really the parental heart of True Parents.

Here, let's not overlook one point: the positions and ranks held by leaders are fundamentally for their missions, not for their dignity. At least ninety-five percent of their positions are for the sake of their missions. However, because many leaders are violating this principle, they give heartistically wrong influence to their members. This causes many of their members to leave their mission or sometimes leave the church; only flattering members remain with such leaders. Then the leader's job comes to ruin.

The same is true in outside society. If people in high positions perform their work and love their subordinates based on a parental heart of true love, those subordinates will automatically protect their leader's dignity. On the other hand, leaders who live for themselves rather than for others end up destroying their mission and ultimately their own life.

The wise general means one who lives for the sake of others. Wise generals are people of bravery, cleverness, wisdom and virtue. The term wise generals especially refers to the people who invest without limit for all mankind centering on God, while attending God. These are really the glory type of people who always have heavenly fortune.

Such people never want to take any reward for their investment. Their reward will automatically come through the operation of God's principle. Sometime in the past True Parents said, "Give, give, and give again! Give even your life! Give everything until you have nothing more to give! Then this universe will be yours!"

In the providence of restoration, many holy people have been wise generals. Especially today, we have the opportunity to participate in the heavenly glory and substantially attend True Parents, who are the true incarnation of God's heart and exemplify bravery, cleverness, wisdom and virtue. Let us resemble them and become heavenly, wise generals.

Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Copyright Information
Tparents Home