3. Mode of Existence
Now, I will explain the manner in which all created beings exist, that is, their mode of existence. The mode of existence of created beings is their motion in time and space. Hence, “mode of existence” is a spatio-temporal concept applicable only in the created world. Since God is the absolute being, God does not literally perform such motion. Therefore, there is no concept of a mode of existence in the Original Image. There is, however, a prototype within the Original Image, which corresponds to the mode of existence in the created world.
3.1. Circular Motion
When, in the created world, two elements or beings in the relationship of subject and object engage in a give and receive action, centering on a common purpose, then the result is that both union and motion appear simultaneously. Purpose itself is not an existing being, and the union is merely a state that arises as a result of give and receive action; therefore, the actual participants in the motion of give and receive action are the two elements (beings) in the roles of subject and object. The center of the give and receive action lies not in some intermediary position between the subject and the object, but within the subject itself. Accordingly, the motion of this give and receive action can not but become a subject-centered circular motion. This circular motion is illustrated in fig. 2.5. In an atom, for instance, electrons revolve around the nucleus; and, likewise, in the solar system, planets revolve around the sun.
What, then, is the reason why created beings necessarily engage in circular motion? In the world of God there exists no time or space and, therefore, no motion. However, even though in God there is no actual mode of existence, or circular motion, still there must exist in the Original Image some prototype of the circular motion that exists in the created world. This prototype is the round, harmonious and smooth nature of the give and receive action between Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang. In the Original Image, Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang perform harmonious give and receive action centering either on Heart or on purpose. When the round and harmonious nature of the give and receive action in God is expressed (symbolically) in terms of time and space, it becomes circular motion.
The world of created beings is the symbolic expression of God. For instance, the vastness of the ocean symbolizes the vastness of God’s mind; the heat of the sun symbolizes the warmth of God’s love, and the light of the sun symbolizes the brightness of God’s truth. Likewise, circular motion in the created world symbolizes something in God, namely, the round and harmonious nature of the give and receive action within God. Harmonious give and receive action is the expression of love centered on Heart. In other words, circular motion symbolizes the roundness and, at the same time, the love in God. Love has no corners or angles, and is expressed in a circular form. Thus, if we were to express the Original Image in a diagram, such a diagram would be of a circular, or spherical, form.
God is formless and has no definite appearance; yet, God has the potentiality to appear in any form. In other words, God, who is formless, has a limitless number of forms. Compare this to the phenomenon of water. If placed in a rectangular container, water takes a rectangular shape; if placed in a triangular container, water takes a triangular shape; and if placed in a round container, it takes a round shape. In other words, water can take on any form, depending on its container. Therefore, it has a limitless number of forms. Of all these forms, however, the one most typical of water is the spherical form. We can know this from the fact that when a drop of water falls, it assumes a spherical form. Similarly, God can manifest Himself in the form of waves, in the form of wind, in the form of fire, and so forth, but if we were to choose a typical form of God, it would be a spherical form. In this sense, the Original Image can be expressed in a circular or a spherical form. This is why all things, in resemblance to the Original Image, basically have a spherical form. Atoms, the earth, the moon, the sun, stars, and so on, all have a spherical form. Even plants and animals can be said to have a spherical form since the starting point of the growth of a plant is a seed, and the starting point of the growth of an animal is an egg. These have an essentially spherical form. As explained above, circular motion in all things originates from the roundness of the give and receive action in the Original Image. At the same time, it originates from the representative circular or spherical shape of the Original Image.
There is yet another reason why the motion performed when a subject and an object engage in give and receive action is circular. Circular motion is a necessary representation of the give and receive action. If the object did not revolve around the subject, but instead moved in a straight line, then the object would ultimately depart from the subject. If that were to occur, subject and object would become unable to perform give and receive action, and if they could not perform give and receive action, the created being could not exist, for it is through such give and receive action that the forces for existence, multiplication, and action come into being. Accordingly, in order for subject and object to engage in give and receive action, the object must maintain a continuous relationship with the subject―and in order for that to happen, the object must go around the subject.
3.2. Rotation and Revolution
Next, let me explain rotation and revolution. Any individual being engaged in circular motion is simultaneously performing two kinds of motion, namely, rotation and revolution. The reason for this is that every individual being is simultaneously both an individual truth being and a connected being. This is so because each individual being engages in internal give and receive action as well as external give and receive action. As a result of these two kinds of give and receive action, two kinds of circular motion come into being. The circular motion produced through the internal give and receive action is rotation, and the circular motion produced through the external give and receive action is revolution. For example, the earth revolves around the sun while rotating itself; an electron revolves around the atomic nucleus while rotating itself. Rotation and revolution, then, are the results of the internal and external motions of things, and the reason these two types of motion exist is that they resemble the round and harmonious nature of the inner give and receive action and the outer give and receive action within the Original Image.
Through these inner and outer give and receive actions, inner and outer four position foundations are formed centering on purpose (unlike in the Original Image, where the center can be Heart, in created beings the center is always purpose, in any kind of four position foundation). In the formation of the inner and outer four position foundations, the result is either a union or a new being. Here, let us examine the case in which the result is a union.
In the Original Image, when the result is a union, an inner identity-maintaining four position foundation and an outer identity-maintaining four position foundation are formed through the inner give and receive action and the outer give and receive action, respectively. That is the “two-stage structure of the Original Image.” In resemblance to this structure, every created being forms an inner identity-maintaining four position foundation and an outer identity-maintaining four position foundation, which together constitute the “two-stage structure of existence.” Give and receive action takes place on the basis of the four position foundation, and when give and receive action takes place, circular motion always appears. Accordingly, in the formation of inner and outer four position foundations, inner and outer give and receive actions take place and, at the same time, inner and outer circular motions take place. The inner circular motion is rotation, and the outer circular motion is revolution.
3.3. Forms of Circular Motion
In actuality, spatial circular motion can be seen, in the created world, only in astronomical bodies such as stars and planets and in elementary particles and atoms. In other cases, we do not see literal circular motion. Plants, for example, are fixed in certain positions, and animals, though they are moving, are not performing circular motion. In these cases, although the basic mode of their existence is circular motion, it has been modified to take other forms. The reason the circular motion is modified is because each created being must achieve its particular purpose of creation, that is, its purpose for the whole and its purpose for the individual. There are three categories of circular motion: basic circular motion, transformed circular motion, and spiritual circular motion.
a) Basic Circular Motion
There are two types of basic circular motion, namely, “circular motion in space” and “circular motion in time.”
i) Circular Motion in Space
Spatial circular motion is physical, repetitive circular motion, and examples are the rotation and revolution of celestial bodies and elementary particles. These are the spatial representation of the identity-maintaining give and receive action within the Original Image. They are circular motion in the literal sense, and since they nearly always maintain the same orbit, this can be called “repetitive motion.”
ii) Circular Motion in Time (Spiral Motion)
The repetition of life cycles, or the succession of generations of living beings, can also be regarded as a kind of circular motion, that is, a spiral motion. Let us consider the growth of plants. A seed puts forth a new sprout, which grows into a plant; the plant blooms, bears fruits, and produces numerous new seeds. The new seeds, greater in number than the initial one, again sprout, grow, and bear new fruits. A similar process occurs in the development of animals. A fertilized egg grows; the young are born; the young grow to maturity, engage in reproduction, and again new fertilized eggs are made. The new fertilized eggs, greater in number than the initial one, again grow; the young are born; the young grow to maturity and engage in reproduction. Thus, both plants and animals preserve their species by repeating life cycles, or life histories. This succession of generations, intended for the preservation of the species, is a kind of circular motion, having the following characteristic features: (1) it possesses purposefulness, (2) it develops through time, and (3) it has the nature of proceeding in distinct stages. This is called a “spiral motion,” and it is illustrated in fig. 2.6.
Let us consider now the significance of the fact that living beings make spiral motion, that is, the preservation and multiplication of their species. All things are the objects of joy and at the same time the objects of dominion for human beings. Thus, the preservation and multiplication of species in living beings corresponds to the succession of generations and the multiplication of human beings. The physical self of the human being is not an eternal being. Only the spirit self, which matures on the basis of the physical self, lives eternally. When the spirit self becomes perfected, the physical self dies, and the mature spirit self goes on to live eternally in the spirit world. (Yet, because of the human fall people went to the spirit world with their spirit selves still unperfected.) The perfection of the spirit self is the realization of the purpose of creation, which means that human beings grow, perfect their individuality, get married, multiply, and have dominion over all things―in other words, they fulfill the three great blessings (Gen.1:28). Thus, human beings are created to live during a certain period of time on earth and they maintain their species through a succession of generations. Also, all living beings, which exist as objects to human beings, preserve their species through a succession of generations, and multiply in order to continue as the objects of dominion for human beings on earth. Such circular motion in time is the temporal manifestation of the developmental give and receive action within the Original Image. 10
b) Transformed Circular Motion
There are two kinds of transformed circular motion, namely, motion with a fixed nature, and motion with an alternative nature.
i) Motion with a Fixed Nature
This refers to the situation wherein the circular motion is fixed in place in order for an existing being to achieve its specific purpose of creation. For example, a stationary radio satellite is fixed at a certain position in space for the sake of achieving its purpose. In the case of the earth where humans live, if the immeasurable atoms forming the earth were to move about randomly, then the earth would take on a more gaseous state, and humans would not be able to live on it. If the earth is to be a dwelling place for humans, the atoms that constitute it must be fixed firmly in place, united with each other in order to form solid ground. Therefore, the atoms forming the earth perform transformed circular motion (rigid chemical bonding), maintaining their fixed positions in order to form an appropriate dwelling place for human beings, in other words, to realize their purpose for the whole. Similarly, the cells forming the tissues of living beings are positioned and fixed unitedly with respect to one another. For example, the cells forming the heart of an animal are fixed in place and united with one another, which enables the heart to contract and expand in performing its function. If the heart cells were to move about independently, the heart would not be able to perform its proper function.
ii) Motion with an Alternative Nature
In animals, instead of the cells performing circular motion, the blood and lymph circulate throughout the body, connecting the cells, thereby bringing the same result as if the cells themselves were performing circular motion. In plants, also, water and minerals are absorbed by the roots and circulate throughout the body of the plant through the vessels and tracheids of the xylem. The nutrients which have been manufactured in the leaves travel through the sieve tubes of the phloem, connecting all cells. The overall result of this is the same as if the cells themselves were making circular motion. In this way, blood and lymph, water and nutrients circulate, in place of the circular motion of cells. This is called circular motion with an alternative nature, or simply, motion with an alternative nature.
In the earth, also, there are the convective currents in the mantle, the movement of the plates (called plate tectonics), and so on, which manifest the effects of circular motion. They are also regarded as motion with an alternative nature. The circulation of goods and money in the economy are also examples of motion with an alternative nature.
c) Spiritual Circular Motion (Sungsang Circular Motion)
The give and receive action between the spirit mind and the physical mind in human beings is not a physical kind of circular motion, but rather a spiritual kind of circular motion in the sense that the physical mind responds to the desires of the spirit mind. Accordingly, this is spiritual circular motion, or circular motion on the Sungsang level. Also, in the sense that the object behaves as the subject desires, the harmonious give and receive action between one person and another in a family or in society is circular motion on the Sungsang level, or spiritual circular motion. For example, when parents love their children and instruct them well, the children obey their parents well. This, too, comes in the category of spiritual circular motion.
3.4. Growth and Developmental Motion
3.4.1. Development from the Viewpoint of Unification Thought
Now I will explain the concepts of growth and development in order to clarify the Unification view of development. Living beings are endowed with life. Life refers to the autonomy and dominion of the principle, or the conscious energy (in other words, the consciousness with energy) latent within living beings. The growth of living beings is guided by this life, the autonomy and dominion of the principle, which is the unity of consciousness and energy latent in living beings; thus, this motion of conscious energy is none other than the motion of life.
Autonomy is the ability to direct one’s own motion without any influence from other beings. The earth revolves around the sun, but it does so by following natural law in a merely mechanical manner. Living things, however, do not just follow laws mechanically. They are able to control themselves as they grow, while coping with various kinds of situations in their environment. This is the meaning of “autonomy of the principle.”
On the other hand, “dominion of the principle” refers to the function or ability of exerting an influence on an existing being’s surroundings. For example, when the seed of a plant is sown, a sprout emerges, a trunk grows, and leaves come out. This force of growing is the action of the autonomy of the principle. At the same time, plants have an influence on their surroundings; 11 they provide animals with oxygen, and attract bees and butterflies by blooming. This aspect is the dominion of the principle. Life, then, when viewed from the aspect of growth, is autonomy, and when viewed from the aspect of influencing its surroundings, is dominion. The growth of living beings, due to the life inherent within them, is developmental motion. All created beings are endowed with the purpose of creation (the purpose of being created). To say that living beings are endowed with the purpose of creation means that the life force within living beings is conscious of that purpose. Accordingly, the growth of a living being is a movement aiming towards a goal (purpose) from the very beginning.
Development thus has a definite purpose, and a direction determined by its inner life force. That is to say, there is life within the seed of a plant, and it is this life which causes the seed to grow (develop) toward the goal of becoming a tree bearing fruits. Also, there is life within the fertilized egg of an animal, and it is this life which causes the egg to grow (develop) toward the goal of becoming an adult animal.
Let us now consider the particular case of the development of the universe as a whole. According to the Big Bang theory, about fifteen billion years ago the universe started out as a mass of energy, of extremely high temperature and density, all concentrated in one point. A “great” explosion took place, and the universe began to expand. After the initial explosion, the hot, swirling gases eventually cooled and condensed to form the many galaxies. In each galaxy, numerous stars came into being, some of which were surrounded by planets. One of the stars with planets was the sun, and one of its planets was the earth. Life came into being on the earth, and finally human beings appeared. This is the essence of today’s scientific view of the development of the universe. Considering this, we may ask if the development of the universe is much different from the growth (development) of living beings? And, if it is different, then how is it different? Is it simply development based on physicochemical laws? Or, is it a development of life, in the same way as living beings? If, when considering the development of the entire universe, we look at that process over a comparatively short period of time, we may only be able to discern physicochemical laws at work. If, however, we look at that process over a much longer period of time―say, several billion years―we would be able to discern that the universe, while certainly following physicochemical laws, has yet been developing in a definite direction. This tells us that there has been a goal in the development of the universe. That goal is the appearance of human beings, who are intended to have dominion over the universe. In other words, the universe has been developing, seemingly in the expectation of the appearance of human beings. What has given this kind of direction to the development of the universe is the consciousness latent wthin the universe. This can be called “cosmic consciousness,” or “cosmic life.” Just as in the development of a plant there is at first a seed which sprouts, grows and finally bears fruit, so too, in the development of the universe we can consider it to be the case that, in the beginning, the universe began as a seed, which has been growing until today. The human being is the ultimate fruit of the universe. Accordingly, just as bearing fruit is the goal of a plant, so also the human being was the goal of the development of the universe. It was stated earlier that growth is a phenomenon that exists only in living things, but seen from the perspective of so vast a period of time as fifteen billion years, one can realize that the entire universe has, in fact, been growing.
3.4.2. Communist Perspective on Development
Next, let us examine the Communist perspective on development. Development is an irreversible, purposeful movement that proceeds toward a definite goal. Yet, Communists never described development as a motion proceeding toward a goal. Communists maintain that development takes place through the contradiction inherent within a thing, and it only admits to lawfulness and necessity, denying any sense of purpose. Why do they deny purpose (or goal)? The reason is that only will or reason can establish a purpose; and if there were reason that established purpose at the beginning of the universe, that could be none other than the reason of God. From this it follows that God has established the purpose of the universe. If God were accepted, atheistic Communism would inevitably fall, which is why Communists never admitted purpose.
In contrast, Unification Thought, in addition to describing development in terms of necessity and lawfulness, asserts that there is purpose in development. This is because the motive force of development is life, and life is purposive and conscious energy. Necessity and lawfulness in development are all for the sake of the realization of this purpose. In other words, all created beings are endowed with necessity and lawful-ness so that they realize their purpose, that is, the purpose of creation. As stated in the Theory of the Original Image, within God’s Sungsang, centering on purpose, the Inner Sungsang (reason) and the Inner Hyung-sang (law) are engaged in give and receive action whereby Logos is formed. Logos is the union of reason and law. Law already existed within God’s Inner Hyungsang, prior to His creation of the universe, and it existed for the realization of the purpose of creation. In other words, law had been prepared, from the very beginning, for the realization of purpose.
Communist materialism denies purposefulness in the development of the universe. This view implies that human beings are purposeless, born through the necessity of law. If this were the case, humans become accidental beings, without purpose. For such humans, there is no place for values or morality. A world without values or morality can not but become a world where the strong prey upon the weak and only the strong can survive.
3.4.3. Communist Perspective on Motion
Communists comprehend matter as “matter in motion.” Friedrich Engels (1820-95) said, “motion is the mode of existence of matter. Never anywhere has there been matter without motion, nor can there be…. Matter without motion is just as inconceivable as motion without matter.” 12 For what purpose do Communists assert that motion is the mode of existence of matter? Their purpose is to deny the existence of God.
Newton considered the universe as essentially an enormous machine and recognized God as the Being who had made the machine and had caused it to start moving. From that perspective, if we think of matter and motion as separate realities, then we must concede that motion must have derived from something other than matter itself―ultimately, by some being like God. Thus, in order to prevent such a metaphysical interpretation of motion, Communists defined motion as the mode of existence originally inherent in matter.
From the Unification Thought viewpoint, things exist and move through give and receive action between subject and object. Accordingly, motion is the mode of existence of all things. However, motion is not the mode of existence of an individual being itself, but rather it is a phenomenon that appears when subject and object engage in give and receive action. Give and receive action between subject and object is an action intended for the realization of the purpose of creation. Ultimately, then, motion exists for the realization of the purpose of creation. For example, the earth engages in give and receive actions internally and externally in order to realize its purpose of creation―that is, to provide the environment for human beings to live in―and therefore engages in rotation and revolution.
Communists assert that motion is the mode of existence of matter, but they say nothing at all about the reason why matter has such a mode of existence or about the kinds of motion it performs. Communists merely want to assert that things move through the struggle of opposites.