4. Position of Existence
Every individual being has its own place for existence. The place that a being possesses is called its “position of existence” in Unification Thought. When two individuals engage in a subject and object (namely, give and receive) relationship, there is a difference between the position of the subject and the position of the object.
4.1. Position of Existence Seen from the Viewpoint of a Connected Being
A being exists as an individual truth being and, at the same time, as a connected being. As a connected being, a being is simultaneously both in the position of object and in the position of subject. As a result, numerous beings become connected upwards and downwards, in front and back, and to the right and left, forming a system of positions, namely an orderly system. Such a system of positions of subject and object is simply a reflection of the positions of subject and object in the Original Image, which are projected into the three-dimensional spatial world.
There are numerous stars in the universe which, as connected beings, engage in give and receive actions from their different respective positions, all forming an orderly system. Such order in the universe comes about through the accumulation of the two-stage structures of existence, all of which are modeled after the two-stage structure of the Original Image. As connected beings, which are beings with dual purposes, all the beings in the universe are related to each other. Hence, the universe is a giant organic body. Human beings exist in the highest position of the organic orderly system, and God exists above human beings.
4.2. Vertical Order and Horizontal Order
The order of the universe is of two kinds, namely, vertical and horizontal. An example of the vertical order of the universe is as follows. The moon (a satellite) and the earth (a planet) engage in give and receive action, with the earth as the subject and the moon as the object. The earth, in turn, engages in give and receive action with the sun (a star), forming a part of the solar system. Here the earth is the object and the sun is the subject. Next, the sun engages in give and receive action with the galactic center and, together with many other stars, forms the galaxy. Here the sun is the object, and the galactic center is the subject. Furthermore, the galaxy, in unity with many other galaxies, engages in give and receive action with the center of the universe, forming the universe. In this case, the galaxy is the object, and the center of the universe is the subject. This thread of connection―running from satellite to planet, to star, and to galactic center, all the way to the center of the universe―makes up the vertical order of the universe.
We can also consider the horizontal order of the universe. If we look at the nine planets of the solar system, we can see that they form an orderly, horizontal arrangement of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. This planetary system, centering on the sun, is an example of horizontal order in the universe. Also, this kind of horizontal order can be seen in other fixed stars which have planets. The vertical order and the horizontal order of the universe are illustrated in fig. 2.7.
4.3. Order in the Universe and Order in the Family
A human family, in its original form, should also have had an orderly system like that of the universe. In a family there is vertical order, which consists of grandchildren, children, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on; and there is horizontal order, which consists of brothers and sisters centered on the parents. The vertical order and the horizontal order of a family are illustrated in fig. 2.8.
From the perspective of composition the human being is a microcosm, or a miniature of the universe. Considered from the aspect of order, the family is a miniature of the universe, and the universe is an expanded image of the family. It is well known that in a galaxy there are innumerable planetary systems similar to the solar system, and that in the universe there are innumerable galaxies. Therefore, we can assert that the universe is an ordered assemblage of innumerable families of heavenly bodies.
In the universe, perfect order is maintained through harmonious give and receive action. In the solar system, the nine planets are engaged in give and receive action with the sun and, centering on the sun, they maintain a collective disc shape while moving along their specific individual orbits around the sun. In the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 200 billion stars are engaged in give and receive action with the galactic center, and they maintain, as a whole, the shape of a convex lens while remaining in their respective established orbits. In the universe, upwards of 200 billion galaxies are engaged in give and receive action with the center of the universe, and they maintain the harmony in the universe as a whole while yet remaining in their respective established orbits.
This order of the universe is reflected in the family. In the universe, order and peace are maintained through harmonious give and receive action (the Way of Heaven) among all heavenly bodies. Similarly, in a family order and peace are to be maintained according to the law of harmonious give and receive action, that is, the principle of love, among the family members. The principle of love is ethics, the norm of the family, which corresponds to the Way of Heaven. Due to the human fall, however, the family has lost its original state of existence. Thus, family ethics has collapsed, and family members have become disunited. Society, which is an extension of the family, has also become extremely disorderly.