Perseverance is Power

Today marks the 36th anniversary of the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon’s release from Danbury Prison on August 20, 1985. He was released from the prison on July 4 and needed to report every night at a halfway house, until the complete release on August 20. Rev. Moon, who co-founded Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), was unjustly imprisoned in Danbury, Conn., on July 20, 1984 after being wrongfully convicted of tax evasion. Sentenced to 18 months, he was released early for good behavior as an exemplary inmate who selflessly served his fellow prisoners.

Despite wrongful imprisonment and other unfathomable ordeals experienced throughout Rev. Moon’s life—candidly shared in his 2009 autobiography, As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen—he never lost hope and faith. Rev. Moon persevered and triumphed over the greatest of hardships. 

Perseverance is integral to success, said Rev. Moon, as it develops our character, self-confidence, resilience, and courage, as well as heightens our motivation. Below are Rev. Moon’s words on the importance of enduring difficulties, from his speech “Perseverance and Contemplation,” delivered on August 27, 1978 in London, England.

Speech excerpt:

Whatever mistakes were made in dispensational history usually resulted from a lack of perseverance and deep thinking. Of all the Creation, who would have tolerated the most and contemplated the most deeply? What kind of man? Would he be the one with power, or a man without power who had to suffer and endure? The weak man may be righteous but because he is in a powerless position, he follows the tradition of perseverance and contemplation. Such men know it is wise not to speak, so they endure. Why do they not act? They refrain in order to become better than whoever is in power and make sure by long tolerance that they are superior. They persevere for the future, regardless of the present…

​​In national matters the judgment of one person can influence the fate of a whole country, and perhaps that of the world. That kind of person should be the one who will persevere to the very end, thinking deeply before acting. This is not a deep philosophical question; it is a matter of daily living. We must understand how important it is to endure and tolerate… The man who perseveres may lose initially, but in the second and third conflict his chances of winning are greater…

If you really become serious, think about which person you would want to be; do you want to be the early winner, or the one who loses yet perseveres and wins the final battle? Ordinarily 10 out of 10 people will want to be the instant winner. If it is principled to think that perseverance is best, this applies not only to individual matters but to national and world level affairs…

When we look back through history we see that God used religion to teach mankind to be humble and forgiving, which is the same as being persevering and tolerant. Christianity is distinguished from other religions in that the practice of Christian love is more advanced than any seen in history because it includes forgiveness and sacrifice. We can understand that this is how God was able to develop the faith of Christians and encourage people to persevere and contemplate. Though it has been extremely difficult, this is how He has been able to continue the dispensation until this moment. Without this ideal of forgiveness and love, God could never save mankind…

One most important thing to think deeply about is how to overcome the difficulty… When you do much thinking, an answer is bound to materialize. We endure in order to have a solid foundation to be the center of future world leadership… Perseverance and contemplation go hand in hand… This is the straight road to victory. Once you go through this process to victory, you will find no enemies at the end.

You can learn more about Rev. Moon’s life in his autobiography here.

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