CARP USA Gives New Seminar Test Run During Weekend Workshop

The second day of CARP America’s MOMENTUM 2016 international student workshop, which took place in New York City from January 6 to 10, continued with the remainder of the 7 Unification Principles taught through interactive sessions.  

The first session, which explored the principle “We mature through pursuing truth, beauty and goodness,” introduced the concept of “original mind,” which focuses on the original desires given to us by God (i.e., truth, beauty and goodness). Thus, when our actions are consistent in the pursuit of these original desires, the strain from feeling spiritually weak or tired dissipates. Facilitators Naokimi Ushiroda and Justin Okamoto offered tools to help participants recognize the blocks preventing them from fulfilling their original pursuits. They differentiated between being right compared to being true, between blaming others and taking responsibility, between taking and giving, and between being selfish and being loving.

For the second principle of the day, “We all ultimately want to experience joy,” participants recognized the habit of complaining as one of the greatest blocks to experiencing joy. Confusion and fear also hinder action, eliminating a space for creation that fills us with joy. Through a guided “passion check” led by Tasnah Moyer, students began to clarify where joy naturally shows up in their life and to use it as clues to yet undiscovered passions.  

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification’s Evangelism Department sponsored lunch. Its representative, Karlsun Allen, defined “evangelism” as outreach and described his department’s main three goals as tribal messiahship development, content resources (including dplife.info and the DP Dojo available online) and education through organized workshops and lecture trainings.

The third principle of the day, “We have the freedom to create and manifest any possibility,” focused on the power of language in creating our reality. Through a guided goal-setting process, participants designed specific, measurable 40-day intentions and action steps. They also were armed with tools with which to handle certain pitfalls that could hinder their achievement.

The educational sessions ended on the principle “We can contribute to society through mastery of our unique creativity.” Each participant created a personal mission statement based on their strengths, passions, what was important to them, and how they wanted to impact the world.

“My personal mission is to use my intelligence and my passion for listening to others to nurture my communities and help people be intentional in their relationships.” – Sung Soon Gaval, Connecticut

In conjunction, students also crafted vision statements describing what life would look like if their mission were fulfilled:

“The mission I created for myself so long ago during my first stay in New York finally was fulfilled. To be honest, I never thought I’d live to see such beauty realized. Although I am old, I can still look out the window to see clear skies, lush gardens and happy children playing together without fear of a degrading world. My family, may they rest peacefully, would be proud, I know, especially my mother.

“The community when I was young was volatile and unstable. Now it is a place of healing, love and care, a place of joy. The world? The world is now spinning without scars of war, without hatred and malice, void of discrimination, all things of the past that is long behind us. The world now spins with only one flag flapping in the wind. Not the American, not the Russian, but a flag I never thought I would see in my lifetime. The flag of God.” – Emanuel Patterson, Ohio

Seminars on the 7 Unification Principles presented in Day 1 and Day 2 were actually part of a new 2-Day introductory program CARP is offering this year. The “STEP UP” seminar (STudent EmPowerment through Unification Principles) is available to communities across the country, giving students a real experience of applied principles.

“It’s a fresh perspective, made me love the Divine Principle even more. I would like others to have this experience, especially new people.”—Anonymous

In the evening, participants celebrated their completion of STEP UP with an Open Mic night hosted by Karlsun Allen and one of the participants, Clara Claveau-Ferreira. Participants worked together to create a high-energy environment in support of fellow participants.

Finishing this day on a high note (pun intended), participants looked forward to jumping into the leadership training in the second half of MOMENTUM 2016!