Dr. Thomas G. Walsh

Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s life work has been dedicated to building a world of lasting peace, a world in which all people live together in harmony as one, unified global family. It has been a labor of love. Together with his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, and their fourteen children and numerous grandchildren, True Father, as Rev. Moon is affectionately and respectfully known, has inspired and worked together with a remarkable number of people from every walk of life.

These witnesses to his work for peace include honored heads of state and noble spiritual leaders; teachers and academics; media professionals; business leaders and holders of public office. But he has equally inspired those who hold no high office or position, people whom society often ignores. Some of the people he met when he was in prison remember him to this day for his kindness, unselfishness, optimism and down-to-earth realism.

This book presents a glimpse of some of his many accomplishments through the eyes of 144 men and women, both ordinary and extraordinary. Most of the essays in this volume were written as tributes for his birthday, and there is also a selection of shorter public introductions made over the years to the life and work of Rev. Moon. In their different ways, the writers’ insights can help us to understand a little better the fruits of his love for God and love for humanity, and his devotion to the cause of peace and to ending human suffering.

I would like to thank every one of the contributors and editors for their efforts in helping this book take shape. I want to thank also His Excellency the President of India, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. At a meeting in 2006 with Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and her son, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, during the second of the UPF world peace tours, Dr. Kalam suggested putting together a volume of essays on the life and work of Father Moon to help others know him better.

In Korean tradition, the eighty-eighth birthday marks a high water mark in a man’s life, known as the mi-soo. According to Korean tradition, a child at birth is one year old; hence, Father Moon, who was born in 1920, turns eighty-eight in 2007. Thus, it is appropriate that we pause to pay our respects to the man known throughout the world as "king of peace." At the same time, we are confident that True Father, Dr. Sun Myung Moon, will continue adding to his lifetime of achievement for many years to come, and that this book is just a beginning.