With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility:
The Message of Master Ryuho Okawa to America
Master Ryuho Okawa, founder of Happy Science, gave a public lecture entitled “Freedom, Justice, and Happiness” in New York City at 2 pm on October 2, 2016.
Master has done over 2,500 lectures with over 100 of them in English. He has toured the five continents to give lectures, and has already lectured in Hawaii, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This New York lecture was his first U.S. visit in 8 years.
The audience listened attentively throughout the 1-hour lecture and Q&A session.
America No Longer Has a Philosophy
Master Okawa appeared raising his hands with a warm smile in response to great applause and a standing ovation.
He began the lecture with remarks on his impressions of New York compared to how it was back when he used to work there in the 1980’s.
“To tell the truth,” he said, “New York is a little different, I think. It’s very, in some meaning, silent; in some meaning no vitality; and in some meaning no philosophy. I found this.”
America Must Be the Protector of the World
The U.S. is now in the middle of the Presidential election campaign. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have just crossed swords in the first presidential debate on the 26th of September. There will be two more debates in October, and voting will be held on the 8th of November.
Reflecting upon the first debate, Master Okawa commented:
“I feel that I must insist a new style or vision for the United States. You must not be, you must not love, the “Divided States of America.” You must be the “United States of America.” “Divided States” is not good for the people of the world. Be concerned about this truth.
So, this country should not be the “Divided” United States: the States must be united. The Red States and Blue States should both aim, in the end, toward the same goal. America must be the protector of the world, I think. This is your mission. But from their words, I found a kind of isolationism.”
Master Okawa said that the U.S. changed fundamentally after 9/11 and the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. That is, people began to wonder whether attacking Iraq was the right decision, and whether the people working at Wall Street are good people. Master Okawa revealed that the people have been losing confidence in finding the path to prosperity.
“Sometimes people make mistakes. Everyone has chances to make mistakes but everyone also has chances to rebuild himself or herself, to rebuild their company, to rebuild their country, to rebuild the world. So don’t look back on the past too much. Please change your mind for the brighter future.”
The Viewpoint America Ought to Adopt
Towards the end of the lecture, Master Okawa raised pragmatism as an effective philosophy to counter China’s imperial ambitions. He criticized the fact that great countries, including the U.S., only have a petty philosophy concerned solely with making profit.
“In terms of earthly meaning, you must decide your freedom, your justice, and your happiness. Don’t think about your country only. You are the leader of the world. Don’t disregard this point. I want to say, Ms. Hillary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump, they are good people . . . but they need this viewpoint. They need God’s view because they will become the leader of the new America.”
“I spiritually researched his past life (Donald Trump), and he declared that he was the first president of the United States, George Washington. He said so. It means he will rebuild this America again. I want to believe in his words: he will remake and rebuild this country. You may feel like he is rude, or he speaks too much ill of others. But it’s not his real figure. He’s an honest man. He’s a reliable man.”
Since Obama became President in 2009, the U.S. has gradually withdrawn from its role as World Police. As a consequence, order in the international community is crumbling: the Middle East is now in greater chaos, and North Korean and Chinese military expansion has become unstoppable. President Obama’s great emphasis on human rights has turned the Philippines away from the United States. The debacle of the Trans-Pacific Partnership can be equated to the failure to participate in The League of Nations, despite President Woodrow Wilson having been its primary advocate.
What the world needs is a great America; the America that returns to its role as the leader of the world. It has to remember that with great power comes great responsibility. If the U.S. continues to pursue isolationist policies with weak liberalism, then there will be no strong referee in the world, and we can end up losing law and order as we continue to face a more chaotic world where hegemonic nations such as China, Russia and America will compete each other. Whether America can overcome the aftermath of 9/11 and the Lehman Shock, and whether it can unite once more to influence the world in the name of the American Dream, is all up to the results of the presidential elections held in 5 weeks time.
And it is needless to say that we, Japan, need to take on more responsibility to support the United States.
In the New York Lecture and Q&A session, master also spoke on the following points:
- Trump’s values, and Hillary’s values
- The two future scenarios depending on which becomes President is elected
- The troubling tendencies prevalent in Americans today
- Advice for Christianity
- U.S. dealings with North Korea if Bush Jr. had become President
- The ideal U.S.-Japan relationship
- How someone with terminal illness can maintain inner peace
- A message to those who have no interest in religion
The following represents some of the feedback from the audience:
“Very enlightened and filled with light. Master mentioned that with great powers come great responsibility. A strong message to me.”
“It was very powerful and inspiring. The teachings on the fact that America needs to re-establish its place in the world as the leader and enforcer of Earth left a deep impression. I will continue to improve myself and my relationships to influence others to accept Happy Science.”
