Whole purpose
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In the theology of the Unification Church, whole purpose and self purpose are two key concepts in human ethics. In this system of thought, God wants human beings to pursue the self purpose while placing priority on the whole purpose.
For example, in a family, one person could work to earn money for the entire family's expenses. Usually, he or she keeps only the lesser part of the earned money (self purpose), the rest goes to support the relatives (whole purpose). In another example, one can prepare a meal for the whole family to eat, enjoying eating some of the food (self purpose) and being happy to provide food for the others as well.
The whole purpose consists of the purpose for others and the purpose for the self. Thus, the whole purpose is said to include the self purpose.
Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak wrote:
- We should always understand ourselves as having both purposes. For example, as an individual, we each want to have security, happiness and prosperity. However, no one of us exists in isolation. The fulfillment of an individual is directly linked to our relationships with others. For example, individual happiness is directly related to happiness within marriage and the family. If I live only for the sake of my own well-being, I will not be able to be successful or fulfilled in my family life. That is, if I am selfish, living only for the “individual purpose” and failing to live for the larger purpose, the family will break down and even the individual will fail in terms of achieving individual happiness. True love cannot be established on a foundation of selfishness.
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