Funding for the programs of the High School of the Pacific is through individuals and organizations that wish to invest in the future leadership of Oceania by enabling the support of quality education among the island nations. Your donation allows us to maintain the professional level of teaching and boarding the students, as well as providing special opportunities to travel and gain vital life skills for their futures, including the "Close Up" program in Washington, D.C. Donations also support the expansion of the various types of emerging communication technologies that must be mastered to insure full competency in the global marketplace. Click on the link below to make your donation.

PRESIDENT’S END OF YEAR ADDRESS TO STUDENT BODY - “Why peace is important”

The United Nations is over 60 years old. It was founded as a noble institution with the goal of bringing about world peace. But there is a broad consensus, both inside and outside the organization, that the U.N. has yet to fulfill its’ dream; in other words, it is not working because it still has not found the true path to peace.

In its’ current state, the representative of each country in the UN looks out for his/her own country. That country, then, insists upon an agenda which looks out for its own majority interests, not for what is in the best interests of all.

Given all the problems and dangers facing humankind today that are a direct result of international or governmental shortcomings and shortsightedness, the conspicuous moral imperative that this body of nations be made to work, is inescapable.

So what’s the problem? The problem is one of self-interest. What does this mean?

It means that each nation-state looks out for what is in its’ own selfish interest first. This comes from the fact that the vast majority of people are like this, i.e., that they think first and foremost about their own wants, their immediate needs as they perceive them to be, not about the needs of others.

And these wants of an individual are not always what is in that individual’s own best self-interest -- as exemplified by alcoholics, drug addicts, and so forth. No single person in any country has the exclusive right to the stupidity of selfishness.

Because the present fallen human being thinks inwardly first, we have the “me first” mentality from our long-ago common ancestors. And this evolves outward in concentric circles of influence to the family, to our society, nation and the world. That is, before every decision, every action, each person consciously or subconsciously thinks “my family before your family”, “my clan or community over yours, my society over yours, my island state over everyone else’s”; and ultimately, “my nation above all others”, regardless of the cost to other countries.

And no one trusts anyone else to be any different. No one nation or people has the collective will necessary to break this chain of self-centeredness, this insensitivity to other countries and peoples. Few consider the well being of others outside their own immediate cultural, racial, religious, or national boundaries. There is no unified body at the very top of human leadership with the resolve to replace the chain of intolerance with the power of heart, the potential for true and unconditional love that is implanted within each and every one of us.

So what’s the solution? The solution is one of unselfishness.

We are speaking of a fundamental change in the heartistic axis of societies everywhere, in every human being. A change that will manifest by a fresh new attitude that living a life sensitive to the well-being of others is also what is in the long term the best interest for me and for those whom I cherish.

To extrapolate and extend this thought, then I must change my whole way of thinking. I will not live my life for myself but for others, I will seek to have a truly public mind and use my God-given abilities, resources and talents for the highest possible purpose throughout my lifetime.

If you instead choose to live a selfish and carnally indulgent life using and abusing others, you will not find true happiness. You will more likely find loneliness, misery, and perhaps even an early and meaningless death. This is, to no small degree, what Jesus meant when he said, and I loosely paraphrase: “He who seeks to preserve his life shall lose it, but he who seeks to lose his life for my sake will find it”.

People need to think like this: If I can live my life and be unselfish for the sake of my family, and if my family can live and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of our community, and our community can serve the greater interests of society and of the nation, then, God willing, our country can serve others before acting and doing on the world stage only what is in its own self-serving interest. Such a county will naturally take the lead in world affairs over time as others look to it for clear guidance and example.

The same goes for you and your life, your family, and so on up to your country. And because you students represent Independent Island States within Oceania, then you represent a considerable potential in terms of a voting block in the UN. And the UN controls the rudder in determining a direction for Peace.

That is one reason we are called the High School of the Pacific. Pacific is a word that comes from “peace”. In a very real sense we are the High School of Peace. Now let me just connect the dots for a minute so we can all see the same picture.

If one day we have represented all twelve independent island nations … as originally envisioned by our founders, then some or most of our students will likely end up one day in leadership roles of one form or another. They can be community leaders, social leaders, religious leaders, business leaders, or even top political leaders.

If the school has done its job, and the students chosen were of good character to begin with, then hopefully no one will squander the investment made in their overall learning experiences here -- and they/you will want to give back to their nations and the world.

Having a network of alumni as allies, as friends throughout the Pacific, students can be empowered individuals. As a group arising out of HSP they can make a difference in which way the future of Oceania, and even the world, will go.

One day representative government figures from among your future ranks, noble men and women well-trained and of high moral fabric, will know automatically what to do when confronted with a challenge or crisis. This is because they will be able to see the bigger picture of what is in the best interests of all nations.

They can work to form a unified voting block in the United Nations which will be a swing vote to do the right things at the right times and for all the right reasons. Over time your home countries with relatively small island populations can, by way of representation in world affairs, shape the future course of human events, because every nation, however small, still has one full vote in the UN.

HSP students can one day influence the direction of humanity as a whole, for better or for worse. I tell you today, this is entirely in your power, and we adults can only hope you will do all that you can to make the world a better one than it was when you came into it.

No one can make you do this. Not me, not Rev Moon, not your parents or anyone else in the world. It is up to you to find your way in life and to discover the unique destiny that God has placed before each and every one of you.

And I say this even if one day some of you do not, for whatever reason, continue on in this school. No matter what the future may hold, please keep the essential purpose of our school logo in your heart and carry it with you throughout your lives.

I sincerely believe that today you are here in this school, sitting in this ceremony, on this island … for a reason and purpose that is not something contrived by any human force. Like this school, you have been touched by divine providence whether you realize or believe it or not. It will be up to each and every one of you to determine what it is that you will do with the learning and social experiences you have had or are having in the High School of the Pacific.

For now, as we officially complete school year 2006 to 2007, all of us on the staff most sincerely wish you the very best of what life can offer you. May God Almighty grant that you deeply ingrain the internal purposes of this school in spite of the limitations and challenges we faced this past year.

And may you seek God’s guidance directly in ascertaining what your mission in life will be. I hope to see most of you back again next year, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to convey how very proud I am of each and every one of you … just because you are here and because you represent the great nobility of your island peoples. You are the hope of your nations, and together, you are the hope of the world.

May God bless and protect each of you on your way of destiny, and may all of you one day be Ambassadors for Peace in the truest sense.

Thank you