Filial Piety Through Art and Writing
FFWPU-USA
“I want to inherit my parents heart for loving other nations,” wrote Unificationist Yosei Arakawa, whose Japanese parents were missionaries in Argentina before coming to America. “I believe that heart comes from True Parents’ love for the world.”
True Parents is an affectionate term for the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founders of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU). At just 13 years old, Arakawa says his parents instilled in him a strong sense of faith and gratitude early on. He was among six recipients honored June 26 during the 3rd Filial Piety Festival and Awards at Clifton Family Church in New Jersey for his short essay, “Thank You, Mom and Dad!”
“Gratitude comes from the heart and we are grateful for our parents,” wrote Arakawa in his essay. “Their words are important and I want to keep learning more from them.” Arakawa described a fun, close-knit family upbringing of movie nights and playing sports while his parents steadily “guided us to the right path.”
The filial piety awards program, hosted by the FFWPU-USA Chinese Ethnic Community and the Chinese People’s Federation for World Peace (CPFWP) USA, recognizes Unificationists who honor their parents and showcase this through writing and art. Jonathan Duong and Sayaka Imamura were awarded for their respective essays, while Ethan Mshana was recognized for his painting of a human eye reflecting the image of his loving family. Nelson Ngoma was awarded for a beautiful video compilation, and Louie M. Valdivia was awarded for his impeccable Chinese calligraphy.
“I am so honored and happy to receive recognition for my calligraphy on filial piety,” said Valdivia. “My mother would have been very happy. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1984 and I never got the chance to repay her kindness,” he said, “but I know harmony and peace begins in the home and spreads outward to the world.”
Rev. and Dr. Moon long taught that true love and peace begins within families, which are the bedrock of society. Rev. Moon explained that a filial heart unites us with God, our Heavenly Parent, and sets a healthy and stable foundation for generations to come. “A child who walks the path of filial piety does not act apart from his parents,” said Rev. Moon.
The awards program, which streamed live to international participants online, featured beautiful cultural performances from various countries, including Malaysia and Taiwan. Keynote speakers Dr. Robert Beebe, principal of New Hope School, and Rev. Dr. Peter Chao, chair of CPFWP-USA, shared the importance and meaning of true filial piety. Dr. Chung Sik Yong, regional president of FFWPU North America, congratulated all the award recipients for their artwork and essays highlighting the precious value of family.
“The winners of the filial piety contest felt so excited to receive this honor,” said Amy Yang, CPFWP-USA president and national coordinator of the FFWPU-USA Chinese Ethnic Community. “Two-thirds of the winners are young people, which is wonderful,” she said. “The culture and spirit [of love for one’s parents] should start from a young age and become the light of this world.”
You can watch part one of the 3rd Filial Piety Awards here, and part two here.
