Great Construction

The Human Being

     Who put human beings in this world, and for what reason, for what necessity? For any person who is thinking even a little, this question is what must first come to mind. No matter how much logic and reason may be exercised, no matter how excited or angry one may become, one will only get the seeds for a headache with nothing for one’s labor unless this issue is understood. Until the present, however, every Tom, Dick, Harry, whether in the name of culture, whether touting material science, or whether on the authority of whatever field of learning, has come up with a theory that has been worshiped like a god. Nevertheless, whatever god may have come along, it has not been able to teach in the least about these questions relating to human beings.
     One guy named Darwin appeared and wrote a book about what he calls his theory of evolution. It says that the ancestors of human beings are something like a germ termed amoeba. Amoebas gradually evolved into lizards, became even bigger lizards, then monkeys, apes, and finally human beings. The whole process is one big fantastic magic trick. If this theory were to be true, it means that at any moment creatures such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans will evolve into human beings, so the human beings who have just so evolved should be swarming around the wilds of Africa someplace, but we hear no news of this. In which case this theory of evolution is nothing but a fake.
     Here I will introduce one aspect of the theory of human beings that we propound. First of all, I use the closest example, myself as a human being. For what reason, for what purpose was I born as a human being on this earth? I was not born because I wanted to be born, because I wanted to come here, merely that my parents gave birth to me. And, as for my parents, they may not necessarily have aimed to create me. I was formed naturally and after the appropriate amount of time, born. As such an obvious fact is truth, truth is indeed ordinary and simple, almost to the point of being too commonplace. I am impressed by the fact that since ancient days such has been called destiny. But human beings, as they develop and gradually understand the world around them, what they come to want to know the most is why human beings are born. Apart from the evolution theory, however, religion has attempted to clarify the issue, but explanations are sparse and difficult if not impossible to grasp. So, here the author will explain in terms as plain as possible that which all seem to want to know.
     Let’s say we have a male and female. In some way, they come together, and a male seed, like the invisible amoeba, fertilizes the female. The seed gradually becomes larger, and crying, leaves the human body to live on its own. It gradually grows to become an adult. Human beings have been created so that they cannot eat unless they work, and so they work diligently. But, there are some dishonest guys and then there are some lazy rascals. There are those who cry and there are those who laugh. There are the conceited and then there are the argumentative. There are those who make their way in the world. There are those who fail at their endeavors. Many kinds of human beings come to be created, so what is known as the human being is indeed an exasperating creature. And, as I just said, human beings have been created so that they have to eat to live for which foodstuffs have been provided. What kind of person does not understand this? Delicious edibles that human beings want to eat have been provided from the mountains, from the seas, and from the plains. Whether the sun, the atmosphere, or water, all are needed by human beings. There is nothing that is not necessary. What may be thought to be a waste is only considered so because how it is to be utilized is not understood. Human wisdom has not developed to the extent that its function is comprehended, so human beings have no cause to be arrogant and haughty. What becomes unnecessary for human beings undergoes natural selection, decreases, and disappears. And, in its place, new things come about, are born. In the days of old, the serviceable form of transport called the rickshaw existed, but then there appeared the automobile, an even more convenient vehicle. The rickshaw was weeded out. Paper lanterns became electric lights and houses fabricated from wood and paper came to be constructed of iron and concrete, all examples of what the scholars call renewal or metabolism.
     In such a way, even though many things may be said about the process, the planet has gradually progressed. Movement to the most impassable mountain areas or the most inaccessible sea cliffs has become possible. In olden times, what took a month of trudging can now be reached within an hour while sleeping. In this sense, it is impossible to imagine how far the world can continue to progress. When expressed in this way, one can only think that somewhere, invisible to the human eye, some great person has created human beings, and manipulates them freely in order to gradually make this planet into a magnificent place. No matter how the subject is considered, there really cannot be any other explanation. In which case, human beings cannot be overbearing or make any complaints. What they must do is be grateful, full of awe, and bow their heads in respect to that great person. Furthermore, since that great person directs the lives of even human beings, they will be safe as long as they please this great person. If their attitude and efforts do not please, who knows when life may be taken. Thus, the secret to a long life is to strive to the utmost to be favored by that great person.
     Human beings are the most difficult of creatures who will not do anything unless they understand everything. They developed various fields of learning and expanded their knowledge. The circumstances for the development of learning goes back a long way. In the distant past, something invisible like the air called “faith” came about from which it was taught that there is an invisible something called God about which various matters were taught. First of all, there is said to be a peculiar existence titled The Creator who fashioned all that we see. It appears that the human beings of those times were very simple, were very grateful for this kind of guidance, and spilled tears in adoration and idolization. But as human beings became more clever, they began to use a logic based on the idea that they did not believe what they could not see such as the air which appeared to be merely haze. They fabricated a complicated something called science. This science was something human beings could see and they triumphantly held their heads high. Whether they said aloud how great it was, I do not know, but finally human beings became the captives of science. This thing called science is a rather considerate guy and is able to produce various useful and convenient things. Now it is all right for human beings to get excited and extol the virtues of science, but they impudently flattered themselves that they had come to know everything, even that outside their purview, and started to make detailed excuses about what they thought they knew. Astronomy is like this and sickness is like that. As they learned about the surface phenomena of nature, they became conceited to the point that they thought they had learned everything, and started talking about going to the moon. It is said that preparations are currently being made for this purpose, but we, or I should say, there are those who are so dumbfounded and disgusted by the whole thing that words for description cannot be found.
     Thus has science come to be worshiped over God, and in spite of the fact that the world should have become a truly wonderful place, surprisingly everyone on earth has come to tremble nervously, pale in fear. This great somebody sees this situation and says, “Do you see that?” and just cannot help but snort. Such is because human beings are this great somebody’s children, and thinking them to be in an unfortunate situation, sent them an uncle figure, a deputy, with the peculiar title of Messiah in the form of a human being who is now active. Isn’t that something to be grateful for?
     This uncle called Messiah is trying to inform and awaken as many as possible, but the reality is that until now science has been extolled as a god, and what Messiah says is held to be erroneous. Warnings and alarms against Messiah are repeatedly given, and most of all, this Messiah is taken to be an outrageous false god. If you are taken in by such a thing, it will be terrible. Still, even as such warnings are stridently made, inwardly people are actually trembling. Trembling because the god called science has created various things that are convenient for human beings but has not created the most essential aspect of security. Human beings say this is not the way it was supposed to be, and in some circles doubts have arisen but in any case human beings cannot now turn on the science they adore, something that is akin to being their lover. The situation nowadays is that human beings cling to science and cannot shake it off. These days, the believers of material science prattle on about this to the point that is quite offensive. They are quite an annoying group. They intimidate us, come after us, and even in the spiritual world, gangs are mobilized to overcome what they call the false god. As all know, this action has taken the form of persecution, censure, and the legal problems concerning tax issues of World Messianity. But to give it a bit of thought, these guys are probably discouraged from struggling in vain.
     Of these the most pitiable are the group of lambs known as human beings. They are pitiable because the quite useful and beneficial tool known as science that was bestowed by God which was supposed to make human beings happy, was taken by some questionable nay even evil characters to be used freely by themselves for their own greed and thus became a tool for victimizing the lambs, making life unbearable. When good people, though, used science in a good way to make the world a happy place, evil ones interfered in every possible way, so the world was continually in torment. During these times, pitiable lambs, caught in the web of evil and continually bleating are truly poor creatures. On top of which, the tool called science came to have many erroneous elements, turning crusty with mold, so God is flexing his muscles, taking science back from the evil ones, letting good people use it, revising the erroneous parts, and cleansing the dirty aspects to make them clean. In this world of ours, God is constructing a heavenly pure land.
     In any case, God in Heaven is directing the uncle Messiah who is putting on his helmet, girding his loins, taking deep breathes for numerous activities hence, and indeed the situation has become interesting. Those narrow-minded guys, even though they were born as human beings, will not be able but help but assist when they hear of this great unprecedented project of constructing the wonderful paradise on earth. When they hear that they have been left behind, they cannot but bitterly repent their eternal disgrace. I hereby recommend: “Well, well, well! Step up! Those who unequivocally participate and work are true human beings!” 

 A Guide to World Messianity, page 18, November 20, 1950
translated by cynndd

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“Ningen” was written as the second chapter of the book Sekai Meshiya Kyō Hayawakari (A Guide to World Messianity) published on November 20, 1950. “Ningen” subsequently appeared in two of the four anthologies that were published immediately before and after Meishu-sama’s death. First, it appeared in the essays anthology for ministers Goshinsho: Shūkyō-hen (Divine Writings: Volume on Religion), page 466, March 25, 1954, and then, soon after Meishu-sama died, in the essays anthology for ministers Sekai Meshiya Kyō Seiten: Geijutsu-hen, Shakai-hen (Sacred Writings of Church of World Messianity: Volume on Art, Society), page 116, September 1, 1955. “Ningen” has appeared in translation. Citation is given below for reference.

“Man,” A Guide to World Messianity, 1955, page 20.