In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of CARP, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, CARP hosted a writing contest for students to submit what inspires them about Father Moon’s legacy. Here is the first place entry:

Reverend Moon was the one who believed in world peace the most—and lived every moment of his life according to that belief. I had never known anyone to be so willingly misunderstood for the sake of pursuing something so great. Those misunderstandings led to an onslaught of suffering and pain that isn’t even fathomable. However, despite all of that, he never gave up hope.

Rev. Moon lived every moment of his life in pursuit of a better world. I thank him every day for that.