Monday, April 30, 2018

Living Alone and Community

More people are living alone for various reasons: divorce, death, freedom, family problems and many others. One out of four households is a person living alone. Can we consider this situation abnormal? Do we not need pastoral concern for this new reality? An article in the Catholic Times visits this issue and gives the readers an idea of where we are now in society where the numbers living alone continue to grow.

Miss Kim is a computer programmer with 15 years of experience. She is able with difficulty to live alone with her income. More than half of her ten college classmates are still not married. She left home 7 years ago because  her mother wanted her to marry and she had no desire to raise a family in the hell like situation of education in Korea. She borrowed some money and bought a small apartment.

Mr. Lee is 26 without a full time job;  with  odd jobs is trying  to make money to go to graduate school. He finds it difficult to pay rent and live on the odd jobs he finds. He still needs help from his parents. Thinking of marriage is not possible.

Mr. Park divorced five years ago. He is 55 and failed in his business, in debt, fortunately his children are married and not a concern. He eats at a convenience store so no fear of malnutrition and works in a nearby sauna. He says he is comfortable living along.

Voluntary or involuntary many are in a situation where they live alone in office buildings, one-room and two room apartments.  Korean society has gone from the extended family to the nuclear and now the beginnings of the living alone households. Eating alone, drinking alone, "you only live once", and TV programs  which portray the lives of those living alone reflect the favorable view of this life style with many.

The increase in single person household is a world wide trend due to the change in the status of women in society, the welfare system, the new information technology and our aging society. Many older people who have lost their mate prefer to live alone than with their children who in most cases take care of the parent.

The traditional family of father, mother and children remains the main concern of the church. However, considering the single person household as abnormal  is not the response of the church. The need remains to show the value of marriage and need for the sanctification of the family,  and at the same time to be concerned with those who for one or other reason choose to live alone. This is a new pastoral challenge.

The fact is that those voluntarily living alone for the most part still pursue community values. They do not want to live in isolation. Many are involved in regular meetings with friends, club activities and on line networks  and those with problems want to get out of that situation. Even if more people are living alone, community is still an important element of life. The need is present to implement the possibilities of community life which acknowledges the single living style.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Prayer for Peace on the Peninsula


A Korean proverb well known in society has a lot to say to us. "If a cousin buys land our tummies hurt" (Envy). It's normal to celebrate when a person close to us does something good or is blessed but as we know that is not always the case. Why is this true? Our dispositions are often fickle due to original sin and not easily overcome. Is it because we are afraid that the cousin will eventually take away our land?
 

In the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the columnist describes the situation in Korea with the North-South relationship. After the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the situation changed rapidly. The historic inter-Korean summit is now in sight (The leaders of South and North Korea sat down at the table for the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years yesterday at 10:16 am on April 27, 2018. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sat across from each other and chatted preparing for the summit).
 

The flowers of hope are beginning to bloom. A week before the inter-Korean summit, North Korea unanimously adopted a ban on nuclear and missile tests. In response, our army stopped broadcasting with their speakers to the North. Discussions on Northeast  Asian cooperation and the Korean Peninsula New Economy Initiatives are also emerging.
 

If the inter-Korean summit is to achieve the desired results it will lead to a successful North Korean and US summit and we hope that the Korean peninsula will come to an historical turning point where we will see reconciliation, exchange, and cooperation.
 

Of course, we don't want to rush into optimistic thinking. We are apprehensive about the North's attitude and we need to be on our guard and not reduce our vigilance and pay close attention to the texts. However, as a lawyer said 20 years ago avoiding and opposing the North-South unification is harming both the North and South. When no harm is done to the South and we say it is only helping the North, is that not the situation of a cousin buying land and we having a bellyache?
 

We need to accept the wind of change on the Korean Peninsula and not give in to the idea that it will hurt us. We need peaceful coexistence not war. It is reconciliation, not confrontation, interchange and cooperation, not disconnection. The North-South summit should be the stepping stone for the North Korea-US summit.

He finishes the column with a hope that we will continue praying for peace and reconciliation on the peninsula until the day when true peace and reconciliation is realized in this land.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Sex Education and Media Literacy

Need for media literacy is heard since the media often gives us what they want us to believe and do. We need the tools to  think critically on what is presented, understand how the messages shape our culture and society, recognize the bias, spin, lies, omissions and evaluate the messages according to our beliefs and values and what we know to be true.

An article in the Catholic Peace Weekly on sex education and the way the media presents sex requires Christians to discern and make proper judgements on what they see and hear. Discernment is a big order and necessary for a life well lived. Philippians 4:6  gives us a good starting point: "fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honor,and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of  praise."

The article introduces us to a young woman, a nurse and health educator. Her words give the readers her impressions after a training course she took on media literacy.

I am a nurse and a health teacher. I am teaching sex education programs and find it difficult. In nursing college I learned all about anatomy, genitals and the sexually generated diseases but little about the understanding of sexuality in society and culture, making me unprepared to teach a course in sexuality. I did take a course in media literacy and sex education which opened my eyes and gave me a lot of confidence in what I was meant to teach.

I never realized how blind I was before taking the  course. When I was a teenager and listening to pop music and musical videos I never realized what was happening to me. Why was I so ignorant?  I  was  brainwashed to see sex as a game and once this began to sink in I could see it clearly in the media. I was brought up and fed this understanding of sex. I learned in middle school what it meant to be sexy watching dancing in musical videos mimicking the sexual act, although as a middle school student  it was only vague.

Students that I am now teaching are exposed to what I grew up with. There is a need for me to examine myself and the society in which these young people have to live. I need a correct understanding of sex, the words, thoughts and  actions to match what I am trying to convey.

 During my college years I was free in the way I lived my sex life with my boy friends. I enjoyed it—life and responsibility never entered in. I took contraceptive medicine; I will not be pregnant. Most of my girl friends had no problem with this way of life.They weren't frivolous but living a proper social life: this is what is to be done, there was no big worries on the way we were living. During the training program at the beginning I took issue with much that was said, sex is a personal matter, a person's taste, nothing was wrong with the way I lived was my strong feeling.

However, half way thru the course my thinking changed. Each one of the boy friends left with mutual scars from our encounter. I began to see society as going in the wrong direction. I began to feel guilty and saw a need to recover a sense of responsibility. I began to see the need for a 'butterfly effect' in the way I was to teach.

Before the training I considered the royal road to sex education was contraception. We don't talk about contraception, the reason why we have children in their teens pregnant and abortion—contraception is a simple solution. 

We have forgotten the place of love, creation of life, responsibility in sexuality. When I reflect on the past, I am embarrassed at my ignorance. As an educator with a new moral sense I am ready to explain the meaning of sex to the young people who have been exposed to a wrongheaded cultural understanding of sex and this came from a course in media literacy.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Learning from Addiction


Embarrassingly, a professor of moral theology mentions how he was addicted to gaming when in Germany for studies after a period as an assistant priest in Korea. He writes about it in Bible & Life. He had finished the busy life in parish work and with the change he found great pleasure in gaming. After Mass in the morning he would be gaming, excepting meals, until evening.

Addiction is a kind of neurosis on which we depend. Up until the second part of the 20th century addiction was expressed mostly by a dependence on alcohol and drugs while now it is gambling, sex, eating, and the like which are included. Authorities now see it as addiction to substances and activities. The common element of the two—with desire and obsession one loses freedom and even with the knowledge of the evil effects one continues in their use and action.

In Korean society mentioned is often made of addiction to alcohol, gambling, drugs, and gaming. Proposals were made in efforts to curb the harm of these addictions but when it came to gaming, many scholars opposed the consideration of gaming as a disorder. This year the world health organization WHO was planning to include gaming as a problem but scholars say there is not enough proof of being a disorder. He mentions in Korea we have seen the results of gaming on families and individuals to know that it can have deleterious effects on the citizens. Of course the gaming itself is not a vice but can be.

Monkeys, in an experiment on addiction, shown two colors one was rewarded with the same amount of juice and the second color would at times give little juice and at times a great deal of juice. This was repeated three times with the same results. The color that gave the great amount of juice with the danger of getting little juice was chosen overwhelmingly over the one that gave the same amount each time. The ecstasy that came with great amount of juice would erase all the losses. The scientist see this as the reason for addiction to gambling and the other addictions. Even if the head says one thing the chance for the ecstasy takes away freedom.

With few exception we desire freedom. We need to examine this issue with great seriousness. When do we really experience freedom? Is it at the market where we can select what we want?  Or is it rather when we buy only what we need and use the money saved to help others.

Expressing it differently it's not when we can do what we want, when we want but when our wills are able to select the greatest good that we are really free. This is the way we should live and addiction takes away this freedom.

The writer reminds us of the incident on Mount Tabor where Peter in ecstasy wanted to build three tents and Jesus takes him by the hand to descend the mountain and return to  the others who were waiting at the bottom.

He concludes the article, reminiscing on his experience with addiction. Although embarrassing he learned a great deal; it helped him to enter his studies with enthusiasm, complete them successfully, and now sees the experience positively.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Bad Money Drives Out Good Money

Bad money drives out good money is called the Gresham's law. Gresham T. (1519~1569) was not the first to acknowledge this truth: if a shilling is made of pure silver and other coins are made from silver and cooper the pure silver will disappear and the cooper-silver will remain.

This is generally applied to the economic sector but a columnist in the Catholic Peace Weekly reminds us that this is true also in everyday life. Examples: bad rumors spread much faster than the good ones, wrong words, bad deeds, gossip, slander are more prevalent. A good story impresses but the influence and impact of a bad story is greater.

A common example is fake news and malicious comments that are plentiful on the Internet. The influence of fake news spreading in real time goes way beyond what we can imagine. Recently the '#Me Too' movement spread widely in society— victims who confessed suffered harm from their words. According to a survey 72 percent who spoke out about abuse had to quit their jobs due to bullying.

Fake news is not something that happened yesterday but is a fact of life. Jesus, though the times and situations are different also suffered fake news that caused his death. Jesus testified to the truth, proclaimed justice, taught mercy and love and showed this in his life but the fake news caused his death.

Evil comments and replies will not disappear but we know the evil that has resulted from the bullying and lack of wisdom in the use of comments in SNS. A movement to bring positive comments to cyberspace has been in existence for 12 years, they have an aim of 10 million positive comments and a million students involved.

When we have some extraordinary event in society the number of evil comments far exceed the good comments and are faster to appear.

In the 'Church and Internet' a document that came out in 2002 the Church presents some virtues to practice: Prudence is necessary in order clearly to see the implications—the potential for good and evil—in this new medium and to respond to its challenges and opportunities. Justice is needed, especially justice in working to close the digital divide—the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor in today's world. This requires a commitment to the international common good. Fortitude is necessary standing up for truth in the face of religious and moral relativism, for altruism and generosity in the face of individualist consumerism and decency in the face of sensuality. Temperance is needed and self discipline to use this remarkable technology and use it only for good.
  
To overcome the evil effects of fake news and disparaging comments we need the above virtues in our lives. We need to participate in movements to renew the media that has become infested with so much negativity—not necessary, and hurtful to many.

Friday, April 20, 2018

Dealing with Betrayal

Betrayal is part of life. Difficult to accept when experienced. Portrayed in literature in all the many cultures of the world and frequently in the Christian  Scriptures. Jesus is the telling example in the New Testament and it wasn't only Judas. This was despite his words of warning  and after each one, in turn, asked: "Surely it's not I?"
 

The Korean 'Me Too' movement has to do with a betrayal of friendship in most cases. The president of the bishops' conference apologized for this betrayal even among priests. A priest in a diocesan bulletin deals with the issue. He doesn't know how this movement will change society.
 

Of course many are not happy about the 'Me Too' movement and many support the movement with their: 'With you' response. What was buried in society has finally come out in the open? Gender inequality no longer is a hidden agenda. The movement was waiting to explode within society. Feelings against the power of money in society have always been there: resentment of the weak towards  power was bound to explode. The uncomfortableness between man the powerful one and woman the weak one comes to a head. We are in the midst of change.
 

The Church is in society and the priest is a part of society. When the clergy and religious are guilty of such behavior the outrage is great. Society is shocked. We should be thankful, says the writer that this is still the case. The public still has greater expectations from the clergy and religious.

The apostles we know lived very close to Jesus for three years. They ate with him, laughed, cried, and underwent many hardships with him but they couldn't give up their desire for power. How much more difficult in the society in which we live to feel the presence of Jesus in our lives. Judas was not able to overcome the feeling of guilt he experienced from the betrayal and killed himself.
 

Peter who denied Jesus three times a betrayal for which he repented with great sorrow and gave his life for his Lord, became a great disciple. This is an example for all of us. We are prone to make mistakes (which we hope will not happen) but when they do we don't give up.
 

We don't deny or make excuses for what was done but after great reflection, ask forgiveness from God and the person hurt. Make the necessary compensation to the victim and satisfaction for what was done and go along with our lives.
 

We can lose the cow from the barn.This can happen to anyone and for a religious person, it should be a step to a more mature life but also the need to fix the barn.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Fine Dust Problems in Korea

Korea faces a chronic dirty air problem which makes it one of the most polluted countries in the world. This is not a recent phenomenon and one that continues to grow. China was blamed for a great deal of the problem with the yellow dust from the Gobi desert but in recent years the domestic factors are an equal problem. Korea, China and Japan do meet to discus ways of decreasing the pollution in their countries.

The dust storms that have been a part of the history of the area have been recorded from time immemorial, however, with the industrialization we have an influx of pollutants mixed in with the dust more harmful than in the past. This is true mostly during the spring time of the year. Wearing of masks is now a common sight on the streets of Korea.

President Moon has made clean air one of his important targets. Local sources of pollution include vehicle emissions, industrial sites and power plants, areas where something can be done while foreign sources are beyond Korean control. The government is working to shut down the polluting coal plants and fine dust alerts are sent out to the residents on the dangerous days.

Seoul pushes 'odd-even' number plate anti-pollution car rationing.The Metropolitan Government wants to make an odd-even vehicle number plate use ban mandatory to counter worsening air pollution. Under the ban, vehicles with odd-number plates must not be driven on even-numbered dates and vice-versa. All kinds of ideas have been proffered and the public is concerned in trying to lower the pollution.

The Catholic Peace Weekly in two interviews on the fine dust issue makes clear we  dealing with a disaster and wants the government to help the citizens to breathe freely. At present only the government workers are asked to follow the odd-even number plates ban. This has little to show for results and the free rides on public transportation on the high pollution days is of little help. They do know that back in 2002 when it was mandatory they did see a decrease in pollution.

In one of the largest areas of Seoul about 900 are working in common to decrease the pollution. They promised in 10 different ways to decrease the pollution: use of public transportation, decrease the dust at the construction and industrial sites, plant trees in vacant lots and around homes etc.; they agreed to come together to discuss the results of their efforts.

They take responsibility to water down and clean the roads near the 30 or so construction sites within their district. Their target is to decrease the fine dust to zero. They are working to do the impossible. In the whole district there are over 100 large construction sites. Last year they inspected 370 sites and they exposed 22 sites which were in violation of regulations. Four of them were in great violation and  were charged with a crime. This year they will concentrate on the gases emitted from cars and have a center, free to help discover polluting cars.

The interviewer agrees that it is healthy and a good sign to see the citizens involved in the efforts to clean the city but if force is felt, there is a danger of revolt which will be counter productive and has to be watched.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Trials And Spiritual Growth

Trauma is a word we hear often. Traumatized, traumatization, traumatic all forms of a word that originally intended to mean a wound on the outside of the body, an external injury but now often used to indicate a psychological shock, wound of the heart and soul caused by some horrible experience.
 

A diocesan bulletin reminds the readers of the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds that we are exposed to in our lives. In Korea where we have serious accidents happening and leaving many people with scars that take time to heal. Trauma is a word we use frequently.  Incidents that cause trauma are diverse: natural disasters (floods, and earthquakes),  war, fire, physical assault, torture, sexual assault,  automobile accidents etc. Trauma often causes mental symptoms: anxiety, phobias, depression, alcohol and drug dependence, but fortunately, most of it disappears over time.
 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that may follow some horrible event, experiencing,  or witnessing it.  It is a long-lasting post-traumatic stress disorder and may need professional help. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association recommends those who have been traumatized communicate with others, talk about their emotions, rest, do not rely on alcohol, harmful medicines and take care of their bodies and minds.
 

Pain is normal and to use all the natural means available to find peace is the search for healing. This has always been a part of our society. However, it is true that many who go through horrible experiences are able to go on with their lives without serious problems: shown to be true for certain nations who have experienced war but without the PTSD.

In the Bible, we have examples of those who have been traumatized: Saul traumatized others but was himself traumatized by the many atrocities he experienced and caused. We are often told the spirit of God left him. David the warrior king also experienced many horrible things and was not left untouched. St. Ignatius of Loyola may very well have experienced PTSD from his experience of war. We are all possible victims of PTSD.
 

Spirituality is the way of seeing life that acknowledges God presence here and now. His love accepted and responded to makes all the difference. God always makes the first steps towards us and not us to God. This is a truth often forgotten or not understood. Some believe we are not necessarily programmed to be unwilling victims. In the past, we often heard what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Certainly true if one believes in God and has a mature spirituality. Growth can be a result of the stress if we believe in its possibility.

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Changes in the Constitution of Korea

In the Eye of the Believer's column of the Catholic Times, a lawyer asks the readers since I bought some land on which a magnolia tree grows, does the tree belong to me?  

He begins the article reminiscing about his childhood of 50 years ago. Everyone who lived in a two-story house was rich. He had kimchi, small fish and tempura side dishes, but the friend from the two-story house had a sausage in his lunch box. Even though we were not rich all the houses had a little flower garden that bloomed with their seasonal flowers.
 

At in the evening we would go to the alley and play hide and seek, tag, and sing. Compared to the average income of those days we have increased it hundreds of times. The alley playground, the flower gardens, and the singing have all disappeared. Instead of the flower garden, we wanted to extend the house, and instead of singing myself I go to watch the singing and dancing of others.This is all because of money. Capitalism has eaten away at the flower beds, the songs, and the games.
 

A discussion is in full swing to revise the constitution. What has that to do with me? Many have these thoughts running through their heads. In Korean, we hear often a person is such that he can live without laws. Yes, there are many such people. Law does not only deal, however, with criminal offenses but also helps us to live a fuller life. Law determines a great deal of the way we live.
 

When you make a law to redevelop the neighborhood the benefits should go to all the inhabitants who pay the taxes. Whether the minimum wage is 5,000 won or 10,000 won the concern of the workers and the employers are different. Whether large co-operations will be able to make a fish cake or tofu and sell them and regulations of store hours for department stores, means a great deal to the merchants within that community.

The constitution is the basis for the laws of the country that coordinates the many interests of the people. The Constitution is our life and needed to protect all the citizens. One of the disputed points is the possession of land: those who hold for the absolute ownership of land. In Korea up until the Chosen dynasty land was own by the country. This is the way it is in China we build on the land and have the right to its use, to live and build on it.

The Second Vatican Council section 69  of the Pastoral Constitution answers: "God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being and people. Thus, as all men follow justice and unite in charity, created goods should abound for them on a reasonable basis." Also, we have in the same paragraph: "In using them, therefore, a man should regard his lawful possessions not merely as his own but also as common property in the sense that they should accrue to the benefit of not only himself but of others."
 

This kind of talk is often hard to accept and this is also true of Christians. This land and its magnificence, registered in my name, is mine within the limits of the common good. We should be happy to see a change that will benefit everyone.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Cure for Pride

A proud person doesn't know he is proud and in most cases doesn't care, consequently, no reason to seek a cure. A seminary professor in the Kyeongyang magazine says in his article, this person is difficult to help. One needs to have an understanding of what pride is for results.
 

A close connection exists between the degree of understanding we have of the influence of pride on behavior and the efforts to overcome the problem.  Knowing how pride shows itself and its cost are beneficial in overcoming the habit. When we determine that the cost of pride is greater than the benefits the motivation to overcome the habit is present.
 

The external effects of pride:neglect,vanity, boasting, lying and the like are the negatives; seeking support and recognition, overcoming a sense of inferiority and gaining confidence are all goods that may be achieved by other means.
 

A feeling of inferiority is not always a bad thing. Alfred Alder the Austrian psychiatrist stressed that the reason for the many success stories in life comes from a feeling of inferiority, it's a great motivator. Pride comes from little understanding of the self; many misunderstand the ideal self for the real self.
 

Psychology does present us with ways to understand the self. First, in counseling or psychological testing. Secondly, new activities, interests, and initiating new encounters with others. Thomas Aquinas is quoted as saying beware of the person with one book. He thinks he knows it all and is more dangerous than those who don't read. It is good to read within your area of interest but also to approach other special areas to realize that our interests are narrow. Thirdly,  we need the time for introspection. What have today's incidents, encounters and available time  taught us? What knowledge have we added to what we know?
 

Confession is an opportunity to see ourselves as we are objectively.We gaze upon ourselves in the presence of God but also at the same time with the mercy and love of God.
 

J. Taylor the Anglican Bishop said that humility is not something easily understood outside of Christianity. Knowing oneself contains what is meant by humility. It is the cure for pride and the results of knowing oneself. However, it is not a passive or unconditional lowering ourselves by duress.
 

Easily do we confuse true and false humility. False humility is influenced by the inferiority complex while true humility is not. False humility develops from a low respect for the self, a true humility comes from a healthy self-respect and courage.
 

True humility can accept criticism and doesn't put   others down, nor blame others for what they lack. A truly humble person knows oneself in the presence of God.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Love, Freedom, and Happiness


"Don't be a nuisance to others,"  words addressed to the young Japanese children by their parents. Unfortunately, in Korea, we have an increase of 'no kids zone' —places that parents need not discipline their children. If children are allowed to follow their bliss will they as adults be free and happy? Is this the way to authentic freedom and happiness? An article in the Catholic Weekly introduces this question by a priest college professor.

In modern society, individual freedom and rights are becoming more and more important than traditional values ​​and practices. The World Value Survey from the late 1990s shows that Korean parents are  more concerned with autonomy of the child: self determination according to individual standards but for the professor, autonomy implies morality, principles and norms. Individualism that lacks morality will have a negative impact on the human community. Individualism is spreading in a culture that pursues survival because of the uncertainty and the pressures of a rapidly changing international situation and a financial recession.

In a capitalist society, freedom allows one to enjoy life in proportion to the amount of money one possesses. From a Christian point of view, freedom gives direction and purpose to life. In other words the question in Christian freedom: freedom from— and freedom to—.  Freedom is for what?

In Korean society, Confucian hierarchy and status  coexists within a patriarchal culture; unreasonable and narrowness of outlook are widespread. Resistance to repressive 'external authority' is a sign of today's age. We Christians should read these signs, protect the freedoms and rights of the underprivileged, and respect individuals as personalities that are part of the living organism, not  appendages.

On the other hand, humans need deep prayer, reflection, and deeds to free us from disorderly desires that can dominate us. Even though we  may appear to be free on the surface we may be slaves of unconscious desires. We are all sinners who are easily trapped in a self-centered life (individualism), but are invited to the journey of conversion and rebirth in God's mercy and grace. Furthermore, we need greater freedom to move towards happiness that leads to "loving God and loving our neighbors," without permitting the consumer society to control us.

Resurrection is the invitation of the living Lord who wants our lives to be truly full. The message of the Resurrection presents us with a  way of life. In the paschal  journey we die to ourselves so we can grow as Christians, a pilgrimage that goes beyond individualism to true freedom and happiness. 

The priest professor finishes the article mentioning the book With God in Russia a memoir by Walter Ciszek (1904—1984) an American Jesuit priest. With all the trials and suffering he endured he testifies  that he had an indescribable peace and happiness from God when all his strength was crushed during his years in prison. Our wills, self-love, and attachments make it difficult to receive the fruit of happiness but the more efforts to please God the  greater our love and graces of freedom and true happiness.  St. Augustine said: "Love and do what you want."

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Depression Among the Young

In the past 12 months, 20.3% of the boys and 30.3% of the girls have been saddened or dejected enough to stop their daily lives for a period of two weeks. 9.4% of boys and 15.0% of girls thought seriously of suicide. These words begin an article in the Catholic Times reviewing a survey made over the past year of our young people by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducted on 60,000 middle and high school students nationwide.
 

Depression that predominantly appeared in adults in the past now also occurs in children and adolescents.This is especially true in April and May after the start of the new semester because they can't adjust to the new school environment. Stress increases because of study or bullying.
 

Depression also called the 'cold of the mind' is a chronic illness of all generations in the modern world. In adolescents, it is easy to overlook their symptoms because of puberty. They need special attention as it can lead to suicide if the cognitive development does not proceed and the depression not treated.
 

Experts say that adolescent depression has multiple causes: family history, school, friends, social culture and economic situation and developmental problems. Many symptoms are not understood and not recognized as depression. It's important to understand the psychological state of the young people and to look at their behavior.
 

When a child says " I don't want to go to school," most parents just take this as ordinary child's talk and take little notice of the malaise the child feels. They need to concern themselves with the change of behavior at this time.  

A Salesian priest in his doctrinal dissertation identified the mutual relationship between stress, spirituality and life satisfaction in institutional youth. He stressed that spirituality or religion affects the stress and depression of adolescents. The greater the spirituality of the young the less the depression and stress. The young people should be helped to meet with others and to resolve their desires with sharing and activities. In his doctoral dissertation, he also identified the mutual relationship between stress, spirituality, and life satisfaction in children in student establishments.
 

Mild symptoms of depression may be resolved by parental care but counseling and medication may be needed in serious situations. There are many counseling centers available that provide help with family conflict, problems with friendship, interruption of schooling, runaways, internet addiction, career and academic problems. The internet is a valuable asset if you press '1388' you can consult at any time.

Friday, April 6, 2018

1: 29: 300 and the Spiritual Life

Korea has recently had some serious accidents with the loss of many lives not unique in world news. We are all prone to accidents as we go along with our lives. How did this happen? Why me? Why this great loss?  Questions we ask ourselves and desire answers.

In a diocesan bulletin, a priest reminisces on the big and small accidents happening all around us and introduces the readers to the Heinrich Law a statistical rule: 1: 29: 300. From the data that Heinrich studied he proposed that for every major injury there are 29 minor ones and 300 accidents with no injury. More than an exact study he was giving us a rule of thumb that for every serious accident we are preparing for it by 29 minor accidents and 300 mistakes that do not cause problems but could have.

Herbert Heinrich was an engineer who worked for an insurance company and taught at a university who made a study of industrial accidents and proposed his rule. There is a relationship between the number of accidents of a similar type and their severity. Reducing the most common incidents we can call  unsafe acts, reduces the frequency of minor injuries and will reduce the number of severe injuries.
 

If we were more alert in examining the causes of the 'accidents' (incidents) we encounter daily and prepare counter-measures we would avoid in a great part the minor and major injuries that we see so often. This was true of the serious accidents that we recently experienced in Korea. Signs of imminent problems were ignored and only discovered after the accidents and loss of life.
 

This is readily seen in our daily lives when we make mistakes and don't bother with analyzing the reasons and repeatedly do the same thing with the same results. It's only when we repent seeing the damage done that change for the better results. When we put something on the stove and forget and find the whole meal destroyed, often repeated unless steps are taken to remove the causes.
 

These mistakes happen in our spiritual life for we do not take the necessary safety precautions. He mentions the example of one who goes to Sunday Mass but finds it boring and without meaning. This continues and he begins to miss a few times and then he finds it to his liking and forgets that he was given signs of this future drift away from the life he once considered important.
 

In the spiritual life when we don't experience God's love, find joy, have an aversion to prayer, the  Sacraments and the community, they are warning signs that something is amiss and we need to be concerned. These may be considered some of the 300 incidents or rather minor problems that have no immediate serious results but also remind us that we need to do something to prevent serious results from happening.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Need for Life Skills and Life Study



Korea, according to a Catholic Peace Weekly columnist, is now at the height of conflict and struggle in progressive efforts for democracy more so than during the period of democratization in the 1980s. 

Recently the attachment to politics and economics has been weakened and the human right's ship has been launched on the high seas. The 'Me Too Movement' has witnessed the testimony of victims who have been frustrated and hurt by the strong in society: power and money. What had to come has come. It was a public secret everybody knew.
 

We accepted so much in the culture, in the world of art and films which embraced a great deal of violence. We began to doubt the value of the celebration of the world of art and its sublimation for what we saw behind the scenes.

One of the famous actors in the recent exposure in the film industry has said we are all perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. This story does not only apply to the film industry. The essence of this struggle is not sexual confrontation. It is not just a matter of sexual violence but the resistance against this violence that our society knew and pretended not to know. When a person is being violated and we pretend not to know, is this not violence and a crime?
 

Respect for life requires that we prevent this kind of violence and work to bring healing. The price that Korea had to pay to live in freedom was steep. War brought great havoc, starvation, and cruelty and we overcame this to become a wealthy country. Love for material goods is not what is important but a country where our lives have worth and we are happy.
 

We need to teach and learn. Mathematics and English are important, but life skills are more urgent and important. How important is the teaching of life skills to our school children in Korea? It should be an independent subject and provide opportunities for the students to experience this type of living.
 

From a child to an adult, what are the desirable ways of expressing interpersonal relationships, how to communicate without hurting each other, how to avoid being a victim of violence, accept responsibility and act courageously? The ability to critically appraise the diverse media and content that is emerging each day must also be developed. We must teach how to protect ourselves. It's not dangerous to mistake an English word, but when we don't control our anger, fail to respect others, and accept the media unconditionally, the community we belong to is wounded, and we suffer. The violence present in society, will not be cured by exposure and punishment.  

Let 's make a course called' Life Skills' and 'Life Study' for future generations living in Korea. Eliminating deep-rooted violence should begin with education in the respect for life.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Pre-natal Education of the Fetus


Korea like many other countries of the world has an ongoing confrontation between the pro-abortion and pro-life groups in society. Recently the pro-abortion group has petitioned the government to abrogate the law against abortion and allow the drug Mifegyne to be sold in Korea to terminate pregnancy. They received more than 200,000 signatures. The government responded they will conduct a survey.
 

The bishops began a nationwide drive for signatures against the abrogation of the law and within two months passed over one million. The UN Human Rights Council has recommended that across the world they repeal laws that criminalized and unduly restrict abortion.
 

A parish priest writing in the Catholic Times on the issue mentions the church has long seen abortion as a killing of the fetus. Women are now promoting self-determination and see it in opposition to the right of the fetus to life.  Many believers rather than accepting the teaching of the church see this as a matter of choice. Clear evidence of the weakening of the church's influence on the members.
 

The changing times invalidates the church's essentialist approach to abortion writes the priest.  The slogan of abortion as murder is no longer effective today. The church should be concerned with a culturalist approach that focuses on a way of life.  An attitude that emphasizes the relationship and process of love in which the pregnant woman and the fetus interact in the womb, from an initiative of their separate lives.
 

The controversy over birth or abortion focuses only on the consequences of life, and there is little concern for the whole process of life as a human being within the womb.  He mentions the movie "Juno" (2007) which shows a new way of seeing the process of life in the womb and not only the outcome of life outside the womb. The 16-year-old girl, Juno has sex with her boyfriend and is unexpectedly found to be pregnant. When she goes for help she is told the child has fingernails at this stage of growth and she decides against abortion. She was helped to make the decision because of the environment in which she found herself.
 

Juno frankly told her parents of her pregnancy. The parents weren't pleased but accepted the pregnancy and went along with what the daughter wanted and was beside her during the process of having the baby adopted and the hospital calls. The boyfriend stayed with his girlfriend during this time knowing they were too young to be parents.They found a couple to adopt the child. There was a center to which Juno could go for information and advice during the pregnancy.
 

The Seoul diocese has a program for pregnant mothers to help them during their period of pregnancy. They are told of ways to communicate with the fetus and to appreciate the mystery of life and how to interact with the new life within them.
 

The priest mentioned a program that he saw on TV in which a 7-year-old girl gave an amazing pansori (Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer)  performance. The mother who likes traditional Korean music while she was pregnant provided the music in the education of the fetus.This shows clearly, he says, how prenatal care affects the baby.
 

Pregnancy is an important time for the physical, emotional and cognitive development by providing a good environment for the fetus. More important, however, is that pregnant women interact with the fetus to develop the ability of the fetus, to establish the identity of the parents, and to begin to build attachment by sharing meaning between the parents and the fetus. Therefore, it is necessary for the church to strengthen and widely spread this teaching as one of the alternatives for protecting the life and cultivating a culture of life.