The writer acknowledges that we all have a desire for the material goods of life but wonders why Korea should be so high on the scale. He offers as an explanation the one proposed by many scholars: that Korea's rapid rise from poverty to having one of the world's most advanced economies is the fondness for the material things of life--the aftereffect, perhaps, of the sudden transition to the prosperous life.
In surveys that study religion in Korea, about half of those surveyed acknowledge having no religion, thus tending to make the material world the center of their beliefs, along with an amorphous religiosity. The writer alludes to this by mentioning that when a foreign company starts their operation in Korea, they will often display a pig's head and offer rice cakes to the spirits--a shamanistic practice (Kosa) when worshiping the spirits.
Some would say that this attraction to the material world and the Korean passionate disposition have been the reasons for the country's quick progress. "Let us live well" was a popular motto. One social scientist believes it is precisely the non-religious base of Korean society and the corresponding materialistic focus that is responsible for the country's economic progress.
This worldly philosophy of life made possible the "Han River Miracle," a phrase that uses the name of the river flowing through Seoul to describe the transition, within just 50 years, of an economically underdeveloped country to the Korea of the present.
This "Han River Miracle" may have another side to it. Not only is it a catch phrase for Korea's quick rise to economic prominence, but it could also explain why Koreans register low on the Professor's index of happiness. It may indicate, more importantly, that life is not what they expected it to be-- despite the material attainments and opportunities for pleasure the purposefulness of life did not keep pace. A less materialistic miracle than the "Han River Miracle" may be what is needed now.
