The Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly gives the readers some problems we face as a Society and Church and one of the solutions.
Chronic disease according to the standard Korean dictionary refers to 1) an illness that has been suffered for a long time and is difficult to cure and 2) a bad habit that is difficult to correct because it is long-standing. Chronic illness as a disease mainly applies only to individuals, but chronic illness as a bad habit applies not only to individuals but also to groups and societies. For example, if a person has a bad habit of getting drunk whenever he drinks, one can say it is a chronic problem with him.
The problem is that bad habits or chronic problems that occur can be passed on to other people. Children who grow up with parents who have chronic kleptomania are more likely to fall into kleptomania than children who do not. The same goes for children who grow up watching their parents tell lies and gossip about others. Of course, there are cases where this is not true, but it is clear that chronic problems are contagious to some extent.
The contagiousness of chronic problems seems to be related to the mind. As the saying goes: "A good person, out of the good accumulated brings out things that are good, and a bad person, brings out that which is bad" (Matthew 12:35). Jealousy does not allow others to do well; stubbornness makes one stick to their own thoughts no matter what others say; self-righteous thinking believes everything one says is right and what other people say is wrong or lacking; selfishness that never wants to lose anything that has to do with oneself, etc. People with this kind of mindset are definitely prone to chronic problems.
What are some of the chronic problems of our society? Regional collective egoism that can be easily confirmed in the NIMBY phenomenon— an acronym for the phrase "not in my backyard" opposed to some development that is close to them—the behavior of political parties that claim to support the people's livelihood but in reality are obsessed with party-oriented strategies, and self-interest in bullying the weak with wealth and power behind them, as shown in school violence and violations of school rights. A senseless pursuit of self-interest, a careerism that believes that all you need to do is acquire wealth, fame, or power at any cost... He believes these are the chronic ills of our society.
The serious thing is that in our society, there are quite a few people who suffer from these chronic problems but don't realize it. These aspects of chronic illness can be witnessed frequently even within the church. A typical example is authoritarian behavior that uses church status or authority to treat church staff or other people carelessly. In fact, when it comes to authoritarianism in the church, it is easy to think of clerical authoritarianism, but the problem of lay authoritarianism is just as serious as clerical authoritarianism.
At the root of many of these chronic diseases that our society is suffering from, is not rational reason or logic, but violence and emotion caused by power. As a result, there is no room for respect or consideration for the other person. Words turn into violent language, and conversations end with one-sided claims or coercion, resulting in non-communication rather than communication. Therefore, it is necessary to learn proper conversation methods based on respect and consideration for the other person.
How do we have the right conversation for communication? The Catholic Church has confirmed through the synod process over the past two years that true dialogue begins with listening. Listening is not simply hearing. Out of respect for the other person you are talking to, you should abandon any preconceptions or stereotypes about the other person and listen with all your heart, understanding the tone of voice and facial expressions of the other person. If I listen actively and wholeheartedly, the other person will also listen to me.
In this way, if listening becomes mutual listening and this also leads to true dialogue and communication, many chronic social diseases will be healed little by little by listening.
