Altruistic Selfishness

A few years ago, a book called "The Survival of Cities" was published. It was written by two Harvard economics professors in response to the COVID pandemic. The authors ask: "Cities are always faced with crises such as disasters, wars, and epidemics, but can they survive?" 

In the View from the Ark in the Catholic Times, a professor in the department of Urban Engineering, after reading the book, gives the readers some of his thoughts on the subject. 

The authors' answer is very optimistic. The history of cities has always been amid crises. Still, they have responded wisely and survived, and they will continue to do so. When asked to provide endorsements for the Korean edition, he found that their argument was altruism. For him, this lack in our society was the reason for the problems. 

The history of cities has always been a series of crises. Still, they have responded wisely and survived, and they will continue to do so. 

All humans are 'selfish', but when a community faces a crisis, self-interest is put aside, and selflessness is demonstrated. In the face of a situation, if everyone acts selfishly, we will perish, so we instinctively know that we must act selflessly for our own survival and benefit. Thanks to Covid, the columnist found a valuable book that reminded him of the causes and solutions of our 'Korean Situation' — an unhappy developed country'.

South Korea is a shining example of a developed country that has developed quickly. Its cultural and artistic capabilities are among the best in the world. However, the happiness level of the people in this rich country is very low. We are living in a country that shines in many areas but is also sick. 

South Korea is the only country where the 'competitive education' pressures children to compete unconditionally. The soaring real estate prices, which make it impossible for one to live even by saving a lifetime of salaries, are another symptom of a sick country. 

Home prices should naturally go down, but will they? If more than half of the population owns their own homes, how many people desire a drop in housing prices? This is the reason why stabilizing home prices is difficult. Advanced countries recognized and responded to this issue early on. The reason housing laws were established from the late 19th century was because homes were seen as a 'human rights' issue rather than 'assets'. 

Rental and social housing in advanced European countries constitutes about 20-30%. This is starkly different from our country, where it falls below 10%. Among the citizens of Vienna, Austria, considered one of the most desirable cities to live in, only 25% live in homes they own. The prediction that our population will rapidly decline and will be the first to reach 'zero population' is also evidence that we are in a lot of pain. 

The core issue of the population problem lies not in the decrease but in the concentration. The population is concentrated in the metropolitan area, leading to intense competition that causes individuals to give up on marriage and childbirth, while in the country, they are approaching extinction due to a lack of sustaining population. The nation has become advanced, but why are the people not happy? 

What could be the cause? Are we losing the balance between selfishness and altruism and rushing ahead selfishly? Could it be that the indifferent sentiment of 'as long as my child does well, competitive education is acceptable, home prices must never fall, and I don't care if my hometown disappears' is at the heart of it? 

Even in the days of poverty, 'altruism' was always alive in our hearts. There were always people in need everywhere, but we embraced them. We have become a 'wealthy nation' through hard work and tightening our belts to escape poverty.

Even when we were poor, 'altruism' always lived in our hearts. There were people in difficult situations everywhere, but we embraced them. We worked hard to escape the endless poverty and became a 'rich country.' Still, we live as 'unhappy citizens' who have to compete from cradle to grave. How can we cure this disease?

The realization that 'altruism is self-interest', 'altruistic egoism', is the path to healing. It is the recovery of common sense that a community in crisis must prioritize altruism to survive. It appears that this disease has deepened since we began using the words "Get rich!" 

Let's restore balance and fix it. Let's create a truly advanced country where everyone is happy, anywhere, and return to a time when our hearts were warm and our values were in place.