Win-Win Free Enterprise System

During December, two discount stores were selling very popular items below the average price of the competition. First, it was E-Mart with their low-priced pizza, and then Lotte Mart joined in with their low-priced buckets of fried chicken for one third the price of the leading chicken delivery franchises.

What  was to be done? many were thinking.  'Dumping' to get people into the store is breaking the fair competition rule. E-Mart decided to keep selling its pizzas but Lotte decided to discontinue the sale. There was, according to Lotte, too much confrontation in society about the wisdom of selling at such a low price. Both discount stores only sold  a limited amount of the product, and they did not deliver. Many consumers had difficulty understanding why Lotte decided to discontinue the sale. It was the consumer who suffers and even the President agreed that the fried chicken on the market was too expensive.

The Catholic Times entered the discussion with an article on the issue, written by a  professor of economics. He agreed with the position that Lotte took to discontinue the sale of the fried chicken. It was going to put out of business many small stores. In the free enterprise system, success comes to the one who has a better product and competition is the driving force that makes this possible.  Much of the press sided with the discount stores in favor of the consumers. The professor saw another value.

The professor was happy to see that Lotte decided to be altruistic in its decision to stop its low-price campaign. He sees that as a healthy sign of our society, and dubbed Lotte's decision a win-win decision for all involved and a sign of introspection and self regulation. It was  a sign of  basing our actions on the dignity of man--one of the principles of Catholic spirituality-- and of the possible appearance of a new kind of capitalism. Since the beginning of  industrialization  of economic life, the professor goes on to say, the constant voice of the Church has been there to remind us to respect man's dignity. This would make for a healthy enviroment.

When the big corporations show this concern for the low-income competition, they will also receive acceptance and trust in return from the consumer, which will help them to  continue to excel in their field. This is enlightened self-interest, and good business practice. 

This way of thinking, the professor believes, is part of the Social Gospel. It shows a preferential option for the poor, the paradigm that we as Catholics should have not only in the world of big business but also in our daily lives. When those who invest, who consume, who produce, who employ and are employed--when all of us have a spirituality that takes this into account, we will have a win-win society.

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A First For the Catholic Church of Korea

The Diocese of Incheon will commemorate its 50th anniversary this year by announcing that a church is being constructed specifically for the hearing impaired: the first Catholic church of its kind in Korea. It will not have parish boundaries but include the whole of Incheon for its pastoral work.

The church will seat 100 hundred and the priest now responsible for working with the deaf in the diocese will be the first pastor. The ground breaking ceremony was held recently, and construction is scheduled for completion in April of this year.

The parish will use not only sign language for the Mass but all that contributes to a vibrant parish life: teaching catechism, studying scripture, providing retreats and  a meeting place for the hearing impaired to socialize.  The Catholic Times' editorial chose to  recognize  this work for the alienated as a very important step in the growth of the Church. We now have a sensitivity to the handicapped in our midst by having toilets readily accessed by wheelchairs and by having signs with braille.  We have still a long way to go but there is increased interest to include the handicapped as valued members of our society.

Up until now the hearing impaired had to read the lips of the priest. It had  been difficult for parishes to provide the necessary aids to deal with their particular needs, such as setting up a monitor screen in the sanctuary for those in the congregation to follow the liturgy, teaching sign language, hearing confession, scripture study, and putting aside enough extra time to counsel those who wanted to become Catholic. Even though each diocese has a priest responsible for working with the deaf, there is a  limit to what can be done. This difficulty will be solved when the hearing impaired have their own  parish.

The  pastor of this new parish said the prospect of ministering to the needs of the hearing impaired in a church-friendly environment is giving him the greatest happiness in his  last ten years of priestly life. Because of their inability to hear, the deaf feel more alienation than those who are blind because of the lack of communication. That the diocese did see the importance of what was needed, and responded in such a marvelous way is a wake-up call to the other dioceses to put more effort and money into removing the walls that separate us from the alienated.

How to Determine the Health of a Country?

In the recent  Chosun Ilbo, a survey report of 5000 people from Korea and nine other countries did not surprise: Koreans were shown to be the most attached to material prosperity.

One of the survey questions was to select from a list of eight celebrities the person you thought the happiest, including yourself.  In most countries the persons surveyed selected themselves. In second place was the Dalai Lama; in  Korea the  top pick was Bill Gates, considered by many to be the richest person in the world.

Responses to the question: What degree of happiness do you have? revealed the "happiest country" to be Brazil, with 57.2 percent considering themselves very happy and nearly 92 percent considering themselves happy. Korea had slightly over 7 percent who considered themselves very happy, and 70.3 percent, happy.

To the statement that there is no relationship between money and happiness, only 7.2 percent of the Koreans agreed.  Which was, again, the lowest of the ten countries.

A professor reviewing the results said that, according to some, after reaching a certain level of prosperity the law of  diminishing returns begins to operate. You sacrifice other values to achieve material prosperity. The work necessary to gain this prosperity takes away leisure time that could be spent with family and friends. The desire for the material comforts of life in Korea is three times that of the  States and twice that of Japan. Since the beginning of 1960 Korea has increased its per capita GDP(Gross Domestic Product) 250 times. A world record. Despite this remarkable achievement, the happiness index of Korea is the lowest of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries.  This is an indication, he feels, of an unconscious desire for material satisfaction.

The positive conditions for happiness in Korea are many compared to other countries. Although Korea faces increasing unemployment, an aging population with its attending health concerns, and the destruction of the environment, which will impinge on the degree of happiness of our citizens, the professor feels the conditions are there  to see a change in the index of happiness.  "However, it is not only an individual  task," he says. "Without a happy society, we will not have  individual happiness. Happiness in society can  be achieved only by working with others."

Many see the GDP as a good indicator of material prosperity but a poor gauge to determine the well-being of a society. A better way to indicate the overall health of a society is needed. A way that would also take into account the non-material areas of life--that would be a happy change.

Equality Of the Sexes In The Church

The Catholic Times' opinion piece on the Bishops Sub-committee on Women Issues had some interesting things to say. Written by a Religious Sister, who is the secretary of the Sub-committee, discusses what she would like to see happening within the Church: more equality between the sexes, leading to a healthier relationship of men and women.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the sub-committee and many suggestions were made to celebrate the event: inviting a well-known woman theologian from the States to give public lectures, conduct a seminar to discuss what women have done in leadership roles in  Europe and the States,  invite women groups to meet together in a symposium talk-fest to discuss their various positions regarding women and the Church. They are dreaming, planning and imagining many other possibilities.

In the past,  they have had  informal gatherings with other women groups to discuss  what women have given to the Church and society. They have attempted to deal with topics in a moderate way. They avoided the topics of equality within the Church, the efforts to achieve equality, the use of women for works of service and not leadership roles and the alienation of women within the community and also  topics that dealt with the deepening of women spirituality, the discovery of the mothers' instinct,  and the development of the  value of life -- areas of confrontation.  They considered the uncontroversial area of what women can contribute to the Church and society with creativity and wisdom.

On one occasion the person who chaired the discussion summarized the talks and  concluded with the question, "Can it be understood that  from today, there is no need to consider equality within the Church or change of structures as a topic of discussion?" A long-time member of the sub-committee quickly responded, " We have and it has been useless. We have given up." One could see, the secretary said, many heads nodding in approval.

She ends her opinion piece by saying that the committee has tried, though feebly, within our patriarchal society to enhance the condition of women in the Church, but with little success. With all their seminars, symposiums,  events, surveys, printed materials, talks and reports over a ten-year period, she has seen little improvement in the status of women within the Church.

Society has made great advances in this area with many of the walls crumbling. However, in the Church, the patriarchal Confucianism of our society and the hierarchical  structure of the Church have prevented any meaningful change.  The Church suffers a  great loss when women's gifts and efforts are not used;  Sister wonders what God would think.

The Year of the Rabbit

At the start of this year of the rabbit, a columnist in the Catholic Times recalls the sermon he heard at Mass on New Year's day. The priest asked the parishioners what they thought of when hearing the word rabbit associated with the year 2011. Most of them thought of fecundity, simple, beautiful, cowardice, among others.

The word rabbit brings to mind all these traits but the priest selected 'growth' as possibly the most important trait. The hind legs of the rabbit are longer than the front legs, which make going up  easy but going down rather awkward. So this year, he suggested that all of us should make strides to better ourselves, to grow in some way during the year, striving for another level in our personal  growth.

The columnist points out that each of us has a different meaning for growth. After Mass, during the time for fellowship and refreshments, she asked several acquaintances in what area of life would they like to see more growth during the year. To increase the number of friends to twenty was one response. Another, to increase personal development by reading 30 or more books. No one mentioned having financial or material goals; all were more interested in internal growth. She was pleased with what she heard and surprised. She will also be working for growth in maturity during the year.

At this time of  the year, Koreans have already celebrated the solar New Year; the dress rehearsal for the real thing, the lunar New Year, will be on Feb. 3rd. What interest there is in Chinese astrology is difficult to judge. The past year was the year of the Tiger, not a good year. This year of the  rabbit is more propitious for those who believe in astrology.  North Korea is also influenced by the same beliefs; hopefully, the traits of the rabbit will be shown in the way they will treat each other this year. Since the sign of the rabbit is one of the more fortunate of the twelve signs, it might signal something worthwhile to both the North and the South. Let us pray that we do have a growth in efforts to bring peace to Korea. And finally a peace treaty.

Why Prefer Noise Instead of Music?

Fr. Cha Dong-yeop of the Future Pastoral Institute, in the recent Incheon Diocesan  Bulletin, talks about a premise that should inform all that we say.  The color gray can be found in nature but some see it as black; others see it as white. One of the failures of our society, he says, is that nobody wants to see  the  gray.

In his class in the seminary there were two groups that interacted like oil and water. One believed it important to participate in the struggle for democracy-- the group for justice. The other group emphasized the importance of prayer-- the spirit group. For unknown reasons they could not come to an understanding of each other's position.

Fr. Cha mentions that he held a middle position. When he felt that his conscience directed him to participate with the justice group, he would do so; when he felt it necessary to join the prayer group, he would. He couldn't help but ask himself on what side would Jesus be on? He would be on both sides, he decided.  "Do not the  two positions develop  from the same  root, and are they not branches of the same tree?  Why should  they be in opposition?"  The thought brings tears to his eyes.
Why do we avoid the gray areas in deputes of this kind? he wonders. "Why can't we be in the middle? Together. When we are not together," he says," we are again nailing Jesus to the cross."

The Church, says Fr. Cha,  is like an orchestra, with many different musicians playing together in harmony. The woodwinds do not wonder why the strings play the way they do. In the Church there should be an appreciation of each other's gifts, welcoming others who may be playing in a different mode but still in harmony. This should be  the main premise of the Diocesan Church Community.

We have the words of our Lord encouraging us to be One. However, the examples we use to explain this idea leave too much to the imagination. Though the idea is certainly understood, the simplification that is necessary creates more questions. When we have opposing ideas within the Church community, it is noise that we hear and not music. Talking to each other, being civil and respectful, making efforts to  understand, humbly and willingly open to seeing  another harmonic possibility is a desire of many.                         

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Preciousness of Good Memories in Old Age.

On the spirituality page of the Catholic Times, the columnist tells us how a couple, after raising their children, are spending their declining years.

They live  together in a small house, take care of their plants and a garden, and  stay close to the Church. Life is quiet and orderly; they are now preparing to meet God. The columnist, with a smile, asks,  "Fighting makes the life of most couples interesting. Both of you live a simple life. It must have been boring!"

"We fought when younger, but  we are weak now and don't have the energy; words are not necessary to have a life full of joy."

"What do you mean you can be happy without talking?"

"Of course you can. We talk very little but we have great joy in life. From a very young age, we have taken out a wonderful  insurance. We are now benefiting from the policy."

"Insurance!  What  kind do you have? Are you getting insurance returns every month?" 
 
"Getting a return every month on your insurance is not the only kind. We as a couple from early on have considered memories a very important part of our insurance. We are a simple and ordinary family, but we traveled a lot as a family. We  climbed mountains, looked up at the heavens and saw the beauty of the ocean. Together as a family, we faced and solved our problems. Even now our children, with the grandchildren, come to visit us here in the country. It seems they are also interested in this kind of insurance."     
     
"Do those memories come back to you now?"

"Yes, with the years not all remains but one thing that is strong and vivid is that it was done with my spouse. And with the passing of the years, we have, without needing words, these wonderful memories which brought us much happiness."

The reminiscences we have of our life are the best insurance for old age. This should be the expectations of all of us.

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