Street people, we know, are those that have no home and wander the
streets. Often they have mental problems, reversals in life, poverty,
sickness and those who have given up on society and prefer going it
alone. Drink is a serious problem with street people, and Korea has
taken the violence that follows drinking to a new level of concern.
There are 39 places of rest for street people in Seoul and many
places offering free meals.
The government, private
organizations and religious groups all are involved in helping those who
are homeless. The Seoul railroad station is the home for many of these
wanderers. The Peace Weekly has an article acquainting us with the
work of the "Warm Meeting Place," a place not only where a homeless
person can get a free meal but also can attend a choir practice. The
addition of this choral group was well received, with 25
to 40 attending singing practice.
Just having a place to eat, of course,
does not solve the problems of the street people. However, being a
member of the choir gives the street people a feeling of belonging. With
music, they are consoled and some find the strength to return to
society.
Started by a community of sisters, the choir has its own choir director. They begin practicing on Wednesdays at
2:00 p.m., and are now practicing about once a week. There
is even some well-known vocalist who helps in the directing.
The
Peace Weekly article on the choir mentions that a change has
taken place with some of those attending. Not only is there a change in the clothes they wear,
but their desire to return to a normal life is noticed during the period
of practicing. One of the Sisters said the results of music can be
keenly felt. In just a few weeks a change can be seen in the
confidence they acquire with attendance.
The musical repertoire usually
consists of folk songs and songs from the movies, but the street
people say they prefer the classical songs. They also
have a desire to enunciate clearly and to study the intricacy of choral
singing, which energizes those who are there to teach.
The
time spent in singing and learning the music enables the street people
to find
themselves and gain confidence. They begin to dream of returning to
society and finding a job. The thought of forming a group of street
people to come together to sing sounds preposterous. And yet the
possibility of teaching this segment of society to sing as a choir makes
us reflect on how limited we are by our prejudices and fixed ideas of
what is possible and what is not. Another example of not letting our
possibilities be limited by our perceived limitations but to see what
can be accomplished and to work toward its realization.
One of the founders of a famous Korean conglomerate left behind after he died 24 questions about religion that made the news last year. After seeing the questions, the
founder of the YUDO Group decided to write a book answering the
questions. He spent seven months writing the book, which was recently
published. He wanted to answer the questions from his own life
experience. The response was his answer in gratitude to Catholicism for
all it has done for him in life.
The
Peace Weekly interviewed the YUDO president, who is a
fourth-generation Catholic. As a child he always dreamed of being a
priest. He spent 14 years preparing to be a priest and had no
difficulties with studies, health or women, but was told before the
diaconate that he was not suited for the priesthood. He was bright but
too much of a free spirit, and after much thought the faculty thought he
would be happier in society than living as a priest.
For
a while, he found it difficult to come to terms with the dismissal from
the seminary. His hometown acquaintances rented a bus and went to see
the bishop to remonstrate, he says laughing. Fortunately, with time he
accepted the dismissal serenely. Out on the streets and thinking about
how he was to make a living, he even considered selling lighters. It
was at this time that he heard in his head the words 'sanctity in the
world'. This began the journey to the CEO of the YUDO Group.
The
building of the company, he says, was accompanied with a lot of tears
and frustration. The name of the company is a combination of his own
surname, Yu, and the word Do meaning 'way'. The way is Jesus from John
14:6. God is in charge with 51 percent of the responsibility, but the
reason that Yu precedes the Do is that if the company fails, he takes
responsibility, and he will take to the streets.
He
has made clear to his family what he wants on his tombstone. "Here lies
an artistic salesperson who was in search of sanctity." When later
generations happen by his tomb stone, he hopes they will have only nice
things to say about his life. He spent 14 years studying for the
priesthood and 38 running a company; they were beautiful years, he
says, and he is full of gratitude. He wants to thank God for what he has
received, and to live his life so that those who pass his stone will
have a reason to give a kind nod of approval for the life he lived.
Mr.
Yu has been very good with his
material goods in helping others. 15 percent of the profits go back to
the workers, and he has also been very generous with his money
in helping the poor in society, students, and retired priests. He is a
good example of not letting a reversal in life change the ideal he once
had, only the way the ideal was to be realized.
The Werther Effect gets its name from the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther,
by Goethe. The Culture of Life column in the Peace Weekly visits again
the high suicide rate in Korea and relates it to the Werther Effect. The
hero of the novel, infatuated with a woman who is engaged to another,
could not stand the internal pressures that were unleashed and killed
himself with a pistol. The novel was a best-seller, and the columnist
mentions that because of copycat suicides that followed--over 2000--the
selling of the book in certain parts of Europe was discontinued. The
Werther Effect has become the name used to describe copycat suicides
that follow the publicity given to suicides in the mass media.
Looking at the continuing material prosperity of Korea, the reasons for the continuing increase of suicides
can't be related only to financial problems but to other factors
in society: the breakdown of families, the increase of divorce, our change of values, and the like.
The rate of male suicides was almost 3 times that of women but this has
continued to decrease, and when focusing on the women in their twenties
it is practically the same or even higher. The reason is the society safety net is no longer operative for this group.
Among
the young especially, this copycat contagion of suicides is often
noticed. Surprisingly, we are mostly unconscious of the influence of the
mass
media on our behavior. The spread of cyberspace technology has also
increased the volume and variety of what we see and hear, bringing rapid
and questionable changes in behavior, such as suicides.
Although
suicide is an individual act, it can no longer be seen as an isolated
phenomenon independent of the mores of society. We are being formed to
succeed and exceed; consequently, the failure in achievements will bring
frustration and sadness. The analogies from the track and field events
are apropos: number one is happy with achievement; number two sees the
one ahead and feels disappointment, and the third is happy to have made
the third position, seeing all those behind. This narrow view of what
life is all about is not helpful in living the happy life. The low
happiness index of our citizens is not unrelated to the number of
suicides.
The
columnist mentions the success that Hungary had in decreasing the high
rate of suicides to half of what it was from 1970-80. Korea has recently
also decided to face head-on our problem with an emphasis on respect
for life. To search for the ideal in life is noble but when this
precludes happiness, something is wrong. To live in peace with our
neighbors is also a beautiful ideal. Even when there is both a lack of
money and a lack of respect, living happily is a sufficient goal when it
is accompanied by the love and blessing of those around us.
Not all we do is done with the best of motives, and acknowledging this
is healthy. Feelings of superiority are common and can prevent us
from being childlike and enjoying a great deal of what comes our way. A
dance teacher reveals her struggle to overcome these feelings that were
eating away at the opportunity of enjoying a new experience.
The
column "Daily Life and Faith Life" tells us how a professional dancer
was asked to help out in a performance of modern dance. She was a
teacher of traditional Korean dance and accepted the invitation to
practice
with a choreographer who was preparing for a dance recital and needing
to recruit members. The columnist, seeing her during practice, gave her
high marks for her
openness to a new dance category.
On one occasion, he was
invited to eat with the modern dance company and had the opportunity
to talk to the Korean dance professional. After the meal, while
they were both drinking beer, he asked her if it was difficult for a
teacher of traditional dance to learn the movements of modern dance.
The
beer she was drinking helped her to speak honestly, she said. She
accepted the invitation to work out with the modern dance company
because of her desire to learn something about a new kind of dance but
she admitted to feeling anxious about it; would she be able to follow
the younger dancers? she wondered. Returning home, however, she
continued to practice.
She doesn't
remember when it happened, but she began to regret that she said yes,
and felt the uneasiness returning. She was even thinking of telling the
choreographer that she would have to give up the practice.
Even
though she was entertaining these thoughts, she enjoyed the dancing. She
always found the movements of the body invigorating and a joy. Why was
she feeling this way? she asked herself. Her whole body was telling her
that before dancing, she had to take over control of her body; she had to
grow up.
This voice to grow up was not because she was learning a
new type of dance but because of her feelings of superiority. Whenever
the young dance choreographer was giving her instructions, her inner voice
was telling her that she was a professional dancer. When she began to
look deeply into her feelings, the
obstacles to participating disappeared, and she began enjoying the
workouts.
The columnist wonders how many have given up their
work of service in the parishes precisely because of a superiority
complex. We have to make sure when we are helping others that we are doing
it for the right motive. It's possible that we are servicing others to
be acknowledged for our goodness, our ability, and not doing it out of
love. If this is the case, the columnist concludes, the body will give
up on us.
How does God work in his creation? This is a question that not only
Christians but the general public directs to the Church. This is the
question at the center of Theology. Many Christians have heard that
evolution is not a problem for Catholic theology but few understand
why this is the case.
The Catholic Times' interview
with Fr. Oh Kyeong-hwan introduces us to the recent book he translated
into Korean, How God Acts: Creation, Redemption and Special Divine
Action, by Prof. Denis Edwards. In the Korean Church there are few who
are studying the relationship of Science and Religion, Fr. Oh laments.
He spends a great deal of time acquainting us with the compatibility of
science and religion with his website, research team, and lectures.
Fr.
Oh spent over a year working on translating the book by Prof Denis
Edwards, a senior lecturer in systematic theology in the School of
Theology of Flinders University, South Australia. He made efforts to put
the words into Korean that the ordinary readers would have little
difficulty understanding. The book shows us the way God is working in his
creation.
Fr. Edwards shows that God does not
interfere in his creation with arbitrary acts contrary to the laws of
nature. To create, he follows the self-regulatory laws of creation, of evolution, chance and order. Fr. Oh explains that Fr.
Edwards emphasizes that God does not break these laws of nature with
miracles. Although there are no miracles that break these laws, there are
many incidents that we are not able to understand with the knowledge
that we have presently of the laws of nature. We can not use our beliefs
to disregard the discoveries of science. As Pope John Paul II said, "Science can purify religion from error
and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false
absolutes."
Fr. Oh hopes that we will have many more
who will try to explain the place of science in our lives and to see the
relationship between science and religion.The conflict is certainly
present but it is the conflict between some of the scientists and some
of the religious people but not between science and religion. Truth is
one. There are different ways of arriving at truth and different
concerns of those seeking the truth but truth does not contradict
itself. A well-known cardinal said many hundreds of years ago, "Religion
teaches us the way to go to heaven and not how the heavens go."
Catholic education in many parts
of the world means little; for the Catholic element is seen as
peripheral to the educational process. This is not the case in Korea.
Pope Benedict said in regard to education: "Are we ready to commit our
entire self--intellect and will, mind and heart--to God? Do we accept
the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and
schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally,
through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for
God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the
meaning of who we are and what we uphold." These words and similar words
addressed to educators by the Church are taken seriously in Korea.
Both
Catholic papers introduce us to the new president of Sangji, a two and
four year technical school in the Andong Diocese. One of the first
Catholic
technical schools in Korea, it was founded by three Luxembourgian nuns
of the order Soeurs de la Doctrine Chrétienne.
The
purpose of the school is to educate students for an occupation. This
choice will help them find happiness in the life which will soon be
known, some believe, as 'Homo-Hundred'. Until 1990, there was no country
where the average lifespan exceeded 80 years. Since then, six nations,
including Japan, Italy and Australia, have exceeded this average
lifespan, and in 2020 it will be over 30, including Korea.
The
president of Sangji says the school will
be 'teaching for happiness'. Striving to be number one is not what the
school is all about, he said, but to form students who will be happy in
life. Those that
find the present emphasis on competition foreign to their way of
thinking, he recommends their going to the Sangji Technical School. They
will find there, he said, a different kind of competition. Too many
students, in the usual school environment, have to deal with
stress and Sangji is forming students for a different goal.
They
present their students with small goals which, when achieved
systematically, will give them the courage and the ability to dream and
go on for loftier goals.
All
students during a semester have to spend 40 hours in service to
others. Mass is offered daily at the school, and 30 religious sisters
are there to guide the students, giving the school a Catholic
atmosphere. Technical knowledge is imparted but combined with the
holistic formation of the person.
Over
80 percent of their graduates
have found work after graduation, and the school is aiming still
higher.This
emphasis on something else besides marks and success is a welcomed
relief. Parents should be thankful that such schools as Sangji exist,
providing them with the opportunity to send their children to a school
where educating the whole person is the top priority.
"Living is spirituality," words difficult to understand and requiring many more words to get the point. The columnist of the Catholic Times recounts how he was able to come to an understanding and used these words as the title of his column.
The columnist recalls attending the funeral of a religious hermit. After the funeral service and while drinking tea with a follow priest, a classmate of the deceased approached them and asked how they knew the deceased. He introduced himself as a classmate of the deceased.
He received them with great joy and after the columnist heard that the classmate was a counselor on spirituality the writer asked him what does he understand spirituality to be. The answer was brief and puzzling: "living is spirituality." The writer was expecting something quite different which he showed by the expression on his face. "Father, that is not all there is to say on spirituality,is it? What are your real thoughts on spirituality? Realizing that the columnist wanted more he explained what he meant to say.
He reiterated what he said that spirituality for him was life, and he explained. The reason he expressed it in the way he did was because we can tell what a person's spirituality is by the way one lives. And the quality of our life will often tell us whether there's a relationship with God, which will also tell us, he added, about their relationship with the world.
Ultimately, spirituality appears in the way a person lives, and is the reason, the counselor said, for making the statement that puzzled the columnist.The way life is lived is a sign of the spirituality we possess and a healthy spirituality will show harmony and balance in life. God has put this image of himself in us and when this become activated we have harmony and balance in life.
Hearing the explanation, the columnist realized there was no need to be puzzled, now understanding the counselor's cryptic statement was saying that doing all that we can do in life to the best of our ability is spirituality, doing the right thing with all the energy we can muster, and avoiding evil with all our strength. Micah expressed it somewhat differently but with the same meaning:"Only do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.(Micah 6:8).
On returning to his own monastery the columnist resolved to live with this admonition as his goal, and sang the hymn that the deceased enjoyed reciting: God, you have given us an abundance of mercy; we return this in life with joy and happiness."
Expressing our spirituality can be done in many ways, and the simpler the better. For a Christian, our spirituality is primarily God working within us; we cooperate by saying yes. The life we live will show the results of God's work in our lives.
