Not Knowing what is Right or Wrong

The Catholic Peace Weekly in the Diagnosis of the Times column by a bioethicist considers the heated debate in Korea for and against a bill to allow doctor-assisted suicide of terminally ill patients.

This bill is proposed by a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. The abbreviation is referred to as the "Assistance and Dignity Justice Act". In other words, the act of committing suicide with the help of a doctor is dignified and should be legally tolerated. It is because the very fact that lawmakers use the expression of dignity for an act that kills clearly shows how widespread the trend of contempt for life is in our country.  

Seeing the pros and cons of this bill through the mass media, she is amazed at the level of bioethics education of journalists writing articles. Except for a few reporters, the suspension of life-sustaining treatment was understood as a matter of dignity.
 
This situation is also found in opinion polls. According to a poll released by Korea Research on July 13th, 82% of the respondents were in favor of 'helping with death with dignity. And this is widely reported through various media. In short, according to the columnist, the act of committing suicide with the assistance of a doctor is neither an act of dignity nor a death with dignity. It's just suicide.
 
Our society has been developing a diseased culture that regards the right to self-determination as the highest value of human dignity. Humans can make decisions on their own, without any interference or coercion. This is an obvious fact. And with that free decision comes moral responsibility. Because my freedom needs a space (world) to realize it.
 
So while I realize my freedom, and my self-determination, I have a positive or negative influence on the space in which I will realize the freedom of others. In other words, I am not interfering with or changing other people's freedom, but changing the space in which that person's freedom is realized. This is because if we allow each person's negligence and destructive freedom, it will have a fatally adverse effect on the world and its structure, and ultimately pollute the space in which our freedom will be realized, that is, the world.
 
So, isn't the law there to make the world a better place by maintaining social order and realizing the right to freedom? But what happens to that society if the law rather incites destructive behavior against human freedom? It is also undisputed that human beings are influenced in many ways, consciously and unconsciously, in their self-determination, left to the mediation of public opinion and propaganda. This is something to keep in mind. 

From the moment that the right to self-determination is pretended to be the highest value of human dignity and pseudo-assisted suicide is called "death with assisted dignity," it is already under the influence of false information and incorrect terminology. Therefore, physician-assisted suicide should never be called "assisted death with dignity" nor should it be allowed.
 
 "It is at the heart of the moral conscience that the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, with all its various and deadly consequences for life, is taking place. It is a question, above all, of the individual conscience, as it stands before God in its singleness and uniqueness. But it is also a question, in a certain sense, of the "moral conscience" of society: in a way it too is responsible, not only because it tolerates or fosters behavior contrary to life, but also because it encourages the 'culture of death, creating and consolidating actual 'structures of sin' which go against life. The moral conscience, both individual and social, is today subjected, also as a result of the penetrating influence of the media, to an extremely serious and mortal danger: that of confusion between good and evil, precisely about the fundamental right to life."
 (The Gospel of Life, no. 24)

'World Migrants and Refugees Day'

The number of migrants residing in Korea is over 2 million, roughly the same as the population of one of our provinces. A multicultural society is soon approaching, where migrants make up more than 5% of the total population, but Korean society still lacks many policies or attitudes welcoming migrants or treating them as equal fellow citizens. So begins the Eyes of the Believer column in the Catholic Times by the director of a Theological Research Institute.                                                                             Foreign workers usually work in low-wage, poor workplaces where Koreans are reluctant to go. Discrimination or human rights violations are not uncommon, and they often suffer from industrial accidents and delayed payment of wages. In particular, undocumented migrants and refugees who are not legally protected are often threatened even at the minimum level of human dignity.

We treat migrants like second-class citizens because they are from underdeveloped countries, or we see them as 'aggressors' who covet our work or 'destroyers' who threaten the social safety net we have built. For example, not long ago, the government announced that it would strengthen the qualifications for health insurance for foreigners. In fact, the financial balance of foreign health insurance has been in surplus for 4 years and helping us.
 
Catholic churches around the world celebrate the last Sunday of September as 'World Migrants and Refugees Day'. This year was the 108th Pope’s message titled Building a Future Together with Migrants and Refugees. The message conveys the vision of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 60:10-11), who regards the Gentiles not as invaders or destroyers, but as workers willing to build the walls of the New Jerusalem, leaving the gates wide open for Gentiles with gifts to enter. Immigrants and refugees have historically been the foundation of our society's social and economic growth, reminding us that they provide us with opportunities for cultural and spiritual growth and realizing the beauty of the diversity of the world.
 
In Western societies, where aging has been a serious problem, there are many cases in which migrants have been actively accepted and industrial and cultural development has been revived. In Korea, too, as migrants settle in areas that were concerned about population extinction, the area is revived, and news is coming out that it is possible to maintain branch schools or small schools that would have been closed due to a decrease in the number of students.
 
She also remembers a story about a Catholic believer who became acquainted with immigrants who are devout Muslims and began to reflect on his own religious life by seeing their deep faith and daily practices. Our society and culture will be more diverse if we view migrants and refugees not only as neighbors in need but also respect their religion and culture and learn from each other as brothers and sisters.

According to the results of the '2021 National Multicultural Receptivity Survey' published this year, the younger the age, the higher the multicultural acceptance. The number of young people who say they are having relationships with migrants as friends or school students has increased. One thing that stands out from the youth survey is that 87.7% of the respondents agreed with the question, "As global citizens, we all have a responsibility to solve common global problems such as war and environmental pollution."  

We hope for the future of Korean society that our youth, who are open to multiculturalism and highly responsible as global citizens, will lead along with their immigrant friends. "Lord, help us realize how beautiful it is to live together as brothers and sisters—amen."
 

Dreaming of Reconciliation on the Peninsula

  The Reconciliation Column in the Catholic times by the priest secretary of the Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops gives the readers some thoughts on the present situation in Korea.

In 1919, Shim Hoon (1901-1936), a sophomore in High School at the time, was arrested for participating in a demonstration for national independence on March 1st. The novel ‘The Evergreen Tree’ published by Shim Hoon in 1935 is remembered as a representative work of Korean peasant literature in the 1930s. The following are the questions and answers recorded in Shim Hoon's preliminary interrogation report of the District Court in June 1919.
 
Q: What is the independence movement? A: We are now annexed by Japan, but we are fighting to regain the rights we have lost to Japan and become an independent country again.
 
Q: Why does the defendant want independence? A: This is because a nation should have independent politics without being sanctioned by other people. Unauthorized politics in Korea by Japan is to hold a sword even to civil servants and be hostile to Koreans. In addition, education and other unequal domination are ultimately making Koreans slaves to Japan, so we hope for independence.
 
 Q: Did you think independence would be achieved if you declared independence and sang (만세)hurrah? A: Of course, just calling for hurray does not mean independence. However, if you inspire the idea of ​​independence in this way, you will become independent someday, so you are doing the independence movement.
 
 Q: Will you continue the independence movement in the future? A: If there is an opportunity, I will do it again.
 
 More than 100 years ago, there were countless people who rejected violence and peacefully shouted hurrah for our nation's independence. The Japanese Empire was too strong for those who believed in ‘power’ to rule the world, and ‘long live independence’ was unrealistic. But those who could not give up on justice and peace cried out for hope in spite of the ridicule of the world.
 
Pope Francis recently said in an interview with South Korean media that he would go to North Korea as soon as he receives an invitation from North Korea. The Pope has already expressed his will to visit North Korea several times, but this time he expressed his will to the North Korean authorities more directly, saying, "I am asking you to invite me." The Pope and the Holy See's efforts to visit North Korea may seem unrealistic in view of the international situation heading for confrontation and the frozen inter-Korean relations. But Christians who believe in the Kingdom of God are not deprived of hope under any circumstances. Let the Korean church wishing for reconciliation and unity of the nation pray more earnestly for peace on the Korean Peninsula together with the Pope.

What the Good Samaritan Could Not Do

 

In  the Uncomfortable Story Column of the  Catholic Peace Weekly the writer gives his understanding of what the Good Samaritan was not able to do in Luke's account of the parable. Few are those not familiar with the Good Samaritan, believers or not. Jesus gave this parable in response to the doctor of the law in an example of what it means to love your neighbors as yourself, many  similar stories in other traditions besides the Christian Bible.

Mencius mentions the child who falls into a well, once known, all will quickly run to save the child. This is the human natural compassion expressed with the Chinese character (仁) benevolent, kind hearted. You have the character for a person  and the number two.Everything begins from here—source and the bases of conduct. Peter Singer is a utilitarian, a well known present day philosopher. In utilitarianism, an action is judged not by its intrinsic nature, but by its consequences.He gives a very natural utilitarian morality to rid the world of poverty and the dilemma present.

The writer wonders whether his acts of charity are from the selfish motive of self-satisfaction. Maybe his personal acts are like pouring water into a bottomless earthenware pot. And wonders if his philanthropy and giving may serve to sustain this unequal world rather than change it. Philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who say they donate huge sums to help  "capitalism from collapsing," may be more honest. 

This was the dilemma that he has not been able to solve since he was in his 20s. Should we do the philanthropy that will perpetuate what is wrong with the  world, or should we focus our energy on more fundamental reforms? It is funny that people who are neither social activists nor politicians have such concerns, but it is a topic that a good Samaritan with a literal sense of pity would have thought about it at least once. The answer is easy. You don't have to choose one of the two. A child who has fallen into a well must be rescued immediately, while at the same time to remove the well from the children's play area. 

However, the reality is not that simple. Even people who usually feel sympathy and compassion for people with disabilities criticize them once they take part in subway protests. Could our compassion and charity work only as long as it doesn't harm me? The poor and needy are the object of compassion and care, but the moment they ask us to act responsibly and claim their rights, they become legal objects.

I don't believe there was any lack of compassion in the president's heart as he looked into the homes of the semi-subterranean flood victims. But the moment they stand up like disabled people, they will be subject to legal punishment. In this way, our compassion can always turn into anger, and a merciful ruler can always turn into a public security officer. Such is the nature of caring and charity. 

The main function of the medieval church was to provide relief to the poor and the disabled through a charitable system. The image of the  compassionate Blessed Virgin was transferred to the church as a nourishing mother church called 'Alma Mater', and the thinking that the rich and the church obtain salvation by helping the poor, and the poor continue to survive when this is established. This changed to the logic of rehabilitating beggars and criminals and turning them back into laborers with  educational centers and mental hospitals in the early days of capitalism. As Michel Foucault said, 'monitoring and punishing' only changed its face to 'management and care'. 

He wonders if our church is still in the Middle Ages. We try to fulfill the social responsibility of the church through numerous care facilities and charities. However, welfare, no matter how wide spread it may be, it's not the same as solving inequality. This can be directly applied to the climate problem. Aren't we the ones who sort out recyclables to separate and dispose of every day, leaving the companies that mass-produce products that will become garbage and the capital that uses huge fossil fuels as they are? 

It is not enough to be a good Samaritan.You have to catch the robber.

Organic Farmers—Lovers of the Earth

The Catholic Web Site Now/Here had a report on the 43rd Catholic Eco Forum held on the 13th at the Catholic Center in Seoul under the theme is food life or an industry? In this forum, farmers directly participated as presenters, it was emphasized that organic agriculture is a major response to the climate crisis and that for life-saving agriculture to be sustainable, not only farmers but also consumers should recognize the value and work together.

One presenter talked about the importance of organic farming and said that if sustainable agriculture and rural areas are to remain, consumers must choose fair and honest producers so that organic farming can continue.

According to one scientific journal, 64 percent of the world's arable land is contaminated with pesticides,. Eco-friendly agriculture is good for consumers, but not using pesticides or herbicides is best for farmers above all else. Although DDT and defoliant have been discontinued, the proportion of organic farming that does not use synthetic chemicals such as chemical fertilizers, organic synthetic pesticides, growth regulators, herbicides, and livestock feed additives in Korea is only 2.3 percent. On the other hand, the use of pesticides is higher than that of other developed countries.

Organic farming can increase the carbon stock in the soil, which can help combat climate change. He mentioned that the EU (European Union) has decided to convert 25 percent of all farmland to organic farming by 2030 and that the US and Japan are also increasing organic farming. He emphasized that the keywords for carbon neutrality are “honesty and fairness,” and that it is for sustainable agriculture and rural areas to reject the corporate-oriented food industry and allow fair and honest producers to continue to work.

The Catholic Eco-Forum emphasized the importance of paddy wetlands and organic agriculture that can act as carbon storage. Ecological agriculture is also forced to give up due to consumer dissatisfaction looking for insect-free, good-looking, and cheap agricultural products.
 

"If small farmers give up farming and leave, eventually large farmers will absorb the farmland and use chemical fertilizers and herbicides again to destroy the life of the rice paddies." He continued, saying that rice is the start of life in agriculture and protects the ecosystem. However, he emphasized that eco-friendly agriculture cannot be maintained if the government and the media remain indifferent and consumers do not recognize the value of organic products.
 
Regarding the question of whether food is life or industry, he said: "Food is a life industry." Another presenter a member of the Catholic Farmers' Association explained the church's teachings on agriculture and food. "The church's teaching is that life cannot be compromised, it is not subject to bargaining, and a Christian must preserve life."
However, despite the firm teachings of the universal church, it is not well transmitted and practiced in the local churches.

Art Therapy for the Elderly

In the magazine of the Society of the Most Holy Trinity of Mirinae a religious brother of the Society, Brother Lee Michael introduces the readers to his pastoral work with the elderly.

In his experience, there are many elders hospitalized without being diagnosed with any particular disease but suffer. They are often not conscious of what is happening to them, are not given any special medicines, and when walking along the street are often made fun of by children, families often keep them locked up at home.

Nowadays we call this disease dementia and the only medicine given is to prevent the disease from getting worse. Korean society is quickly developing into an aging society and among this group, we have an increase of depression and suicides. At present those over the age of  65, 33%  have symptoms of depression that require that something be done. 

There are many programs that are now available to slow down the development of dementia or prevent its development.  Some examples: music, gym work, walking, sand play, art therapy, etc. have been developed by psychological counselors. He mentions the work of Carl Rogers (1902-1987) and his Person-Centered Therapy and his work with art therapy for the elderly. The writer has become qualified in this field of art therapy for the elderly.

This refers to the entire process in which art therapists professionally trained in psychological, mental, and difficulties of the elderly obtain desirable results through understanding interaction with the elderly.

Art psychology classes for the elderly help them to express emotions and experiences through activities that would be difficult to express in language. They are helped to express themselves positively and creatively. Through the process, they are able to accept social and psychological changes in a healthy manner. In the remaining years of life, they are helped to overcome anxiety, depression, and fear that comes into a person's life.

He lists some of the benefits that can come to a person taking the program.

1) Using different art materials strengthens the five senses.

2) It has a rehabilitative capability to heal problems caused by left and right brain damage.

3) Movements help the development of large and small muscles.

4) Improves language skills.

5) Develops the muscle tissue of the hand.

6)  Develops the ability to express oneself in a group.

7) Helps to relax psychological tensions, gain stability, and live with more joy.

8) Relaxation and the rhythm of regular breathing during the time spent together is maintained or improved.

Elderly Art Psychology helps a person to change their whole way of living.

There is no concrete goal expected. The elders by their art allow them to paint freely and reminisce about their own hidden old memories. Everything that they paint or draw is alright. Everything that they draw or paint is explained to their instructor and helps in deepening the communication between them.`

He mentions an example where one of the elders painted the sky red. He asked why was it not blue and the answer was as a child the house was on fire and the whole sky was red. Hearing these words all began to nod their heads in understanding.

There are many memories from time past that have disappeared. In this therapy program recalling the past and reflecting on personal experiences provides an opportunity to integrate the past with the present. Reminiscence therapy is introduced as a way for patients to have better mental health by remembering their experiences.  One can participate comfortably in this therapy because it allows the elderly to keep and retrieve latent memories for a longer time by having others listen to and recall the experiences of the elderly during the conversation. This process helps cognitive enhancement.

He goes on to explain what is done in the program step by step and ends with the hope that these programs continue to grow among the elderly.

Is Science a Challenge to Faith?

In the Catholic Times Theological  Lecture-hall  column  the  director of Catholic Culture and Theology Institute gives the readers his thoughts on Science and Religion.

 

While lecturing on the eschatology of creation in the  seminary, he became  interested in the relationship between science and religion.  He read the books of  scholars who insist on the dialogue and resonance between science and theology, and try to introduce scientific descriptions and explanations into theological issues. We commend their efforts to reconcile theology and science. But for the columnist, a typical liberal arts student, their theological narratives were difficult to understand and  were not presented convincingly. 

 

The narrative method of natural science, which is based on theories and experiments about nature, and the humanistic description based on theories and experiences about humans and life are different in color. Although humans today tend to be seen as part of nature, there is a difference between exploring and explaining natural phenomena and understanding and interpreting human patterns. He sympathizes more with scholars who advocate two language theories than those who advocate fusion and consilience. Although science and theology can and should communicate with each other, In his opinion the language of science and the language of theology (humanities) have different goals and directions.

 

From a theological point of view, the positions and views of natural scientists are sometimes difficult to accept, but their honest statements are quite attractive. The books of social biologist Edward Wilson were more philosophical than many books in the humanities.  The books of psychologist and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, computer engineer and neuroscientist Jeff Hawkins, physicist Brian Green, and neuroscientist Anil Seth have more interesting storytelling than any literary book, and more honest and profound thought than any philosophical book. It contains the ultimate question about humanity and life more than any theological book. The irony that natural scientists' explanations contain more literary sentiment, philosophical reflections, and theological questions, and are more persuasive, is often experienced these days. 

 

Life on Earth is estimated to have started 4 billion years ago. Homo sapiens started about 300,000 years ago. It is said that the history of life consists of successive stages of being, feeling, and knowing. They change from living beings to beings that feel and sense, learn and know. Roughly speaking, it seems to have evolved from simple life into feelings and emotions, mind and spirit and consciousness, intelligence and knowledge, and culture and history.

 

Where do feelings come from? What is consciousness? what is the mind, the feeling, the conscious mind? Scientists in the position of physicalism (materialism) find the origin and composition of feelings and consciousness in the body. We are trying to find the answer through research on the brain and nervous system in the body. Brain science and neuroscience are at the forefront of human understanding today.

 

Humans are also living beings in nature. Are humans exceptional in nature? While there is no need to exaggerate the differences between humans and non-humans, scientists acknowledge that there is a clear gap. Antonio Damasio argues that feeling, consciousness, and the cultural mind place man in the most unique position among all living beings. The human conscious mind, the cultural mind, through memory, language, imagination, reasoning, etc., made humans more creative than other living beings. Humans are clearly different from animals that are honest only with feelings and emotions, and artificial machines (intelligence) that specialize only in the realms of intelligence and knowledge. 

 

Animals also have consciousness, but only humans are said to be self-conscious. I live as 'me'. I am neither 'you' nor 'he'.  Anil Seth says that ‘being who I am’ is ultimately about the body. "The totality of perception and cognition, the overall panorama of human experience and mental life, consists of a deeply embedded biological power of survival. We perceive the world around us and ourselves in it as a living body, through and because of it." Then, when the life of the body ends, does consciousness disappear and I also disappear? Because our inner universe of mind and consciousness is also a part of nature, physicalists think that with the disappearance of the body, consciousness of self and 'I' also disappear. Am I  only 'me' while I'm alive? 

 

If human feelings, consciousness, and knowledge are based on the body (body, matter), does the feeling, consciousness and knowledge of ‘I’ disappear after death? Feeling, consciousness, and knowledge disappear, but does the individual ‘I’ exist after death? The Church attempts to explain this dilemma through the concept of the soul. The soul is the principle and foundation of human existence. "The Church teaches that the soul of each person – not 'made' by his parents – is created by God himself and is immortal. Even if separated from the body by death, the soul does not disappear and will be reunited with the body at the resurrection" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 366). The earthly body and the resurrected body are different. 

 

In fact, doctrinal propositions are often declarative rather than explanatory. Sometimes there is a gap between professing and accepting doctrine and understanding and explaining it. The existence of this immaterial soul is not the realm of scientific proof, but the realm of faith. But really, like the theologians who insist on the resonance between science and theology, does the development of science today make the content of faith more clearly visible than in the past rather than a challenge to faith? 

 

The time engraved on the earthly body is always toward extinction. Human time, Earth time, cosmic time will last longer, but the feeling that one day my time of existence will end often saddens me. "My soul is old"  but I believe and hope that my soul will be with the Lord forever.

 

 "From a historical and evolutionary point of view, consciousness can be thought of as a kind of forbidden fruit. Because once you eat its fruit, you know pain and suffering, and eventually face death tragically" (Antonio Damasio). Despite the tragic nature of consciousness, isn't it grace and dazzling beauty to live as something you can feel and think about?