Reclusive Loners In Society

In the View from the Ark column of the Catholic Weekly, a religious sister looks at the reclusive loner among Korean teenagers.

Not long ago, she met a teenager in the area who was a reclusive loner.  There is no official data on reclusive loners, but KBS reported that there are 100,000  in Korea and about 15% drop out of school. 40% of those with a history of seclusion began their seclusion in adolescence and the number of potential reclusive loners is considered to be much higher than what the figures indicate.

We see students around us who have lost motivation and even given up on social life. Even among teenagers, we learn through personal counseling that they are experiencing various difficulties (school violence, bullying, abnormalities lack of protection, etc.)  even though it does not seem like a real crisis. Adolescents who experience such difficulties show fear or avoidance of interpersonal relationships.

They spend their days helplessly for no clear reason. They are reluctant to talk to others, and their interpersonal relationships gradually decrease, if this continues, they eventually reach the stage of dropping out of school or choosing isolation. 

Considering that adolescence is a time for various relationship training required for adulthood, this can be considered a very serious problem. These are people who need great courage to face new people, a new world, and themselves.

That's why support is desperately needed for reclusive loners. What is significant among the survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on 8,800 isolated and reclusive young people is that the majority of isolated and reclusive youth and adolescents clearly expressed their intention to join the human family and even made active attempts to do so.

However, the rate of isolation again after attempting 'de-isolation' is 45.6%. The most common reasons were ‘because of lack of money and time,’ ‘because it was difficult and exhausting,’ and ‘because the problem was not solved.’ Among the respondents who did not attempt to break away from isolation, the most common reason was ‘because of lack of information’.

Adolescence is a time when children break free from the dependent relationship with their parents and learn various ways of life through more equal and mutual relationships with friends and others. In particular, since we grow through many rapid changes in various aspects, we need appropriate help to solve the challenges we face in this process. Therefore, peer relationships, social relationships, and experiences during adolescence are important factors in determining whether a person can grow into a healthy adult and adapt well to society.

If we intervene early on in adolescents who show signs of being reclusive loners, wouldn't it be possible to prevent the prolongation of seclusion and enable a successful return to society? Fortunately, the government recently revised the Enforcement Decree of the Youth Welfare Support Act to include support for reclusive youth as targets of the at-risk youth support project.

Once they decide to go out into the world, their anxiety about the unknown world will be unimaginably great. What is most needed is a safe support system and enjoyable and meaningful experience programs that can transform such anxiety into a positive experience.

Reclusive loners often occur due to social and environmental causes that are difficult to attribute responsibility. Therefore, all of us need to detect those who live in seclusion or those who are in situations that could lead to seclusion at an early stage so that they can grow into healthy members of society. It is our role to look around us to see if there are any reclusive teenagers.

Insights on the Future of Artificial Intelligence

The Catholic website Here and Now gives the readers some interesting insights on AI and the future by an author with a doctorate in the field of Sociology who has written books on the digital world in which we live.

As the intellectual capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to advance, the definition of AI is also radically expanding. AI, which was initially thought of as a good tool or useful solution, is now reaching a level where it is recognized as an object similar to humans or with human-like judgment and creativity. The various surprising reactions that have emerged so far are summarized as follows.

*AI as an autonomous agent: This definition considers AI as an independent and autonomous agent, capable of setting goals and acting on its own like humans. This means that AI can evolve into a ‘digital life form’ beyond a simple program.

*AI as a possessor of consciousness and emotions: Some radical definitions claim that AI can have consciousness and emotions. This is the view that AI can form self-awareness, experience emotions, and make ethical decisions through artificial neural networks that operate similarly to the human brain.

* Digital superintelligence: It is believed that AI will have superintelligence, far exceeding human intellectual ability and that this can revolutionize human society. This definition emphasizes the duality of AI, which can both solve humanity's problems and create new ones.

Each definition has problems. When AI emerges that combines robots, drones, and biotechnology, the boundary between AI and humans becomes blurred, so it could even be argued that another definition is needed. Looking at the recent pace of development, this is possible. In fact, related research is in progress in some laboratories.

On the other hand, contrary to these concerns, many scholars have pointed out the limitations of AI. A Science fiction (SF) writer said at a Digital Forum’ held in Seoul, that artificial intelligence has no ‘intention’ and ‘intelligence’  no intention of conveying emotions. Since artificial intelligence without intelligence can only do an inhumane amount of practical work in a short period and nothing more, the term ‘applied statistics’ was suggested instead of ‘artificial intelligence’. In the same forum, another professor said: "Humans can easily figure out which image is the right image with common sense, but in the case of generative artificial intelligence, we do not know which image is actually bad, and it generates many bad examples." Lack of human understanding is a limitation of artificial intelligence.

Amid these different claims and definitions, the European Union (EU) Council last May finally approved the ‘EU Artificial Intelligence Act’, which sets comprehensive rules surrounding AI technology. This law will officially take effect in the 27 EU member states starting this month. Although this law was enacted by the EU, AI itself is a global issue and most countries have common interests in AI use and regulation, so it is likely to become a global standard for overall artificial intelligence in the future. One of the most interesting aspects of EU AI law is the definition of AI. The definition of AI that EU AI and legal experts arrived at after long research and discussion is as follows.

AI system’ means a machine-based System that is designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy.

According to this definition, AI is a system that does not set a goal for itself, but works to a goal set by humans. And a system that can take decisions and act autonomously to a given goal. But this limitation does not guarantee the future of AI. In fact, there are provisions in the EU's artificial intelligence law that are absolutely prohibiting it. For example, subconscious or manipulative, deceptive techniques for distorting human decisions, manipulating behavior, exploiting human vulnerabilities to distort human behaviour, leaking sensitive information based on bio-data, etc., are “prohibited” unless special exceptions are specified. One of the reasons for the prohibition is that current laws and institutions cannot reasonably predict the future of AI.

One of the reasons why AI definitions are so diverse is because no one has a clear definition of intelligence. Intelligence is generally defined as a mental activity or process that is acquired through experience and learning and used to solve problems or make better choices, but this definition cannot fully explain intelligence. Nevertheless, the word or concept of ‘intelligence’ has been used without any problems in real life and academic fields until now, but with the advent of artificial intelligence, it became a topic of controversy as it became necessary to distinguish the difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Ultimately, the focus of the debate is on the question of how to distinguish between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, which can then be reframed as the question of what is the difference between humans and artificial intelligence.

Here, we learn that the starting point of the debate is the recognition that artificial intelligence has perfect or near-perfect production capabilities and the learning ability that makes such production possible. Until now, only humans had this level of ability, but the writer was shocked to see something new appear. However, unlike artificial intelligence, real humans are neither perfect nor have near-perfect production capabilities. Always dissatisfied with the present and anxious about the future. 

Although there may be differences in degree, most people live with some degree of dissatisfaction— depression. This unstable psychological state sometimes leads to artistic creative activities and sometimes becomes the foundation of spirituality. It can lead to compassion for less fortunate neighbors, or it can become a will to dedicate one's life to the community. Here is an essential difference that AI does not have. In no case does AI get depressed. Now, we need to abandon our excessive obsession with ‘intelligence’ and think about depressed humans and non-depressed AI. What is needed now is a time for reflection.

Existence Is Not Illegal

 

In the View from the Ark Column of the Catholic Times, a pastor gives the readers some help understanding Human Rights in Korea.

According to the “2023 Human Rights Awareness Survey Report” published by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea early this year, the response that their human rights are respected recorded 86.5%, down 1.9 percentage points from the previous year for the first time in an upward trend since 2019. The response that human rights across society are respected has declined since 2021, reaching 71.0%, while the reaction that the human rights of the socially disadvantaged and minorities are respected was only 50.3%, a decrease from last year. 

The results of a detailed investigation into whether human rights were respected for socially disadvantaged and minority groups showed that women's human rights were the highest at 81.2%, and immigrants' human rights were the lowest at 36.7%.

In particular, immigrants accounted for 14.9% and refugees 7.3% as targets of hate speech. Fortunately, the figure for refugees decreased by 3.6% compared to last year, but the figure for immigrants remained almost the same as last year. The numbers for women (31.2%), people with disabilities (27.6%), and the elderly (22.2%) may seem low compared to immigrants and refugees, but possibly due to a lack of attention to immigrants and refugees.

Fundamentally, hate speech originates from the unjust judgment that immigrants and refugees are inferior beings consisting of expressions that demean them based on their skin color, nationality, appearance, etc. There are also cases where hate speech leads to discrimination and even violence against them. To counter this, Amnesty International has been running the "Silence Hate" project since 2018, seeking ways to confront hate speech through education and discussion.

Terms commonly used in our daily lives begin to embody discrimination and exclusion, turning into hate speech. The most representative term is "multicultural". This word refers to "families composed of people with different nationalities, races, or cultures," but in Korean society, it has been commonly used to refer to families where Koreans have married migrants. However, despite the increasing trend of multicultural families, our society's capacity to accept immigrants has not been strengthened, leading to the term being degraded into an expression of discrimination and even hate. 

From the perspective of discrimination and exclusion, the term considered most problematic is "illegal overstayer." According to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary, illegal stay means "staying in another country without following proper procedures or beyond the allowed period." Using the antonym of legal, and illegal, to express a situation where legal residency qualifications are not obtained may not seem like a big deal. However, illegal stay and illegal overstayers have completely different contexts. The former refers to the legality of residency qualifications, while the latter degrades the existence of a human being to illegality.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has pointed out this context and recommended in 2018, following the usage of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to change the term "illegal immigrant" to "undocumented immigrant," and currently, activists related to immigrants and refugees are also using the term "undocumented immigrant."

Christianity confesses and believes that God created humans in His image, similar to Himself, and proclaims that all human existence is dignified. In the eyes of Christians, 'existence cannot be illegal'. Nevertheless, it is the reality of Korean society that the term "illegal overstayer" can still be seen and heard frequently in newspaper articles and videos. We Christians, at least, hope and wish that we can strive to create a society where the dignity of human existence is respected by avoiding expressions of discrimination, exclusion, and hate, including this term.

Visiting An Enemy Cemetery—

 

A Brother of the Taizé Community in his Catholic Times column gives us a meditation on seeing a documentary of a Shaman taking her disciples to the 'Enemy  Cemetery' in Paju Korea where she performed a ritual to console the souls of the North Korean soldiers who died during the Korean War.

The shaman danced tirelessly from morning until dusk, visiting many graves with great effort. As darkness fell, the shaman, now in a trance, began to spout the angry curses of the soldiers. Then, a boy's voice cried "Mother!" The wailing of the young soldier, filled with injustice, sorrow, pain, and longing, lingered in his ears for some time.

The 'Enemy Cemetery' located in Paju City, is now called the 'North Korean Military Cemetery'. The remains of 437 Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers, who were once at the same site, have all been repatriated after March 2014, leaving only their tombstones. The North Korean soldiers' gravestones are marked with names, ranks, dates, and places of death, though many are unnamed. 'Armed guerillas' dispatched to the South at various times, including during the January 21st Incident, are also buried here. The recent graves, marked only with numbers and no names or places, are presumed to be those of North Korean soldiers who died during infiltration incidents. 

For several years the Diocese of Uijeongbu has been offering Mass at the cemetery during All Souls’ Month. When Mass was offered conservative groups would come and protest and demonstrate. "Why do we pray for North Korean soldiers, our enemies?" 

“Ah, how can we forget this day / The day when our country was trampled by our enemies / We blocked the enemies with our bare fists and red blood / The day we stamped our feet and hit the ground and trembled with righteous indignation… ”

Our generation sang the June 25 song countless times when we were young, and we still clearly remember the lyrics and melody. The enemy in the song was none other than our fellow countrymen and brothers. 

As time passed and the situation changed, the enemy came to be referred to again as fellow countrymen, compatriots, and people. Movements for inter-Korean reconciliation occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, and several inter-Korean summits were held in the 2000s. However, peace, coexistence, reconciliation, and cooperation remain only a distant echo, and the North and South are once again growling like enemies and using the language of blackmail and threats. North Korea again remains the main enemy.

War exposes the most barbaric and bestial characteristics of humans, dehumanizing both themselves and their opponents. Perhaps hatred and revenge are more primitive human emotions than forgiveness and reconciliation. 

Looking at Korean society, the wounds and trauma of war seem to be passed down from generation to generation unbeknown to most. Wounds have not been properly healed— the language of hate is spewed at brothers and neighbors, dialogue is cut off, and camp logic is strengthened.

What can Christians on this earth do to change this terrible reality of confrontation and hatred? How can we become ‘wounded healers’ to break free from the shackles of the past in which we were both victims and perpetrators and be open to a common future?

Community And Spiritual Growth

A priest columnist, a university professor, in his recent article in the Catholic Peace Weekly gives the readers some understanding of spiritual growth.

The educational activities throughout one's life, from childhood to old age, are called 'lifelong education'. In terms of faith, the term 'continuous formation' would be fitting. A person of faith is constantly 'becoming',  a process of embodying the likeness of Christ within oneself.

Our biggest misconception is that all formation ends with Sunday school catechism or catechumenate instruction. Just as lifelong education is necessary to adapt to the constantly evolving society and culture as we age, continuous formation is also necessary in faith. This is because we understand the world, life, and faith changes depending on the situation and age.

Another misconception about formation is thinking of it as a purely individual matter. Faith formation happens 'together' because faith is always the church's faith. If we think about it, we have always lived within a community. For a person of faith, the community is where life begins with baptism and ends with death, returning to God.

A Christian believer belongs to a community. Formation occurs through the community, and the life of the community itself is a method of formation. When Jesus called the twelve apostles and lived with them, it was to form disciples through the community. We also need the community for continuous formation. Now that most parish communities have grown large, small communities where life can be shared seem more necessary than ever.

Most parishes in Paris, France, operate 'young professionals groups'. These youth groups, consisting of about ten young people, meet every two weeks. In these meetings, they look at what they have experienced in a secularized society through the eyes of faith and share how to live as people of faith. 

Participants reflect on their lives through the Bible and the teachings of the church and share various experiences, especially difficulties. They also discover new meaning and purpose of living as people of faith. 

These meetings include various activities such as walking pilgrimages, retreats, dinner gatherings, and museum visits. Through these, members can strengthen not only their faith-based empathy— the ability to understand and appreciate another person's feelings and experiences and one's own humanity— a way of living in which the mind and emotions are in harmony.

In addition to these groups, the French church also has various gatherings for engaged couples, married couples, etc., where continuous formation takes place. If we think about it, there are also various organizations and communities in our country where such continuous formation occurs. Marriage Encounter (ME), Cursillo, small community groups, and Legion of Mary are good examples of formation that take place within small communities.

Such small gatherings serve as places of formation and accompany each person's faith journey. When one's concerns and difficulties are empathized, they gain strength. 

For these gatherings to be more than just meetings and truly become places of formation, it is necessary for participants to recognize the importance of continuous formation together and to jointly plan for formation.

The Power of Listening

The Catholic Peace Weekly in an article on listening written by a priest with a doctoral degree in pastoral theology and working in formation gives us some important insights on listening. 

We often need to remember that listening is much harder than speaking, and the reasons are many. If we don't respect the person we will not have the necessary attention to listen. It takes 3 years to become proficient in speaking, but 60 years to become proficient in listening. 

The attitude of listening and dialogue requested during the synod process is ‘to be more open to the voices of not only those that think differently from us but also those who we easily ignore and exclude.’ It is difficult to accept that we must listen even to people we do not want to talk to.

“Strong copy can grab consumers’ attention, but it’s not enough to get them to make a purchase.” It is possible to get people to accept the importance of listening, but it seems that a certain level of preparation is needed. 

First, experience improving relationships with others through listening. It would be good to learn listening skills step by step, but first, listen sincerely to what others are saying. It would be a good idea to first experience the power of listening through this process. When the other person feels that they are truly listening to my voice, their attitude toward me will change. [listening to gain hearts” (以聽得心) is not easy for those who think they are doing well.]

First of all, listen sincerely to the other person’s voice. At some point, you will feel that the other person's voice toward you has become softer. Experience the power of listening. Listening is not just listening to what the other person says, but also examining what the other person is trying to convey even though he or she did not express it verbally, and providing feedback to the other person.

Even if we know what we need, it takes a certain amount of time and effort to prepare ourselves. For example, people want to lose weight. Some choose extreme weight loss methods with little thought and  rarely succeed. People who have confidence in weight management by reducing overeating and increasing exercise time daily seem to be relatively successful in managing their weight. The same goes for listening. As you accumulate daily experiences of listening, you will gain the power to be willing to listen to the other person's words even if they are difficult. 

Not long ago, the writer came across the story of a person who started a new life by practicing listening and improving his relationships with people around him. There was a time when he evaluated himself as an inferior being. Then he happened to read a book, without any special content. However, just by listening and responding to the stories of people around him as suggested in the book, he was able to feel that his attitude toward himself was changing, and  confesses that this change became the starting point for living his life more actively.

Listening is more than just listening. It requires patience and effort to focus on the other person's voice. Even if you make an effort to listen, if the other person shows a wary attitude toward you, it will be difficult to continue your listening attitude. Nevertheless, the Synod emphasizes dialogue of listening, sincerely listening to the other person's story. The synod's demand that we listen to the voices of those we wish to ignore and exclude seems unrealistic. However, if the changes in relationships that occur through listening are helpful for the other person and ourselves, it is worth trying at least once. Let's Listen! 

Key to Youth Ministry

A brother of the Taizé Community in the latest issue of the Catholic Times gives us some thoughts on the approach to the young people of our society in his column.

One day, Pope Saint Paul VI asked Brother Roger of Taizé what the ‘key to youth ministry’ was. He wanted to know the secret of communicating with young people and introducing the faith to them.

During the 1968 Revolution, many young people in Europe were rejecting tradition and authority and moving away from the church. Young people no longer took for granted the authority of the government, fathers, and the church (which seemed to oppress freedom), and ‘Ban the ban!’ became a slogan. The older generation of the church showed great concern and warnings, and as they did so, the gap with the youth deepened.

However, even amid the rapid wave of secularization, the number of young people visiting Taizé has increased. The Pope’s question came from that context. Brother Roger, who thought there was no special way to gather young people, could not give a straight answer to this.

Rather than trying to teach young people, the Taizé community first listened to their stories and invited them to simple and beautiful communal prayer. The brothers listened to the young people's aspirations for a more equal and free world and encouraged their commitment to making this land a better place for everyone.

Then and now, Taizé's facilities for welcoming guests are simple and the food is simple. We welcome young people as they are and try to patiently listen to their concerns, pain, doubts, and aspirations. This kind of selfless listening may be the key to the youth ministry that Pope St. Paul VI asked about.

World Youth Day (WYD), the largest international Catholic event, will be held in Korea in 2027. We will need to pool our wisdom and capabilities to invite young people, who are the protagonists, and encourage their participation. In a reality where church and faith are being pushed out of the priorities of young people, WYD is a great challenge and opportunity for us.

What does the church look like through the eyes of today’s youth? Is the church really becoming a place of universal fellowship for everyone? Is it a place where diversity is respected and celebrated? Is the church a safe space for women and minorities? What is the position of women, laity, and young people in the church's decision-making process?

Rather than expecting young people to change their lives through WYD, isn't it more necessary for the church to try to become younger?

Inviting young people to church does not mean expecting them to come back like the prodigal son. In an aging church, those who need reflection and conversion are clergy, religious, and lay leaders who have more responsibilities than young people. How do we live the gospel in society and the church? What kind of examples are we giving the young people? Are we listening to and accompanying young people who are searching for meaning in life?

Thorough preparation will be necessary. The more important question is this. What kind of place is the church for young people in Korea?