Life Without Love is Prison

One of the priests of the diocese writing for the Pastoral Newsletter had a short reflection on prison life. He mentioned his visit with a woman who was in jail over some money problems. She was a very active member of the parish and he spent some time with her in a visit to the jail. He has never forgotten what she said to him on that occasion.

“Before I came to the jail, when I heard the word jail, the first thought that came to mind, a high wall, prison bars, guards who would be watching the prisoners. Finding myself in this situation, more than these problems is to be in a room with people that I hate and having to live with them. I have to hear the bickering of others, and at the same time inflicting punishment on others. Having to live with people I dislike, rub up with them in daily contact, sleep in the same room, this is repulsive and most difficult. "

Someone in that situation has no time to take a break, no respite from the oppressive atmosphere.

A professor who was in prison for political reasons mentioned something similar. He expressed it by saying usually the poor prefer summer over winter but for us in prison we prefer winter. Although there are many different reasons to value the summer, having to live in close contact with others the 'hate' makes all the difference in choosing the winter. In summer that close contact is living close to a fire all day long. The heat and also living so close with the other you dislike and are disliked is hard to accept. Having to conquer the cold by living closely with someone you hate is a penalty to beat all penalties. To hate the ones who are close to you and be hated in turn is a great misery.

The conclusion of the article was that in our daily lives we have to live with people we like or dislike. If we bicker fight and hate one another like prison, it will be a difficult.

Love, like the light of the sun gives us brightness and vitality, hate brings darkness into our hearts, body and brings sickness. Life without love can not bring happiness.

The aspect of living with people so closely you hate and are hated in turn, never entered my mind as one of the problems of prison life but it does not seem difficult to imagine. Probably the lack of space in the Korean Penal System makes it much more of a problem.

"After School Program" in Korean Schools

Since I have had some experience teaching in the “after school program” in Korea I read with interest the recent editorial in the Chosun Daily. The “after school program” tries to save the parents some money by helping the students at the school with some of the subjects that the parents feel necessary to prepare for the National Exams. This is a very praiseworthy effort and certainly should be continued but at the same time efforts should be made to improve the teaching during the regular hours of class.

The Government has set aside about 350 thousand dollars for 400 schools for a period of 3 years starting in July, for schools not using private institutions for educational purposes. The money will go to help hire teachers for the program, enable teachers with incentives, work with the capabilities of the students and tailor the programs to the different students’ needs. The programs in the school differ from the academies in that they do not have to rent space and can run the programs inexpensively. In programs that they have monitored they can teach in after school programs for 20 hours a month and do it for half the price of the cheapest academies.

One of the benefits of the after school program is that it is elected and they can take the students where they are in their studies and work from there. It could be more efficient and the teachers more zealously involved. The academies are often called cram schools which give you an idea of what they are hoping to achieve.

The parents in Korea take the studies of the children extremely serious. They do not have the number of children that their parents had and they know that the studies are going to determine what schools they can attend and their future. The parents here in Korea are said to spend four times the amount of money for outside school studies than those in the economies of similar countries. Part of the reason for this is the lack of confidence in the school system. We have parents sending their children overseas with the mother for education and the father remains here in Korea to earn the money for them. These are called wild geese fathers for they are reunited with the family, if the funds allow, once a year. There are also over a 100,000 Korean students studying in the United States which outnumbers any other foreign student group. These are signs that the parents do not have confidence in the Korean school system.

I learned in my few years in the program that there was need for accountability. The teachers should be graded for their abilities and helped to be more effective. They can do much better with the regular school programs and use the after school programs as a supplement. Competition would also help improve the quality of the teaching. The government can spend a great deal of money on all kinds of programs but if the teachers are not qualified than you will not get the results. When one talks about accountability nobody wants it. It is a big burden on all that are involved but a very necessary part of getting a quality product.

21st Anniversary Catholic Peace Newspaper

It has been a mystery to me over the years to see the number of newspapers in Seoul-they seem to have a large readership and no talk of bankruptcy and problems with income. This could be my simple lack of information on the subject.

The president of the Peace Catholic Newspaper and Peace Broadcasting System in the“editorial” for the 21st anniversary of the Peace Newspaper had a rather gloomy assessment of the situation. In my own way below is a brief summary of what was said.


Because we have those that want to buy does not mean that we have to sell; nor need we sell because we have people who want to buy.

The media is a means and not an end. No matter what means are selected the end is the same, to live like human beings. How to live like a human being is different for all of us but there is a general consensus on what is meant to live a human life. Each one in his or her own way has to determine the general values of living a full human life. In a contest if there is no points given then you have no losers.

He listed what Gandhi said about the destruction of Nations:

1) politics without principles
2) business without morality
3) wealth without work
4) knowledge without character
5) science without humanity
6) pleasure without conscience
7) worship without sacrifice.

The president left us with the impression that no matter how hard the financial situation becomes he will not resort to anything that does not help us live a more fully human life.

This is an issue that certainly has many different responses. To give the readers what they want is a good way to keep the readership. It is good business policy and many would say common sense. However, success in one field many be a failure in another. I sympathize very much with what the president had to say however, there may me a middle course in how to handle the Catholic news. I do not believe a Catholic Paper should go in the direction of the National Catholic Reporter nor be like the old L'Osservatore Romano. Sandro Magister who knows the situation well said that L'Osservatore has been remodeled: "More interviews. More space given to women. Non-Catholic contributors. International news, and about the Churches and the religions. Major cultural topics. To prompt thought and discussion even outside of Catholic boundaries."

There has to be honesty in the media but not everything has to be said because it is out there being talked about. The change in the L'Osservatore Romano would be a good example for many of our Catholic papers. The editorial ended with a quote from Isaiah:

Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what
I create. Isaiah: 65:17-18

Korean Weddings Need not be Expensive

May is the peak wedding season in Korea and even though the times are difficult many Koreans opt for expensive weddings. The government during the non democratic days tried hard to change the habits derived from the culture but with little results.

In recent days there have been articles in the daily papers showing how expensive some of the weddings are but also those who make it a point of having a very simple wedding. If they choose to have a wedding in a first class hotel the weddings can cost 100 million won. This would include flowers, makeup, photographs, gift for the in-laws music and the wedding banquet. For many who are not that well off, the cash gifts from the guests which can range from 20,000 to 100,000 won will help pay for the expenses.

In Korea as elsewhere there is not any hard and fast rule that you can lay down and say this is the way it is done. The Culture for the most part influences the wealthy more than the middle and working class but the facts are that there are as many different ways of marrying as there are couples and this is truer today than in the past. There was a time when it was said that the groom’s families asks for three keys from the brides family: a key to a security box, car and house. These are the types of stories that make the papers. Those who are not wealthy have more freedom to do as they please while the wealthy may be more concerned about what others will think and what their social peers expect of them.

Just recently we had the wedding in the States of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s son. It took place in a small Catholic chapel (Holy Family Church) in Manhattan where 150 well wishes attended even though he only invited 100 of close family and friends. Cash gifts were declined. There was no rent for the wedding hall, no flower garlands, no red carpets- a Church Mass and the exchanging of vows before the priest. Ban’s two daughters also had very simple weddings by Korean standards.

A Catholic Church wedding can cost very little. In many cases it is the Mass stipend if there is to be a Mass . The rest will depend on how much the family wants to spend for photographs, clothes and banquet. This can be done with very little if the customs of the area do not make it difficult for the couple to do what they feel is appropriate.

We need more Koreans who have the place in society that the Secretary General has , who are willing to do what their common sense tells them is the thing to do. With the mass media carrying stories of this type a great deal can be done to change the way people conduct their weddings in our Society

Determination

When the weather is reasonable and time allows I usually go up the nearby mountain for a couple of hours' exercise- especially since the City of Busan has made a marvelous path and mountain-top park.

About half way up the mountain I have noticed a man working hard to put siding on a medium –sized steel-framed building. I never stopped to inquire about his work until today. He was resting near the entrance so I felt –“Ah, a good chance to chat.”

Wiping the sweat from his face, he said, “I began this little factory three years ago, on this land bought by my grandfather.”

Curious, I continued, “I noticed you are always working alone. Do you have any one to help- sons, relatives, and friends?”

“Yes, he replied, “but they all have jobs,”

“Will you be able to put on the roof, before the raining season in July?”

He laughed “Maybe I’ll be able to put on the roof in 3 or 4 years”

He smiled again as I made a gesture of rolling up my sleeves to help him.

“It will take time, but, for sure, I will get it done!” he explained confidently.

Now each time I pass his project I will remember what he taught me so well! Determination! I want to do it! I will do it!

Korean Mothers and Fathers Day 2009

It was May 8, 2009, Aw-baw-ee nal our Mothers and Fathers Day in Korea. Emotions run high on this day for Koreans. I was invited by my community of H.D. (lepers) villagers as the elder to dinner. Because there were many joining in, a local buffet was chosen-reasonable price but an excellent variety of food. As we feasted on all kinds of fish, meat, vegetables, fruit mostly Korean delicacies, but even some western cuisine- I had to stop- take a deep breath in joy and gratitude.

My thoughts went back to 50 years ago when I first came to Busan Korea. The refugees from the North Korea were everywhere. Not only did we have little food, clothing, medicine but even a place to sleep. This was the fallout of the terrible Korean fratricidal War, 1950-53. But today was very different. No worries or privations, thoughts about tomorrow, all had come to enjoy! All ate, were filled and there was much left over.

It has always surprised me how little time it takes to go from an underdeveloped country to a developed one. Korea has made this transition being now the 13 to 15 largest economy in the World. What would the Korea of the North and South be if united? It is an interesting thought to entertain and hopefully the North on its better days does have the thought flit through their minds.

The Problems Faced by the Early Christians

In reviewing the life of Choe Yang Eop (Thomas) the second Korean priest, in the Catholic Encyclopedia, I noticed his very wise words on the condition of the Church at that time.

He considered the yangban system of the society the reason for most of the problems in Society and in the Church. Yangbans were the upper classes of the Korean society. This division was seen even in the Church and Fr. Choe found this to be dividing the community. It was more of the discrimination that we are all too familiar with. This policy was followed by the government in appointing people to service. This was the culture of the times and what the culture expected, the Church was not confident enough in its Christianity to refuse to follow. He considered this an infringement of the rights of many of the citizens.

The second point he made was that missionaries who come to Korea should be familiar with the
situation in Korea and the customs. I was surprised that he did not mention learning the language well. He worked very close with the missionaries and knew the situation very well listening to the Catholic Korean Christians who would be dealing with the foreigner missionaries on a daily basis. When they had one of their own to talk to they would mention the difficulties with the missionaries.

In my own experience you notice that many who know the language well at times fail to have a way with people and those who do not know the language, many times, are accepted and are much more at home with the Christians. It is another proof that the non verbal is more important than the verbal.

The last point he made was that France should work diplomatically with Korea to get the Korean government to acknowledge freedom of religion. This was a problem that he was faced with every day of his life, the fear of death or imprisonment.

He was a very wise priest and one who had a great deal to say to us, living many years after his death.