The "We Can" Approach to Life's Problems

A common problem for social welfare programs is finding ways to help the handicapped. Many who have succeeded in life, as we know, had handicaps: the four-fingered pianist, the Chinese young man who lost both arms in an accident and plays the piano with his toes, the blind who have graduated at the top of their class. However, those who are mentally disadvantaged are not so successful in life and are also the most difficult to help.

A Religious Sister in Seoul wanted to do something about the problem, so she started the We Can Center. Her intention was to form a company that hires only the mentally handicapped workers and also to make a quality product: a premium cookie using only the best home-grown organic ingredients available.

The Catholic Times reports on the success of the enterprise: Started in 2001, the company is committed to producing a quality product, and when on a number of occasions the only ingredients available did not meet their high standards, they preferred to close down rather than compromise their commitment to quality. In  2008  they increased sales by 44 percent and made a modest profit for the first time. This  past year they had  over a million dollars worth of sales. But, Sister says, success will not come simply because of the sympathy many have for the handicapped, but because of a good product that can compete with others in the marketplace. And with the interest in the product increasing,  she believes this will spur more people to show an interest in the  handicapped.

The Center is interested not only in producing a premium cookie but also in helping their workers become premium members of society. Therapy programs are available to all workers in order to build confidence, gain respect for themselves, and be more responsible and socially aware. The Sister is helping them fit more easily into God's plan for creation. "Our company is interested in people more than money," she says. "The company can run with 6 or 7 employees, we have 37. And there's always the possibility of using cheaper ingredients to increase income;  we have never given in to that temptation."

The article concludes with an invitation to drop by and taste the product at the We Can Center--they are waiting to serve you. For online shopping, they can be contacted at  www.wecan.or.kr.

Unmarried Young Women Who Want To Remain So

The marital situation in the Korea of today is not like it was just a few decades ago. It has changed quickly. A writer for the Korean Times, in a recent column ponders the reasons for the sadness often felt by mothers of daughters in their 30s and 40s who  are still unmarried. She is herself the mother of an unmarried daughter, and often thinks of the loneliness her  unmarried daughters must feel.

The columnist reminisces on how faithful her daughter has been in her faith life.  The daughter even wrote a letter to the Pope  welcoming him to Korea; the Apostolic Delegate responded and his letter is now framed and on her living room wall as a treasured souvenir. However, her sadness is always there; the daughter is 40  and remains unmarried. If she were married, the mother believes, her daughter would be happier and she would worry less about her.

The reasons girls are avoiding marriage are many and reflect the currently accepted norms of our society. Women are better educated and have easier access into the business world. Some of the men are not as capable or as successful as the women, making it difficult for women to find suitable partners. You hear that women have had to lower their expectations, which for many has not been easy. They also like the freedom they now have and dislike the paternalism they find in society, a norm which influenced the thinking of many men in their early years. The feminist reaction that occurred in some other countries seems not to have influenced most of the women here.

However, the refrain that is heard repeatedly is that money is needed if one wants to marry well.  Society does not make it easy to begin married life on a shoe string, which  was often the case in the past.   Willingness to sacrifice, to make do with less, is not what one sees in our society, and what is not readily seen, no matter how beneficial, will have little influence on our youth.

 The mother goes on to describe buying a finger rosary for her daughter. The daughter was never interested with body accessories--necklaces or ear rings-- so she broached the subject very delicately and the offer was accepted graciously. The mother took the size of the ring finger and bought a  gold finger rosary, and then they both went to a priest to have it blessed. The mother was pleased with the gift and the results, as was the daughter, who mentioned the times people, surprised to see she was a Catholic, had asked what her baptismal name was. The daughter said she felt closer to her mother and to Jesus and Mary thanks to the ring.

The finger rosary does serve many purposes. Those who do not have a car and take the ferry to the mission station, seeing a finger rosary on the fingers of the drivers makes it easy for those without cars  to ask for a ride.  It does save some embarrassing moments,  for  requests are cheerfully accepted. This indicates the importance that Catholicism would have for many of our Koreans and who are  willing and happy to make that commitment known to others.

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What Are the Important Things in Life?

The writer of the desk column in the Catholic Times this week mentions that although he likes to drink with friends, the singing was not of any interest --until recently. Now, as a member of the parish council, he goes with them to the 'song rooms' (karaoke) and feels disappointed when they do not pass him the microphone.

The song he enjoys singing is "Essay and Car." It refers back to the time in  life when we could become emotionally involved by seeing a good movie and could also desire to be like the good hero in the cartoon world. However, today we want to know what car he drives and where he lives; we have lost our dreams, losing not only the small things but as the years go by, also the important things in life. The song allows us, the writer believes, to ponder this crucial matter.

He goes on to reflect on the opportunities the older generation misses when confronting the difficulties of life, retreating as the years go by to a careful, less challenging way.  Although young people taking " big step on thin ice" do not see the dangers, they  learn a great deal in the process. And because of their innocence can sacrifice and risk loss repeatedly. This is, he believes, the real beauty of youth.

Those of us with faith also have to become young. We need the courage of youthful thinking and feeling to walk on thin ice. Isn't this what Jesus was asking of Peter in Matthew 14:29?

As we age, we should not lose what we considered important when we were young. Our inner lives can be tarnished with the difficulties we have met along the way, but if it is only the material things in life that interest us and we are overcome with these difficulties, the Holy Spirit will not be able to work in our hearts.

The writer concludes his column by referring to his own experience of the sentiments expressed in the song. Riding his bicycle to work for the past 5 months (a 25 mile round trip), he found that his health had improved but he also missed the reading he could do if he had taken the bus to work.  Food for the inner life, as the title of the song seems to suggest, and the writer wants us to ponder, is more important than the kind of car, or any material good, the other person has or I should have. They are not the kind of dream that gives life.

Waiting For A New Han River Miracle

In an opinion piece in the Chosun Ilbo, the writer reflects on a recent seminar discussion that suggested the unhappiness many Koreans experience is attributable to a fondness for the materialistic attractions of society. One of the presenters at the seminar, an American professor well-known in his field, studied 130 nations to determine the level of unhappiness in each country. On his index of happiness scale, Korea placed just below the middle range. And when ranking the countries on the importance of the material side of life, Korea placed higher than the very economically advanced countries of Japan and the United States. The professor feels that this trend will continue no matter how much economic progress Korea continues to make.

The writer acknowledges that we all have a desire for the material goods of life but wonders why Korea should be so high on the scale. He offers as an explanation the one proposed by many scholars: that Korea's rapid rise from poverty to having one of the world's most advanced economies is the  fondness for the material things of life--the aftereffect, perhaps, of the sudden transition to the prosperous life.

In surveys that study religion in Korea, about half of those surveyed acknowledge having no religion, thus tending to make the material world the center of their beliefs, along with an amorphous religiosity. The writer alludes to this by mentioning that when a foreign company starts their operation in Korea, they will often  display a pig's head and offer rice cakes to the spirits--a shamanistic practice (Kosa) when worshiping the spirits.

Some would say that this attraction to the material world and the Korean passionate disposition have been the reasons for the country's quick progress. "Let us live well" was a popular motto.  One social scientist believes it is precisely the non-religious base of Korean society and the corresponding materialistic focus that is responsible for the country's economic progress.

This worldly philosophy of life   made possible the "Han River Miracle," a phrase that uses the name of the river flowing through Seoul to describe the transition, within just 50 years, of an economically underdeveloped country to the Korea of the present.


This "Han River Miracle" may have another side to it. Not only is it a catch phrase for Korea's quick rise to economic prominence, but it could also explain why Koreans register low on the Professor's index of happiness. It may indicate, more importantly, that life is not what they expected it to be-- despite the material attainments and opportunities for pleasure the purposefulness of life did not keep pace. A less materialistic miracle than the "Han River Miracle" may be what is needed now.

What Gives One Strength To Keep Searching for the Oasis

He never saw an oasis except in pictures and paintings, but from the time he was a child, they always fascinated him. Now, writing for the Catholic Times, he reflects on what the oasis might mean to a traveler in the desert who is looking for a place to rest and quench his thirst. 

He compares finding this resting place to what a traveler on the ocean must feel when seeing seagulls and the beacon from  a light tower. Depending on the condition of the traveler, mirages in the desert can often deceive the exhausted traveler.  Seeing or not seeing an oasis is the difference, the writer believes, between life and death, hope and despair, reality and dream.

A student with cerebral palsy, a graduate from Seoul National University, is mentioned by the writer to explain how an "oasis mirage" can be applied to many of our everyday problems.  Here was a man who was looking for an oasis, but for many years it was a mirage. He dreamed of getting a good job but with his physical condition the difficulties were great. After five years of mirage-like searching, he finally did get accepted by a  big corporation, with no preferences given to him because of his condition; more than 60 others had competed for the job. Only he knows the difficulties he had with school, finally graduating and finding a job. Above all, he did not despair.

Despair, Kierkegaard said, is a disease that brings death. Many different opportunities are available to us provided we do not despair. Even when wandering in a seeming desert of hopelessness, if we reject this mirage, an oasis will appear.

On the 18th of this month, the grandson of one of the biggest industrialists in Korea killed himself. The grandson was living by himself in a rented apartment and buying goods in the neighborhood on credit. After the suicide, there were no preparations for a funeral, no room set aside for his picture and for meeting family and guests. The body was kept in the mortuary until it was taken by the family to a crematoria for a private ceremony. Even this family, with its  resources was not able to help a family member that very much needed help. Where was the mirage here?  Was it with the grandson who was not able to express his need or not open enough to the help that was certainly offered? Or was it with the family that failed to persevere in providing the help that was needed? 

Life, it is said, is not always fair. We can talk about the oasis and the beacon but there are many who are not able to see them; they do not register or give any meaning-- one of the symptoms of the disease.  One of the hardest things to do is to ask another for help. This is one reason we stay mired in the difficulties, we get ourselves into; it closes many doors, often even shutting out the help that God  gives.  This is what makes this sickness,  so seemingly hopeless--until  we ask for help. With the help, many will arrive at their oasis.

Every year for the last 21 years a survey is made by one of the Korean News Magazines,  to determine how much influence our leaders have had on society. This year, the ranking in the religious sphere places Cardinal Chong number two (with a 24 percent rating) and Cardinal Kim (with 29 percent) number one.

Last year Cardinal Kim placed fourth on the list, but this year returned to first place--a ranking he has held for many years--because of the publicity that the Cardinal received after his death and the many works that have been given new life by his inspiration. The rector of the Catholic University said,  "After the death of the Cardinal his life and values moved from the Catholic world to the larger society where his thoughts became a milestone for many. "

Buddhism appears in five places on the list, indicating an increase in influence, and three Protestant Ministers are also listed.  The two Catholic representatives have over half of the percentages with about 54 percent. This could mean,  that the Catholic Church has  much influence on society or that religion as a whole  has   little influence on society.

The survey does not measure the amount of respect society has for our leaders but how much power and influence they have on society.  Catholic Newspapers have made mention of the survey but have put in a word of caution:  society changes quickly. The  common concern of many  with time grows very dim, and another completely different reality emerges.

But it is fitting that those in positions of authority live up to the expectations of society. And, as expected, the one having the greatest overall influence on society (with a 67 percent rating) was President Lee. Second on the overall list (21 percent) was the head of the biggest Chabol (Korean conglomerate). No surprises here, and fortunately that is the correct order. Cardinal Chong was number 15 in the overall influence in society. The only religious leader to be in the first twenty.

During the liturgy these days, Jesus is shown as unrelenting in his criticism of the Pharisees and lawyers and of their way of life. He selects these two groups because they had the most influence on that society. Both were members of the political and religious elite of that time.  Whether they had the respect of the society is another question; that they influenced society was clearly the case. Today we are fortunate that our two Cardinals have both influenced society and received its respect. As a consequence our society has greatly benefited.

On the Spot Experience Living With The Needy

Many parishes during the summer months give students the opportunity  to do volunteer work at Kkottongnae, a Christian community providing the homeless and the abandoned with care and love in the hope they will realize the love of God and find peace as children of God. 

The Ohmy News had an article on the experience of a  high school girl who was asked by her mother if  interested in going on summer camp to the village to do volunteer work. Not knowing what to expect  she went to the Internet to check out  Kkottongnae (the Korean word for Flower village). She learned that it was a place where the handicapped, the sick and the old, and those who have been abandoned by society go to be cared for by the community.

Never having spent time in her young life doing any service for another, she decided to spend two nights and three days doing just that. It was a three hour trip and when she arrived, she met others from other parishes that came with the same intention. The motto, which she saw often:  "It is God's grace, even if you only have the strength to beg for food,"  was explained during the orientation talk: there are many who do not even have the  strength to beg. And that  evening, to give the volunteers a better understanding of the difficulties of the handicapped, they were led through an exercise that allowed them to experience what it was like not being able to see or to walk.

The next day she was assigned to help the nutritionist prepare the meals. She was hoping for a different kind of service but was made to realize that eating is one of the greatest services. The first thing they did was wash the dishes and clean the kitchen after breakfast. Next, with three other volunteers, they  prepared the garlic and scallions and worked on the noon meal with the nutritionist.  After the meal, they went to talk  to the members of the community. They went from room to room, talking and showing concern for each person. In the beginning, it was not always easy, but what surprised her most, as she continued to chat with them, was the joy many of them were experiencing despite their handicaps. It was an experience that will be with her for a lifetime; she is even envisioning another trip to the village.

Knowing how others live can sometimes be difficult but living in a small country like South Korea it is not difficult to know what is happening in different parts of the country, and getting a sense of what others are experiencing. On occasions, Korean bishops have gone to various villages--fishing, farming, mining villages--for days to have an on-the-spot experience of the conditions these Koreans have to live with. This has made their talks less abstract and bookish, and given them a better feel for the problems Korea faces. Our high school girl, when the need arises to speak about the alienated in society, will do so with more understanding and feeling because of her experience at Kkottongnae.