"We should be
lenient with the faults of others for they were our faults yesterday.
None of us is perfect, and we should remember this in dealing with
others." These Shakespearean words, as translated into Korean, prompted
the desk columnist of the Korean Times to explore a topic, which he
believes deserves more attention in today's world: concern and respect
for others.
He begins with the example of automobile drivers who
have good reasons to be upset when the driver in front of them suddenly
makes a turn without using the turn signal, concerned only with getting
to their destination. However, the columnist admits that when he's in
a hurry, there's a lot that he does that upsets other drivers.
An
African proverb says, "In a hurry, travel alone. If you are on a long
trip, go with others but go as fast as the slowest, and lighten their
load." This appears to be a sacrificial concession on the part of the
fastest, but it's meant to maintain good terms with the slower persons,
which in turn is helpful to the faster ones on a long trip. This
demonstrates, he says, concern and respect for others.
If we
look at those who have been notably successful in life, we see that many
have certain traits in common: the obedient type, the leader type, the
analytical type and the adaptable type. According to circumstances,
there is a need for different types but the columnist prefers the one
who can fit in smoothly with others, usually the one exhibiting concern and respect for others.
In the present
society of cut-throat competition where one is expected to outdo the
other, the adaptable type does not
find it easy. We all want to have the concern and respect of the other
but we also have to ask ourselves how much concern and respect do we have
for others.
We have the belief, says the columnist, that our
concern for others will be detrimental in achieving our goals in a
highly competitive society, despite the findings of psychology, which
show that we are happiest when we are concerned for the welfare of
others. The essence of concern, he says, is to be able to put ourselves
in the shoes of the other. If we think that everybody is the same our solicitude for the other may be doing the other harm. Respect and concern for the other is what is required by love.
As
Christians we have the example of God, says the columnist, who bestowed
on us the greatest amount of concern possible by sending us his son. We
in turn should give this same concern and respect to his children. It will bring great joy into our own lives and turn our dream of a better world into a possible reality.
A famous movie
director, who would begin shooting his film before having a completed
scenario, was asked by a journalist why he did not complete his
preparation before beginning the camera work. He said that there is no
time at any beginning where you have a perfectly complete picture of
what you want to do. Writing in Bible & Life; a poet tells us
he had difficulty in understanding the words of the director, as
conveyed by the journalist, considering them wildly wrong-headed. He
reveals in his article how he came to a new understanding of his words.
He
doesn't know when but he came to realize that the beginning of
something is actually part of the preparation. Nowadays, the words of
the director give him courage: the beginning of anything, he realized,
is when you commit yourself to do something, for then you are preparing
for whatever comes after, which takes courage and a trusting attitude.
With this kind of thinking, you tend to have confidence in the work and
your expectation becomes greater.
Poets often say that a poem
came to them. The writer says that this has not been his experience; he
is always in search of a poem. If he had to wait for a poem to come, he
said he would never have anything. It is only in the beginning, armed
with the intention to write, that a poem comes to him. Song writers and
other creative artists, he also mentioned, have had the same experience.
The director is right by noting the importance of the
beginning, he said. To begin when everything is prepared is perfectly
alright; beginning and preparing is equally alright. If in the moment a
person wants to see some beautiful flowers and decides to plant flower
seeds, it is then too late. When you do not see the flowers, is when you plant.
It is not rare that a great deal of time is spent in thinking and in preparation and never beginning.
Like drawing water from a well, you have to decide first to go to the
well. It is said that to make a tablespoon of honey the bee has to
return to a flower to gather its nectar about 4,200 times: the doing is
what makes the honey.
The Japanese winner of the Noble prize in physics said that if you don't try, you will
never know what you can do. He also said "Look for any work that
you can do, don't be afraid, and do it." The writer also mentions a
famous industrialist who would often say to his workers, "Did you try
doing it? Do not say it is difficult without trying it."
The
writer reminds us that we are usually more sorry for what we haven't
done than for what we have done. We should do, he says, whatever it is
we set out to do and do it to the best of our ability. When you want to
drink some water and can't find the water cup, you don't give up
drinking but use whatever is available, be it a whiskey glass or a food
dish. That is doing something to the best of your ability.
Nothing
in life is done perfectly. When we want to do something, it is best
not to wait for the best of times, but to begin doing it now.
Many organizations are busy trying to make the transition to life in
Korea less hectic and difficult for foreigners. A religious sister of
the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul starts her column in the
Peace Weekly with the words of our Lord: " At sunset, all who had people
sick with a variety of diseases took them to [Jesus] and he laid his
hand on each of them and cured them."
The sisters manage a
medical clinic free of charge for foreign workers. Workers from many
backgrounds and races come to the clinic asking for help, often using
the only language they know: their own. With joyless, weary faces they
find their way to the clinic. Each one in his
or her own way making known their ailment.
"Auntie,
this thing here hurts." Pointing his finger to his stomach: "What's
wrong?" asks a man from Uzbekistan.
"It is not auntie, say, sister, sister." the sister added a new word to his vocabulary cheerfully.
Another,
a Chinese woman, asks if it's possible to be recycled. Sister tells her
the clinic is not a department of rehabilitation facility. The woman,
who works twelve hours a day, says that her shoulders hurt, and she came
for acupuncture.
Most of the foreigners who come to the clinic
are illegal foreigners who have no medical insurance, and when sick,
they can't go to a hospital. When there is strict enforcement of the
law, these workers are in serious trouble; as an illegal they can be
forced to leave the country. They often work long hours doing work most
Koreans would shun. The work is difficult and the pay poor, the sister
says, and their language skills are minimal. But there is little they
can do to redress the situation, the sister adds. Only if they are in
good health can they make a go of it.
We
listen to their complaints, the sister says, and prepare them for an
examination, taking blood pressure readings, examining blood, and giving
medicine. And at all times extending the hand of love to them, in
this lonely and cheerless place. When they call us auntie, she says,
there is no
problem. Hopefully, they will receive a little warmth and consolation
from
their encounter with us.
What we are able to do with the mind and the body is increased greatly with the help of the spirit and heart
Not that the mind and body have little value or that the spirit and
heart are everything, but with the help of the spirit we can enter
another level of being, often called the transcendent life.
Writing
in his weekly column on spirituality, the Catholic Times' columnist
explains what living the transcendent life means to him. It does not
mean, he says, being in church at all times. It can happen when we are
in our homes, while eating or out walking, or doing anything, as long as
the activity is offered up to God; doing so transforms and transcends
our mundane concerns, and all of life takes on spiritual meaning.
What
about the pleasures of the sexual life? Where do they fit in the
transcendent life? It is not the pleasure of the moment that gives
meaning to the sex act, says the columnist, but what happens after, when
the fullness of love felt for one another can be experienced, bringing
them the richness of living the spiritual life. In the sexual act they
experience God giving more life to their relationship together. It is
this feeling that we want to see continued.
In any
activity we have reasons to be thankful, he says. When we eat, for
example, we have much to be thankful for; food allows us to work
diligently and to praise God. However, it does not mean that the more
we eat the more thankful we are. What is important is our constant
awareness of the transcendent meaning we have given to the act of
eating. Many are satisfied with the eating itself. Content that bodily
hunger has been satisfied and pleasure has been derived, they will not pursue any further meaning of
the act of eating. But we should continue to be thankful, he says, for
the energy received from the food eaten that allows us to pursue our
transcendent goal in life.
In all our actions, if we are
concerned only with the mind and body, we will do damage to the
harmonious relationship we should have with God and also do damage to
ourselves. The possibility of spiritual life is always there if we can
succeed in keeping the mind and body from interfering.
We think
we know a great deal with our minds but with some reflection we realize
how little we know. When we eat we have little idea what happens to our
food in digestion, and how it becomes part of our bodies. Few know what
makes the car we are driving go.
We are blind to so much of
life. We are surrounded by mystery, which is all about God's providence.
Although this is the case, we are not completely perplexed with the
situation. We are actually happy, says the columnist, with the
situation, for we are, little by little, uncovering some of the mystery.
Would it be necessary to have a God if we knew everything? This is one reason why we believe.
We believe that God in his
providence is very meticulously keeping us and the world in his hands,
directing everything always for the good. Our part is to be involved in
this movement, which is spirituality and the transcendent life.
One of the most important events of the past year was our 18th
election for the presidency of the country. A high percentage of voters turned out to elect our first woman president, but at the same time as we praised these achievements societal conflicts remain to
be resolved.
Deeply rooted feelings divide us, says a columnist of the Catholic Times. Conservatives and progressives continually hurl invectives at each other, the 20 and 30-year-olds are opposed to the generation of the 50 and 60-year-olds, and so it goes, with a great deal of false information and criticism of each
others' position being exchanged without any serious discussion of issues, the goal only to win votes.
It
is now time to work together, he says. We are all brothers and sisters
of the same country, and the elections are over: time for the victors
and losers to seek the common good. This is the time to communicate
and search for unity. The victors should extend their hands in
reconciliation and in dialogue. The victors are to remember that almost
half the country did not go along with the victor, and when making the
laws to keep "the losers" in mind.
And the losers should accept humbly, difficult though it might be, the wish of the majority of the people. They should not work to criticize the victors but to accept the fact that they have been chosen to run the county for the next five years. When seeing something wrong, they should bring this to the attention of the government, and become partners in the running of the country.
Although we may not rid ourselves, says the columnist, of a feeling of dislike for the others position, what is necessary now is dialogue between the two positions in order to reach some sort of understanding. And solving these controversial issues often depend, the columnist believes, on how the family communicates. Our current generational divide, for example, might not exist, he says, if there had been better communication in the family. Fathers should be communicating with the children and wife, creating an atmosphere in the family that is open to dialogue.
Cardinal Chong in his address to Catholic journalists mentioned that fathers should
be the first to listen to their children and wives, and be ready to
work in resolving family misunderstandings and discontent. Sincerely
listening to the family members can solve many problems. When there is a refusal to listen, hurt feelings are created that work against the unity of the family.
This
also holds true in the world of politics. When those in power listen to
the opposition, there is a better chance for communication and unity.The columnist ends with
a quote from Matthew 5:23-24: "If you bring your gift to the altar and
there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your
gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled with your brother, and then
come and offer your gift."
Japan, a country
near yet far from Korea, hosts a Catholic Church that is near both in
distance and in feeling, says a Korean priest who gives us his views of
the Japanese Church, as he has seen it during his 19 years in Japan.
He mentions that the conservatives in the
government still have a colonial mentality, and that he has felt some
prejudice among the people because of his Korean nationality, though
this attitude is changing, he says. Visiting the historic sites near
where he works, he sees what the Korean ancestors have given to Japan
and feels a sense of pride in being Korean. The Japanese are beginning
to look at their past, feeling embarrassed, and wanting to atone for it.
The
estimate of Japanese martyrs range from 40 to 50 thousand. The
persecutions started in the 16th century and continued until 1873, when
it officially ended. However, the government, up to 1945 and even after,
has been reluctant to disown the crimes of the past, and the Japanese
themselves have difficulty, with their unique religious disposition, to leave the past behind.
The missionaries who arrived after the persecution did
not make sufficient effort, he believes, to inculurate Christianity but
merely translated Christian culture into Japan instead of adapting the
externals of the religion to the culture and the
traditions they found there.Furthermore, the Church's reliance on help
from foreign aid gave the impression that the religion was a foreign
import. A view the Church has never been able to erase.
Japan
of 400 years ago had 400 thousand Catholics. Today, surprisingly, the Catholic Church
has approximately the same numbers: 444 thousand Catholics, now organized in 16 dioceses and 797 parishes, with 1,475 priests and 5,766 religious. Compared to the Korean Church of today, it is a far less active Church. Especially when
visiting the rural areas you will see parishes, even on Sundays, with no more than 10 people at
Mass, and most parishes would have less than 10 people baptized in a year.
However,
he goes on to say we cannot say that Japan has not accepted
Christianity; the Christians of today are respected. The 854
kindergartens and mission schools are a good example of this. Not only
Christians but even some non-Christians are interested in providing their children with a Christian foundation for their children's education.
The educated Japanese often refer to Christian teachings in their works. And when it comes to marriage, many Japanese prefer, even more than the Shinto, the Christian rites for weddings.
The Japanese Church is spiritually strong, the priest says, though few Japanese are Catholic. The priests often do their own cleaning and washing, taking are of all their needs by themselves. They often teach catechism and Scripture to just one person and yet it takes your breath away, he says, to see how thorough they continue to be in their pastoral work.
Two years ago when the tsunami devastated Japan many
Christians were involved in the clean up and caring for the injured.
The Church also continues its concern for the foreign workers in Japan,
offering Masses in different languages, a good example for the Korean Church to follow.
He ends the article by asking for prayers that Japanese Christianity
adapt itself more to Japanese culture than it has in the past,
understand and put into practice the teachings of Vatican II, and that it will find a way to grow and prosper in the years ahead.
Only in the beauty created
by others is there consolation,
in the music of others and in others’ poems.
Only others save us,
even though solitude tastes like
opium. The others are not hell,
if you see them early, with their
foreheads pure, cleansed by dreams.
That is why I wonder what
word should be used, “he” or “you.” Every “he”
is a betrayal of a certain “you” but
in return someone else’s poem
offers the fidelity of a sober dialogue.
This
poem by Adam Zagajewski, translated into English, begins an article in
the Kyeongyang magazine by a professor, with a doctorate from an
American university in modern poetry, in the English Department of a
Korean university. She summarizes what the poem has meant to her and
wants to share her feelings with her readers at the beginning of this
new year.
When she became aware that for most of us our waking
hours are taken up with the 'I', she doesn't know. But it's clear to her
now that everything we attempt: decisions, successes, failures,
self-examinations, understandings, sorrows, despairs--all have to do
with the "me." Which makes every thing we attempt to do difficult, and
going to another level requires more effort than should be necessary.
This
is the way our understanding usually comes to us, she says. Everything
starts with me but unknowingly, the other doesn't remain the other but
becomes an intimate and a warm mystery of 'you'. The other should come
to us as a 'you'. Therefore, if the other can become a
'you', and we let it remain the other, this is a betrayal.
When I am tired by struggling with
others, she writes, facing failure on the battlefield of life and yet
still able to stretch out my hand to the unknown other, the loneliness
of the narrow way I am walking becomes wider. When we have many other
'I' s walking the same way, we turn into a community.
Throwing
off the self, she continues, I am able to see the beauty of the other.
When I
am able, using all my strength, to give up protecting my domain, it is
then that I find relief, giving me strength to meet the other
with happiness. Having our eyes opened to getting rid of the 'I' and
daily making the other into a
'you' as we see the hurt and pain of the other is the
writer's wish for the new year.
