Korean
media gave a lot of space to the fact that almost 90 percent of those
over fifty voted in the presidential election, and were considered by
many to be the reason the first female president of the country was
elected. On the open forum page of the Catholic Times, a Jesuit
professor at Sogang University reflects on what this means for our
country.
The media did consider the difference between the young and the older generation in this election. The older voters experienced the Korean War, seen the industrialization of the country, and had been leaders
in the democratization of the country. They took care of their parents
but did not expect the same from their children. They were concerned
about their old age and tended to be progressives; they now want security.
The professor believes there is a difference in thinking and sensitivity between the generation of the 20s
and 30s, and the over 50's. A gap between
the young and the old is not new. However, Korea is becoming
older, the government can't help but be concerned about those who voted
for them. The difference in the voting by the young and the old has to
be remembered for the future of the country. A great number of the
voters are over fifty, and that means that the future of the country,
which shortly will be in the hands of the young, will be the ones who will have to
deal with the results of what the older think important now.
There
is also a difference in the sensitivity to our problems felt by the old
and the young. The interest that the young have about environmental
problems and employment is not the same as it is for the older
generation. The young, from the time they were children, have been
hearing about global warming, while the older generation has an interest
in development and industrialization and less concern about the environment.
The young are concerned with employment while the older generation is concerned with the
industrialization of the country. They had no difficulty in accepting
the blue-collar and the white-collar difference in society. However,
over half of those in their twenties are either in college or are
graduates who have to consider that half of them will face the
possibility of being a non-regular worker. The older generation has
difficulty in understanding what this highly educated, young generation
feels about the future. The older generation tends to feel that the
young are lazy and want to avoid the difficult jobs in society, while looking for the easy life.
Without understanding the sensibilities of the young, the professor says
we will continue to look back to the past and fail to see the future.
We will continue to push the interest of the young into the background
and just be concerned with the issues of the elders in society. This
means not only that there will be a generation gap but that the young peoples' rights will be exploited.
The professor recalls that
Jesus began his public life when young. "He is not yet fifty" was heard
by Jesus. The ones who followed our Lord were the young. With these
young people, he changed the world. The world of the young is the world
of the future. A society able to see the joy, hope, tears and
frustrations of the young will be a society with hope. What the society
of today needs is the wisdom and sensitivity to be concerned for the younger generation.
In Korea where guns
are not permitted, the shooting incidents in the States remain a
mystery to many. The desk columnist of the
Catholic Times discusses the problem within the context of our own
culture.
He
mentions that in the States many people want to limit the selling of
firearms while others want the right to buy them without restrictive
laws curtailing what they believe is their constitutional right to do
so. Because of the possible enactment of measures controlling gun
purchases, there is now a hoarding of firearms and ammunition, with many
dealers saying they can't keep up with the demand. All this happening
despite the recent shooting deaths of 20 children while attending kindergarten class. He
attributes this to the western frontier mentality of many Americans who feel a need
to possess weapons. He also
acknowledges that many citizens are influenced by the gun lobby: the
politics of money. Even though the majority of the people, according to the latest polls, are for a
change in the possession of guns, he believes the influential sectors of society will
militate against change.
The columnist refers to the book Who Rules America?
by William Domhoff as representative of the thinking of many that the
wealthy and the powerful
are in control. To protect their interests, Domhoff says they have
easier access to the most current information coming from research
centers, foundations, and ad hoc commissions, and from insider
information from international big
business sources, among others. This is
not done in any covert way but is legal and easily seen.
No
matter how certain segments of society feel about this state of
affairs, the privileged groups within society will have control,
according to Domhoff, and the hope for change is
minimal.
In Korea we also have certain things that will
not change. Still very much in evidence are the old regional
differences, the bonds of political and economic friendships among the
elite classes,
the preeminent place and concessions given to the conglomerates in our
economic structure, a general unconcern of the government with the
common people, and at times the unmerciful unconcern of the most vulnerable in our society. Overall, there is
seen a lack of will by our lawmakers to change in any meaningful way the
status quo.
What about our
religious life? he asks. Looking at his own life, he admits that if he has no personal experience of the truth of what he is asked to believe,
or has not seen sufficient scientific evidence for its truth, then the
difficulty of giving wholehearted response keeps
appearing. Along with this, he believes our mental laziness often
prevents us from participating with enthusiasm when we do believe.
What
do we understand by community? As Catholics, we believe, he says, that
we are a community that has been saved, and yet remain passive, without a
sense of meaning, looking for consolation and a faith life that seeks
to evade its requirements. We bury out of sight our Christian vision of
life. And our clergy often finds it difficult to adapt to the times,
holding on to a form of clericalism. More so than at any time in the
past, the columnist believes that Catholicism in Korea is in need of
reform, renewal and repentance.
Will this be more difficult to
accomplish for the Church in Korea, or easier, than it will be for the
States to do something about ending gun violence? It may depend, he
says, on how serious we are about this year of faith that we are in the
process
of living?
A columnist writing on spirituality for the Catholic
Times recalls a trip to a pilgrimage site commemorating Korean martyrs.
While there, he stayed at an overnight lodge and met
by chance a priest who was in the seminary with him. He was now the pastor of the parish where the pilgrimage site is located.
As
the pastor of a parish that went back to the time of the martyrs, he
became interested in the history of the early Church, and became interesting in the life story of the martyr Yi Joon-chang Ludovico (1759-1801).
Ludovico was a bright, talented person, which helped prepare him for the difficult times he would soon confront as a missioner
to his own people in the Chungnam province. At this time, the Catholics
didn't understand all the discipline and structural realities of the
Church and picked their own priests to minister to them. Ludovico was chosen as the priest for the community, and due
to his efforts the community grew to over 300 members. It was from this
community that years later the first two Korean priests and many other
Christians would trace their roots.
During that time no other area embraced Catholicism the way Chungnam did. The parish grew so rapidly that Ludovico saw the need for priests and worked to have a priest come in from China. During the persecution of Catholics in 1791, Ludovico was picked up by the authorities, denied his faith, and was released. He returned to his hometown but was persuaded to move because of his continued work with the Christians, and because the danger of being reported was always present.
Bishop Daveluy was quoted as saying the apostasy of Ludovico was a great sadness and embarrassment to the Catholic community. His parish did grow to over 300 members in a short time under his leadership, and, in a very worldly way, he may have thought they needed him, and denied his faith to be with them.
Ludovico
later was sorry for his denial, and
again professing his faith, he
continued his teaching and missionary work. In 1801, he was again
arrested and killed by beheading. The pastor used the story of Ludovico
to address the serious problem today of many lax Catholics and those who have left the community
of faith entirely.
The pastor thinks the
Church should not only study effective ways of increasing the numbers of Christians but also
how to invite back those who for one reason or another have decided
to leave the Church.
The words of the pastor made him think about the recent emphasis on the new evangelization. Not only do we have to continue our work of evangelization, as in the past, but at the same time look for ways to invite back to the community those who have left. Doing this earnestly will be a good example to those who have left, he said, but cautioned that we should not expect quick results.
The Art of Aging,
a book by Anselm Grün, is used by a columnist of the Peace Weekly to
give us some helpful spiritual pointers for aging well. Learning to let
go is the key. We are forced to let go of our infancy and years of
youth, and old age is asking us to do the same, says Fr. Grün. With age
this becomes more difficult, but he tells us the more earthly desires we
get rid of the more spiritual fruit we will yield.
Those who
have lived life sincerely and with intensity will find this possible,
says Grün. The first part of life, infancy, youth and middle age, is
naturally lived with intensity; the second part of life, old age, is
time for letting go. Those who have not lived life sincerely and
intensely will have nothing to let go, and will look back with regret.
In
the last years of life, we have to give up our possessions, health,
relationships, sex, power, and finally, our very self. At death all
earthly possessions are given up, he reminds us. We give up all these
things to prepare us to give up ourselves. The last challenge in life is
to give ourselves up to receive God, the last spiritual challenge we
will all face.
To
grow old gracefully, as we confront the mystery of life and death,
means to become calmer, more accepting of this mystery. Silence becomes
more important to us, and peace comes forth. Loneliness is not a concern
and one looks back with
gratitude.
Our reminiscences of the past need not suggest that we
are tied to the past, but merely a looking back on the way we have
lived. There are those that go back in their lives and are bothered with
guilt; they remember the hurts and the missed opportunities. These
thoughts bring depression. There are also thoughts of hurts that were
healed and these are profitable. This is not a return to the past that
looks for the hurts, but a search for healing.
We
are all preparing for death: the completion of life. Only those who see
themselves being born again in God will have peace and gratitude in
facing old age; our older years will be lived with spirit. Facing death
in this way is a blessing to others. To die well is not only for oneself
but opening the way for others to die well. When
we do not hesitate to go back to God, no matter at what stage in life we
find ourselves, life becomes a gift to others.
Each year from January 18th to the 25th is Christian
Unity Week, a time to go beyond our own communities of faith, blame
ourselves for out lack of unity, while making efforts to do better, and
pray for the day we will be one in Christ. This was the reason behind
the creation of the Octave, renewing our desire for unity and fellowship
among Christians. The Catholic Times editorial stresses the importance
of this week of prayer for all of us.
The
Church began a renewed desire for Christian unity after the Second
Vatican Council. In the Decrees on Ecumenism and on Eastern Catholic
Churches, and in the Declaration on Religious Freedom, ecumenism was
covered in detail. We have more in common that unites us than in the
elements that separate us. The belief in Jesus and love, and the
absolute love for the word of God that we have in common, makes the
Church here on earth work for unity.
Our fellowship with other Christians, as
brothers and sisters in Christ, should also be extended to those with
different beliefs. We as Christians continue to dialogue and to
cooperate with the other religions in our own country. We should not be
limited, the editorial goes on to say, by our religious beliefs and
different cultural backgrounds from embracing the whole world.
The archbishop of Gwangju, president of the Korean Bishops
Conference commission promoting Christian unity and Inter-religious dialogue, in a recent talk, quotes Micah 6:8: "You have been told, Oh
man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the
right and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God." This, said the archbishop, should be our concern.
We
need this true unity and harmony within our own faith communities, as a
prerequisite, if we are to be successful working for unity with others.
We should have a unity of the diocese with the parishes and a unity
and harmony of priests and parishioners. This should be our starting
point when our goal is to live in unity and harmony with all religions
and be of service to all of humanity.
It
is easy to forget that the way we relate with those we know the best
often translates into the way we relate--often even more so--with those
not so close. Our attitudes are what affects our words and
actions in our present communities, which can prepare us to be more effective peacemakers to the larger community outside.
Whether the
material wealth of a nation brings happiness to its citizens is a
question not easily answered. For many countries, however, it clearly
does not bring happiness. Korea, for example, has become an economic
powerhouse. Back in 1960, it had a gross national product per capita (the wealth distribution of a country showing the dollar value of its goods and services in a year, divided by its population) of 100 dollars. Today, with a GNP per capita of over $20,000, Korea is the envy of many developing countries, but despite the remarkable increase in the material wealth of the country, there has been no increase in the level of happiness.
Writing the recent opinion column of the Catholic Times, a professor with a doctorate in education introduces us to the Easterlin Paradox: poor
countries, like Costa Rica and Columbia, have a higher happiness index
than the economically advanced, OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development),
countries.
If
this is true why do countries continue to praise themselves, he asks,
for their economic achievements. There are many countries
that have gone from a colony to independence, having received a great deal
of help, but have not been able to leave poverty behind.
Although Korea has made great strides economically, she still has a large foreign debt, the middle class is disappearing, the number of the poor is increasing, and, with the acceptance of neo-liberalism, there is increased polarization within society.The upper 20 percent has 13 times more income than the lowest 20 percent and many families are in debt. At the beginning of 2013, the competition is intense and employment is difficult to find. The
disparity between the haves and have-nots is increasing. Moreover,
Korea leads in the number of suicides among OECD countries and has the
lowest birth rate and happiness index.
The professor, using the United States as an example, says that after a GNP per capita income of over $10,000 is reached the influence of economics on the happiness
of citizens decreases. Now that Korea has reached $20,000, there will
be little influence on the happiness index of the country, the professor
says. The Saenuri party expressed an interest in equalizing the income
of 99 percent of the citizens in comparison to the 1 percent of the highest income earners. The Saenuri Party could read the pulse of the citizens, noting that the middle class was less interested in the right or wrong of issues but rather in earning enough money to eat, live well and pursue happiness.
The promises of the Saenuri Party will be their political platform for the next five years. They have promised to help more workers enter the middle class, and they have indicated that they will report on how successful they have been in keeping that promise each year. The citizens will be eagerly waiting to see if the Saenuri Party can deliver on their promise.
Today there
are many unorthodox theories and remedies to alleviate medical problems,
though most of them the medical profession considers old wife's tales
and superstition. The
Catholic Times recently interviewed a searcher, also known as a dowser
or diviner, who goes about the country intent on finding subterranean
water veins or streams. He has begun a research service to study the
radiation from these water veins to neutralize them.
Many
Koreans are willing to believe that underground water does harbor
radiation that can seep to the surface to harm them. This belief is easily
confirmed by media advertisements for beds that promise to prevent the
radiation from reaching them during their sleeping hours. Many ill
persons whose illnesses have not been helped by medicines will change
the location of their beds to avoid what they believe are the harmful
radiation. Since dowsing is so widely accepted in Korea, there is a
general acceptance that this unorthodox approach to curing some medical
conditions may be valid.
When
the French foreign missioners came to Korea back in the 19th century,
they introduced dowsing to find underground water for wells. This
practice was continued as a result of some well-known priests who wrote
on the subject. However, the subject is still surrounded with
skepticism, and the scientific community has little sympathy for it.
Water
diviners will often determine before building a house where the water
veins are located in order to avoid them. This way of thinking is a
throw-back to the days of the geomancers. During the interview the research head said he began his study of water
radiation after his wife became sick. He spent most of his money for
treatment, and she was close to death. After her recovery he decided to
devote himself to the study to help others with his research center.
Today, he is a firm believer and promoter of dowsing for water, and what the practice can do to help alleviate medical problems.
He has traveled to different parts of the country to discover water veins and to neutralize their
effects. His research center will train dowsers, he said, with the knowledge
necessary to discover and prevent the effects of the radiation. He has
given lectures at the Catholic University of Pusan in the life-time
study program. He intends to prepare lectures on water radiation, its history and why it's harmful to health.
The
center head admits that many who come to him have all kinds of doubts
but are looking for the last piece of straw to grasp, after they tried
everything else. He wants to be a missioner for this message.
Many ideas concerning health, long popular in the East, have been accepted in the West; acupuncture, for example, is no longer dismissed, but largely accepted as a valid medical remedy. Whether dowsing to discover underground veins of water seeping radiation up to the surface will eventually become as popular, we will have to wait for the future to tell us.
