Suicide is a serious health issue. Korea leads the world in the number of suicides. Consequently, programs in suicide prevention are promoted to decrease the numbers. The Catholic Times has an article on one of the movements called 'Gatekeepers' that educates the public on ways to 'see, listen, and report'. The program is sponsored by many interested groups in Korea, who are working together to prevent suicides. The 'Gatekeepers' is an international movement that Korea has adapted to the country and its needs.
The One-Body One-Spirit Center in suicide prevention is a Catholic group actively participating in the Gatekeeper movement. Those who attend the program are trained to recognize the warning signs and what to do. A journalist who attended one of the programs with 30 others makes a report on the program. The training helps one in the first step to recognize the words, actions and circumstances that are signs of a possible suicide. Second step is to find out the reasons for the death wish by listening and to help to show the reasons for life. The third step is to leave the person with necessary safeguards and refer the person to a specialist.
One of the presentations during the three-hours mentioned how we are all involved in a suicide. In one year, about 15,000 persons kill themselves but the reality is larger by far. Those who attempt suicide and fail are 40 times that number. Those who are affected by the suicides would be over 3 million. Which makes us think deeply on the problem that Korea faces with the numbers of those that kill themselves.
The journalist mentions that the program is well adjusted to the Korean situation. The words that those who have given up on life are easily ascertained. Students find their schools "like being in hell." "I don't want to go to school." The middle-aged: "the world tells me to get lost." The older people: " I have no strength, why live any longer; it is time to die." These are some of the words that express the death wish.
Before taking the program the journalist thought there was little to learn in three-hours. But after the program was over the thinking was different, a lot was learned and the thinking on suicide changed. With a little effort much can be done to decrease the numbers of suicides.
This is not only the thought of journalists. The office of suicide prevention mentioned that from March of 2013 to December those who have been involved in the work, 68 percent of them have taken the training to see, listen and refer, they were gatekeepers: a good reason for taking the three-hour training program.
The Werther effect or copycat suicides are frequent, and determined often by the prominence that suicides receive in the press. The reasons for a suicide are many and the press often simplifies the motivation as a single-issue Excessive coverage of the suicide when dealing with celebrities and the famous in public life, without any attempts to show a need for prevention in the report, and where to go for help for those who find life difficult are often missing. There is a need to be sensitive to those who are screaming inside, and for society to be attuned to hearing the screams.
In a Peace Weekly article, the level of satisfaction among doctors was listed as low. "There is a need for doctors not only to work in healing diseases, but the whole person. In the formation of doctors, concern and consciousness of their vocation is necessary." These are the words of a priest who is responsible for the humanities course in the Catholic Medical School.
In the article, he is quoted also as saying: "When a doctor, in a medical situation is not happy, he is not mindful of his calling as a doctor. He will not be a good doctor." The priest was one of the 28 selected as a Korean in the competitive society we are in, who has contributed to service in community, formation of talented persons and working to change our environment.
The article mentions the English medical on-line Journal: International Journal of Medical Education. Below is a paragraph taken from the journal which has included the dissertation from the Catholic University of Korea in its recent volume. Easily accessed on the Internet.
"The medical college of the Catholic University of Korea, established the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2006. In 2007, it began to develop a medical humanity's curriculum, referred to as the OMNIBUS curriculum, which was implemented in 2009 and modified to the present time, through a continuous process of review. OMNIBUS, the name of the humanities curriculum, was taken from the Latin expression “to all men” in First Corinthians of the Bible, and was chosen to refer to a holistic understanding of the human. We focused on traditional humanity's content, such as art, music, and literature and what it means to a suffering human, and approached the curriculum development based on the inherent dignity of the human and the moral values of Catholic teaching."
The article mentions that the priest with more than 40 of the faculty in different fields, for over a period of three years, have contributed to the Omnibus curriculum. The program takes 300 hours to complete. Composed of discussion, debate, presentations, meetings with the sick, and examining what sickness and health looks like from a human viewpoint.
The priest says that a medical doctor should help heal even the soul. It is necessary to be sensitive to the mental and spiritual dimensions of the person. When we lack the expression of ethics in the healing process, there is a danger of becoming a machine in healing. A specialist who is too taken up with function may be deficient in human qualities. Both the medical knowledge of a doctor and the human spiritual qualities should be present. This was expressed in the dissertation with the following words.
"The current focus on medical professionalism in the curriculum often begins with how best to instill or encourage the following six elements of professionalism: altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, honor and integrity, and respect for others. The humanities offer great potential for enhancing professional and humanistic development in medical education."
Refugees from North Korea who are presently in the South, most, did not have South Korea as their goal on leaving the North. A columnist in the Catholic Times on the refugees gives some ideas on the problems the newly arrived North Koreans face in the South. Except for a few who have fled the North with their families, most have gone in search of food. They arrive in China, and not welcomed, opt to go to South Korea. They are not immigrants but refugees. Which makes the transition to life in the South difficult.
First, adapting to the South required leaving their family in the North, and they have a feeling of guilt. They fear they will never see them again, and their difficult circumstances in the North make them conscious on how they need to help them financially.
Health problems are always present. They do not have any abnormalities but visits to the dentist, gynecologists, and internal medicine problems are frequent: headaches, indigestion, many bodily complaints. The difficulties in leaving the North, the stress they have experienced from the efforts to come to the South and the problems they now face all makes for great pressure.
The third difficulty is trying to get the necessary qualifications to find work or to feel comfortable in the workplace. What they learned in the North is not much help in the South. Once they are working, the different ways of thinking, the hard work, the cultural differences are all obstacles in feeling at home. They are familiar with the language, but this does not make the settling down in the South similar to a person moving from one part of Korea to another. The language they use is immediately recognized as from the North and the ways of expressing themselves poses problems in being understood.
35 percent of the refugees: the old, children, the sick and those who have recently arrived receive basic government financial aid. The other 65 percent have jobs where the income is what the poorest of our society are making.They are making more than they would in the North, but in the South are living in poverty.
Fifthly, trying to adapt to a more advanced society than they were accustomed to in the North makes demands. English words are often used in the South, computers and the Internet are prevalent. Politics, finances, society, the culture are all strange. Transportation, the different government offices, shopping, marriage, dating and just relating in a different society and feeling at home is not easy.
Despite all the problems, the columnist who works with the North Koreans, concludes her article mentioning that the numbers of those who are succeeding in their efforts to better their lives in the South continues to increase.
Today is the 48th World Communications Day, the Feast of the Ascension. Both Catholic papers had an editorial on Communication and its importance in our present world. Korea is one of the world's leaders in the distribution of smart phones in the hands of their citizens. They have a well-used network in the new media.
The
command of Jesus to preach the Good News to the whole world is made
easier with the digital network. We are challenged by this new
technology. The development in the electronic media requires that we
have the right understanding of the media and how to use it properly.
The recent popes have seen the use of the new media as a prophetic
voice in uniting us together: a gift from God.
Pope
Francis in his message on World Communication Day mentions: "In a world
like this, media can help us to feel closer to one another,
creating a sense of the unity of the human family which can in turn
inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life
for all."
In our society, the editorial reminds us, we
see the violence that is wide spread. We do have the new media helping
both the individual and society to contribute to fellowship and the
common good, but at the same time, we have the individual and different
groups wanting profit and
using all kinds of propaganda without discretion and without
responsibility, giving rise to many harmful side
effects.
"Whenever communication is primarily aimed at promoting consumption or
manipulating others, we are dealing with a form of violent aggression
like that suffered by the man in the parable, who was beaten by robbers
and left abandoned on the road." These words by the pope should upset the consciences of many.
Despite
this, the pope and the editorials make it clear that we need to keep
the door open to this new media and use it to carry out the message
that Jesus gave the Church to go to the very ends of the earth to bring
his Good News.
In the past, we went to the streets to deliver the message. We continue this, but we now have another way of reaching others with the new media. Like the good Samaritan of the Gospels, we want to be every ones' good neighbor, As the pope said: "The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity: a network not of wires but of people." The pope wants us: "to recover a certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen."
There are many who are hurt by the new media. The abuse will always be there, but that is the reason we should be involved and make it a warm and friendly
environment. Disagreements, criticism, arguments are part of the
attractiveness of the new media, but as members of the human family, we
should not descend to the ad hominem attacks: appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect. These attacks should make us all uncomfortable and the best way of responding is to fill the media with the opposite.
The
cramming method of education is criticized often within Korean
society. Recently,we heard all kinds of reasons for the Sewol tragedy,
and even the education received, was mentioned as one of the
reasons for the disaster.
A
journalist for the Catholic Times in her column begins with the words
from a learning pamphlet that advertised their methods: "Lets
us work in improving ourselves, knowingly and quickly, quickly."
Children
who have been brought up with the cramming method of education, the
pouring in of knowledge, will have difficulty, she says, improving
themselves having been exposed only to this method. Without direction,and help in knowing what to do, the carrying out of what is expected will be
difficult.
She
mentions a documentary that she saw recently. It compared our lecture
halls and those in foreign countries. Our preferred teaching
environment shows the students with their note books and writing
material listening to their professors. This is the method they have
been taught and even when in college find difficult to discard.
In her writing assignments she has seen changes in the way the educational
programs are being conducted in a number of parishes, with the
interaction and collaboration of teachers and those in attendance. She gives the example in making plans for summer camp programs, where all
meet together to discuss different proposals. The idea is to be
involved in the process and take responsibility for the results.
The
journalist reminds us that it is better to teach a person how to fish
than to feed the person fish. When we are directly involved in the
learning process, we come away with understanding and a change in our
way of thinking.Creativity and passion is nurtured.She has seen this in a number of her assignments, which
gave her great joy.
The
result of our educational programs for our Catholics is being
reevaluated by some, for the past results were not always positive. Much is memorized and knowledge of what the Church teaches is conveyed, but there
is little passion or understanding of the reasons we
believe. Yes, we believe, but it is with the whole body and not only with
an act of the will to believe. We should be able to give an intelligent
answer for the reasons we believe. Our faith teaches us much more
than we can know from reason, but it is not opposed to reason. We use
reason to better understand our faith. Our faith is 'in search of
understanding', which is what theology is all about. St. Thomas said
grace builds on nature:"Faith implies reason and perfects it." Our faith
allows us to be more reasonable.
We are
all very different in the way we express our inner feelings. Some
persons have little difficulty in saying, 'I love you' to family and
siblings, while others find it awkward and unnecessary. Expressing our
emotions is often considered not a proper way of acting and in Asia
possibly more so than in the West. The Asians may be more private about
what they feel most strongly.
In the Desk Column in the Catholic Times, the writer mentions a friend who had difficulty in saying what she felt inside when she was at her father's bedside before he died. All she could say was 'sorry' although in her heart and head, she wanted to say: "I love you. Father, I am very proud to be your daughter; I am sorry for not being closer to you; I wanted to do better I am sorry, forgive me." Her father died three years before and when she thinks of what she wanted to say and did not, tears come to her eyes. Why were the words she wanted to say blocked and prevented from coming out?
This is not only true with loving words for parents but also with family. The love and care, we should have in the family is as necessary as the air we breathe, she says, and should be the very foundation of family life. We are hearing about 'Family Love Syndrome' after the Sewol tragedy in which over 300 died. Korean society is fast-paced, and few are the times the family can spend together. However, we see a movement in society to regain again the closeness of family life and spending time with each other.
Consumption has decreased, but money spent on family has increased. The dining out has decreased, but families going out to eat together has increased. Company and student group outings have decreased but families traveling together within and outside of the country have increased. This she says, is similar to what happened in the United States after the 2001 September 11 tragedy, and in Japan, after the earthquake and the tsunami.
A survey was made of 500 adults to determine how much time was spent in conversation with one's steady, friends and parents. With the boy or girl friend, we had 140 minutes a week, with friends it was 97 minutes and with parents, it was 6 minutes.
Rare is the expression, I love you to the parents for when they hear it, they ask: do you need money?
During the last minutes of the sinking of the Sewol, the children, for the most part, were expressing their love for the parents with their smart phones. Over one month has passed since the tragedy, and still the whole country is overcome with distrust. The lack of morality gives birth to despair and helplessness. If we are just sorry for the loss of the innocent lives what good is it? She asks. Is there not a need to show love in the family more so than we have in the past?
Korean Catholics are waiting for Pope Francis' visit to
Korea from August 14th to 18th at the invitation of President Park and
the Catholic Church of Korea. Preparations have continued for some
time, and will include printing books, introducing the Catholics to the
lives of the 124 martyrs who will be beatified, pilgrimages to the many
shrines, lectures and programs to help the Catholics to grow in their
faith life, using the visit of the Pope as the catalyst. Reports say the
Catholics of North Korea have been invited to come to Korea for the
Mass in the Cathedral Church of Seoul before the pope leaves Korea.They have expressed interest.
Cardinal Yeom recently did visit
the industrial complex in North Korea for a one-day visit. After the
visit, Cardinal Yeom said: "The distance between Seoul and the Kaesong
Industrial Park is slightly over 60km. I thought about how we live
thinking this short distance is so far."
In
the Peace Weekly there is an article about Fr. Cha Dong-yeop of the Future Pastoral Institute
of Incheon on his program on Peace TV. He introduces the viewing
audience to ten key works, he says, helps to understand Pope Francis. The only
way most of the Korean Catholics hear what the Pope has to say is in
translation. The opportunities of coming in contact with the teaching
and values that the pope is expressing are not easily attained by the
ordinary Korean.
Fr. Cha has gone through the books written
by the pope, his sermons and news reports about the pope, and has made a list of 10
keywords which he feels gives a good idea of the emphasis that the Pope
is showing in what he says and does. Fr. Cha says, there is much
written on the theological and moral position of the pope but not the pastoral approach. They are also sign posts for our own spiritual life.
*
Happiness * Mercy * Poverty * Teaching on Love * Pope's Name, Francis
* His grandmother's legacy * The pope's prayer * What can be changed
and what can't be changed * Communication * A Church without walls.
These are the ten ways Fr. Cha wants to express the main points of
Pope Francis' pastoral concerns. The only one that may be difficult to
understand would be the legacy of his grandmother: "A burial gown
doesn't need pockets." Another of the many:"Celebrate each Mass as if
it were your first and last."
Father Cha uses these keywords on the TV program as one way to prepare the
Catholics in appreciating the message of Pope Francis and understanding his popularity both within and outside the Church. Fr. Cha will
eventually write a book with the 10 keywords explained.
