The domestic work of a homemaker has recently been given a monetary
value. Society does not consider a women's work in the home a career. For insurance purposes and accidents, women's work in the home is not
recognized nor when it comes to inheritance, division of property,
pension inheritance, or inherited status; this is still a work in process.
What can be said is that the making of meals, cleaning and washing is
very cheap labor when we give it a market value. A sociology professor
in a column in the Peace Weekly follows this with some of her reasons
for the low birthrate in Korea.
Today even the birth
and the raising of children is given a market value. This was not the
original intention but developed over time. No longer is a human being
considered as capital an awkward use of the word. The cost efficiency of
the investment in education within a project is seen with the future
return. We have those who are in the humanities who transfer to the
school of business. In the past there would be resistance to such a
move, this is no longer the case.
Marriage is now a
marketable item. When the writer was in college, a doctor's wife took
pride in her position even more so than being a doctor herself, which is
no longer the case. Today the women no longer vicariously take pride
in the work of their husbands, but want the status for themselves. When women are asked will it be marriage or a career the women answer
more than the men that they want a career. At present this reality has
slowed down somewhat because of the difficulty in finding a place in
society, and movement towards marriage is seen.
When
it comes to marriage they give a value to all their assets: education,
family status, income, and the like, considering anything that will give themselves a
higher grade. They don't want to underestimate their value when they go to the matchmaking companies. They have become a market commodity.
Does
not this mentality make it easy to understand the low birth rate? A
mother's love for her child even if it required her life was never
regretted in the world's folklore, but we see the woman being dragged
into a patriarchal way of thinking. If we give a monetary value to
giving birth and raising children, no government is able to have
policies that will compensate the sacrifice required. Calculations have
to give way to an interior value system.
We
need to go beyond the market values and start reflecting on the value
of life itself, and its meaning, and as a gift of the creator. We have
to see the birth of
children with a larger all comprehensive understanding of life.The columnist is a 'baby boomer' and was born during the Korean War. Her parents during this sterile time in our history opted to have a
child. The respect that these parents had for life has to be recovered
if we want to see an end to the low birthrate.
Are there ways our children can enjoy their studies? This is a
question that a retired high school principal attempts to answer in the
View from the Ark column in the Catholic Times.
He
went to morning Mass and in the small chapel where Mass is usually
offered, nobody was there. He found this strange and went up to the
church proper where he found it completely filled, and realized it was
college entrance exam day. His prayer at the Mass was for all the
students taking the exams, and especially for those who find studying
difficult. It is the duty of the adults to find ways to make study
enjoyable, and he brings to our attention the wisdom gained from the
migrating geese.
Geese migrating can travel thousands
of miles.They travel in a 'V' formation to take advantage of the reduction
of air resistance, and the uplift and buoyancy of the air from the
flapping of the wings of the bird in front. This gives them 75 percent
more energy.The birds behind keep on honking which gives the bird out
in front encouragement. When the lead Goose gets tired it is replaced
with another bird and the lead bird goes back into the formation. What is more
marvelous is when a goose gets sick, is wounded or goes to the ground
exhausted, two or three other birds will stay with the goose until
recovered.
The lessons learned from the geese, the columnist says, can help
in the class room: the collaborative working together to achieve a goal, sharing one's knowledge, encouraging one another, will bring joy
and fraternity to the school classroom. The teacher will have the
students helping each other. Those who have difficulty in math, English
and literature will be helped by those who find it easier.The teacher
would help those who will be tutoring to work with the poorer students in
areas that the teacher feels needs attention. The process will help not
only the poorer students but the ones giving the help. The ones
mentoring will have more confidence in the subject matter and
learn how to convey information.
Some of the teachers had
difficulty with selecting from the students those to be the tutors for
others, thinking that it would not be good at such an early age to be
singled out to be a mentor. But they changed when
they saw during physical education class some of the slower students
showing their mentors how to throw a 'free throw' on the basketball
court. Fraternity is not only one way.
Competition for college entrance will continue. Ways have to be found to decrease the stress that is built up, and to help the students realize that life is more than doing better than others in their exams. The columnist feels that making the competition more human will help to dissipate some of the stress. The concern that is shown to others will hopefully carry over into adult life, which will not only be good for the individual but for society. He
hopes those with a faith life will be leaders in this
educational process.
Recently
in a wealthy area of Seoul, a security guard at an apartment complex, set
himself on fire because of the humiliation he received from a resident. He later died and ostensibly the firing came about because of the end of the contract, but the labor
union said the suicide so disgraced the apartment community that at one
of their meetings they decided to change the subcontractor who hired
the security guards. This brought about the retaliatory notice of the firing of 78 security guards.
In
the Peace Column of the Peace Weekly the columnist mentions how
devastating this is to the individuals and families at this time of
year. Without the experience of being fired, he says, it is difficult
for us to even imagine what is happening to these workers. When
the security guard attempted suicide many of the other guards knew harm
would come to them, which was the case. The writer knows it is not
the Church's work to solve all the problems of society, but he is
disappointed that not even a small attempt to side with the fired
workers was shown.
He
agrees with the activists who are working to better society, but wonders
if they are not just interested in big events and not concerned with
the smaller human rights infractions. He is in
complete agreement with the efforts to make know the injustices in
society, to stress human dignity, and work for the progress of society
and the citizens' welfare, but he feels that they are aiming too high,
and forgetting the smaller injustices in society: forgetting those like
the 78 security guards who may be out of work shortly.
On Pope Francis' trip to Korea the pope mentioned in his talk to
the Asian bishops to beware of the "temptation to the superficial".
Bishop Kang explained this in one of his talks as being concerned
about the kind of smartphone you are using, what car you are riding, what hand bag you have and forgetting the important things in life. Giving oneself over to superficialities and losing the real
happiness one should have in life.
Should
not those in the Church working in social pastoral ministry of the
Church beware of the 'temptation to the superficial'? Accepted by certain public groups and the press, should not blind one to the basics of
the social ministry. The columnist mentions certain events that claim
the limelight and interest of many, but forgotten are the small works in helping the poor and the alienated in society.
One
of the bishops recently in his diocesan meeting of the priests
requested strongly the following: From now on no more
bouquets of flowers when he visits the parishes, no banners to welcome
him, no lines waiting to greet him, no special table for the bishop,
he will eat the same as the parishioners. And next year, he said, 5
percent decrease in all the different programs of the diocese to take
some of the financial pressure off the parishioners.
In response to the bishop's entreaty the priests decided to raise the money allotted to the poor from their personal monies from 40 thousand dollars to about 80 thousand. This is one of the first steps to change the 'temptation to the superficial' and to act on what the Pope was hoping, and the bishops in their own meeting have decided to do. Our columnist hopes this is the start of what will happen in all the dioceses.
Today is the first day of the new liturgical year. Sister Hae-in Lee in her article in the Seoul Bulletin mentions how often it is noted that priests and sisters are difficult to approach. Their appearance is stern and stiff, which does not encourage people to come close. She has often been told to have a smiling face.
She introduces us to one of her favorite books the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. The word pollyanna has taken on the meaning from the novel, of a person with irrepressible optimism, and a tendency to find good in everything.
Pollyanna while a child learned from her father, a minister, to be optimistic. The beginning for this way of looking at life began one Christmas when she was hoping to pick out a doll from a barrel full of presents, but instead of a doll out came crutches. Seeing the crutches she began to cry and her father said: " You little fool why are you crying? Shouldn't you be happy that you don't need those crutches?"
From this incident she made up the 'Glad Game', a game which consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. Pollyanna with this view of life was able to transform the cold and uninviting town in which she lived into a pleasant and joyful place.
Sister Lee mentions in her own life she decided to start playing the 'Glad Game'. Especially in situations that were the most depressing. When she does not see a way to resolve her problem, becomes dejected, feels lost as in a swamp, and her relations with others become tangled, with prayer and playing the 'Glad Game' she tries to avoid being in a funk.
The 'Glad Game' was helpful when she was in the hospital. When the nurses came to her bedside during the day to take her temperature, and blood pressure, instead of showing displeasure she tried to smile. When she had to undergo radiation and chemotherapy, how fortunate, she thought, to have the opportunity to receive this form of treatment, and when her guests said something that seemed to her out of place, she smiled, and tried to understand it favorably. She became adept in playing the 'Glad Game'.
Since we are beginning the season of Advent and a new liturgical year she wants her readers to play the 'Glad Game'. Foolish as it sounds, she believes it is the way that love wins out.
Christianity is filled with all kinds of paradoxes. What seems strange to our way of thinking and counter-intuitive, often looks different in retrospect. Would it not be an interesting experiment to see how many of our actions during Advent can be truly counter intuitive, taken from the words of Jesus? We can start with the sermon on the mount. One of our most important mysteries is the paschal mystery: the most counter intuitive of all our acts-- dying to ourselves in order to live. There are many ways of doing this daily, and a good preparation for Christmas.
The Desk Columnist of the Catholic Times recalls a class in the
humanities where they were asked what five things
would they do if they knew death would come the following day. She
mentions up until that time she had no experience of death in her
family, relatives or acquaintances. She only knew death from movies,
books and talk, but no direct contact with death.
She doesn't remember what she said when her turn came but it must have been fragmented, romantic like
preparations. She had her own experience of death shortly after with the
death of her mother. It came suddenly. She had been a journalist
for the Catholic Times for a year when her mother died. She had no
health problems, she was in a sleep from which she did not awake: a tremendous shock.
Both her parents where baptized
shortly before, she believes it was to help her along in her new work.
They probably thought that that being Catholic would help her get
points in the work place.
After the mother's death she would
open her prayer book and often pray for the dead. She cried much but she
also had the hope of the resurrection, and the belief that she would
meet them again which was a great consolation. She believed in the
communion of saints which words she often saw in her prayers
which gave her great strength. Death for a Christian, sad as it is, also brings hope to the person who
is bereaving.
Elisabeth Kubler Ross (1926-2004) a
psychiatrist, was the one who made a study of death and dying and gave
us the five steps that are often experienced by the dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. A
priest working in Japan who has made death his own area of study,
Fr.Alfons Deeken, a Jesuit internationally known in the field of
education about death has added another step: a happy death-- the mental
state of desire and hope.
Hope not for a return to health but hope for eternal life and the meeting of those they loved.
We
are coming to the end of the month dedicated to the souls in
purgatory, and the beginning of the liturgical new year with a new feeling in our hearts. We begin the new again with
expectations and hope.
Reflection is in order with our
hand on our breasts to determine if we have made the preparations that
are necessary for the new year. During the first day of the new year we
pray: "Come O Lord Jesus". The word "advent" means "coming", a
coming that is here already and one that is not yet.
We
probably tend to forget that the happiness, if we listen to what Jesus
came to teach us and do it, should begin here in the now, and
continue for all eternity.When we sing: "Come Lord Jesus" we are asking
him to come to us now, if we are ready and prepared to meet him now, we
are also prepared to me him at our death and at the end of time.
A
religious sister writes in the Catholic Digest about her trip to the
market and a taxi ride back to the convent. The taxi driver helped her
with the packages and weakly asked her where she was going. He looked
worn-out.
In the taxi he asked her the easiest way to get to her house. She was surprised by his question
and told him so, and he told her this was the second day of work, and began to give her his personal history like a reservoir that had burst, all came spilling out.
His
wife had died a number of years ago. He had two sons, the older one
died of a sickness, and the younger one was not married and living in
Japan. He had borrowed a lot of money, despite it all his business failed, lost everything, and was in debt.
Some of the debt was to persons that were well off but there were also
those who had given him all their savings, and for these he was
especially concerned.
Life had been hard on him. There were many times that he contemplated suicide but he couldn't do it because
of those that lent him the money. He didn't want them to lose hope so
he went to those that lent him money, and told them he would repay them,
and began his work as a taxi driver.
When
he thinks deeply about his situation he realizes that they are the ones
that kept him alive.The sister could see in his face the determination
to make good on his promise. She was amazed at his words. Where
did he get the strength to want to pay back his debt? Although he
failed in his business he was not a failure in life. When life doesn't
have too many downs it may not be difficult to keep smiling and keep
going, but when the zingers are many the person's real and true self
appears. These were the thoughts running through her head.
When he arrived at the convent he helped the sister with her packages, and before he got back in the taxi he turned to the sister and told her he also was a believer, but hadn't been to Mass in a long time. He wasn't able to overcome the shame he felt in not been able to repay the debt. He did say he would return to church soon. She thanked him, and told him he was always welcomed to come to her parish church.
As
the taxi moved out of the yard she sent a prayer along. She felt like
she had just finished watching an emotional movie scene. She knows that
God will bless him for his desire to pay off the debt.
She was greatly moved by the encounter. It gave her another reason to appreciate the pleasure of living. There are many like him who overcome difficult odds to do the right thing, and show the resiliency that we are all called to manifest because of our trust in God.
College entrance exams for 2015 have ended, and the same lies continue to circulate within society. The Desk Columnist of the
Catholic Times expresses his strong opinion on the situation. "Those who
have learned what the text book teaches have no difficulty with the
exams," and similar words, make little of the results of the exams.
From November to the beginning of the new school year in Feb. we will have more
than 200 young people kill themselves. If family members are
included we have over two suicides each day.
All are
faced with few or many exams during life, but the college entrance exams are
uniquely different for it will determine the life of the family for years to come. Results determine the price tag for the individual given
by society. Scholars in the field see this as an evil, making for a
society of academic cliques.
Some see the problem as a
weak disposition of the young people, others see it as a rite of
passage that exists in all cultures, and we should not be too
sentimental about the situation. The loss of so many young lives, and
what we need to do is not a problem easily solved.
Suppose,
he says, that the number of students died because of Ebola or SARS
what would happen? The government official responsible would have
to resign, and the president would be apologizing to
the citizens with head lowered, and measures to remedy the situation
would shortly be in place. Why is it that the adults do not look into the
situation? But instead like parrots repeat: "they only need to study the
text books...."
Christians along with the president and
the ministers in education are disinterested spectators: a really strange society in which we live.
All seems hunky-dory, and nobody wants to ask the right questions.
Young
students are weak living in a vertical and authoritarian society.
They do not vote which is another reason for the lack of interest of the
older generation. This lack of interest in the young is also shown in
the churches where we have a large number of students no longer seen in the pews.
Our response should be to approach them, listen to them, and feel with
them.
One of humanities great gifts is the ability to sympathize
with those who are sick or hurting: the capability of empathizing with
others and to act. Jesus is our example; he was sent by the Father to be with
us and he showed this feeling for others by his healing. His empathy for others brought about the healing.
One
of the great weapons that we have as Christians is the grace to
sympathize with others in their hurt. More important than being number one is to relate with others. We need to become more sensitive to the hurts of others, and to develop this part of our personality. This
seed was put into the hearts of the followers of Jesus, and this seed for love needs to find expression in our lives.
