Win/Win Approach to the Young and Old of Society

Do you accept the elderly as partners in your community? This was a question asked in a column in the Catholic Times on Social Issues. Problems with the elderly are common in society. Cultural and moral values cannot be judged by efficiency alone, a great danger in an economic orientated social structure that seeks only economic value and profit.

Not infrequently when talking with friends the elderly are ignored. There is a tendency to want to respect them but not involved in society. Many prejudices and barriers exist in society because of age differences. 

Unfortunately, in our society, the elderly and alienation are terms that are closely associated. Wisdom, age, and the position of the elderly were at the center of the home, but that is no longer the case. In the comprehensive report on human rights of the elderly released by the National Human Rights Commission in 2018, 80.9% of the respondents were negative on the human rights of the elderly. Increasing support burdens, job shortages, and social conflicts are factors. The government's recent proposal to raise the official age of retirement has received criticism from many sectors of society. 

Besides, there are statements made about the elderly that are difficult even to repeat, expressions that disparage the elderly online, including YouTube. "Old people take the jobs of young people!", "Old people are old and useless!", "The anachronistic judgments of old people threaten society!" Etc. But isn't this too much? There is a place for reasonable criticism, however, to show this kind of contempt for the elderly, as if they have no place in society is an extremely unhealthy, immature reaction of society.

It is not easy for the elderly to adapt to the rapidly changing technological civilization. They also have a weak economic base because they poured out everything on their children. The weakening of their bodies and minds make them the weakest in society. And yet it was their contributions and sacrifices, that gave us the present society.

Why did the excessive generational conflicts and aversions arise? Because of our negative perception of the elderly. In fact, the elderly problem is a comprehensive symbol of Korean social problems. It shows what our society has pursued and the results of the upheaval of the last 50 years. Our prosperity and development achieved did it not bring with it indifference, selfishness, conflict, and aversion in society? He worries that the only thing left in society with the neglect of morality and ethics is hatred and conflict. 

Has not the perception that "we only need to save the economy" shaken our mutual understanding, and love for neighbor. The current situation of pursuing economic value and profit alone neglects many and threatens families and the elderly. Many seniors who have dedicated their lives to society live in bitterness and alienation. Our society is on the wrong path.

What do you think of the duty of filial piety in the Ten Commandments? Piety is the first step to remind people of the source in forming a community and loving their neighbors. Of course, the younger generation's disappointment with the older generations certainly exists. But should not love and forgiveness be the greatest unseen asset of society? Society has changed, and the roles of individuals and the ways the different generations coexist have to change. But this should not lead to the destruction of human dignity but mutual respect for the needs of the other. Society's development and reform should be directed toward constructive search and the coexistence of new roles, which can be done through the respect of others and a win/win understanding of the needs of the old and young.

 "Love is also expressed in the generous attention shown to the elderly who live in families: their presence can take on great value. They are an example of connections between generations, a resource for the well-being of the family and of the whole of society: Not only do they show that there are aspects of life — human, cultural, moral and social values — which cannot be judged in terms of economic efficiency, but they can also make an effective contribution in the work-place and in leadership roles. In short, it is not just a question of doing something for older people, but also of accepting them realistically as partners in shared projects —#222.

Compendium of the Social Gospel of the Church

Pain And the Sea of Life

Everybody has some kind of suffering to deal with in life. The death of the innocent, accidents that happen to those that are living an upright life, and the unfortunate situations that afflict us. We don't ask society but God—Why? In a diocesan bulletin, a professor of spirituality gives the readers some of his thoughts on pain in life.

Why does God allow these horrible sufferings? It's impossible for anyone to give an answer that satisfies our reason. Eliphaz of Teman in the Book of Job in a mocking way tells Job that his suffering was the result of some sin in his life. But this is not what it is, nor is it right to say that pain helps Job to grow.

The essence of pain is not understood by the working of the mind but needs to be directly experienced to understand. The meaning is a mystery. All one can do is listen to the experience of the one undergoing the pain and try to understand what is going on.

Karl Jaspers the German philosopher and psychiatrist who knew the meaning of personal physical pain from childhood understood the need to transcend life to understand life on a different level. Josef Sudbrack, a theologian, said with suffering we experience the absence of God but a the same time God is greater than this experience.

Pope John Paul in Salvifici Doloris:
"Following the parable of the Gospel, we could say that suffering, which is present under so many different forms in our human world, is also present in order to unleash love in the human person, that unselfish gift of one's "I" on behalf of other people, especially those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love; and in a certain sense man owes to suffering that unselfish love which stirs in his heart and actions" (#29). Again:

"In doing this, the individual unleashes hope, which maintains in him the conviction that suffering will not get the better of him, that it will not deprive him of his dignity as a human being, a dignity linked to awareness of the meaning of life. And indeed this meaning makes itself known together with the working of God's love, which is the supreme gift of the Holy Spirit. The more he shares in this love, man rediscovers himself more and more fully in suffering: he rediscovers the 'soul' which he thought he had 'lost') because of suffering" (#24).

A parish priest gathered those in his parish who had undergone some kind of suffering and by means of their suffering were able to find the working of grace in their lives. He used them as pastoral workers in the community. For those whose, married life was a continual conflict, they worked to help those with problems in family relationships. Those who had lost a child and had to deal with despair they were present to counsel. Healing came with the compassion that was shown. Through the experience of pain, we understand the pain of others and with God's help participate in the suffering of Christ.

Life existentially unfolds in a situation of suffering. God's gift of life and the pain coexist in the sea of life. In the study of spirituality, pain is considered as a way of dealing with and relating to reality. The problem is not the external pain in itself that comes but our failure to believe that God is always healing our wounds and giving us new life. Through the experience of pain, we understand the pain of others. If we do not forget that God is always there to help us we will experience the transcendent strength of grace.

Korean Basic Christian Communities

Basic Christian Communities were introduced to enable all members of the church to actively participate in the mission of evangelization but have had difficulty in Korea. Not all the dioceses have seen its value, although it has a history in the Korean church.
 
According to a research institute report in a diocese with a 20-year history of working with the small communities, laypeople have been positive about the help they have received from the small communities. However, there was a lack of communication and no significant improvement over the years. This reality is not only a problem of a particular diocese but a need for measures to revitalize the pastoral community and focus the attention of priests on the movement.
 
The priest at the head of the Diocesan Pastoral Institute gives the readers of the Catholic Times an introduction to the meaning of the small communities. He hopes all the members of the church will appreciate the importance of the small community program whose members are trying to live the life of the early church practicing evangelical communion and love for neighbor.

It has been 20 years since the pastoral ministry of small communities began in this diocese, however, the path of revitalization is still a long way off. The research report points out that there is a need for improved awareness of small communities by priests as well as believers. The parishioners in the small communities generally give a positive evaluation of the small community movement more so than the priests.

'Communication' is an important topic throughout society and the report makes clear that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, all members of the church need to work together, respect each other's words and consider together how to strengthen the small communities.

 The Diocesan Pastoral Institute published a research report that was conducted from October 2018 to April 2019. Based on a survey of a total of 1701 people. According to the report, both priests and lay believers did not think that communication between parish members was sufficiently carried out in the process of establishing the Basic Christian Community.

On the question for the reason and purpose of small communities, the priests scored low. It was found that the reason for establishing the small communities was not accurately understood.

The priests were not strongly supportive of the pastoral reality of the small community movement. In particular, the pastors regarded the small community pastoral reality more negatively than the assistant priests and those in special works. Priests responded that the small community was not very helpful in activating the parish community as a whole.

On the other hand, in the case of lay people, unlike the priests, they assessed that they were receiving positive help in their religious life by participating in the small community movement. In terms of helping Christian life: high scores were given to the formation of a sense of belonging, bonding of the parish community, maturity of faith life and more active participation in the life of the church.

Regarding the future of small communities priests gave a negative outlook, saying: "After more than 20 years of experience, we no longer need to make the small community the central pastoral concern of the diocese." Nevertheless, if the pastoral ministry continues, it is necessary to present various pastoral models considering the reality of the parish.

In contrast, the laypeople were positive about the future of small communities. Since the small communities are the pastoral vision of the diocese the bishop and priests need to continue to pay special attention to the movement. The small communities are attempting to live the essential life of a Christian and special attention needs to be given to efforts to improve. Besides, when priests are sent to a parish those who are interested in the movement should be sent. The laypeople are demanding awareness of the small communities by the diocese and priests to revitalize the small communities.

The head of the Diocesan Pastoral Research Institute, said: "The research showed that the awareness of the priests and the need for continuous education are necessary."

Positive And Negative Attitudes

A professor in Consumer Housing Studies gives us her thoughts on aspects of consumer living in the Catholic Peace Weekly. She asks do people spend more money when they feel good or feel bad? Some when they feel neglected spend looking for psychological rewards but most people spend more when they feel good.

Companies use this principle to open consumer wallets. A pleasant stimulus aims to be an ignition effect: a stimulus presented in the market place to work on the shoppers disposing them to spend their money.

When you are exposed to a product or brand while feeling good or uplifted by a good stimulus, your brain interprets the positive mood and motivates you to buy the product. At this time, the stimulus presented is called an ignition stimulus, it may be language, touch, taste, sight, and hearing that affects one's mood. The market regulates the ignition stimulus with positive sentiments in order to obtain a positive evaluation of the product. In the market, they try to have a good scent experienced, play some nice music, and say hello with a smile.

Temperature also acts as an ignition stimulus. In general, warmth is associated with positive and cold with negative emotions. For example, in an experiment evaluating the consumer, one group might have to wait with a warm cup of coffee, the other group with a cold cup of coffee, those with the hot cup of coffee are more positive when it comes to evaluating their subject. The same applies to the description of consumer behavior in evaluating and purchasing products or services. Researchers have found that consumers who hold warm items are more likely to evaluate the quality of the product they are buying positively and are more satisfied after purchase.

Warm and cold here are not always referring to physical temperature. Just as we divide people into warm and cold, regardless of body temperature, we have a habit of linking psychological situations with temperature, and sometimes this temperature is important. Some experiments have shown that people who experience social exclusion or are lonely perceive the same temperature lower. In a three-person trial, when two participants deliberately bullied a person, the bullied consumer perceived lower the laboratory temperature in which they stayed.

The stimulating effects of pleasant stimuli also work in human relationships. To make people feel good, the psychological temperature is more important than the high and low physical temperatures controlled by air conditioning or heaters. People in good spirits interpret certain situations more positively, are more tolerant of others' faults, and more outgoing to others.

Therefore, to be successful in interpersonal relationships, you need to make your partner feel good first. This is true in all our social surroundings. In the home, in our villages, in society, the positive always is healthier than the negative. It is always better to use a positive expression than a negative one. The Golden Rule is always the best policy.

Warmly greet and be considerate. When the spirit is high the consumers spend more money in stores and better evaluate what they've bought, not surprisingly this marketing advice disposing consumers to open their wallets is also a rule of life.  Living with a positive outlook—  is always healthier, and the wiser course, and shockingly we have to be reminded of this frequently.

Korean Smartphone Rest Movement

What is the most dangerous car? One in which the breaks don't work. When at a red light or going downhill if the brakes don't work you are in real trouble. So begins the Eyes of the Believer column in the recent Catholic Weekly.
 
We also need brakes in our lives. Seeing only what is ahead and a life concerned only with running is dangerous. Many sick patients regret a life that was taken up with running to achieve. You need to pause for a while in order to look back. Only when you stop do you see the surroundings and realize where you are going and what you are doing. So Jesus says, "Go to a secluded place and rest a little bit" (Mk 6:31). He reminds us of the importance and necessity of rest.

He recalls the words of a former Google chairman: "Turn off the computer. Turn off your phone. Then you will find people around you."

It is a warning to all who have recently become slaves to the smartphone. Many people are addicted and rely too much on them. News, social media, games, time and place, of no consequence, and in their use, we pass over what we should be doing. 

Even more of a problem is that while smartphones allow access beyond time and space, they permit us to forget those who are around us, family and acquaintances. Even when the family is all together, there is no direct communication or sharing. Empathy and sensitivity are deadened and we become like robots— "unthinking human beings" the consequences are the misery and tragedy of dehumanization.
 
With the 4th Industrial Revolution deepening, smartphones are not an option but a necessity in our lives.  Smartphones are now a part of my life,  (because there's all the information about me in it), but if we're wise in the use it will be a medicine, not a poison, benefiting all.

At the end of 2019, Pope Francis on the Feast of the Holy Family urged his listeners to drop their smartphones at mealtime and communicate with their families. "In your family, do you know how to communicate with each other, or are you like those kids at the table" In your family, do you know how to communicate with each other, or are you like those kids at the table—each one has their own cell phone, chatting? In that table, there is a silence as if they were at Mass, but they don't communicate with each other."  

The Catholic Church together with the other major religious group is participating in the smartphone rest cultural movement. It is an attempt to become less dependent on the smartphone and more concerned with those we deal with daily. The President of the Pastoral Council of Seoul said the purpose of the movement is: "To take a break from your smartphone, imitate the Holy Family, talk to your family, love each other, care for your neighbors, and praise God."

The 'smart rest' cultural movement aims not only restricting the use of smartphones but also emphasizing the positive side of its good use.  However, the 'smart rest' cultural movement also includes prophetic efforts to identify and purify certain aberrations such as personal information leakage, privacy invasion, malicious comments, and digital sex crimes, which do harm to the cultures of love and life. Even today Jesus invites us to go to a remote place and get some rest. It is time for smartphone rest.

Bishop William McNaughton MM (1926-2020)

In the recent issues of both Catholic papers, the life of Bishop William McNaughton a Maryknoll Missioner was featured, remembering his life and work in Korea. He died on Feb. 3, 2020, in Methuen, Mass.

In 1954, the year after the end of the Korean War, a 28-year-old young American missioner stepped on Korean soil. The ship on which he and his fellow missioners were taking was a cargo ship that departed from San Francisco, and 16 days later landed at the Pusan Port.

His first sight on land was a welcoming group of Koreans standing on the pier as they landed. What were his thoughts at that moment? He had no idea that one day he would be the bishop of Incheon and the longest holder of the office as ordinary of a diocese in Korean history.

Bishop McNaughton was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1926. It's a small town near Boston. Settled by those from a Catholic culture: Irish, Italian and French Canadians. Naturally, Lawrence became a strong Catholic city. He grew up in a Catholic family and graduated from a Marianist High School in 1944.

He entered the Maryknoll Mission Society right after high school. After completing his seminary education at Maryknoll's major seminary he received his master's degree in religious education and was assigned to the Korean mission. He spent one year at Yale University studying Korean and began to get familiar with what he had heard from the old missioners from Korea.

He was assigned to be assistant to the KamKok parish in the Chungju diocese but at that time it was still a Vicariate under the leadership of Bishop James Pardy the first ordinary of the Chungju Diocese. He became the pastor of two parishes and was a consultor to the Bishop and vice vicar until he was named a bishop and Vicar Apostolic of Incheon in 1961.

He was 34 years old. On June 6, 1961, the Incheon area, where Maryknoll priests had been working was raised to an apostolic vicariate. McNaughton was named a bishop and appointed apostolic vicar of Incheon. He was ordained a bishop by Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston in St. Mary’s Church in Lawrence Aug. 24, 1961.

On March 10, 1962, St. John XXIII raised all the apostolic vicariates to the status of dioceses, and McNaughton became the first bishop of the new Diocese of Incheon and served for 41 years. "UT OMNES UNMM SINT" (May they all be one, John 17,21) was the bishop's coat of arms.

Both papers singled out some of the traits of the bishop. During his time as bishop, he was known as the bishop who rides the subway. He was frugal and the late Cardinal Kim Soo-whan who was a pastoral companion for many years called him a really humble man and made known that not once did he ever absent himself from a Bishops' meeting. He was extremely diligent and sincere in all he did. This also showed in Rome during the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. He never missed a session except for a couple of days when sick.

When he became bishop the country's economy was difficult and the parishioners were few. When the diocese was founded in 1961, only nine parishes existed, with only 23,000 believers. Bishop McNaughton believed in the population potential of the industrial area of Incheon. He prepared for the future by buying land and building churches. In the last years as bishop, there were 85 parishes in Incheon and more than 372,000 believers.

Also, Bishop McNaughton paid great attention to labor and human rights issues and made great efforts in these areas. In particular, his stance on the deepening textile incident in Ganghwa Island in 1968 was highly regarded as the church began to stand on the side of the weak.

The pastor of the parish on Ganghwa Island at that time was Fr. Michael Bransfield whose JOC, the international organization founded by Rev, Joseph Cardijn in Belgium, was active in the textile factory on the island. The workers were organizing a labor union and were illegally fired and the factory was asking the bishop to transfer the pastor. He strongly protested and responded with a strong statement in support of the workers.

Due to a large number of factories in the diocese the bishop's interest in workers continued, and he established the 5th week after the Resurrection in 2002 as the Sunday to remember workers for the first time in the Korean Church.

When he retired in 2002 he was the last foreign bishop in the Korean Catholic Church. May he rest in peace.

Religions Working Together To Prevent Suicides

Korean society has been conscious for some time of the suicide problem and initiating efforts to make a culture of love and life. Suicide is a retreat into despair. We need to improve the social environment and awareness of the problems.

 We are all guardians of life. So how should society live faced with the problems arising from the spread of despair towards life? The first step is to learn about the issue. In a recent issue of the Catholic Times, an article showed how the different religious groups in Korea are working together to solve these problems.

Children are increasingly being exposed to songs that promote suicide. One popular song was 'Head-butt Suicide'. This song was posted on YouTube on August 17, 2018, and viewed over 40,000 times. "Now it's my turn—Sayonara." Songs that represent the dark world are looked upon as good songs. It was designated as harmful for the young but the young people used this song as a text message to friends.

The attitude that society has towards suicide determines the rate of suicides in society. In a Suicide Survey released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in groups with suicidal thoughts, there was a high acceptability attitude and low condemnation of suicide.

In other words, the correlation between the acceptive attitude towards suicide increases the tolerance of suicide for those in pain. In particular in a survey in 2013, the results out of a possible score of 5, it was 2.96 but in 2018 it increased to 3.02. A growing awareness that acceptability increases the number of suicides.
 
A receptive attitude toward suicide leads to suicide. Those who have witnessed suicide can consider suicide as an option if they are struggling. In 2018 a report released by the Ministry of Health, 81% of 121 suicidal families were depressed. "The Suicide Families who are psychologically and emotionally affected by suicide have six times the number of suicides." "The suicide problem is not only a suicide problem." In this regard, a director of a study said, South Koreans are susceptible to people around them and when a suicide occurs the chances are that it will recur.

Experts advise that the environment must be changed so that the susceptibility to suicide can be changed. A doctor who was the head of the Center for Suicide Prevention Center in Seoul, said, "Man has anxiety about death. The environment must be created so that individuals can receive proper love and support from a young age, and allowed to mourn and heal suicide issues."

In particular, the doctor pointed out that "there are many believers who have separated what they believe from their daily lives and systematic education in faith should be carried out so that beliefs can work in difficult moments."

He also said that those who attempt suicide find it difficult to get help from religious institutions. "I hope that the churches will be able to take care of the members of the community better without overlooking those who are experiencing suicidal problems or difficulties."