Coronavirus and Consumer Psychology

The present coronavirus situation in Korea will have an impact on the way of life that Koreans have lived for some time to come. A university professor gives the readers of the Peace Weekly in her column: Diagnosis of the Present what this will mean for the consumers and small business people.

The consumer sentiment index, which peaked at 105 points in January 2020, fell below 100 points in February. This index judges consumer sentiment by combining six major individual indices such as current lifestyle, household income outlook, and consumption expenditure. If the value is higher than 100, the number of households is giving a positive outlook if below a hundred it's negative.

Since the  Coronavirus 19 crisis situation was in full force in February, the March index will be worse. If the difficulties of small self-employed and offline retailers and service industries are forced to take unwanted leave, it would seem obvious that a decrease in household income will lead to sluggish consumption. How will people's consumption behavior change when the crisis is over?

Whether a financial crisis or a contagious virus, when things return to normal, after a crisis, consumption continues to fall for some time. This is because consumers' way of thinking has changed and the consuming desire has contracted. Because consumers are motivated to keep their incomes and consumption stable in the future, when uncertain, they try to reduce current consumption and increase savings for the future. According to the data on consumer behavior after the financial crisis (1997), consumers tended to reduce food and clothing expenses and entertainment expenses first, and keep savings intact.
 
In addition, there is a tendency to purchase products more carefully than before. In particular, when purchasing durable goods,  one postpones or is cautious since these goods require a large amount of management and maintenance costs in addition to purchase costs. After a disease like coronavirus, consumption behavior that prioritizes safety and hygiene will appear. In particular, safety should be an important selection keyword in food, hygiene, cosmetics, and baby products, as well as in the travel, lodging and foodservice industry. In the financial and insurance industries, there is a possibility that the market, which has strengthened the concept of 'reliability', will expand.

The crisis caused by the outbreak of viruses also changes consumers' shopping choices. Due to anxiety about the future, many will be going to large discount stores, wholesale markets, and online. In particular, in the case of coronavirus, the movement to online shopping will be notable. The main strengths consumers perceive for online shopping are low prices and convenience, but now we have safety as a new strength. 

Due to concerns about coronavirus, online sales at one large discount store, in February increased more than twice that of the same period last year. Shopping, like any other action, is a habit. Once the customer has turned to online, it takes a lot of effort, such as discovering a different benefit than before, to bring the consumer back offline.

It took almost four to five months for consumer sentiment to recover after the 2015 MERS outbreak and return to normal. Even if the coronavirus calms down, it will take months for consumer sentiment to return. In the meantime, it's time for each member of the consumer market to build up an immunity to the crisis, seeking to grow, discussing and working together to overcome the difficulties.

The Fiserman's Nap

The situation in Korea seems to have the virus contained and the numbers of cases are decreasing without the drastic measures that have been taken in other countries. Testing is taken seriously, screening of contacts, quarantine rules, transparency and reporting results daily in the media but most importantly the cooperation of the citizens—life goes on.
 
An article in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a journalist gives the readers some humor; a desire to lessen the apprehension experienced by many especially in the southern part of the country where the numbers infected are large. He begins his words with a fable told by the German author Heinrich Böll.

The fisherman was taking a leisurely nap with the boat in port. Tourists from the city unintentionally awakened the fisherman while taking pictures of the landscape. One of the tourists handed a cigarette to the fisherman and spoke.

“The weather is good, there is a lot of fish in the ocean, why are you napping when you could be making a lot of money?”
“I was out there early in the morning" he answered."
“If you go out twice or three times a day, you're going to make a lot more money. Then you can buy a big ship, build a warehouse or even build a fish processing plant. Who knows? You may become a billionaire businessman with a large fleet. ”

The fisherman's face showed an expression of incomprehension and asked; "After that?"
"Then enjoy a sweet nap every day, play and eat freely under the beautiful sunshine. Watching picturesque scenery." replied the tourist. The fisherman smiled and replied. “I was doing that until you came and woke me up!”

Nowadays, people coming out of work are not interested in stopping off for a drink with friends at the beer hall, everybody goes hurriedly on his way alone. Taxi drivers are driving around looking for passengers. The writer used the fable as a fervorino for small business owners who are having a hard time. There is need for some humor during these times of worry. The news mentioned how the Italians are opening their windows and singing.

It's not bad to think optimistically at this time. In Korea, a well-known proverb says a lot: "When you fall, take advantage of the time to rest." Koreans like most of the world know it is better to be positive than negative. There is plenty of news that depresses but there is also the news that invigorates, refreshes

One citizen sent homemade cookies to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, workers tired and in low spirits. One grandmother brought to the township office twenty yellow masks that she made at home with cotton material. They may not be the approved type; not made according to standards, but she was an angel spreading hope.

Now, is the time to pause and look back. We are faced with many disasters, granted that the coronavirus is the one that causes the most pain at present. Ecosystem destruction, climate change, human greed, and the many viruses encountered daily need a wise counter-attack. Without personal and social reflection disasters will continue to strike again and again. If we live without a change, even after we have passed through the crisis, we pay a high price and learn nothing.

Citizens cancel meetings, church services, and refrain from going out shopping. Just a couple of months ago, all were busy with appointments, busy shopping and having a lot to eat, but now it's different. The sudden collapse of the ordinary routine is unfamiliar. However, if you look closely, isn't this the simple daily life we hear a lot about— the 'minimal life'? Minimal life is to reduce what can be reduced, subtract what can be subtracted, skip what can be skipped. We need to simplify our lives so as not to be traumatized.

Spring is coming. Like the fisherman in our story, we awake from a sleep feeling better and looking forward to a different future.

Words To Newly Ordained Priests

In the recent bulletin for priests, a counseling priest psychologist has an article for the newly ordained priests. He congratulates them for the many years of seminary life, not always easy, and for reaching their goal. He wants to give them a gift of what he has learned over the years to be of help in their lives.
 
From his experience, a parish life, for the most part, depends on the priest. Some priests are assigned to parishes where the number of believers increase and the community is full of life, while others cultivate wormwood fields everywhere they go. The priest is a leader, the parish where the priest has the character of a good leader the parish is animated, but where the priest is not a true pastor you have chaos.

He describes four types of priests.

The ideal pastor is called 'smart and lazy priest'. Being lazy doesn't mean doing nothing, but always listening and waiting on the believers. These priests are close to the children. They are not only concerned with spirituality but with the whole person and are remembered longingly by the believers long after leaving the parish.

The second type of priest is the smart and diligent one. Pastors of this class get a conflicting type of appraisal from the parishioners. While he is evaluated as a priest who is eager to get involved in everything in the parish, he criticizes and nags about even the smallest things. They are difficult to approach. The biggest problem with these pastors is pride: they know; the believers don't know. Nevertheless, the parish continues to grow despite the pastor's failings.

The third class is very troublesome: a dumb and lazy priest. His sermons are cheeky, he says Mass because he has to, and his pastoral work is done with little love. The parishioners have to accept the insult and are greatly troubled. The priest does nothing and the parishioners don't know what to do. The parish is a chaotic mess.

The worst among the priests is the foolish but diligent one. They are stubborn, they spend money on things with no hope of succeeding or shouldn't be done, and if the believers oppose it: "What do they know?" They are lone rangers. Usually, they work only with persons they like, and those they don't like they ignore causing division in the parish and making many leave the community. The parishes in which they have passed through are left with a field of bitter herbs. Persons of this kind never admit their problems; they are persons with a personality disorder.

In conclusion, he quotes a believer who lamented: "I hope the new priest will be less holy and less intelligent." Pastors who comfort believers are the most desirable. They serve as spiritual fathers. The pastor of a parish, in many ways, is no different from the father of a family. Moreover, since most of the people who seek faith are lonely, the words of the priests can be both comforting and hurting. If one remembers that he is to be a father he will see correctly his position within the community of faith.

"On the Side of the Poor"

Poverty is a great stumbling block to the kingdom of God. One cannot sustain minimal dignity when faced with poverty. More serious than the climate crisis for those who are forced to live it. Jesus devoted his life to love: healing the poor and the sick to make the kingdom of God a reality. So begins the Peace Column in the Catholic Peace Weekly.

The first chapter of the Pastoral Constitution of the Second Vatican Council begins: "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ."

Unfortunately, wealth inequality is increasing all over the world. The most persuasive economists who may show by their words why Jesus chose the poor— are the French Thomas Piketty and Joseph Stiglitz of the United States. (Both of these men are working to change capitalism to a more socially aware economic system).

  

Capital in the Twenty-First Century is a book by Thomas Piketty in which he states that the return on capital, in the long run, is greater than the growth of the economy. This he found to be true in more than 20 countries he studied and the reason for inequality and polarization.

Since money makes money faster than economic growth, the gap between rich and poor is bound to grow as capitalism develops. Piketty predicts that current trends if continued, will deteriorate to a degree that no country can afford by 2100. Korea has a higher distribution of income from capital investment than other developed countries; the income of labor will not be able to overcome inequality.

Stiglitz, the author of The Price of Inequality, pointed out that while the productivity of the US economy has increased significantly over the past 40 years, real wages barely increased. Most of the economic growth was made by capital, intensifying inequality and polarization. In particular, his book Rewriting Economic Rules draws attention to the need to reverse the relationship between efficiency and equality.

In the past, conservative economists had to accept some inequality for efficiency and growth. But he argues that economic performance and equality are now complementary rather than opposites or alternatives. Serious inequality today is not only damaging efficiency and productivity but also threatening democracy. New rules are needed to help the middle class solve the problems of growth and inequality at the same time.

Our people's perception seems no different. Seven in ten feel the level of inequality in Korean society is severe. In January, the Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted a survey of 1,000 citizens over 18 years of age— 68.8% of the respondents said that inequality in society was 'very serious' (26.5%) or 'severe' (42.3%). 

The age group that felt the inequalities in asset formation was the youth who see difficulties in buying a house in the future.

The bigger problem is that more and more capital is expected to bring about the fruits of economic growth not only in Korea but globally. In the future, wealth is likely to be heavily based in developed countries, with the capitalists and their members who have invested in the AI ​​and robotics industries. The old saying: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer may seem mild in the future situation where human jobs are bound to shrink.

It should be recalled that the poor are the greatest receivers of the gospel. In the Joy of the Gospel an Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis: "But until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples are reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence. The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode"( # 59). 

Active and Passive Peace

Peace is a word we are familiar with and use often in our daily speech. Peace in the home, social, and between nations; it is daily in the media, used frequently in our speech. A college professor in the Catholic Peace Weekly treats the issue of peace between the North and South.

By using the word peace, it often takes on a kind of socially recognized signal that we want to live at peace with other groups with whom we disagree.

What does peace mean to us, and how much effort should we make to achieve the peace we seek? Peace can be defined in many different ways, the goals and results of efforts will differ according to the ways peace is perceived.

According to Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, peace can be divided into passive peace and active peace, and many phases of peace are placed on the continuum between passive and active peace. Passive peace means to manage and maintain the conflict phase so that physical conflicts do not occur, while active peace means maximizing measures to prevent disputes in peacebuilding and working to minimize the areas of conflict.

Where is the peace we want now? If managing the relationship with North Korea so conflicts do not arise this would be passive peace. On the other hand, on the Korean peninsula, it is also possible to emphasize active peace that supports North Korea's development and maximizes the possibility of cooperation such as mutual visits with North Korea as a core value of South Korea's policy. We may be in constant discord between passive peace and active peace, and continue to move back and forth between them depending on the provocations and threats of the North.

When we talk about peace, usually we are stuck in passive peace mode, and disputes with North Korea on denuclearization are constant. We don't want any harm coming to the South and always on the defensive. North Korea likewise is at present on the passive peace mode and it will be difficult for the North to recognize the South as a true partner in transforming the current deadlock on the peninsula to an active peace phase.

If we do not go beyond the passive peace and remain only on the talking stage we remain an obstacle to active peace. Now, the Korean Peninsula is full of dark clouds due to denuclearization and sanctions on North Korea. If we help North Korea to develop and look forward to an active peace and accept the help of international organizations that are in sympathy we will have some variables that could change the situation on the peninsula.

Active peace should be our peace policy towards North Korea. The way to break the tense situation between conflict and active peace is to maximize active intervention so that the passive peace can be transformed into active peace, and not remain at the level of passive management. The greatest enemy to peace always exists during the time of peace.

Dialogue Overcomes the Generational Divide

In the Light of the World Column of the Catholic Times a diocesan priest, in charge of the worker movement in the diocese gives us the need to communicate beyond the generational conflict by talking to each other.

The point where generational conflicts arise sharply in our society is in political debate. The problem is that it's not a peaceful debate, a constructive conversation, it's usually an emotional fight that hurts the other. What is worse is logical reasoning and factual problems are pushed aside; you are right or I am right. In today's complex society, objective judgment on issues is not easy; it's a pity that only emotional conflicts are encouraged.

Bong Joon-ho's film 'Parasites' has been praised worldwide. In his interview, Bong said, "I think we are dealing with the issues of courtesy and human dignity. The film depicts the reality of parasitism, symbiosis, and win/win and where they break down." The film shows within society conflict, aversion, indifference and hatred, and the resulting tragic catastrophe. In a heartless society, the little people have a difficult time but along with those sympathetic to them, we should make sure that we never give up on the last bulwark of the human condition— courtesy towards each other.

To heal generational conflicts in our society, we must go beyond differences and walls and recognize, respect and communicate with each other correctly. Clearly, different views and interpretations of society are needed. But the solution also requires a cool and accurate diagnosis.

Individualism, capitalism, endless competition for entrance to colleges and the workplace are combative and challenging and why people need sympathy and empathy, and a time for healing and regeneration. Is this not why eating and drinking alone has become popular in our tired society?

On the other hand, affluent but heartless societies at one point see a need for conversation and coexistence, but also the increase of confrontation and conflict. Each segment of society is asking for their rights and intergenerational issues are often blamed on the other and hold the other responsible. 

We are not accustomed to talking when the social atmosphere makes it difficult but isn't this our fault? Ideology, politics, our individual selfishness, and greed make us give up on a win/win solution. Consequently, we give up on hope and live with hostility and hatred.

There is no royal road! Only the right conversation! Catholic social doctrine calls for the involvement and interest of believers in widespread social problems. It is to look at the other side as a partner and collaborator, not as an enemy, and find a way for a win-win solution. The essence of generational conflicts and difficulties experienced by seniors today is caused by differences in culture and perceptions, conflict of interests, but in essence, the lack of understanding and communication with each other is the root cause.
 
How do you meet aging societies and what will you do to remedy intergenerational conflict? How will you communicate? The way is to talk to each other with respect. We must talk beyond the differences and the walls. Recognize and respect the other, listen, desire peace, forgive, search for harmony, and have a concern for the weak. At that time, hope arises for the elderly and for our society and we become messengers of peace.   

Coronavirus and Shincheonji

Whenever we have a man-made tragedy not infrequently we have the makings of the scapegoat. In the recent spread of the Coronavirus in Korea with the largest numbers of those infected outside of China, it is natural to look for reasons. The government is high up there as part of the reason for not closing the borders to Korea from China. Also, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus (The New Heaven and Earth Church of Jesus) for being the center of the spread of the virus in Daegu (a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea).
  
It's easy to understand why the Shincheonji Church has been criticized and considered one of the sources of the spread of the coronavirus. The secrecy of the movement and the failure to be proactive at the start of the spread in Daegu is a sufficient reason for the criticism.

In the beginning, some of the members gave the impression of non-cooperation with the efforts being made in society. This has changed recently. They also have almost 60% of the numbers infected in Daegu.

Also, the movement is considered a cult by many of the Christians in the country which means they have gained little sympathy. Members who belong to the movement number close to 300 thousand in Korea; it started less than 40 years ago by a charismatic leader. A Catholic priest who has made a study of the movement is written up in both Catholic papers with feature stories on the movement.

He mentions the pseudo-religious groups and cults in his article and says: "It is no exaggeration to say that 20-30% of the 300,000 Shincheonji believers were Catholics. In particular, Shincheonji has been exponentially increasing its numbers with the study of the Bible and with the use of hundreds of different methods of evangelism since 2000. They are taking away the youth and energy of many middle-aged women.

The sitting arrangement for the members is close together on the floor. Their praying and singing make it easy to infect others when you are so close to others for many hours. Brainwashing programs and deceptive methods of recruiting are all used. The use of deception is not seen as something wrong for the end justifies the means. One of the methods used in which both the traditional Protestant Churches and Catholics find evil is remaining in the church as leaders and using their position to indoctrinate those they deal with in the teachings of Shincheonji.

In conclusion to one of the articles, the priest wants the pastors and families to learn more about the Shincheonji movement. They have the same Bible and believe in the same Jesus but brainwashed to do great harm to themselves and family. We must never forget the great spiritual pain of the individual. We are not aware that many of those who have left Catholicism for a variety of reasons do enter this strange world of Shincheonji.

The victims of this pseudo-religion have experienced hellish moments and he hopes that Christians will be warm in relating with them for they have been cruelly deceived. It's important for Catholics to enjoy their life of faith for we are all heirs of salvation here and now. This message is not experienced by many Catholics and consequently lack the 'joy of life'.