"Werther-effect" in Society

 

A professor writes about the "Werther-effect" in the Catholic Times— Let us Become One column—  Werther Effect refers to the identified rise in suicide rates following well-publicized reports of deaths by suicide of celebrities or other well-known figures in the media.

It happened shortly after the death of well known comedian. The professor had a chance to talk to a celebrity by chance. After a long conversation, he asked him whether there were special reasons for suicide that only celebrities have, and whether there are special difficulties that are unique to ordinary people and  celebrities. He looked a bit puzzled at my question and said: "Celebrities are just like ordinary people. It's not that they are committing suicide because they are a  celebrity, they are dealing with difficulties like other people."  His question was not very well expressed and was embarrassed for the way it came out.

 

After that, he came to think that celebrities, like all of us, can only be healthy if they have support and daily life around them. To do that, he thought that, first of all, celebrities should be able to balance their activities with their normal lives, and even small meetings with family and friends in their daily lives, time to learn and relax, and prepare for the unexpected non-celebrity period along with celebrity activities. 

These are also the contents that entertainment agencies should provide more support for by signing reasonable contracts with their celebrities. The public also needs to understand entertainers as professional artists and show restrained interest rather than calling them public figures and demanding excessive responsibility.

Celebrities themselves need to have the idea that a 'celebrity's life' or 'celebrity role performance' is not everything in their lives. If one's life is completely consumed by being a 'celebrity', later, when a 'celebrity life' that seems like one's everything is not possible, if a realistic life or alternative life to support it is not prepared, severe identity confusion and crisis may occur. Celebrity is a highly variable job, so you should be prepared to switch and move freely at any time.

Regarding celebrity suicide, we talk a lot about the Werther effect.  Strictly speaking, there is no clear causal relationship between celebrity suicides and imitated suicides.

Media coverage (including Internet sites and social media) of celebrity suicide rather than celebrity suicide itself affects the public more and plays a role in activating their potential suicide ability.
The media repeatedly reports the death of a celebrity and the shocks around them, and they seem to promote the Werther effect or even try to confirm the Werther effect, saying, “Since Mr. OOO’s death, suicide has already continued.”

In fact, people at risk of suicide tend to sympathize more than the general public when they hear reports of celebrity suicide, but they are reluctant to be recognized as someone who commits suicide under influence or who commits suicide after someone else. Rather, the media reports can be a very serious problem in that they have a kind of suggestive effect that causes suicidal thoughts in people who have not usually had specific suicidal thoughts.

The media must not use the death of a celebrity in an unfortunate way for its own commercial gain. The original role of the media is to refrain from detailed and stimulating suicide reports and to provide information or professional help providers that help people at risk of suicide get out of their own thoughts and look at the situation from a different perspective.

Our Faith Life Also Needs Coaching

 

In the recent Catholic Peace Weekly a University priest professor gives the readers some help in deepening their spiritual life.

 The word 'gold' is something  'precious'. The expression ‘my golden child’, often used by parents, was also used as the title of a drama aired in the early 2000s, and enjoyed great popularity as it dealt with the importance of family and conflict between generations within the family. Recently, an entertainment program called 'My Golden Kids' is attracting interest. As a program in which child-rearing experts coach parents on child-rearing, it is attracting a lot of attention, especially from young parents. 

 

These days, the reason why these topics are getting attention is probably because conflicts between generations in the family and parenting are emerging as social issues. The crisis of marriage and family is appearing as a common problem not only in Korea but  around the world. The reason why the Catholic Church chose: "The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world." as the theme of the 14th Synod of Bishops also reflects this reality.

 

Modern society and culture change so fast that it is difficult to cope with the flow, but the modern cultural trend that harms or blocks the bond of family and marriage is also a major cause. Under these circumstances, it is only natural that preparation and education for healthy marriages and families emerge as particularly important issues. Adults say: "I grew up on my own when I was a child," but in fact, no one grew up on their own. Whether at home or through various groups or relationships, we are all raised by someone.

 

There are times when he officiates at a wedding Mass, and often says  during the sermon: "It's hard to live alone, but how much harder is it to live together? Priests prepare for 10 years to live alone, but isn’t the time the two of you prepared just not enough time to live together forever?" No matter how much you prepare, you will be learning to live together everyday of your lives, and it is  certain that the future marriage and family life will change a lot depending on how you prepare.

 

However, it seems that there are many people who do not realize that coaching is necessary even in our faith life. The Apostle Paul also approached believers with the heart of a mother nurturing children. "What I fed you with was milk, not solid food,for you were not ready for it; and indeed,you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. (1 Corinthians 3:2)

 

'My faith is like gold.' This title is a parody of the previous drama and parenting program, but how precious the faith we have received is, and at the same time how weak and easy it is for the candle of faith to go out like a candle shaking in the wind. I want to tell you what kind of effort and how much effort to put in.

 

In order to become a Catholic, catechumens must complete a course in  the  doctrine which lasts from 6 months to 10 months. However, can such a short education be enough to fill the life of a believer who will have to live the rest of his life as a person of faith? How much more so since we are asking for eternal life here and now?  

 

As a result, I see many people who do not come to church after being baptized. Most of them say they do not know what to do after the doctrine of preliminary believers is over, and there is no one around them who can teach them how to live as believers in the future.

 

However, the situation of the believer who has the faith from birth is also not easy. Although he inherits his parents' faith and lives as a believer, he often confesses that his faith does not grow and remains in an infant state.

 

Religion is not automatically completed by being baptized, nor does one automatically become an adult by being confirmed. Since faith is engraved in each person's life, it is a process of ripening in a long journey. Now ask yourself what did I do with my faith to deepen it and make it more mature? 

 

 

Trancendentals And Their Meaning

 

In the Catholic Times a person asked about the concept of truth, goodness and beauty of a seminary professor and below is the answer that was given. I have  added unity to the list of three.

The concept of truth, goodness  beauty and unity is both a philosophical and a theological concept, and  comes from the attributes of God. God is the source of truth, goodness, beauty and unity. Truth, goodness, beauty and unity of this world are only finite concepts that reflect the essence of God. Because God is perfect, God's truth, goodness, beauty and unity are also perfect.

The truth, goodness beauty and unity in human beings can only be understood as analogous concepts resembling the true, goodness, beauty and unity of God. Therefore, human beings are said to be beings resembling God's image, which means analogically resembling God's attributes.

Therefore, the truth, goodness, beauty and unity experienced by human beings allow them to experience God analogically, and the deeper this experience, the higher the intensity of experiencing God.

After all, truth, goodness, beauty and unity are God's gifts to human beings so that they can know and worship God, and when they do it freely, they will become human beings who freely express their personality and take ethical actions. 

In that respect, it is important to frequently experience and realize truth, goodness, beauty and unity  Because it will eventually lead humanity to God. Truth is the state of being in accordance with fact or reality. It is the ultimate goal in the search of all knowledge. Goodness is the state  of being morally right or virtuous. It is the ultimate goal of all inquiry and action. Beauty is the state of being aesthetically pleasing or attractive the ultimate goal of all creative endeavors. Unity is the state of being integrated. It is the ultimate goal of all.

The transcendentals go back to ancient philosophy and understood as qualities that exist beyond the physical world and  essential to human understanding and existence.

In Christian philosophy, the concept of the transcendental was developed by the Scholastic theologians, such as Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. Aquinas taught that the  transcendentals are attributes of God and are therefore inherently good. He argued that these qualities can be found in all things because they reflect God's goodness, truth, beauty, and unity.

However, today when we go  to search on the internet for the transcendentals  often we get three: the true, the good and the beautiful unity is missing. Our culture is not too interested in unity as we can see in our religions, politics, culture, race, and daily life. Materialism, our personal worldview, the value we give to things takes precedence over the dignity of the human being  and the common good. What is useful is of more value than truth and the good.

The fundamental message of Sacred Scripture proclaims that the human person is a creature of God  and sees in his being the image of God the element that characterizes and distinguishes him: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). God places the human creature at the center and summit of the created order. Man (in Hebrew, "adam") is formed from the earth ("adamah") and God blows into his nostrils the breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). Therefore, "being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. Further, he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church #108)

 

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Depression and Lack of Concern

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In the Eyes of the Priest column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, we hear about the ways some take advantage of the young with problems.

On the 16th of last month, a high school girl made an extreme choice in a high-rise building in Gangnam. The high school girl made her decision using an internet site called Depression Gallery, then used her smartphone to live-broadcast her extreme choice. Gallery users recorded the high school girl's live broadcast and watched it while sharing files with each other.

DC Inside is a conversation community where you can write anonymously without complicated authentication procedures. There is a chat room in the community where you can have a conversation about depression. On the surface, it is called a depression gallery because you can write anonymously, but some have turned it into a criminal space targeting psychologically unstable minors. Some who frequent the gallery are encouraging or helping teenagers with severe depression to make extreme choices.

On the 5th of this month, two high school girls who met at the Depression Gallery were rescued after making an extreme choice. When the two girls told the gallery about their hard feelings, they were told not to live like this and go on and die was the reason they decided to make an extreme choice. This time, there was a live broadcast on a smartphone, and in the real-time comments were numerous sayings: “Just die” and “Come on, jump .”
 
Crimes using the Depression Gallery do not stop here. A man met a woman who was active in the gallery and offered to comfort her, put a narcotic sleeping pill in her drink, and raped her. A man took a picture of a woman's appearance, put a so-called 'rape' on it, and 'exhibited' it in a gallery. People who saw the post said they commented with words of unspeakable hate.
 
An expert in criminal psychology appeared on a broadcast and said that the 'Depression Gallery' is "an evolved nth room where all the worst combinations such as sexual exploitation, suicide promotion, and drug use come together." He said that their movements also led to pseudo-religions. Some accused the site of being an "online crime scene" and that the depression gallery should be closed immediately.
 
What's even more surprising is that DC Inside, which runs the Depression Gallery, refused to shut it down despite these accusations. The copyright of the post and the backlash from users were the reasons.

The government is unable to forcibly shut down the site as there are no relevant laws. The police also set up a special team to investigate, but users said that it was difficult to find the criminal because they acted anonymously. But you can't just leave it like this. If it is difficult to close, it should be blocked. The Korea Communications Commission started reviewing the blocking of harmful sites, but it was too late. You must make hasty decisions and block access quickly. The police should not give up their efforts to find those who drove them to sexual exploitation and extreme choices.
 
We should all be by the side of those who are contemplating extreme choices. A teenager who was rescued after attempting an extreme choice said that this gallery was the only place where her story was heard. Today's youth are in a state of mental crisis as they are pushed into a fiercely competitive society after going through the entrance exam hell. We should pay attention to those who are having problems in their lives and the religious world, including the Catholic Church, must put more effort into movement for life.
 
Korea has the highest suicide rate in the OECD. The number one cause of death among adolescents is suicide. Teenagers who spend a murderous schedule looking only at college entrance are experiencing competition after competition. The world that drove them to depression is brutal. Moreover, some approach the depressed with the bait of 'consolation' but not to help,  just one of the signs that not all is well with society.
 

Why Christians Should Be Familiar with Buddhism—

 

Koreans have been living with Buddhism for about 1500 years. So begins an article in the Bible and Life Magazine by a Jesuit priest who gives the reader the reason the readers should be familiar with Buddhism.

During the time of the 3 Kingdom States, Buddhism entered first the Koguryo Kingdom in the North, in 372,  the  Paekche Kingdom in 384, and the Southeast Kingdom of Silla in 527. During the unified Silla period 676-935 Buddhism was the unifying force that united the people into a nation.

When giving expression to the Korean spirit we often hear that mentally Koreans are Confucian, but in their hearts Buddhists. The reason according to the writer was during the Chosen period from 1392-1910 the kingdom followed the policy of down with Buddhism and up with Confucianism. The relationship that the head has with the heart is no easy matter to fathom.

When we look at the situation with any depth we have the world of the Shamans who were in Korea centuries before Siddhartha Gautama and Confucius arrived. Did the world of the male and female shamans disappear after the entrance of Confucianism and Buddhism?

An important reason that Buddhism lost the influence it had during its golden age was not only its attachment to the ruling elite but also its close connections to the shamans in society. At the end of the Japanese occupation 1910-1945 this all ended. 

President Syngman Rhee (1948-1960)  a devout Methodist was the the president after liberation. He considered Zhu Xi (1130-1200) philosopher and politician during the Song Dynasty influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. Syngman Rhee considered Neo Confucianism the reason for the problems in Korea and Buddhism the pro Japanese faction.

Buddhism towards the end of the Chosen Dynasty was connected with Japanese Buddhism and was seeing a revival.The government leaders of Japan in order to weaken the  influence of Confucianism tried to strengthen Buddhism. President Rhee did the opposite and tried to weaken Buddhism and sided with the Buddhist nuns who were only 5% against the married monks who numbered over 95 %. President Park Chung-hee (1963-1979)  separated the Buddhist into the celibate which became the Jogye Order and the Taego Order which had both the married and unmarried. The nuns were all unmarried which settled the issue for Buddhism.

In  the 1960s  Buddhism had another competitor in Christianity. And since Syngman Rhee was a Christian he gave the green light to Christianity and  saw it as  a great  help for the future of Korea. However the essence of the Bible is  Luke 10:27—You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul,your whole strength,and your whole mind, and  your neighbor as you do yourself— How do these come to exist together in Korea, a multi-religious cultural sphere ruled by shamanism deep down, Buddhism in the heart, and Confucianism in the head?

Not a small number of Christians when faced with adversity will end up going to the  temple or the Shaman. What would be the reason for this?  The writer a  specialist in Buddhism frequently goes to the temples and meets many who have left their Catholicism. Some have told him that whether it's Buddhism or Catholicism it is all the same and  there is no reason to be concerned.  There is no problem with the nobility of Buddhism and its teaching but they are not the same. When  one tries to  make them the same it is  either a lack of knowledge or a failure to  look deeply into the situation, they fail to see the contradictions.

In a serious examination of Buddhism we have reincarnation and purgatory, mercy and love, Buddhist emancipation and  resurrection, Nirvana and heaven.  Very difficult to make them the same.

There are many different sects of Buddhism in Korea. It is best to see Buddhism as a plurality of beliefs.  Consequently to see what the essence of Buddhism is we have to go back to the beginning. However, according to many going back to the beginning to Siddhartha Gautama (563? 483?)we know three things: he was born, lived and died. In the past  decades the Buddhist scholars  were sure that Sakyamuni was not a myth but an historical person however in recent times some scholars are wondering whether this is the reality.

In Korea to be recognized as a Buddhist group there are certain requisites: it all began with Siddhartha Gautama. Sakyamuni first taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to the monks he met after he attained enlightenment. 

The Four Noble Truths are traditionally identified as the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment.The truth of suffering, all forms of existence are unsatisfactory.  The origin of suffering arises from craving, or attachment conditioned by ignorance. The cessation of suffering accomplished by the renunciation of desire or attachment which is also called nirvana the ultimate goal.The path to the cessation of suffering which is the  Noble Eight-fold  Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood,right effort right mindfulness and right concentration. 

There is no mention of a personal relationship with the Buddha. Since Buddhism is a non-theistic teaching, it is meaningless to have a personal relationship with the founder, Buddha. In other words the enlightenment is the  essence of the teaching. Sakyamuni is only a figure who teaches the way to liberation from life and death as an example of enlightenment.

At the time of his baptism, Jesus realized in the Holy Spirit that he was the son favored by his father, the Lord.  If you read the New Testament to the end, Jesus came to show us the way to the Father and to overcome death and enter eternal life. He was the way, the truth and  life. We try to become one with him. This is what he taught us  and what we hear from  the Church today. "A disciple is not higher than a teacher. However, anyone who learns will become like a teacher" (Luke 6:40).

The Dark Side of Technology

 

The Catholic Weekly's Light of the World Column gives us the dark side of our technological progress.

 

Robots are replacing humans in many fields due to technological advancement. It is important to reflect on whether to live only immersed in man-made civilization or choose to live the evangelical life that God invites.

 

“A robot moves the battered chicken into an oil pot. And shakes the frying basket. In this way, six deep-fry pots are turned to fry up to 50 chickens in an hour. The rent for the robot is 1.1 million won per month, which is not a small amount, but the labor cost is rising a lot and people are reluctant to stand in front of hot oil, so they say they chose a robot as an alternative.” (SBS News, February 26, 2023) 

 

Few mistakes and fast— These days, when you go to a restaurant, kiosks (unmanned order payment machines) are standard, and many self-driving serving robots have been commercialized. In addition, it is an atmosphere that leaves the cooking of food to robots. In the 3.3 square meter kitchen, 4 robots cook 310 servings of 4 different menus in 1 hour. Although it does not require human hands at all, robots do what few people need to do without error. It is said that robots reduce the burden of high labor costs for operators, and that is why it is an inevitable trend in the era of high prices.

 

Logistics centers that handle tons of baggage are also 100% done by robots. Thanks to this, people do not have to carry heavy and difficult items themselves, there are no safety accidents, and delivery is much faster from the consumer's point of view. From production workers in large factories to unmanned convenience stores in the neighborhood, artificial intelligence is rapidly spreading across all fields of industry.

 

Are you ready to greet the robot? This phenomenon will certainly have the advantage of enjoying the benefits of civilization, but on the contrary, one of the downsides is the concern that many jobs will disappear and job losses will lead to a decrease in purchasing power, intensifying the disparity between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, there is a prediction that 43% of domestic workers will be replaced by robots in Korea, where there are many manufacturing and face-to-face service workers (2018, LG Economic Research Institute).  

 

Therefore, foreign countries with superior technology than Korea are deliberately limiting the pace of AI robot introduction while preserving existing employment and preparing time to prepare for the future. (Robots per 10,000 population in 2016, Korea 531, Japan 305, Germany 301, Taiwan 190, USA 176) But Korea says the speed is too fast.

 

Utopia or Dystopia? Since ancient times, technological development has brought light and darkness to mankind at the same time. Behind the light of prosperous civilization and richness of life, the dark reality that anyone, including myself, could be sacrificed always followed. That is why practicing fairness is important, and the Catholic Church has emphasized that practicing for fairness is God's will (Isa 56:1). Perhaps the proliferation and automation of artificial intelligence robots will accelerate in the future. And the pros and cons will gradually be revealed.

 

What matters is how we ourselves treat the Word of God and our neighbors. Whether we live immersed in man-made civilization or choose the evangelical life invited by God and live a life of passionate love, our reflection as believers is important.

 

 “The first of the great problems facing mankind today concerns the truth about human existence itself. The boundaries and relationships between nature, technology and morality require individual and collective responsibility for our attitudes toward questions of what man is, what he can achieve, and what he ought to be.” (「Brief Social Doctrine」 Paragraph 16)

 

The Korean Traditional Market and Gentrification-

The Catholic Peace Weekly's Column by the paper's news director gives the readers some thoughts on Gentrification.

During his elementary school days in the 1970s, the 5-day market in his hometown was truly a festival with plenty to see, eat, and enjoy. The solicitation of the ‘wandering medicine hawkers’ was a cultural public performance held every five days. Musical instruments and dancers appeared, and various magic and demonstrations of power were performed. Monkeys and snakes appeared with strange feats performed. “Take a look at this! It doesn't come every day.” It was a scene where a crude homemade drug was turned into a panacea and sold, but regardless of the efficacy of the drug, onlookers continued to visit. At that time, the marketplace was the center of economic activities where sharing and friendship as well as reciprocity and gratuitousness were experienced in abundance.
 
His parents, who operated a ‘Pharmacy’ at the entrance to the market, allowed the vendors to set up stalls around the store when the market was open. They ate together and took care of their children in the house. His father repeated often: “When there are many merchants, people gather, and then there are many customers who buy medicine. If you're cold-hearted you'll kill each other. We have to live together.”
 
In the days when people had nothing and were hungry, the 5-day market was overflowing with food and hospitality. He saw a lot of food never seen before,  and many were irresistible temptations. Even if you didn't have enough money, it was a marketplace where a bowl of rice soup was generously given and a few more were added to ask you to come next time.  

A restaurant entrepreneur has renovated his hometown, Traditional Market, as part of a local coexistence project with the county office, and became a hot topic. The purpose was to develop the market and stimulate the local economy. When the permanent market was modernized to provide a variety of foods and attractions, beyond expectations hundreds of thousands of people gathered.
 
However, when visitors were turned away due to prolonged waiting times, parking problems, and lack of sanitary facilities such as toilets, it closed for a month and reopened in early April. In the meantime, various civil complaints have been resolved and food has become more diverse, but the most difficult task to solve was the phenomenon of ‘gentrification.’
‘Gentrification’— finds its etymological roots in the term gentry, or more specifically, landed gentry. It refers to a negative phenomenon in which low-income natives who originally resided are pushed out due to the influx of outsiders and money as the old city center is revitalized. The budget for the traditional market was the same. Some landlords notified existing merchants to vacate, and nearby accommodations and shops raised prices more than double, resulting in many victims.

Fortunately, with the efforts of the entrepreneur during the holiday period, most of these problems have been resolved. Sustainable jobs are provided to job seekers such as young people living in the region, and ‘local food’ is realized where agricultural products produced in the region are supplied as food ingredients. 

Currently, our society is experiencing a crisis of serious social imbalance. Due to the low birth rate and the concentration of the population in the metropolitan area, there are concerns about “national and local existence”. Local autonomy was implemented in 1994 to revive local communities that were disappearing due to industrialization, but all local revitalization policies were of little help. One-time, subsidy policies are pointed out as a problem when they do not consider regional characteristics.
 
We have movements that are working to alleviate these problems that arise and one of them is: The economy of Communion (EoC). This is calling us to live, work, and do business in an integrated way, in concert with all of the other people in our lives. It is a project of the Focolare Movement a Catholic lay spiritual effort that seeks to unite people through economic activity and enterprise.
 

Revitalizing the traditional market and protecting the small commercial districts has its limits with the individual competence and sincerity of successful businessmen. The subject of commercial rights is the merchant, not politicians, government offices, or franchise companies. The sharing economy of distribution and growth can be realized only when selfishness is discarded and sharing and coexistence are pursued. Conflicts over gentrification in the budget market are educating us on how and what to do to resolve the regional imbalance.