Overcoming Racism Difficult

The Catholic Times' Window of the Ark column features a diocesan priest's reflections on his long-standing experience working with immigrants in his parish. 

He realized the articles he posted in 'The Window of the Ark' column were filled with stories about immigrants and refugees. It was a huge burden. As pastor of a church specializing in immigrants, nothing was being done to justify calling himself an 'activist.' However, at the same time, there were still so many things he needed to share and wanted to share, and he thought it would be nice to share them in this column.

While preparing this month's manuscript, he went on vacation. Of course, the vacation after two years was sweet, but what was most satisfying was reading books without interruption at the public library. While there, he came across a book at the library's gift shop. The author's name was Cathy Park Hong. As soon as he saw the name Park Hong, he picked it up, and after reading a few pages, he thought: 'Oh, he has to buy the book!'

The title of the book is "Minor Feelings" not about unpopular feelings but about her feelings as a minority member of American society—(dissonance that occurs "when American optimism…contradicts your own racialized reality.”)   

She is a poet and university professor who has done very well in her new country. Still, as a second-generation Korean, she had to go through all sorts of hardships with her parents, especially the feelings she felt and still feels from the memories that remain, having passed through the LA riots that are engraved on her heart. The part where she expressed her feelings gave the writer a strange sense of deja vu. "Oh, where have I seen this before?"

The place where he saw discriminatory looks was none other than the streets of Dongducheon, where he lives. A "foreign tourist special zone" has been established near the US military base, and many bars and clubs are targeting US soldiers and immigrants. Large signs at these bars and club entrances say: "Domestic nationals are prohibited from entering," and most employees are immigrants. However, the eyes of the native owners looking at the immigrant employees were clearly discriminatory. Not only the business owners but also the small number of  Korean citizens  living in the tourist special zone looked at them with discriminatory eyes, as if shouting: "This is not your place!"

In the 1960s, during the Cold War, when the United States, in an attempt to promote the status of democracy and capitalism, comprehensively revised the immigration law, abolished the quota system, and opened the door to immigration, many people from Korea also immigrated to the United States. In those days, when it was not easy to communicate in real-time through messengers as we do now, let alone hear voices on international calls, we now know well how much sorrow and discrimination there was behind the occasional letter telling us how well they were doing. 

Although it is said that there are now more cases of Koreans standing out in the economic and political fields, Cathy Park Hong clearly conveys that there are still countless barriers that Asians have to face.

If we feel boundless compassion for our 'compatriots' suffering in foreign lands but do not think the same for immigrants living in our neighborhoods, how narrow-minded are we in our view of the world? 

There are still many people who are immersed in the 'myth' of a single ethnic group, eugenic 'prejudice,' and Western 'worldview,' and who belittle and denigrate immigrants from Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia based solely on their skin color, causing them to feel 'minor feelings.' What would they say to the 'minor feelings' conveyed by Cathy Park Hong?

 

Distortion of A Good Thing

This week, the Catholic Times in the Sunday Chat Column, written by a Korean Language and Literature university professor, explains how we can destroy the good with concern for the peripheral and forget the essentials even on pilgrimages to sacred sites.

This happened when he visited the holy site to find the remains of an early church. He was lost in thought, looking at the names on the monument, when a car pulled up. The driver left the vehicle with the engine still on, stamped the visitor stamp on the notebook next to the entrance, and drove away without glancing at the sight.

It took about 15 seconds to get in and out. His wife didn’t even get out of the car. The couple seemed to be on a pilgrimage to holy places. The area was cost-effective since many sacred places are concentrated here, so you can get multiple stamps in one visit.

At first, they probably looked up related information and prayed the rosary while making the  14 stations of the cross. However, the similar narratives of martyrdom repeated at each pilgrimage site made the sense of reality disappear, the emotion dulled, and only the desire to get the stamps seemed to remain. If they had just stamped a few more, the couple would have been happy to go out in front of the congregation during Mass and receive a blessing. After traveling for hours and wandering around looking for a place, they finally arrived, where they only briefly remained.

According to the Holy Land-related data collection published by the Episcopal Conference, there are currently 167 Holy Sites registered nationwide as of 2024. The number of Sites increased from 111 in 2011 to 167 in 2016, and the new data collection to be released at the end of the year will expand the number to around 190. He also heard that selecting a new Holy Site was difficult because of competition among the dioceses. 

 It is said that over 10,000 people have completed the Holy Land pilgrimage and received a blessing. He has no intention of disparaging the pure faith and passion of those who have already completed or are on the pilgrimage. He is concerned that as the number of pilgrimages increases, the number of 15-second pilgrimages will increase. When a bus carrying a pilgrimage group arrives, people rush to receive their stamps. Prayers and explanations are put on the back burner. Since they have to visit several places daily, they can’t stay in one place for long. Some even bring other people’s notebooks to stamp, which is a huge mess.

Contrary to the original intention of honoring the spirit of martyrdom and restoring the faith of the early church, pilgrimages have become a popular tourist attraction for travel agencies. Local governments, sensitive to the number of outside visitors, support it because they think it will help the local economy by activating tourism, but is that really the case?

Several holy sites have been built but are left unattended, with no one visiting or caring for them. There are also places where the facts are unclear, and you can’t help but shake your head. The monotonous construction of holy sites is also frustrating. Seeing empty tombs lined up makes you frown, and the excessive decorations and installations are sometimes painful. You start to wonder if there is a need for so many holy sites nationwide. 

Whenever I see the 100-year-old temple site of Cheonjinam Holy Land, which has been neglected for decades after a foundation stone as big as a house was laid, I feel embarrassed. I wonder what to do about places where hundreds of billions were spent, but even the facts are questionable. Even when the truth is told, they keep their mouths shut and ignore it. This disaster was caused by poor early research, overinterpretation, and excessive passion for local churches.

Overcoming the Generation Gap

The Catholic Peace Weekly  reported on  a  college professor's book "90s Generation is Coming"— Intergeneration communication skills that can work in the 22nd Century—           

The world is experiencing rapid social and technological changes, affecting how generations born in different eras communicate. If communication between generations is not smooth, misunderstandings and conflicts can quickly arise, which can adversely affect individuals, organizations, and society. 

Effective communication between generations is becoming more critical. The importance goes beyond simply exchanging messages and understanding and respecting each other's values ​​and cultural backgrounds. Through this communication, each generation can share their experiences and knowledge, cooperate, and move toward common goals. Especially in a rapidly changing global environment, the ability to communicate between generations can directly determine an organization's competitiveness.

Generations born in the 21st Century have already arrived in our society and organizations. Those born in the 2000s in the 21st Century will graduate from four-year universities starting in 2023 and emerge as the so-called new blood in our society. As a side note, a new 2000s-born person recently joined a company and not the school he works with, and it is not easy for him, born in 1982, to communicate with these people. But what he learned from communicating with them is that we have been overly obsessed with numbers. 

If the 22nd Century had arrived, what kind of communication method would we use with their generation? The key is that even if the 2100s generation is reborn as a new generation, there can be a standard communication technology that can communicate with everyone without any problems.

The most crucial thing in intergenerational communication is to establish basic principles that are applicable to all and not biased toward a specific generation. These principles are based on fairness and inclusiveness, creating a communication environment where all generations can participate equally. 

First, it is an attitude of active listening. Respecting and listening to the other person's opinion is the foundation for building trust between generations. 

Second, it is important to express clearly and give feedback. Precise language use and feedback are essential to avoid distorting information, which prevents misunderstandings and helps with understanding.

Third, focus on constructive conversation rather than criticism. This minimizes conflict and promotes positive interaction. 

Fourth, it is an attitude of acknowledging and respecting cultural diversity and individual differences. An inclusive attitude that understands diverse backgrounds and accepts differences facilitates communication. These principles form the basis of intergenerational communication and serve as a bridge to overcome values and cultural differences from different eras.

In order to communicate effectively between generations, it is essential to understand the unique characteristics of each generation and, based on this, to reach a common goal through agreement and acceptance. The essence of the agreement is not simply to agree on opinions but to harmoniously integrate the different perspectives of each generation and find new solutions. To do this, an open and optimistic attitude is necessary. Of course, this open attitude does not mean unconditionally accepting the changes of the new generation. The core of this agreement is to know and pursue the common goals of our organization. 

Diversity can be toxic in an organization where safety is the top priority. In an organization where service is the top priority, the excessive exercise of individual rights should be restricted. However, the timing of resolving this should be agreed upon in advance, not after the fact. This difference in timing will divide unfairness from fairness. Finally, we cannot proceed with everything in our lives based on principles and agreements. When we have the idea that we can coordinate the rest of things through the 'conversation' that God has given us, we can perfect the communication technology that will work even in the 22nd Century.

Future of AI

In the Here/Now Catholic Website, a member of the Future Society with a doctorate in sociology gives the readers of the Catholic Times a look at Artificial Intelligence. 

As artificial intelligence begins to be applied to all areas of society, people's attention is focused on which jobs will be promising in the future and which jobs will disappear or change. 

Major domestic and international economic organizations also release annual research reports on this topic. According to a report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the beginning of the year, approximately 40 percent of jobs worldwide will be affected by generative artificial intelligence (AI). In advanced countries such as the United States and Europe, this figure is expected to reach 60 percent. For example, manufacturing, transportation, and office work are likely to be replaced by AI. The report concludes by warning that if we do not take action in advance, serious social problems could arise.

Goldman Sachs, an American multinational investment bank, also released a report on the future job outlook. According to the report, up to 29 percent of computer-related jobs, 28 percent of medical workers and medical technology jobs, 46 percent of administrative jobs, and 44 percent of legal jobs are expected to be replaced by AI. Goldman Sachs has a slightly different prediction from the IMF. While the IMF predicts that jobs that involve repetitive, simple tasks such as manufacturing, transportation, and office work will likely be replaced by AI, Goldman Sachs predicts that AI will play an important role in high-level professional fields such as medicine and law.

We cannot say that one organization is wrong because the two organizations' predictions are different. Both are the results of collecting information through a global network and commissioning high-level experts to write so they are clearly persuasive in their own way. The predictions are different because the subject of the analysis is storytelling about the future, a time that has not yet arrived. If it were a story about the past, you could package the facts that existed into an appropriate narrative to create a story. Still, the future is a space surrounded by mysterious elements, so you cannot enter with one or two keys. In fact, there are many cases where the predictions are revised and supplemented after the forecast report is released.

Let's take an example. When it was announced in 2016, eight years ago, that professional Go player Lee Sedol 9-dan would play against the artificial intelligence Go program AlphaGo developed by Google's DeepMind, most experts at the time predicted Lee Sedol 9-dan's victory. Unlike chess, in the case of Go, there are many moves, so the pre-programmed AlphaGo could not beat the experienced professional player. However, as we all know, AlphaGo won 3-1, and Lee Sedol became the only human to have beaten an AI at least once. Since Lee Sedol, no other player has beaten AlphaGo. That was just eight years ago.

After Lee Sedol, people began to think again about the speed of AI development and began to look for areas that AI could not do. One of them was work or jobs related to creativity. It was judged that even if numerous jobs and jobs were replaced by the development of AI, only human creativity would survive. Experts judged that AI is a kind of processor that performs tasks based on collected data, so it is suitable for analytical and repetitive work, but not for creative work such as creating works of art, and predicted that creative work will remain the exclusive domain of humans for a long time in the future.

However, this prediction was also significantly off the mark. Even creativity, considered a unique domain of humans, has been subsumed into the domain that AI can do. AI draws pictures, writes novels, composes music, and produces videos. The text-to-video model Sora developed by the American artificial intelligence research institute OpenAI creates videos with just a few words of text. The quality of the videos is also high. Naturally, as time passes, that is, when it learns on its own, the quality will improve even more. Many computer graphic designers will inevitably lose jobs. This is also why hundreds of thousands of members of the Writers Guild of Hollywood (WGA) and the Screen Actors and Television Professionals (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike in protest against the use of generative AI in video production.

It is not easy to predict future jobs when predictions made a few years ago are inaccurate. However, Homo sapiens have always been interested in the future and have constantly prepared for the future for a better life. One of the reasons for having faith is to prepare for the future. 

Let's ask a question here. Can AI replace the priesthood? To answer this question, we must first analyze the work of the priesthood. One of the main tasks, writing sermons, can be replaced by AI. If you tell them some general situations, such as Bible verses and, holidays, recent events in the community, and instruct them to write a sermon, they will do it without any problems. It is similar to lawyers drafting opinions with the help of AI. AI has learned numerous precedents and can answer lawyers' requests in less than a minute. AI can also do better in answering Bible studies or theological questions. The level and accuracy of answers are determined by the amount of data learned, so it is difficult for people to be better than AI. Writing universal and appropriate answers through data learning is no longer competitive. However, there is a hint here. In some cases, AI cannot provide answers no matter how much data it learns. These are individual, special situations. In addition to general problems such as economic hardship, suffering from illness, and family problems, AI cannot learn about special situations that individuals are experiencing because there is only one data. Since it cannot learn, it cannot suggest solutions.

Homo sapiens is both a creation of God and a result of evolution. In their bodies and minds, primordial mysteries, all processes of history, and concerns and expectations about the end are inherent. And all of this is collective and individual at the same time. When these sapiens wander at the intersection of existential concerns and realistic difficulties, the subject who can hold their hand, comfort them, and pray for them can only be a fellow human being. If empathy and comfort are the main tasks, not public preaching, then the subject of that role is clear. Here is the essence of the question that AI poses to us. What is the essence of what you do?

Words of a Forest Interpreter

In one of its articles, the Catholic Peace Weeekly quotes a forestry Education Specialist/Forest Interpreter priest.

When I open my eyes in the morning, I open the window and look outside. A small forest comes into view. It’s nice to start my day by looking at the ‘morning forest.’ I like forests, but I don’t enjoy hiking. That’s why I used to say that forests are something to look at. Still, I sometimes see people walking along the forest paths.

However, even though I’ve entered the forest, I don’t feel gratitude for the trees that emit oxygen. This is because most people are not interested in the trees that make up the forest. So, even if the forest speaks to them, they don’t listen. Now, I’ve entered the forest that I used to just look at. It’s to listen to what the forest is saying.

I became a forest interpreter. Someone has explained: “A forest interpreter is someone who connects the forest and people by interpreting the ecological language contained in the colors and shapes of nature into human language.” Here, as a priest, a forest interpreter is someone who “recognizes that all creatures sing their own existence and lives joyfully in the love and hope of God” (see “Laudato Si” No. 85). He is someone who listens to the message the forest delivers and interprets its paradoxical, unspoken voice into human language. However, speaking through the forest should convey the voice of God, not your own voice. This is something to be careful about.

Come to think of it, there are so many small but beautiful, fresh, and prepared forests around us. I am grateful to see a healthy forest spread out before me every morning, no, always. Why do I spend my time in the forest, and why does the forest capture my heart? 

It is good to think about the forest and talk about the forest. That is the happy moment when the forest and I become one. In it, I realize the mystery of creation, and I am happy when I open my ears to hear God speaking to me through various trees. I am grateful to God for giving me health so that I can interpret the language of the forest into the language of faith. God has given me such a good part. I am a priest and a forest interpreter.

Season of Creation

 

In the Catholic Times' View from the Ark column, an emeritus professor begins the article by reminding readers that the Season of Creation begins on September 1st. This is a time for all Christians to remember our ecological issues and respond appropriately in our daily lives.

Pope Francis appeals to us:  1: “Let us listen to the earth's cry. Given the rising temperatures worldwide, we could say that the earth is suffering from a fever. Like anyone sick, the earth now says, ‘It is sick.' But are we listening? 

Concerned about global warming, the Pope asks whether we are listening to the earth's suffering. His heart is filled with regret for our insufficient response. The Pope keenly identifies the reason why we are sensitive to the earth's boiling and warming but insensitive to its suffering, which is linked to the paradigm of technological domination. 

This “isolates us from the world around us and makes us forget that we are a ‘contact zone’ where the whole world meets.” “God has united us with all of his creation. However, technological dominance  can deceive us by isolating us from the world around us and making us forget that the whole world is a ‘contact zone’ where we meet each other.” (Praise God, 66)

The summer heat of 2024 was truly long and severe the professor lives on the first floor of an apartment that was built over 30 years ago, and the temperature in the slightly shaded bedroom rose to 32℃, and in the sunny living room rose to 33℃. When he lived with ventilation and natural breezes, he felt the temperature dropping from 33℃ to 32℃ or from 32℃ to 31℃. When he goes outside, it is hot, but his body notices this every time the wind blows. There is truly no summer without wind or a city without wind.

However, people who lower the temperature from 33℃ to 24℃ or 23℃ with air conditioning generally have less chance of encountering natural breezes. Even when going outside, it is easy to want to quickly go inside a room with air conditioning rather than feel the wind. The paradigm of technological domination is not an abstraction but is deeply embedded in our daily lives through products such as air conditioners. This is how technological domination separates us from nature. This makes us forget nature, which is our ‘contact zone’ when we meet God, all things in nature, and our neighbors, and thus deletes the ‘contact zone,’ ultimately themselves and their descendants.

On the morning of August 30, he took a train to Seoul Station and another train South. While riding public transportation, his body started to stiffen up from being exposed to air conditioning all day, and he was sick all night. His right shoulder was paralyzed, making it difficult to breathe deeply and difficult to raise his hand to make the sign of the cross.

Through the painful process, he realized that “the greater the pain, the less likely he was to move, and the greater his longing for balance,” and while recovering his balance, he realized to cooperate with God’s work, we need an integrated ecological wisdom that knows how to live with the diseases of the times. As the sages said, suffering is a process of learning. It is a time to be drenched in the rain of grace as we learn who we are and how to live together with our neighbors. Amidst all this, a question came up from deep inside. 

In this boiling earth era, the Jeonju Diocese has set the air conditioner temperature to 26~28℃. What temperature would be the most appropriate? How can we reach an agreement on the appropriate temperature? What about our church and society?

Youth Ministry Within the Church

The Catholic Times has a column by a video-producing member of the laity who wants readers to understand what Catholic youths think about what is happening in the Church in Korea and many other parts of the world.

Many parishes have lost youth groups, and finding young people at Mass isn't easy anymore. However, many young people have never left the church. Young people still wonder who God is and long to quench their spiritual thirst. I have seen many young people praying quietly in a church near their workplace or while traveling; I have also seen young people who, while on a package tour to Europe, detour the church to ensure they receive the Eucharist. Amidst all this, we must prepare for and hold the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day (WYD). We are now in a situation where we must invite countless young people to the center of the church.

We are walking together on the journey called Synodalitas. Although the Synod will end this year, Pope Francis constantly brings out the synodal spirit defined by the Second Vatican Council and applies it to various parts of the church. The 2027 Seoul WYD also shares this context. It contains a bold will to invite young people with the synodal spirit, train young leaders, and further change our country's youth ministry paradigm.

However, the vertical mindset is firmly entrenched in the Korean church. The image of coming down from the priests causes many problems. There is a division of classes among believers, and young people are always perceived as less-trained members and lower-class members of the church. As a result, young people are always placed in a position where they have to be taken care of as socially disadvantaged people on the outskirts of the church, even though they have not left the church. For the Korean church, especially youth ministry, to move forward, this thinking must be mercilessly broken and eliminated.

First, the most important spirit of the Synod, 'equality,' must be established in our church. Equality is the concept that we are the people of God who have the same dignity and stand in the same position because we were baptized. It also emphasizes that we must respect and listen to each other because the Holy Spirit has given us appropriate gifts. Just because we have received the ministry of priesthood or are pursuing a consecrated life, we do not live a better life or are in a higher position. However, we should not treat each other carelessly by claiming equality. We should look at each person as the people of God themselves and respect them.

Pope Francis said at the 2019 Panama WYD, "Young people are not God's future, but God's present." At the 2023 Lisbon WYD, he emphasized, "There is a place for all of you in the Church." As we prepare for the 2027 Seoul WYD on our journey together, the church community must not invite young people to participate but rather make them the 'subjects'. The people of God must be present in all areas that lay the foundation, build the framework, and add flesh to the community.

In this process, members should be nurtured together without distinction between the positive and the negative so that the young can see God through the priest, and the priest can see God through the young. Above all, I hope it will be a journey where we can truly feel the breath of faith with the young people rather than just bringing in methodology from the synod spirit. The young people are waiting for change.