Importance of Reading

Though illiteracy has been mostly eliminated in Korea (ranking 23rd in the world with a literacy rate of 99.0) it has not led to increased "thinking power," says Anastasia, the young woman recently interviewed by the Catholic Times. Describing herself as a "reading coach," she claims that learning to read well is the easiest and most economical  way to strengthen our thinking powers, enabling us to solve many issues that may now seem too vexing and difficult to face.

Even though we are now living in an information-filled digital world, where reading is more important than ever before, many people do not read or don't read well; her life's mission, she says, is to change this reality by working with anyone who shows an interest--the young and the old, individually or in groups--instructing them on how to become better readers. And in the process, she teaches them how to create personal myths which can be useful in guiding their way through life.

She developed the program, she says, believing that our thinking powers have to develop so that we can help ourselves and others become more thoughtful, discriminating people. One such benefit would be an enhanced ability to discern the hidden messages, often masquerading  as objective news coverage, disseminated by an increasingly agenda-driven media.

We shouldn't be fooled into thinking, she says, that, because we are more agile in thinking rapidly, our thinking  has become less shallow.  Knowing how to use search engines, she says, is one thing, to have a contemplative appreciation of life is another,

When she was in college, teaching part-time, she soon became aware that many students were having difficulty expressing themselves in writing, which spurred her interest in teaching reading skills. She went on to graduate school to take courses not only in education but in psychological counseling in order to develop  her abilities as a reading coach. After graduating, she opened her own educational center and would like to be instrumental in developing a culture more open to reading. Recently she was given a prize from the government, acknowledging the contributions she has made in this field.

As a Catholic, she expresses her disappointment that her fellow believers are not as interested in reading as are members of the Protestant Churches, but is hopeful that Catholics will soon begin to share their interest in reading.  She feels that more informed reading, especially in the field of spirituality, would do much to make our Catholics grow in the faith.

The Eucharist not a 'Hot Button' for Many

The Korean language has a word that signifies a person's 'hot button' and when touched an angry response is sure to follow. This hot button should have been set off by Catholics when they heard of the recent incident in Jejudo.

The incident occurred at a Mass celebrated outside the construction site of the controversial naval base.  Many inhabitants of Jejudo do not want to see the island militarized, increasing, as they believe, the possibility of war, as well as not wanting the beauty of the island  destroyed.  Riot police dispersed those at the Mass, and some of the hosts fell to the ground; a policeman was seen stepping on the Eucharist.

The news of the  incident, by way of the social network system, was carried throughout the country and made front page news in the Catholic Times. The journalist, a young Catholic himself, found it difficult to understand the indifference of the Catholics regarding the incident, especially on the part of the young, and expressed his surprise at the lack of an appropriate response.   

He concedes that we are all entitled to our opinions and that we need to respect the rights of all to express themselves. Some commentators on the incident would like to know why Mass was being held in such a location in the first place, where there was a greater possibility for the disturbance to happen. Others do not think what happened was any big deal. To those who side with the first observation, the columnist would answer by reminding them of the central place of the Mass in the faith life of Catholics. In answering the second observation, he would question whether they fully understand what is involved when they receive the Eucharist.

The journalist ends his article by noting that for Catholics the preciousness of the Eucharist is our hot button. When we remain silent on this issue, he wonders what others are going to think, knowing that non-Catholics see the Eucharist only as a wafer. To make sure this kind of incident is not repeated, he suggests that we speak out whenever such incidents occur, not only because of the nature of the offense, but for our own spiritual health as well.

Burial Culture

At one time the Church opposed cremation because of the anti-religious beliefs of some of its proponents: denial of immortality and resurrection. However, the Church no longer forbids the practice. And in Korea, among religious groups, close to 70 percent opt for cremation.

Cremation and the new burial procedures that come with the new burial culture was the topic of a recent Peace Weekly editorial. Because acquiring land for cemeteries is no longer possible, the priests' council of the Seoul Archdiocese decided to include, in the burial plot for priests at the main diocesan cemetery, a mausoleum for the interred remains of priests. Standard burial procedures would  continue as usual, but after twenty years the remains would be removed, cremated, and placed in the mausoleum. The cremation procedure will begin with the interment of priests, a decision by the archdiocese that was very much praised by the editorial.

Hopefully, this will be the start in the diocese of a new burial culture among the parishioners, as well. The many cemeteries within the diocese are now filled, and the only possibility left is to convert these cemeteries to this form of burial. The example of the priests should help the parishioners to take a more informed look at what is now being done, which should help them see the need for the cremation procedure.

Although there are many problems associated with conventional burials, few cemeteries are interested in changing over to mausoleums and crypts. The main reason is the opposition of many Koreans; death is not a subject they, or anyone, for that matter, like to think about. If, however, the new burial culture does catch on here and more mausoleums are built, which are often beautifully constructed, these buildings alone may help us experience more directly how death and life are part of existence.

The example of the Seoul Archdiocese should help make cremation a more acceptable option than it currently is for many Koreans; that was the hope expressed by the editorial, adding that visiting these mausoleums may also be a spur to increasing their growth in spiritual maturity and spreading the new burial culture throughout the country.

Concern for the Alienated in Korean Society

"Who in our society are the most alienated?" It's a question she  often asks herself. " Since society is not interested," she says, "we have to find  and help them."  Park Sun-young (Teresa), a former  lawmaker, is recognized for her work with the marginalized in Korean society.  Called the Godmother of  North Korean defectors living in the South, she worked as a lawmaker for their human rights. She fasted for eleven days in front of  the Chinese Embassy in Seoul to bring the public's attention to China's policy of returning North Korean defectors in China back to North Korea.

Most of the  20,000 North Koreans who have defected to  South Korea have come from China.  In China, they would be  considered  illegal migrants and are sent back to North Korea where they are severely punished, even though International law prohibits the forcible repatriation of any individual to a country where they are at risk of facing persecution.  World opinion continues to appeal to China to abide by International law.

Teresa,  besides working with the defectors,  concerns herself with the "comfort grandmothers" (Korean young women forced by the Japanese military to become prostitutes for the pleasure of their soldiers; also with the Sakhalin stateless people, ( the children of Korean workers who were conscripted to work on this Russian island by the Japanese and have not received Korean citizenship.);  with former prisoners of the Korea War, and all those who are suffering and society has forgotten.

She said that when she became a lawmaker she was going to live the Catholic vision of social justice and be concerned with the forgotten in our society, in the way Jesus showed us. She was saddened when her fellow Catholic lawmakers approved of abortion, the  death penalty, and were against the culture of life movement.

She left politics, she said, because it was an obstacle to  doing what she wanted  for human rights. Many saw her activities in the service of others as political;  others poked fun at her efforts as merely disguised attempts to make the limelight. She was unconcerned about the personal attacks, and was happy to put aside the lawmaker's credentials and concentrate on  working for the rights of those who were not recognized by society.

Unfortunately, Catholics have not been as active, she says, as the other religions have been in helping the North Korean defectors. Today, she still  teaches in the law department of a Korean University, while continuing  her activities for the marginalized of Korean society.

Rampant Plagiarism

Plagiarism, the literary theft of another's ideas and words, is on the upswing in a number of countries, says the desk columnist of the Catholic Times. Here in Korea, the appointment of high government officials usually brings up the suspicion that many of these appointments should not have been approved because of the presence of plagiarized material in doctoral dissertations.

The guideline in Korea for determining whether or not material has been plagiarized is passing off as one's own 6 or more consecutive words that have been taken from another's work. The media tends to report the suspicion of plagiarism when they learn that a particular dissertation exceeds the "6 consecutive word" guideline, and when there is a lack of proper attribution of source material. 

The columnist, when studying in the States, was told that plagiarism is considered to have occurred when taking from another's work three or more consecutive words without referencing the source. If the suspicion of plagiarizing is not explained away satisfactorily, the person is then reported to the department head and may be expelled. The person may also be given advice on how to change the wording so it's not considered plagiarizing, and with practice, avoiding the problem becomes easy.

The columnist tells us he has never been impressed with those who have a doctorate. For him, the title of Ph.D. does not mean the person has a great grasp of knowledge or has mastered all that can be known, even about his own field of knowledge. It indicates only that a person has studied a particular field of knowledge, and may have very limited knowledge in other fields of study. The person is also telling us, if only indirectly, according to the columnist, that he or she has little knowledge in other fields, though not liking to acknowledge this fact.

He is impressed, he says, when meeting persons with a doctorate who, while confident in their field of study, are humble enough to admit their ignorance and listen to others. They do exist, he assures us. 

Although there are many legitimate Ph.D.s, the columnist would like to know why, in Korea, we are so tolerant of those who received their Ph.D.s illegitimately. It has gotten so bad, he says, that even typographical errors from  the original material are sometimes copied. One simple solution to the problem he would like to see used more often is to ask or force those who have plagiarized to resign from their offices and return to the life they had before. 

Violence and Alcohol

Violence that comes from drinking too much alcohol is a serious problem for the Korean society. Police departments throughout the country have begun an all out campaign against this type of violence, with teams of officers assigned, as their primary objective, the task of eradicating the violence that often results from drunken behavior.  And there are signs that the effort has been successful: incidents of violence decreased 11.1 percent last year from that of the previous year.

Many people who become violent after drinking alcohol are of course  normal in every other way, some not remembering their violent behavior. The article in the Peace Weekly mentions that the Diocesan Pastoral Committee of Seoul on Addiction, which has studied the problem, considering it a blot on our society, is determined to eliminate it.

The article mentioned an incident, out of many others that probably could have been mentioned, at the recent Olympics in London, where a drunken spectator threw a beer bottle at the runners preparing for the finals in the hundred-yard dash. Fortunately, the bottle did not hit any of the runners. Violence resulting from drunkenness not only is a Korean problem, the article writer wanted to stress, but very obviously is a worldwide problem.

The generally accepted classification of the most common crimes in Korea are: murder, small theft, rape, robbery and violence. From 2001, the number of arrests for these crimes has continued to climb, with the largest number of arrests (63.5 percent) being for violent behavior. In 2010 it decreased to 49.9 percent, but of the five most frequently committed crimes, violence tops the list, and 30 percent of the violence is due to drunken behavior.

The harm done to society because of the misuse of alcohol is staggering, says the writer.  It not only is a big factor in criminal behavior but also in divorce, accidents, suicides, and health related deaths; Korea leads the world in the number of deaths from alcohol-induced liver problems. And the economic loss is enormous. The Health and Human Services Centers for Disease and Prevention has stated that people, in 2010, over 19 years old who were at high risk for drinking was 14.9 percent; in 2011 the percentage went up to 18.2--an increase of 3.3 percent.

The medical profession estimates that over seven million people are addicted to or abuse alcohol. The "drinking culture" of Korea is thought to be a prime contributor to the problem. It's generally accepted that when gong out for the evening, there will be giving and receiving of glasses of liquor, boilermakers and other mixed alcoholic drinks. And doing the town by going to a second and third drinking location is commonplace. For this type of entertainment to change, all of us, drinkers as well as nondrinkers, especially including the courts of law, must cease to tolerate this misuse of alcohol. Without this attitude change, there is not likely to be any lessening of the current alcohol-related violence in our society. 

Alternative Education

The future of the country is in the hands of the young, says the principal of the first alternate school in the Catholic educational system. But many of our students, he told the Peace Weekly--referring to the happiness index of the Organization for Economic-Cooperation and Development, which lists Korea as having the lowest happiness rating among students in the 30 countries surveyed--are not happy.  Now that the Catholic Church is experimenting with alternative schools, the hope is that the happiness of our students will be favorably affected.

A number of reasons have been suggested for student unhappiness, financing their college education being one important reason. High-school students often cite another reason: Studying for college entrance exams and the intense competition to score high on the exams puts a great deal of pressure on to succeed. And the biggest  culprit for this current situation, says the principal, has been the disappearance of holistic education.

In an attempt to correct some of the problems, the law has been changed to allow schools to pursue an atypical curriculum that is more varied, natural, and holistic. Some educators feel that this is not a wise move. They worry that the students attending these schools will not be able to fit into society, find work and earn enough money. This is often the way those who are immersed in our industrialized society choose to see the benefits, or lack of benefits, of alternate types of education, compared with the perceived benefits of the current educational  system. 

The Peace Weekly gives an account of a recent workshop-meeting that brought together the teachers and the parents of students attending the first alternative Catholic school in the country. Although the primary emphasis of the school is on character formation, the principal is contemplating a move into more spiritual dimensions of life. If character education is understood to form the person, the spiritual will work to go beyond the person to more community involvement, always searching and working for the common good. Moving in this direction will deepen the freedom and autonomy of the students. When this is achieved, the principal said we will have "a happy school"--a school that students will want to attend.

A professor from the Catholic University is quoted in the article as saying that Catholic schools are now at the crossroads of a new Gospel mission. Whenever Catholic school administrators are tempted by the present educational system to be complacent or to compromise, they should bring to mind the Gospel message and have that inspire  them.