Controlling Access to the Digital World

Korea, one of the leaders in the internet world, is now experiencing an increase in internet addiction because, some are saying, the necessary preparations were lacking. And the Church has been slow to address the problem and was not even aware of the problem, according to two recent Catholic Times articles. The issue was brought up in a Seoul parish forum that discussed the evangelization of the culture.

All agreed  that internet addiction is hurting society and is a big obstacle to the work of the Church. There are city centers that are working with the problem, but help should also be found in dioceses and parishes, said one of participants at the forum. He recommends, alluding to the statements from the Vatican on Internet ethics, that there should be educational courses available to help students deal with digital  addiction and, for those already addicted, camps and other programs to help them discern the problems that come along with the  digital world.

A professor who has made a study of the subject said that because the digital equipment is becoming more sophisticated, and with smartphones interacting with all kinds of programs, it will make the addiction all that easier. He said there has been a decrease in the numbers of those addicted, but those who are most prone to getting addicted, he said, are getting younger and are the more vulnerable in our society.
 
A religious sister has written a book Worrying Makes Me Beautiful, which treats some of the problems encountered by the young in our digital world. She reminds her young readers that knowledge is not the same as enlightenment. "When I have the experience of looking into myself and go beyond the worries, I gather the strength to overcome the difficulties of life."  

 

Afraid of loneliness, and with excessive worry, and by searching for instant happiness with alcohol, music, movies and games, we are missing, she says,  the opportunity to meet with dignity, without the artificial add-ons of material possessions, the world we live in. When we try to rid ourselves of stress by indulging our senses, it is, she says, like eating junk food continually and hoping for health.

The young can easily get addicted to the instant satisfactions they receive in the digital world. Without putting the digital world in its proper place in our lives, one can not hope for happiness,  she says. The only way of overcoming the addiction is living spiritually.

She recommends that the young not listen only to the voices of consolation and healing that come from outside themselves but to listen to their inner voices. She asks them to put aside their smart phones. When we become lost in the digital world, we forget to think about who we are, what we like or dislike, and frequently cease to care about really knowing others, interacting with them without our social masks. The digital world allows us the false comfort of ignoring the spiritual hunger we have inside us.

Autumn Visit to North Korea

Autumn 2013 Visit to North Korea

We just returned from another visit to North Korea with the Eugene Bell Foundation. Far from ordinary, this visit was unique in several important ways.

OVERVIEW

We were in North Korea for three weeks; one week longer than our usual visits. Our delegation was the largest yet  As you can see, this group included two priests from the Guadalupe Missioners, one applicant to the Paris Foreign Missioners as well as Father James Lynch Vicar General and myself from Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers; five priests in all. All were clearly identified as missioners on Eugene Bells application for visas. We received our usual hardy welcome from our North Korean hosts.

       During this visit our delegation was able to visit four new multidrug resistant treatment centers, bringing the total number of centers supported by Eugene Bell to twelve. Our work has also expanded geographically (please see the attached map) and now covers the western half of North Korea from Shinuiju City in the north to Kaesong City in the south.

What follows is a brief description of a day at a treatment center.

VISITING A TREATMENT CENTER

Our rural centers are located anywhere from two to five hours from the capital city of Pyongyang. Electricity is scarce in the rural areas so we had to make maximum use of daylight, meaning we usually left the hotel before daylight and did not get back until well after dark. Most roads are unpaved. When we arrive at a treatment center (a small village of simple cottages that house patients and staff) our vehicles park in the widest open space we can find. Local staff gather around the vehicles (Maryknoll provided a new bus this year) to help us unload boxes of medication and other supplies. They also set up tables and chairs, and help move the delegation’s portable diagnostic equipment into a nearby building. Our digital X-ray machine (a Catholic donation) is set up outside or under a tent as needed. Portable generators provide electrical power. Boxes of patient nutritional supplement are transported by truck and stacked in the courtyard ready for inventory. Each patient is provided two boxes of nutrition packets every six months and extra is also available for the staff. We count and collect empty nutrition packets at every site.

Patients currently receiving treatment always greet us warmly. Many of their faces are familiar. It is always good to see them but also sad to hear about those who have died since our last visit. The program provides each patient with a box of medication that has their picture on it along with the name of the donor who supplied the funds for their treatment. Our visit reminds them of the people who have sacrificed to provide the expensive medications needed to treat their multidrug resistant tuberculosis. About one third of the program is supported by Catholics. It is both a privilege and a blessing to be able to tell patients how much Catholics care about them.

While we are setting up for our day’s work, a large crowd of people seeking treatment gather around. Many have been sick with tuberculosis for years and have failed several courses of treatment with regular tuberculosis medications.  They and their families know time is running out and there is no place else to turn.

It takes about thirty minutes to get ready. By this time, a team of North Korean doctors and delegation members have set up the four portable diagnostic machines. These are expensive state-of-the-art equipment is capable of diagnosing multidrug resistant tuberculosis in a matter of hours. (three of our four diagnostic machines were provided by Catholic organizations). Documents and records are arranged on one of the tables and a joint team of local caregivers and delegation members are in their assigned places. We are then ready to start processing patients. Patients are registered, weighed, photographed for identification purposes and X-rayed. Those who are being processed for admission are watched carefully as they provide their first sputum samples. I do my best to encourage those who are so weak that they have a difficult time providing a sample for analysis.

Local medical staff line up people from a waiting list, people who have a long history of TB and who they suspect suffer from multidrug resistant tuberculosis. A member of the delegation walks down the line, counting off the number of people who will be allowed to submit sputum samples for testing. This is heartbreaking work. We have to limit new applicants because of limited capacity. As a rule, we are able to admit an average of 30 new patients per center per visit. But sadly, many have to be turned away. Those who do not get a chance to submit a sputum samples for analysis will have to wait six months for another chance…if they live that long.

Testing the sputum samples from new applicants for admission takes at least six hours. Those who are confirmed to be MDR-TB sufferers will be admitted to the program late in the afternoon and given their first box of medication. 

As soon as new applicants are processed, patients currently registered in the program provide sputum samples that will be taken to a lab for analysis. Regular monitoring of a patient’s progress is an essential part of the program.

After several hours the diagnostic equipment registers the results of the first batch of tests. It is a sobering time for everyone, particularly the applicants. Which of the applicants will test positive and receive lifesaving medication on this visit? Who will test negative and fail to gain admission to the program? Sometimes someone with a long history of TB test negative because they couldn’t provide a good sputum sample that day. We try to encourage those who ‘fail’ by promising to test them again next visit. It is painful beyond description when this happens.

While the diagnostic machines do their work, our delegation’s medical director consults with local staff, reviewing each patient’s records and charts. Meanwhile other delegation members are organizing a ‘graduation ceremony’ for those who have completed treatment and are ready to go home. Delegation members, particularly priests, are asked to address the ‘graduating patients’, many who have been under treatment for two years at the center.

After the graduation ceremony all registered patients (including newly-accepted patients) receive a box of medication that will be used by the medical staff to treat their disease until our delegation’s return six months later. Then a careful count is made of all medications and supplies provided on that visit. By this time it is usually almost dark. Sometimes we finish by flashlight before boarding our vehicles for a long drive back to the hotel and a very late supper.

As you can imagine, our days are long and hard but rewarding. Treatment outcomes (the percentage of patients who make a full recovery) continue to rise. Thankfully, we have been able to double the size of the program during the last two years. We will have more than a thousand patients in the program by next spring. But sadly, we are able to treat only a small percentage of the multidrug resistant patients in North Korea today. Giving all MDR-TB sufferers a chance to recover would require a much bigger program.

 CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS SERVICES IN NORTH KOREA

While we have focused primarily on Catholic-sponsored tuberculosis work in North Korea, we have also attempted to provide religious services for the foreign residents in Pyongyang. Gratefully, this work, which was begun four years ago, has also grown markedly during the past two years. During this time (2010-2013) I have be able to offer 9 Masses at the Polish Embassy and one at the Swiss Embassy.

        On this visit I was able to say Mass for more than seventy members of Pyongyang’s foreign community on October 27^th. This was more than double the number of participants that attended this spring’s Mass in April. Not all participants were willing to sign the attendance sheet but a far greater percentage of attendees (Catholics and non-Catholics) were willing to identify themselves openly than ever before, suggesting a gradual decrease in uneasiness with attending religious services.

        Progress in the spiritual nurture of Pyongyang’s foreign residents would not have been possible but for Edward Pietrzyk, the Polish Ambassador to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He has made a special effort to make his embassy available for the Mass on every one of our visits. Ambassador Pietrzyk is retiring in a few months, however, and it is not clear at this time whether this hard-won tradition will continue. Needless to say, this vital effort should continue.

Father Gerard E. Hammond

November 8, 2013

          

Faith And Reason

Christian initiation for baptism introduces the catechumen--a person receiving instruction in the Creed, Church and Sacraments--to a life devoted to Christ and prayer. During the period of instruction, which can take six months to over a year, it is understood that we are living, or trying to live, the life of reason before we can truly embark on the road to faith; faith builds on reason. Pope John Paul II said at the beginning of the encyclical letter Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason): "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth-- in a word, to know oneself, so that by knowing and loving God men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves." 

Faith without reason leads to superstition; reason without faith leads to emptiness. Reason, first principles ( known by themselves, without argumentation)  was  understood by most, once  heard, everyone would accept. This is no longer the case. Worse still is the understanding of many that there is a contradiction between faith and reason. It would not be inappropriate to introduce before entrance into the catechumenate proper some of the truths we as  humans accept as seen in the proverbs and words of wisdom from other traditions, as a first  step in the teaching of the catechism. Our humanity precedes the Christianity.

One of the parishes in the diocese posted a number of sayings from the Korean classics on the walls of the different rooms in which the catechumens met, truths accepted as true by  most Koreans. They came from the experience and the life of reason lived by Koreans for thousands of years. Today, many of those who begin the study for baptism no longer have this great reservoir of truth, which means the house being built will likely begin with a weak foundation.

And yet, it seems there is thirst for these obvious truths, though expressed in different ways, that fills a void we call spirituality. One of the most basic human reflexes is that of breathing, which a German-speaking Catholic priest Pierre Stutz, in his book Respite for the Soul, uses to cultivate our interior life. Translated from the German and reviewed by the Peace Weekly, the book stresses the importance of breathing freely in order to control external distractions that might interfere with getting in touch with our deeper self.

This can be done, he says, by learning to breathe deeply, which will also help us to live more comfortably, with less stress and more control over ourselves. Breathing, as one of our most individual acts, is also employed by God, he believes, to unite us with all of creation, an expression of the gift to life we have received. By learning to breathe deeply, we will, he says, raise the quality of our lives. Many are missing out on this useful method, believing they do not have sufficient leisure to slow the pace of their lives. He would like us to get rid of the fixed idea of needing to have more material goods, and find the time to slow down and experience and enjoy our inner life. This would be a good place to start for the catechumen on the way to a life of faith.

"Where has the Cruelty Come From?"

"Be the owner of you life and your own standard." These words are from one of our Korean philosophers.  A seminary professor in the View from the Ark has difficulties with the statement.  They are, he says, stylish words that fit right in with a result-orientated society that is conditioning us to accept being slavish followers of the status quo and is taking away our opportunities for true happiness.

The philosopher does not want to see us become slaves of unjust authority and money.  Since we have only one life to live we should, he says,  be conscious of the love we ought to have for ourselves, and fight against the type of authority that makes us slaves.

In history, when humans have taken upon themselves the role of  creator and judge, were they then owners of their own life? the professor asks. When humans have determined the standards has  humanity benefited? What does it mean to be your own standard? Haven't all the despots in our history done just that--followed their own whims and done what they wanted?  Unbelievable cruelty was the result.  With the philosopher's thinking, says the professor, if each one lived according to their own standard, the difference  in standards would only be a difference of degree.  What would differentiate anyone one of us from the despots of the past? he asks. With this thinking each one is building their kingdom and dispensing with others. We would be making, he says, a hell on earth.

The professor, like the philosopher, also rejects all authority that makes humans slaves. The philosopher does say he believes in God but doesn't want anything to do with the God of those who justify the political, military, and religious violence that we currently see today. He doesn't want to believe in a God that can be enclosed in a temple or a church. However, he does say that each person has to have their own standard. The professor poses a question for the philosopher: Why doesn't he have a problem with the absolutism of those who make themselves the standard?
 

A person that does not believe in God can be a much better person than one who believes, and he quotes from the sociologist  Phil Zimmerman: "A society without God can be a healthier and happier one than those with a God." The professor agrees that the  meaning of God in history has been reason for much conflict. And it is clear that a God that makes us slaves is a danger. But the society without a God is a greater danger, he says. When we become Gods then the weak of society will have no place to stand.

Jesus did not make a slave of anyone. He wanted us all to be friends (John 15:15). He did not hesitate to eat with those who were not accepted by society and was criticized for being a glutton and a heavy  drinker. He was a friend to those no one would approach. He gave his whole life to rescue us from the slavery of the world, and died doing it. The professor concludes his article with the words of an atheist author, and wonders if they may not be similar to the thoughts of our Lord: "God, where has the cruelty in the world come from?"
 

Korean Perception of Beauty

If we see the Church as a  lamp, its oil, its spiritual energy, would be art, says a professor at the Inchon Catholic University. Writing in the Peace Weekly, he goes on to say that no matter how much oil is in the lamp, without being ignited by the flame from the world of art, we will not have much light in the Church.

Religion is in pursuit of reality, of an encounter with the deepest part of the self. Humanity in its search for this ultimate encounter, the professor maintains, cannot do without  symbolism. We need symbolism applied to inanimate things to express the living truths of religion. And when we open to these truths deep inside us, we will experience, he says, the symbolism of art as a fragrance that brings us closer to our ultimate encounter. Art, when employed in this manner, in its pursuit of beauty, can lead us to experience the transcendent, and in such an encounter with universal truth, the professor believes we have the illumination that comes from the meeting of art and religion.

All of us have an image of God but not having seen God, we can only express our images, he says, in symbols, and it is these symbols that are put into words. 

What do we understand by Christian art? What do we mean by Christian literature? It is the professor's understanding that whenever the artist has the Gospel vision portrayed in his work, there is Christian art. The way the Gospel message is integrated within the work of art--whether the vision is  present or absent, true or false--is the criterion in deciding whether it's Christian art or not. When the work of art transcends time and place and speaks to everyone, it can, he says, be called a great work of Christian art.
 
Christian art in Korea because of the early history of the persecuted Church took time to develop. Lack of understanding and of a feel for the culture by Church leaders resulted in building churches and in decorative art that were simple copies from the West. The beginning of Church art, with Chang Bal and others, in1924, was greatly influenced by the West, but in 1954 with Chang Bal as the leader, a creative Korean art began to take form, putting aside the attempts of the past to imitate the Church art of the West. 

With the large number of churches being built, and the starting of the Catholic Artist Group, there was a great development in Christian art, with many young people becoming enthusiastically involved. It was during this time that inculturation and Koreanization entered the Korean Catholic art world, a blending of the visual arts with the traditional cultural elements that appeared in their works and in the theology of the Church. The Second Vatican Council was the impetus for this development.

When we have a Koreanized Church, we will have a Koreanized Christian art, the professor says. The more particular (more Korean, in this case) and original we become, the more universal it will be, he says, borrowing the words of Goethe. Without the inculturation of our art, its message will be incomplete. What is Korean will of course always be ambiguous, but nonetheless the artist who is genuinely in touch with his or her cultural roots can't help but be Korean. We have to go beyond imitation and its limitations to create new artistic expressions that will make inculturation possible, and a Church that will be both truly Korean and truly universal.

 

Consciences Are Not Always Correct

In the daily meditation booklet on the Gospel of the day, the German war criminal Adolf Eichmann was given as the example of a civil servant who was an exemplary father and husband, who did his work well, but more, as the meditation points out, was expected. The Gospel passage is from Luke (14:25-33), where God is put before family. The point of the illustration was  that much more is demanded of a Christian who wants to be a follower of Christ than being a good family man and doing your job well.
 
Eichmann was apprehended in Argentina by the Jewish secret police and brought back to Israel to stand trial as a criminal against humanity.15 criminal charges were leveled against him, he was found guilty on all counts, and hanged in1962. Eichmann in his defense said that he was just following orders. He followed the law and was loyal to the government officials, which he was sworn to do. He had no remorse and died thinking that what he did was simply being a loyal German.

Expecting to see the face of a monster, those who witnessed the trial saw, instead, an ordinary, timid man. One of the Christians, after reading the meditation, didn't think the meditation booklet was the proper place to speak about Eichmann. After all, a military man has to follow orders whether he agrees or not. That, he thought, was basic. The Christian idea of what is demanded of a follower of Jesus is not something that is easily apprehended.

The  parishioner gave the example of the famous general, Gyebaek, of the Baekje kingdom. They were  invaded by a force from the  Silla kingdom that was 10 times larger than the general's forces.  Gyebaek is said to have killed his wife and children so they would not influence his actions and cause him to falter in battle. His actions are known by all school children of Korea. 

We as Christians have no difficulty in seeing the actions of Gyebaek as wrong headed and morally to be condemned, but in history there are those who  have  considered him a patriot who would even sacrifice his family for the love of his  country.  Catholic values that we have accepted are not seen the same by all.

We often hear the words "do good".  But what does this entail? we are asked in the meditation. Is it to do your best in whatever you do? Be a good family person, a good father, mother, a good worker, a good friend? This is not everything. There are times when even these relationships have to be sacrificed for something higher. Eichmann felt doing his job, supporting his family, following the law and being obedient to the ruler was everything.

Eichmann's code of conduct was as wrong as Gyebaek's and more morally objectionable but this he did  not acknowledge  and died without remorse.  This is not something easily understood, as the parishioner shows with his disagreement with the meditation. What tends to complicate the issue is that in over 90 percent of the cases there is no conflict between what is right and what is obviously immoral. A few cases where  there is a conflict between an informed conscience and  action, the decisions do not come easily, for the results will frequently cause pain.

Finding Solutions for the Suicides in Society

In the desk column of the Catholic Times we are  introduced to the book by the Finnish writer Arto Paasilinna, who wrote the tragicomedy A Charming Mass Suicide. Two people who have decided to end it all go to a countryside location where they meet in person for the first time. After failing in their attempt to kill themselves, though in the process cementing their friendship, they decide to recruit others with the same intentions, rent a bus and stage a mass suicide.

They advertise and successfully assemble a group of 20. Their plan is to travel to Norway and have the bus go over one of the cliffs there, but they end up going through Switzerland to the ocean side cliffs of Portugal. During the trip, which they all knew could end any day, they began to form close relationships with one another, finding solace; two of them falling in love. Life, they discovered, had become attractive and now, their thoughts of suicide put aside, they were looking forward happily to a new beginning.

Finland's problems are the background for the novel. They are the first country in the world to make the prevention of suicide a national project. In 1983, after bringing together 50,000 specialists and making a study of 1,337 suicides, they inaugurated, in 1992, a program of prevention. The results have been noticeable, with a reduction each year in the number of suicides, moving them from the 3rd country with the largest number of suicides to the 13th. A good example that efforts made in this area will bring results.

Korea for the last 8 years has been number one in the world in the number of suicides. What is the reason? Those who have studied the problem say it is the importance the Koreans give to economic betterment and the competition this requires. Behind all this, says the columnist, is the lack of importance that life has for many Koreans.

The Church in Korea has given the subject much concern and study.  The recent symposium in Korea attended by specialists of Japan and Korea concerned with solving the problem is a good example of the importance and vision of the Korean and Japanese Churches. Interest in preventing suicide stems, of course, from the importance the Church places on life.

As important as is the  medical treatment for those who have attempted suicide, the connection with society and the feeling that there are persons concerned with their welfare is also important for those who are having suicidal thoughts, and they need to  feel this, the columnist says. The teaching that suicide is forbidden is the Church's position but it has to make efforts to be close to those who have attempted or are thinking of suicide and work to prevent it. In the novel A Charming Mass Suicide there is the word 'together' which she found emotionally moving. It is when we have a deep connection with others, she feels, that we will have the will to want life.