"On the Side of the Poor"

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Active and Passive Peace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dialogue Overcomes the Generational Divide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coronavirus and Shincheonji

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Immunity Against an Unstable Society

Sweden is counted as one of the role models for a welfare state. In the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the columnist, specialist on welfare, gives the readers her ideas on the subject.                       
It was a surprise last year when the Democrats in Sweden (Conservatives) made a great leap forward in the general elections. The atmosphere in Northern Europe has been relatively friendly to the immigrants but is now turning against the refugees. There may be several reasons for this but the white person's fear of refugees is at work.

When a person fears, instinctively one goes into self-defense mode. In this situation, it is easy to reject or distort facts hoping to protect oneself. One uses the defense mechanism to free oneself from the threatening and anxious situation in which they find themselves. Anti-immigrant perceptions about losing jobs due to the influx of immigrants, fear of infection with the new coronavirus (Corona 19), rejecting and hating Asians are to protect ourselves.

The rising 'post-truth' phenomenon further stimulates and forms public opinion. Post-truth, the "displacement of truth", refers to a phenomenon in which public opinion appeals to personal beliefs, and feelings, more influential than objective facts. With the advent of social media (SNS) such as Kakao, Facebook, and YouTube, this influence continues to increase. The problem is fake news spreads along with the post-truth trends in society and the cognitive biases—attachment to subjective reality— that follows destroys our social integration.

Such narrow-minded thoughts and actions toward people in economically deprived countries and the socially underprivileged are the cause of deepening inequality.

In the midst of this, Pope Francis is proposing active solutions through SNS for various problems facing humanity. In the age of interactive communication through advanced IT technology, it may be an opportunity to spread the culture of mutual respect.

The Pope has signed a joint declaration On Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, condemning "acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression" carried out in the name of God. They pointed out that the cause of the crisis of suffering is due to the blunt human conscience and the spread of individualism.

The Polish sociologist Sigmund Baumann defined modern times as a period of unsettling anxiety, and current sociologists predicted that the "post-truth" era will continue for some time to come. How should we respond in this world? Rather than trying to find a scapegoat, the idea is that individuals, citizens, welfare groups, the media, and governments jointly increase their sense of responsibility and strengthen their immune system against the evils of society based on basic guidelines that prioritize common good and human brotherhood.
 
In a pluralistic society, everyone has the right to individual freedom and assured of a decent life. The ethical responsibility we all have to achieve this should not be overlooked. Our community immunity towards the unstable society in which we live has to begin with us.

'Kkondae' A Word We Don't Want To Hear

In the recent Bible And Life magazine, three articles were concerned with the meaning of the word 'Kkondae' often heard within Korean society. A word directed to the elderly by the young. One of the articles wanted to help the readers avoid being called a 'Kkondae'. It's a slang word that seems to have taken on different meanings with time and at present, it's a word we don't want to hear addressed to us.

It is not easy to translate into English but we have words that describe what young Koreans would understand to be included: showoff, egotist, bragger, arrogant, condescending, high and mighty, haughty. In the list of the seven capital sins, we would place it in the first place as pride.

One of the articles written by a priest counselor finds the task far from easy; both from his own life and those that he has counseled over the years. He sees it as an elderly person who is not behaving wisely. They are seen as immature by the young and addressed sarcastically as 'Kkondae'.

His first example is one who assumes airs about his younger years and fires off what he has done. Those who speak in this way feel superior but those listening feel disgraced and seeing the situation of the older person makes fun of him. Because of their feelings of inferiority, those behaving like a 'Kkondae' try to compensate by boasting. This kind of person is not one prepared to do favors for others.

The second are those that want to be respected for their age. They are all 'Kkondae'. Those with ability don't think of their age. They don't wait for others to respect them but the 'Kkondae' even if not old gets angry when respect is not shown.

The third type is the worst. They don't listen to others and want to be heard. It's always for the benefit of the other, they make sure to add.  The presence of this type of 'Kkondae' is always tedious on the young. All the words expressed are correct, hearing them they feel a revulsion having heard them so often.

Why does one become a 'Kkondae'? The writer says it is a lack of eye awareness, intuitive situational awareness or probably the best translation would be common sense. Briefly, the 'Kkondae' lacks this common sense when dealing with the young. They are not able to read the mind of the young.

He concludes the article with a checklist, the more you check the greater degree of 'Kkondae' behavior. Even checking one of them does mean that you have a touch of 'Kkondae'.

1) Seeing the efforts of civil servants these days they have a lack of a challenging spirit.

2) We always need to obey the words of those who are in a position of authority.

3) Meeting a person for the first time I need to know his age and education level to feel comfortable.

4) I am upset when a younger person comes in late.

5) I get angry when eating with young people if everything is not in proper order.

6) I often use the expression 'when I was your age'.

7) I speak impolitely to people in stores and when shopping.

8) What do young people know? Do I think this way at times?

9) When the young are demonstrating against some issue do I feel that they are not acting properly?

10) Do I agree that the older we get the wiser we become?

11) Do I seek to teach a younger person when they do something different, my way of doing things?

12) When I ask someone to give their opinion do I step in and give my opinion.

13) Do I always feel that as an older person I have something to say?

14) Do I get angry when a younger person disagrees with me?

Internet Bullying

At the end of last year, two entertainers in succession, ended their own lives, news of great sadness in society. With the report came the reason for the choice:  malicious comments, insults that were experienced by the entertainers. Consequently, the Blue House Bulletin Board was flooded with petitions to do something with cybercrime and the malicious comments experienced by many on the internet.

In 2018 there was the sad case of an elementary school student's suicide because of internet bullying. Society wants to see a change, all the different levels in society have shown a need to do something because of the great shame experienced by society. The church also needs to get involved. In the Kyeongyang magazine, a priest with a doctorate in media studies brings the problems to the attention of the readers.

Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, Rejoice and Be Glad, mentions the issue as he does in many of his messages. "Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forms of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned. The result is a dangerous dichotomy, since things can be said there that would be unacceptable in public discourse, and people look to compensate for their own discontent by lashing out at others. It is striking that at times, in claiming to uphold the other commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying, and ruthlessly vilify others. Here we see how the unguarded tongue, set on fire by hell, sets all things ablaze" (115).

If we examine verbal violence we see the shame and contempt that is included. In the case with the two entertainers, we have maliciousness that was intended to destroy the entertainers. It was vulgar abuse, mockery; the verbal violence was too much for them.

When one is overcome with shame one loses the ability to see things correctly and will refuse sympathy from others, overcome by anger, fear, and criticism. The humiliation engendered is like a whirlpool from which one finds it difficult to extract oneself. Without the successful management of energy from the emotions the possibility of suicide will be present. Those who are inflicting this pain on others often are not conscious of the harm and the hate that they are projecting.

This kind of loathing and hatred expressed in cyberspace is contagious and speaks to their colleagues who begin to think they are justified in what they are doing. We must not forget that those two entertainers had to deal with this loathing and hatred.

This whole issue of verbal violence in Korean society and efforts to resolve the issue is not a small matter. The society in which we exist will not easily accept the curtailing of free speech and efforts to do so will be seen as a movement toward totalitarianism. Also, many believe those in the field of entertainment need to accept this as a part of the life they have chosen. And when it comes to the degree and those who need to be curtailed, discernment is most difficult.

He mentions a university professor who reminds those who want to see a change that the way to go about it is not with a hammer but with a scalpel. Hate speech and the freedom to express oneself have to be delicately approached and freedom of expression protected but the need to have society sympathetic with the efforts to deal with the problem is of great advantage. There is a need to remove the reasons for hate speech and efforts to show why verbal violence can be more hurtful than physical violence.

Efforts also need to be made to help the victims of this verbal violence to understand where the humiliations that they are experiencing is coming from and make efforts to eradicate it. "Humility can only take root in the heart through humiliations. Without them, there is no humility or holiness. If you are unable to suffer and offer up a few humiliations, you are not humble and you are not on the path to holiness" (118).

When efforts are made to humiliate us we need to remember the distorted views of the perpetrators and remember the dignity that we have as children of God. This is easily said but those who are undergoing the humiliation are in great agony we must never forget. We need to understand the situation they are in, and to train persons who will be able to help those who face this type of abuse as we work to see a society that will always remember the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, those with whom we agree and disagree.