A Library That Never Closed Its Door

When it comes to libraries, what immediately comes to the mind of the writer is the  Russian libraries during the siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), one of the most terrible battles in world history. 

The blockade, which began on September 8, 1941, when the Germans cut off all land links to Leningrad, lasted 872 days until January 27, 1944. The supply of food and fuel, as well as daily necessities and medicines, ceased. People endured by eating dogs, cats, and mice in a city ruined by air raids every day. More than 1 million civilians died of starvation. This is why some war historians use the word “genocide” instead of the word battle. A university professor reminisces on the use of the libraries during the blockade, in the Peace Column of the Catholic  Peace Weekly.

During this terrible period, the city of Leningrad ran 22 libraries. Among them, the municipal library and the science academy library were not closed for a single day. People starving went to the library reading rooms to read, they were warehouses of ice due to the loss of electrical power. The librarians, who were all dying from malnutrition, wandered through the shelves like ghosts to find the books.

According to the writer Chukovsky's recollections, “People read incredibly much. They  read classical literature and poetry handed to them from dying librarians, read under soot-eating oil lamps.”  During the containment period, 80,000 books were officially loaned out. More than half of the librarians lost their lives. Thanks to the librarians, the concept of an "unclosed" library have been imprinted in human history.
 
The professor wonders why librarians were so obsessed with opening the libraries. For her who has not experienced such terrible hunger, she will never know what it means to read a book until just before starvation. But for one thing, it can be speculated that there must have been some solidarity between library users and librarians. In the face of the coming end, the books would have made everyone equal. People sitting in the dark corner of the reading room and feeling the nearness of death and flipping the pages of a book with their frozen fingers, what they were reading, how they had lived, they had something in common that cannot be judged on the scale of good and evil. Whether it was human nature or human dignity, librarians were there to protect and share it.

However, in front of the virus, a library that 'never closes' also raised their hands in surrender. The Library of Science Academy was completely closed from March 20 to July 6, when Corona 19 was in full swing. Now, opening the door unconditionally is no longer the virtue of a library, in our world. It has become a desirable requirement for librarians to take care of themselves when they are sick.

Of course, the library will still exist. Operation hours will be adjusted according to the government's quarantine guidelines, and new services will be introduced for the convenience of users. Most libraries will rely more on electronic resources and the digital transformation will accelerate. However, the library space where finite humans physically connect through books will disappear to the other side of history. Instead of the sad and magnificent space shown in the pictures of the library during the Leningrad blockade, a cool, clean, and empty space isolated from people will symbolize the pandemic.

For someone whose access to the library is a way of being, the difference will be huge indeed. "There is nothing in this world that disappears without a trace," said Bakhtin. Where to find the traces of the “unclosed” library?

Fact-Checkers and Fake News

We may have had the experience of asking a child: "Who do you like more mom or your dad?" For the questioner, easily asked without much thought, but for those who have to answer, it is difficult; relatively easy to answer the question: "How much do you like mom or dad? A professor in the Department of Political Science gives the readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly some thoughts on 'Fake News' and Fact-Checkers.

The process of judging fake news is similar. It is not easy to discuss the news with only the options of true or false for producing news essentially involves a value judgment on the part of the media. The results of judgment on the factuality of information may appear differently depending on the context in which news is discussed.

This is the reason why the media's fact-checker uses scales such as 'not at all factual,' 'mostly not factual', 'half fact', 'mostly true', and 'fact'. Of course, such a measure may have higher validity than a method of judging the facts of news with only the two categories: fact or falsehood, but even where the fact check was performed we have no guarantee of the objective truth.

This is because it is not only difficult to quantitatively evaluate how many facts or non-facts are contained in the news, but subjective value judgments of the media is inevitably involved in the fact verification process. For example, as a result of quantitatively measuring the facts of the news, 49% of the information is 'mostly not true', and 51% of the information is 'mostly true', saying that the amount of factual information is 2% percent more— Can we conclude that it is mostly true? The same is true when the fact check is judged to be 'half-true'. 'Half the truth' is, in other words, 'half a lie'.

Public perceptions of the media or public officials can be very different when a media company judges reports of other media companies or public officials as half-true' and 'half false'. The results of fact checks have a greater impact on the public when dealing with remarks by public officials they do not support or media they do not trust.

Research results report that the media users with strong factionalism have a tendency to 'perceive hostile media' those that report controversies 'biased' in a direction unfavorable to their position. It is highly likely to further strengthen the hostility of users. Because people are more inclined to rate the media based on information that was unfavorable to their position, the fact check result can conclude that all news produced by media companies that I do not support is 'fake news'.

Media users are more likely to trust information that is not true when it comes in the form of news. This implies that it is necessary to continuously verify the facts of the media. However, rather than the results of the verification by the media companies themselves, discussions based on various judgments by each media company performing the fact check should be conducted more actively. In other words, the basis for the judgment used by multiple media companies in checking the facts for the same information, and the process of discussing the validity and reliability needs to be expanded.

Discrimination or Love

The country is noisy now because of a bill called the 'anti-Discrimination Act' or 'Equality Act'. Article 11 of our Constitution: "All citizens are equal before the law. No one shall be discriminated against in any area of ​​political, economic, social, or cultural life based on gender, religion, or social status." The anti-discrimination law explains this in more detail. A lawyer writing in the Catholic Times' column In the Eyes of the Believer, explains the bill for the readers.

 'Gender, religion, and social status' listed for reasons of constitutional discrimination are subdivided into 21 categories: including 'gender, disability, age, country of origin, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and educational background'—the constitution's 'no discrimination in all areas of political, economic, social and cultural life'.

In response to this bill, some Christian communities are questioning the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of "sexual orientation and gender identity." 'Sexual orientation' refers to whether you are celibate, heterosexual, or homosexual; gender identity' refers to whether you think of yourself as male or female regardless of your actual biological sex. The anti-discrimination law stipulates the legal principle that discrimination based on "sexual orientation and gender identity" is understood as a principle of law that is now codified.

However, many fear this law will overturn the Christian doctrine of homosexuality as a sin and destroy the marriage system. However, this law says not to discriminate in areas such as employment, education, provision of goods and services, etc. because of homosexuality. Religious activities are not included in any areas subject to discrimination. If a church or related educational institution teaches the doctrine that homosexuality is a sin, or does not employ homosexuals, will they be punished for violating the anti-discrimination law? If so, then this would be obvious reverse discrimination. Our constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religion. So, just as we allow homosexuality, we must ensure that thoughts or doctrines against homosexuality are guaranteed.

However, since the anti-discrimination law does not apply to purely religious activities the teaching of doctrine in the church is not a problem at all. The anti-discrimination law applies only to daycare centers, elementary, middle, high school, and universities that are established by education-related laws, discipline, and support. Freedom of catechesis is guaranteed for churches and educational institutions within the church.

In the case of private schools established by the denomination, it is natural that certain doctrines should not be enforced because when they receive national benefits, academic qualification and budget support following the Education Act, and the education is not only for members of the church. In terms of employment, the anti-discrimination law does not apply to church institutions. Article 3 of this Act does not regard discrimination in hiring only believers when it is necessary due to the nature of the work.

Homosexuality is usually not a choice of one's own will, but a natural inclination. Paragraph 2357 of the Catholic Church Doctrine states: "tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." However, in paragraph 2358 teaches: "The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition, for most of them, it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."
 
Doctrine is nothing more than a specific guideline for practicing "love for God and neighbor" well. The same is true of Jewish law. Later, when the law became important for its own sake, Jesus blamed the law scholars, saying that the Sabbath was created for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Doctrine cannot go beyond the teaching of love.

Whenever I look at this passage in the Bible, I look deeply at Jesus: "For he causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and his rain to fall on the honest and dishonest alike...Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:45-48).

That's right. If the mysterious right reason of this world was to be summarized in one word, it would be 'love'.

Culture of Life

Until now, Korea's science and technology policy has been directed to economic growth. When a crisis arises various alternatives appear, over time all becomes vague for national resources are concentrated in areas where economic gains are greatest. Presently not only our society but the world is more concerned with coronavirus infections rather than economic growth. Infectious diseases threaten the life and health of all mankind and at the same time cause enormous damage to economic and social activities. With these words, a scholar in the field of morality begins her article in the Current Diagnosis column of the Catholic Peace Weekly.

Historically, the pandemic worsens the distribution of income and hurts mostly the weakest groups and classes both socially and economically. With the impact and urgency of the climate crisis, Corona 19 allows reevaluating our situation promoting a transition to a green economy. The global supply chain is being reorganized demanding a new international order. The world before and after Corona is radically changing.

On July 14, 2020, the government announced the Korean version of the New Deal as 'Korea's New 100 Year Design' and 'Korea's New Social Contract'. The major transition in the economy is from its pursuit to activation, from a carbon-dependent economy to a low-carbon economy, and from an unequal society to an inclusive society. 

The government's Korean version of the New Deal is driven by the spirit of voluntary participation shown by the Korean people in the wake of Corona 19. This spirit is not just for individuals. Awareness of the biological limits of humans, which are bound to be mutually influenced and dependent on each other, society showed the spirit of consideration for others.

The causes of the climate crisis are reviewed through the recent heavy rains sweeping Korea. In the 100 years after industrialization, economic growth has increased the global temperature by 1°C. Humans regarded nature as something to use for material abundance, and they were not interested in what would happen as a result. As the late Cardinal Soo-Hwan Kim pointed out: "The gap between those who have and those who do not have, continues to grow. Pursuing a better life materially is a problem that undermines human dignity and what follows is sexual assault against women, oppression of the poor and weak, and liberalization of abortion, etc. are appearing everywhere" (East Asian Laity Conference, 1992).

The attitude of humans toward nature also affects the relationships between humans. So the culture that kills nature is never separated from the culture that kills human life. Because everything is interconnected. Because everything is related to each other, conservation of nature and justification of abortion is incompatible. ("Laudato si" 120).  

"Openness to life is at the center of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away ("Love in Truth" 28). The government, the National Assembly, and the judiciary should look at the crisis facing humanity more fundamentally.

Through Corona 19, we learn that human freedom has limits, and the realization of freedom must aim for the survival of all. It is difficult to overcome either the Corona 19 crisis or the climate crisis without a culture that saves lives. The realization of "freedom for all" shown by the Korean people should not be limited to the crisis of Corona 19. As Pope Francis emphasizes, unless human beings are renewed, they cannot establish new relationships with nature.

Thinking of the Present Moment

A university professor who took a semester of study in the United States writes about her experience before returning to Korea in an article in the Kyeongyang magazine. This is her last article from the States. She thought she knew all about life in the States; what she experienced changed her understanding. One of the most advanced countries in the world facing the coronavirus, the United States showed her weakness and frailty. Recently the race question festering for a long time blew up, a land mine waiting for an explosion.

 Since she is in a foreign country, a member of a minority in this time of unrest her everyday feelings have changed greatly. Before the pandemic on a walk, meeting someone she would exchange some words but that all changed, now it's avoiding others. Women, children, the weak, minorities, foreigners their feelings, once oblivious to her are no longer so.

Physical contact with others has been strongly restricted and brought great difficulty to daily life. Isolation has caused a millionaire to take his own life. Physical encounters are part of intimate contact in life, restricted has given rise to irritation and depression. However, this difficult time has allowed her to spend time reading, and time for reflection; difficult, she has been busy.

If this pause in her life didn't exist what would she be doing? She had a busy schedule, each month she would be flying to different academic meetings and enjoying the intellectual stimulation: Boston, Washington, NewOrleans, New York, the island of Cyprus... The promise of expected encounters and their joy would be experienced but absent was the time to reflect. She introduces the readers to a poem by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892).

She takes a paragraph from the third section of his Song of Myself in which the poet with care and a big heart looks upon life positively giving strength to those who have lost their courage. The poet centers on the present moment, the important hour. 

"There was never any more inception than there is now,

Nor any more youth or age than there is now,

And will never be any more perfection than there is now,

Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now."

These words come to us as unreal. Living in the 19th century Whitman was not unfamiliar with the problems of his age which were more prevalent than our age. But he can say there is no more perfect time than the present. He doesn't say than now but 'than' there is now.  He is emphasizing the present moment for that is what we have. Those who are sad or happy have the same present. Facing the troubles and unhappiness we can expect unbiased hope and happiness. This is the impartiality we all have in life.

Irreparable mistakes and failures, the wounds of the past, even with the many problems we have now: misery, anxiety, pain, sorrow the ever-present now allows us to start anew. It is a promise of a lifetime that no one can deny. Since there is now, we must live in the now. That is the stipulation for the solid hope given to us.

It is difficult to predict the future of a post coronavirus time but we can make plans for the future. Starting again with the time given to each of us. We put an end to competition and battles with speed and all types of vanity and face the daily lives we are called to live that will give us new life because of the ever-present now.

From this little planet, I need to get rid of the ego that thought only I was important and the ignorance that only I would be eternal. We need to make a new decision for the day we will all be living together and working with our hands and feet in unison with others in the present now.

Manners When Eating

All suffering lives are lamentable without exception. So begins the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly. The journalist writer recalls watching a video accusing an owner of beating and slaughtering a retired racehorse by a worker in Jeju. The writer couldn't put his favorite meat in his mouth for a few days. A feral cat searching for food, seeing all the pedestrians walking in the misty rain, was hiding under his car, a pathetic sight. He feels compassion even for a small cockroach struggling to live.

He doesn't know when these thoughts began entering his mind but possibly because of age. These days, he often frowns while surfing the TV channels. He is tired of seeing 'Mukbang' programs ( 'Mukbang' an eating show where the host binge-eats). YouTube space is no different. The smell of grilling and roasting and the sound of chewing is loud.

What he dislikes watching these 'Mukbang' shows is the attitude of the performers to the food. They cut off the live octopus's legs as if breaking a rubber band, putting them in their mouths, holding their belly button, and laughing. In one show the host puts a piece of a yellowfin tuna on his head and jumps around in front of the camera. They also play with chicken pieces as if they were toys. For them, the act of eating is nothing more than entertainment. It seems the  'Mukbang' shows appeal to the viewers. However, for the writer it's sad. The act of sacrificing another life and putting it in my body is not a joke.

I am not trying to diminish the behavior and pleasure of eating and drinking. All life must eat other life. Whether vegetarian or meat-eating, we die if we don't eat other life. Humans have been hunting since time immemorial, and now working fiercely in the forest of buildings to get food. The act of eating is a fundamental condition of life. However, people forget etiquette and reverence when eating.

There is a myth of "Bison Falls" among the Indian Blackfoots of the American Plains. A bison, destined to be eaten by humans, a tribal virgin is asked to dance and sing a song in hopes of reincarnation. This became an annual tribal bison dance ritual every year. It is a myth that cannot arise without gratitude for the sacrifice that the bison makes to serve the human need for food.  They see the similarity between humans and animals. The bison dance may have originated from the guilt and dilemma of having to kill another life.

Almost all religions, including Christianity, offer prayers at the table. Catholics are grateful for all the graces given to them at meals. It is thanks to God for giving us "every seed-bearing plant and fruit tree with seed” (Genesis 1:29) as food. The gratitude here extends to the mercy of the earth,  air, sun, wind and rain, and the labor of the farmer.  Extending also to the living beings that are sacrificed and become food for us.

There is a Western saying that "what I eat becomes me". Jeju racehorses were dragged into slaughterhouses, hitting their heads and backs with sticks, and slaughtered in front of other horses. The horse meat must have been labeled as a special Jeju product and appeared in a market someplace. Meat covered with the blood of barbarism and cruelty cannot be good for the human body. The octopus leg that the entertainer ate was not something to eat but a toy.

Do not eat anything casually. The attitude toward a piece of meat on a plate can be an attitude toward oneself. That attitude shapes my personality and consciousness. I should put it in my mouth with gratitude and swallow it with reverence.

Glass Ceiling Index of the Korean Catholic Church

What is the glass ceiling index of the Korean Catholic Church?
※ The analogy of the 'glass ceiling' refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women from entering high-ranking positions in various fields of society.

A religious sister in the Catholic Times brings this topic to the attention of the readers. A few days ago, she heard through a media outlet that at the end of May, a laywoman was appointed deputy vice-president in the German-speaking district of Freiburg, Switzerland. Besides, she heard the news that a lay female theologian applied for the position of Archbishop, which is also vacant in the Diocese of Lyon, France. In May 2019, the 'Maria 2.0 Movement,' led by a women's organization in the Diocese of Muenster, came to mind. This movement is declaring a strike against the church by women believers who discontinued volunteer work for the church.

They did not do volunteer work in the church between May 11th and 18th, but held a liturgy in front of the cathedral, and promoted: "Women in the church, half of the children of God, are treated unjustly" and "women are called equally as men to proclaim the Gospel, they are powerful and influential in the church." The goal was to be able to contribute. The demands of those who lead these movements are women who want to announce their vocation."

Seeing the situation in Europe and the response of the women the writer, as a member of the church, a female religious, looked back on the reality of the Korean church. Korean society, for the last 7 years has the 'thickest glass ceiling of gender discrimination among OECD countries and this is present within the Catholic Church. How is this news received within the country but especially female believers?

Regarding the decision to recognize St. Mary Magdalene's role as the first witness of Christ's resurrection and as a "true and authentic evangelizer" Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial to a Feast Day in the liturgical calendar. The result was to reflect on the dignity of women, new evangelization, and the greatness of God's mercy.

Woman martyrs, virgins, abbots, missionaries, and medieval prophetic mystics from the time of Magdalena and other female disciples of the Apostolic Era are missing parts of history. However, looking at the hidden history of those who have been unearthed through the efforts of feminist theologians since the 1960s we have a clearer picture of the church.

Also, the beginning of Korean Catholicism, on the peninsula the Catholic understanding of the 'Equality of All People,' was introduced by laypeople, that broke the class system, and formed an equal view of women, making women aware of their own identity and role. The women who showed leadership at the time were widows, virgins, and many female congregations, including Kang Wan-suk Columba. They fulfilled their vocation as witnesses of missionary activities and actively engaged in missionary and educational activities.

However, as the church system in Korea was established and institutionalized around the clergy, female leaders disappeared behind the scenes. The 'Equality of All People' was the ideological basis for the leadership of both men and women in the church, but in reality, the position of the leader was limited to the male clergy, so that most of the female believers and religious believers were positioned only in cooperative roles.

Fortunately, among the responsible clergy of European churches, these recent movements of women believers are seen positively. It will be effective in igniting a debate about the position of women in the church and rethinking the consensus of the church. 

These discourses arose in the 1990s as well in the Korean church, and despite the efforts of female theologians and activists to improve the system and to educate for change through synods in each parish, they struggle with two obstacles: 'Institutional and patriarchal clericalism' and limits of women's consciousness in the church. To overcome this structural contradiction and limitation that revolves like a Mobius strip, all members of the church must strive to form a whole church as the equal people of God.

In conclusion, she believes the  Korean church needs more than ever to take action to bring responsible leaders, men, and women together to hold open discussions for institutional improvement.  She asks herself where and how she can reflect and put into practice what she has 
outlined.