For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

 

A lawyer writing in the Catholic Times' Eyes of the Believer column gives us his thoughts on For Whom Does the Bell Toll? The book by Ernest Hemingway. The title is a quote from the work of John Donne the English Poet: "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."

 

The writer remembers what his father asked him back when he was a high school student when they were talking politics while eating breakfast. His father although from North Korea was uncharacteristically critical of the dictatorship of the Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee regimes, the son had no problem with what his father was saying.

 

The problem was what do we do? When he told his father, showing off his bravery, we should sacrifice ourselves to overthrow dictatorships his father responded with the 'Bell' from Hemingway's novel. He never read the book but did see the movie and remembers the wonderful line from the heroine that moved the audience: "If you don't love me, I love you for both of us."

The main character of the novel is an American, he goes to another country, Spain, and fights against Franco's dictatorship, which suppressed democracy. The hero sends his lover and colleagues away and dies a heroic death for the cause.

Remembering this sad last scene, his father asked him, "Who is the bell ringing for?" He answered this heavy question from his father bravely because he was still immature: the individual who sacrifices for a cause.

He saw an article written by a high school teacher recently. He asked the students what they thought about the land speculation that LH Corp (Land and Housing Corp) employees were accused of— buying property by using insider information. This has been in the news for days now. Most of the children, except for one or two, said they would do the same if they had the opportunity.

What was being asked is rather obvious but even students who said it was wrong answered that they were not confident about what they would do if such an opportunity came.

The teacher was surprised and really worried. But if you think about it, it's the fault of the older generation, and the lawyer includes himself for the children thinking in this way. When the writer was young, he tried to pursue a cause, but as he grew older, money became his big interest in practical matters. It's the legacy of the older generation who believed that money is the most important thing and that only he and his children need to be successful. 

In the past, a just cause was enough motivation to sacrifice one's life. The names of the great men he read about while in elementary school: General Lee Soon-shin, Ahn Jung-geun, and Kim Gu... And the many who sacrificed during the March 1st Movement, the April 19th Revolution, and the May 18th Democratic Movement. In fact, many of the Communists, who many of us hate, have sacrificed their lives for 'workers and farmers' without any self-interest. Some spies who came down from North Korea are different from us in the way they think, but some have given up their lives for a cause and spent their entire lives in prison.

A great cause often meant a cause pursued by ambitious people of all ages and countries looking out for their interests but this was not in line with what is meant by the common good and altruism. The evolutionary biologist Dawkins said that altruism may be self-sacrifice when viewed as an individual, but in reality, it is a selfish act in which genes manipulate the individual to preserve the interests of the entire race. That's a wrong story. 

 

'Altruism' or the 'common good' is a concept and phenomenon that has emerged as the human race has emerged from the animal level where concern was only for the self but with self-reflection and reason, we have the person going beyond themselves. In Buddhism, it is called liberation, and in Christianity salvation. In the movie, the hero was freed from the bondage of the "I" sacrificing his life for the cause of Spanish democracy. 

 

He hopes our children will be free to go beyond what they see and the benefits contained to what is important in life. And our generation needs to do the same.

Reflection on Values in the Workplace

 

In the Catholic Times an article on values, a priest columnist writes about what is Justice and the sharing of brotherly love. Emphasis on priority choice for the weak along with dignity, solidarity and support.

 "These people had names from birth, but they are not called by  these names. She's just an old lady. "I'm just a cleaner who cleans." Those who receive 750 dollars a month are living  together with us. (Do you know the 6411 bus?)

The situation of the socially disadvantaged is  symbolized by bus number 6411 in Korea. This was made well-known by a now deceased lawmaker. The 6411 bus picks up cleaning workers from  early dawn. We are well informed in our society about irregular workers, low wages, poor treatment, and the joys and sorrows of doing hard and dirty work of cleaning.  Usually, done by the elderly and lowly educated groups in a highly competitive employment market.
 

This often stems from social and structural difficulties: economic, educational, and environmental inequality.  As can be seen in the controversy over those born with a gold spoon, earth made spoons and chopsticks, wealth and poverty have a big impact on the lives of individuals, so the welfare system exists and the problem that  calls for an alternative: a rational, just  distribution of wealth.
 

There are  philosophers and scholars who hold that individual ownership and property are important, including liberalism's (Robert Nozick), welfare-state liberalism's (John Rawls), and Philosophical communitarianism (Michael Sandel) they all value equality and compensation for those left behind. All suggest directions for individuals and society to move forward, and the key point is over distribution.
 

Catholic social doctrine recognizes private property. But together with that, emphasis on human dignity, solidarity, goodness, subsidiarity, good use of goods, and priority concern for the weak. It clearly criticizes the monopoly of wealth in Neo-liberal society and values consideration for the socially disadvantaged. Human dignity requires this, and boundaries preventing gold from becoming idols. Economy and justice exist for all  humans.

The method for distribution will be connected  with the means chosen. However, the Catholic Church first presents the values, spirit, and direction that should be contained in a system before it is said to be good. Also, in a rapidly changing world with  economic and technological development, we ask for the responsibility of human beings and society by fundamentally reflecting on what human beings are.

Is it because there is a growing interest in fairness and justice around the world? Michael Sandel's book "What Is Justice?" has sold a lot. But the original title of the book can also be translated as "Justice: What's the right thing to do?" or "What's just to do?"
 

The concept of Justice has many difficult aspects that need to be considered. It includes individual legitimate efforts, fair opportunities, reasonable compensation, strict response to speculation or illegal activities, and a legitimate judicial system, but it also has to be accompanied by values of love, brotherhood, human nature, and the ultimate meaning of life.

The Catholic Church thinks of justice with God, love, spirituality, and brotherhood. And while debate is important about what justice is, we also need to think about what to do and act on it. Christians are asked to repent for their failure in this area— to understand and love their neighbors more.
 

"Blessed Charles de Foucault directed his ideal of total surrender to God towards an identification with the poor, abandoned in the depths of the African desert. In that setting, he expressed his desire to feel himself a brother to every human being, and asked a friend to 'pray to God that I truly be the brother of all'. He wanted to be, in the end, 'the universal brother'. Yet only by identifying with the least did he come at last to be the brother of all. May God inspire that dream in each one of us. Amen. (Fratelli Tutti #287)

The Meeting of Beautiful :People

In the Catholic Peace Weekly, the writer a Photo Healer writes about a group of beautiful people in his recent column. For him, meeting 'beautiful' people is always fun.
 
More so for those who are together in one place and can share time together harmoniously. When he looks at the scene, created by people, interacting with each other in this way it's beautiful. Rather than those who are well known, he is more impressed with people who live ordinary daily lives. Perhaps it's sharing the precious communion of people's minds that's very touching which inspires people.
 
They are special people the writer has been watching from May last year to now. The group consists of eight citizens who came from their respective homes and met each other for the first time as members of "Photo Compassion Workshop with North and South Koreans." As the name suggests, some of them are from North Korea. Often called North Korean defectors and hidden in the shadow of the socially disadvantaged. Another segment of society wants to escape the yoke of division and open the eyes to each other's existence.

The theme of the meeting is: "A new look at us - A time when we dream of an era of empathy beyond boundaries and distinctions." To achieve this they gathered cherishing each other. At the start, there was a curiosity about who would be the North Korean defectors. However, with time they became caring for each other, have taken the time to have a sincere relationship that anyone from anywhere is okay.

One more thing to note is that they are using the term "North Koreans" after judging that terms such as defectors, refugees, and 'new people' create a sense of discrimination and separation. They met within a framework of empathy and solidarity as neighbors living together without looking at themselves separately as "me" and "you."

After 70 years of division, the emotional distance between the two Koreas is still great. But he can't help but applaud them for reflecting on our past history, which has been divided with the differences in ideology and system; demonstrating in practice the possibility that we can all achieve happiness together.

These days, when the cold winter has passed and the spring flowers have begun to bloom, we all want to laugh together. Spring has sprung again in our land.

The Importance of the 'Why' Question

 

In  the Catholic Peace Weekly, Diagnosis of the Times, a university professor gives the readers her ideas on the 'Why Question' and its importance when it comes to reporting the news.

Effective persuasion strategies are needed for smooth communication. It's necessary to provide valid reasons to reach a conclusion that one intends.

The various types of communication experienced at home or at work are not meant to reconcile opinions or arguments. Rather with the different opinions, and arguments, we can come to a better understanding of the issue.

 

Humans are accustomed to looking at the world deductively. There is a risk in deductive reasoning that makes the principles or propositions acceptable without criticism as common sense, "group idea". The question "why" helps us develop our thinking, as we cannot be sure that common sense and our ideas are always true.

We get the ideas of certain groups and of the majority through media reports. Trust in the media results in trust in the information that the media delivers. Trust comes from the  authority of the information. Media secures authority from its information by utilizing reliable sources. If the media has professional knowledge on an issue or is deemed representative of many ideas, the corresponding source is considered reliable.

One way the media can prove to be a reliable source of information to the public is to use real-name reporters. If a reporter is reluctant to expose his/her identity or fears harm directly or indirectly, anonymity will be used but secures credibility by disclosing their identity.
 

Humans have a tendency to imitate the thoughts and actions of the majority. Therefore, the media should have an objective and logical strategy when communicating the opinion in society. The act of abusing anonymous sources by reporters destroys trust in information by weakening the logical basis of the claim. There are many cases in which unspecified  sources: officials, and close aides are used. It is not difficult to find reports where Internet users' opinions turn into public opinion. It is not possible to persuade the public to 'believe' without providing clear evidence.

Fact-checking, which the media is focusing on today, is the task of identifying reliable information from its many sources. In order to claim that it is reliable information in a real world where news is manipulated, and information mixed with rumors it is essential to provide reasonable grounds for 'why' and on what grounds the information is reliable. For information filtered through fact-checking to gain public trust, the responsibility of the media must be supported. Providing sufficient grounds and reasons for why the content of the report is reliable and continual perseverance in making sure information is impartial, independent, and factual reporting.

 

The question "why" can embarrass us. In order to prove that my argument is right, I have to try to find evidence in various ways. The creativity demanded by our society today is not only the ability to derive entirely new ideas, but  approach existing ideas in new ways. Checking the basis of my arguments, which I believe are right or on the contrary not true, can be the first step toward being creative.

The Farming Apostolate

 

In a monthly bulletin, a priest recalls his stay at the Madonna House founded in Canada in northeastern Canada by Catherine Doherty who fled the Russian Revolution to the United States. While in the States she met Dorothy Day and joined the Catholic Peoples Movement. She moved to Canada and established a community by working on a farm in a quiet rural village.

At that time, there was no social awareness of environmental issues yet. But she said of the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides that had been implemented: "Today, people treat the land as if it were a factory." She realized the land was dying, raising the question, "Are we eating chemicals or natural products?" Her observation came from her life as a child in Russia respecting the soil and regarding farming as a noble cause. From this, Catherine understood the "law of soil fertility," which she will employ the rest of her life: "you must put back what you take away." 

 

In Russian, the farmer was called Krestianin, which simply means 'Christian'. This is right because the farmer's life contains all the skills he or she should have as a Christian.

 

A farmer is a person who takes care of God's creation on behalf of God, and thus a farmer is called a Christian because it shows that there is a way of evangelization in daily life utilizing the land. She realized that it was possible to proclaim the gospel through farming, which she considered an 'apostolate' and used it as the basis for community spirituality.

 

The writer was thrilled by her spiritual insight. Farming work for him was the right thing to do to save the environment and produce healthy food. But thanks to Catherine, farming was raised to another level. According to her, it was preaching the gospel and living the evangelical life, which Catherine considered being done nowhere better than farming in the country.

 

Jesus was not a farmer, but he was born in the country and lived most of his life in the country, and the gospel he proclaimed is full of metaphors taken from farming. He talked about vineyards, crops, kernels, seeds, plowing, and metaphors taken from nature, which farmers understood. The parables taken from farming and nature are much easier for farmers to understand than for urban people. Therefore, farming in the countryside preserves the creative order and helps us realize the words of Jesus more deeply, and assists in the apostolic duties of preaching the gospel.

 

These days, the agricultural community is active in discussing 'farm allowances, basic income for farmers'. Agriculture is a national industry, managing public goods such as nature, life, water, and air, so farmers should be treated as public officials, and the state should pay allowances for their roles. In fact, agriculture and rural communities are responsible for various public functions such as urbanization, beautiful scenery, flood prevention, water resource cultivation, soil conservation, biodiversity conservation, and food security.

 

If the status of farmers as quasi-public officials who contributed socially to the public good was granted, the status of farmers in the church should be recognized as hidden workers who make public contributions such as priests and religious. This year, two more priests joined us at the farm. When more priests show an interest in the land and farming, the integrity of the priesthood will be fuller.

 

Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan's Words of Wisdom

 

This is a listing of the words of wisdom of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan of Korea that appeared in a bulletin for priests.

 1. If you talk too much, you will say things you don't need to say. Listen with both ears, think three times before opening your mouth.

2. Invest 1% of your income in buying books. You can't wear your clothes when they're worn out, but books have great value even after time.

3. Don't try to reduce the price when buying something from a street vendor. If you give money, you develop laziness, but when you buy as priced you give hope and health as a gift.

4. Make it a daily practice to smile. Laughter is preventive medicine for all illnesses, makes the elderly younger and children wiser.

5. Don't spend too much time on TV. If you are drunk, you lose your mind, and with drugs your reason, but if you are drunk on television, you become a paralyzed fool.

6. The person who easily angers will always suffer losses. An angry man kills himself, kills others, and is always lonely because no one comes near him.

7. Prayer melts rusty iron and is a ray of light that removes the darkness of a thousand-year dark cave. People who pray with their hands together are stronger than clenching their fists in anger. Prayer is a useful remedy for life.

8. Never turn your back on your neighbors. The neighborhood is a big mirror that reflects who I am. When a neighbor faces me if I ignore them and fail to give them a smile I need to take a bath, sit upright and reflect on myself deeply.
 
9. Loving with only the head and mouth leaves no fragrance. True love is preceded by understanding, embrace, integration, and lowering oneself."It took me seventy years to have love come down from the head to the heart."

10. Stop and look at yourself in a pitch-black darkroom. With the eyes of the heart...In all sincerity..."Who am I... Where did I come from?" Where are you going? Impatience will disappear...peace of mind and heart will be yours.

Journalist's Encounter with the Bible

 

He was baptized in the year 2000 and writes in the Eyes of the Believer of the Catholic Times of the change in the way he looked at the world and the Bible. Until he was baptized the Bible was only one of the many ways of hearing words of wisdom. It changed when he was baptized with a significant relationship with the Catholic Church.

What is a relationship? It's love, encouragement, care for, and spending time with— (Borrowed from the Little Prince of Saint-Exupery)

 

The message of 'The Little Prince' stayed with him. Unlike before, he spent more time with the Bible seriously and meticulously. However, it only became more difficult— the effort to understand. 

 

The Bible was like a big dictionary of semiotics. He learned all kinds of facts, metaphors, symbols, figures of speech with which we are familiar. The question is, which of the Bible's contents is true and which is a metaphor, and how to interpret each metaphor and symbol, such as the "return of the prodigal" and the feeding of the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish. 

 

He was a beginner who began the study of the Bible. As such, the words of the Bible were vague coming to them from a life as a journalist, where "facts" —true or false was his professional focus. He was very curious about what was true in the Bible and how to interpret and apply them to our present time.

In this regard, the Religion School, organized by the Catholic Press Association, provided what he needed as a beginner. On one occasion after the lecture, he raised his hand with hesitation and asked: "How can I identify what is true in the Bible? and the teacher replied, "It's better to focus on the meaning of words." He vaguely sympathized with himself, saying: "Right, semiotics themselves is the key to meaning."

The ensuing social doctrine session was a turning point for his faith. First of all, it was in line with the goal of journalism. In the Social Gospel one searched for human dignity and the common good in society. It started with the encyclical Rerum Novarum (Of New Things) 1891. It deals with the rights of workers, the meaning of labor, and the role of the State after the Industrial Revolution, and has become a way the Church sees society in over 20 encyclicals.

 

Love is also key to social doctrine, which is not only the micro-relationship between friends, family, and small groups but also the principle of macro-relationships such as society, politics, economy, labor, technology, communication, the international community, culture, and ethnicity.

"Events of the times based on facts." He felt as if he had found the right shoes and his dim eyes were brightening. The social doctrine was more realistic and specific than the Bible and it came as the gospel of where he now stood.

The history of the Second Vatican Council (1962), which he first encountered, seemed to have refined his idea of the social doctrine differently. Pope St. John XXIII said: "Throw open the windows of the Church and let the fresh air of the Spirit blow through." The Council carried out reforms in many areas. It was an effort of the church to observe the signs of the times, adapt and reform to find God.

As a believer, he also learned anew that the 2nd Vatican Council issued the social media doctrine Inter Mirifica (Among the wonderful) a decree "On the Media of Social Communication". 

 

Delivering hope and faith in our time Pope Francis stressed in his statement at a time of rapid change in the media ecosystem that "whether classical or new media should serve human dignity and the social common good, and should not be used for the logic and political purposes of capital."

After encountering these realistic and specific social doctrines, he began to focus more on the meaning of the Bible rather than on the facts in the Bible, as his teacher once told him to do.