What We Can Learn From a Tree

It's autumn. The chestnut picking is over, and the cold weather stops the grass from growing so the lower edges of the mountain stand out. Thus begins an article in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a religious sister on what we can learn from a tree in her weekly column.

We know that leaves usually fall in autumn. As the days get colder, the leaves can't stand the cold and send all the energy needed for their life back to the roots to make it through the winter. To support its large body, the tree descends deeper into the ground that will be frozen solid and grabs the soil with all its strength. In the winter, any tree that looks like dry firewood to our eyes will have this happening deep in the ground, the roots hugging the earth. It makes her think of humility—a tree lays down its abundant leaves that have lavishly dressed her from spring. But doing so the tree grows even more. The fallen leaves rot and become soil and nourishment on which to tread. If you look at this cycle, the land, leaves, and tree eventually form one body.
 

Learning this wisdom from the tree, and sharing these stories, it's difficult to 'put them aside'. Difficult as going from being young, having a job, money, and returning to the ordinary and being old. All our energy was expended. The images of us doing Botox to get rid of wrinkles on our faces, looking for various ways to rejuvenate, and struggling to get a better job come to us in images that contrast with the natural scenery of the forest.

The forest we create shows its splendor from the outside, but the roots are shallow and we don't know when it will collapse. We must remember that when the leaves drop all their nutrients go down to the roots, the trees stand firmer and that letting go is never death. When a tree sends all its nutrients to its roots, it looks like a dead tree. This is because the moisture in the body of the tree is expelled to prepare for the severe cold of winter. Now is the time to learn from the tree.

If we try to keep everything within the boundaries we have made it will soon come to an end; if we put our heads together and find a way to live together across borders the light of hope will lead us.

The nun has lived with the soil for ten years, so her face is full of blemishes, and her skin is dark even when she doesn't work in the sun. When she goes home on vacation, her mother sighs. Of the five daughters, the youngest has the most wrinkles and blemishes on her face.

The nuns look at her face and say, "The sun has kissed her!" She likes to hear the expression. It makes her feel good to think of the traces of the sun on her face. She is happy when there are traces of grass on her hands and traces of dirt under her nails. Signs of the time she spends with nature remain in her heart. Those who care for nature enter into nature. This principle of giving that makes us live is what we call love so we live in love.

When we live in harmony with the earth it becomes like a mother's lifeline. This principle of giving that makes us live, is what we call 'love'. So we live in love. Because in everything there are traces of the love that God has given. If she lives a little longer like this, she wonders whether she will come to know that giving is the way to live?

The Common Good or Meritocracy

 

In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times Weekly, a lawyer discusses meritocracy and the common good.

The autumn rain has stopped and the sky is really blue like a lake. Red dragonflies roam in groups against the backdrop of the deep sky. He thinks this is all thanks to COVID-19. The sky is clear everywhere, the number of planes in the sky has decreased and we no longer, since the start of COVID-19, hear much about fine dust— polluted air.

 

He also thinks COVID-19 is our teacher. He looks back on his life using freely the limited resources of the earth for his convenience, comfort, and entertainment. He worries that if we go back to the past relying on vaccines and treatments will we be handing over a healthy world to the next generation?

It's been a while since he last saw two old friends due to the COVID-19. This was possible because everyone was vaccinated. A friend who used to work as a manager of a large corporation is now living alone in a one-room area for the poor, with a monthly rent of 300 dollars. He also undergoes kidney dialysis at the hospital three times a week. In the past, he was unable to receive basic livelihood benefits because he had a wife and children, but the law has changed, and even if there are dependents, he receives 255 dollars a month, and then another 255 dollars is added as a disability benefit receiving a total of 510 dollars. Another friend who is retiring from a small business is washing dishes in the kitchen of a restaurant for 8 hours a day, earning, $1,557 the minimum wage guaranteed by the country.

 

The lawyer had many dreams when he was in school, studied hard, went to a good university, and lived well, but the years passed very quickly. His friends are now walking the downhill road of old age but thanks to the fact that they quickly grasped the meaning of life and were able to let go of all their regrets and greed they are in peace.  

Last night, the three of them drank two bottles of soju and four cans of makolli until the closing time of 10 pm, a drinking party giving thanks for the 'benefits of social welfare'. 

 

When he read the newspaper this morning, he saw an article on meritocracy and the common good. Ten years ago, Michael Sandel's book: Justice became a bestseller. The 'Illusion of Being Fair',  and the arrogance of meritocracy prevents us from feeling responsible for the common good. Competency-ism thinks this is fair, but it is a big mistake to think: "I am successful because I was capable and it is natural for those who have lost in competition to have it rough."  

Even if a fair test is given to students who get help from expensive tutors and students who have to work part-time for their families without tutors, the results are not just. If we go one step further, there is no such thing as 'fairness' in the first place, since the ability to study, physical condition, and artistic talent are different from birth. If the starting line is different, but only meritocracy is fairness, how are the poor people supposed to live? This is where the higher value of the 'common good' is needed. 

My friend, who is good at English and graduated from a good university, ate and lived well according to his abilities when he was young, but now he is old and ill and has left his family, so he becomes incompetent and lives on the social pension provided for the common good. Another friend, thanks to the minimum wage system, can wash dishes and receive the government minimum wage.  

In the past, some young people spent their lives working for the socially disadvantaged: workers and the poor. At times it was very unfair because they went to jail and even died though they were doing what was right and good. However, their dedication to the common good enabled my friends whom I met last evening to gain some peace of mind in their old age. 

That's right. It's not a meritocracy based on the illusion of fairness, but living together working always for the common good.

Eliminating Prejudice Is Difficult

 

A human rights lawyer shows the readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly, in the Diagnosis of the Times column, the difficulty of eliminating prejudice in society.

In a press release on October 1, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea confirmed its position on the measures necessary to resume construction of a mosque, in a city in the south of Korea. Construction was stopped by the district head and the Commission recommended the removal of advertisements expressing Islamophobia around the construction site.  

In February, the district head stopped the construction, ignoring all procedures, because some residents protested due to the smell, and noise, in residential areas. In July, the court decided to suspend the execution of the administrative order to suspend construction on the grounds of "damage that is difficult to recover will occur."  

Decisions by the court and the National Human Rights Commission have been made, but nothing has changed. At first, some residents only took issue with the smell and noise, but as a nationwide xenophobia group joined, the hate and discrimination against Muslims began to be expressed in extreme and explicit forms. Protests against the construction are frequently held, and in front of the construction site there is a space for opponents to make construction impossible, and banners with provocative words such as "terrorism" and "murder" even surround the walls of the residences of Muslim families.

As construction is not underway, "there is a concern that damage that is difficult to recover from" is becoming a reality. Looking at the Muslim hate banners, the wounds in the hearts of Muslim children are getting deeper and deeper. There is a serious invasion of religious freedom that denies places for worship, and religious leaders, as well as related authorities, remain silent. Why did this happen? What should I do?

Three years ago, when the Yemeni refugee situation occurred, the lawyer visited Jejudo. When he asked an official from a religious organization that was supporting refugees about his despair, he shared hope. He said, "When believers first distributed clothes to refugees at the church, they told them to put their clothes on and stand at a distance to take them. But after we began talking to one another things began to change.
 
Not long ago, a broadcasting station aired a documentary about the situation in Gangneung, which ordered all migrant workers to undergo mandatory COVID-19 inspections and to undergo frequent inspections to work. The broadcast focused on Gangneung residents living with migrants. “Now these people are living together. When I thought of this, I felt at ease. At first, I thought I was going to die of anxiety... . Different words and different looks make people weird... . When I try to understand, it's all the same... . We live together, can we live alone?”
 
An overseas broadcaster covered the story of a mosque in one of the cities, and Muslims and Korean residents coexisting with each other. There were conflicts and frictions, but there was a process of communicating and resolving them. There was a story about a resident who had a preconceived notion that all Muslims were associated with terrorists but had changed. "Isn’t there a reason God made us in different ways? Just as a rainbow is more beautiful than one color, I hope that different colors will harmonize to create a more beautiful society."

Anything new to anyone can be awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes scary. However, such feelings do not necessarily lead to exclusion and stigma, hatred, and discrimination. There is still a need for many people to continue to advocate for human rights. The call for the correct role of the government and the media must also continue. 

However, above all else, there must be a process of living together, communicating, and empathizing with residents from different backgrounds. Instead of pretending not to know the other considered 'outside' and not wanting to understand, one needs to approach the other knowing they are 'by our side' and desiring to know them.

Digital Care for the Sick

The most frequently heard stories throughout the COVID-19 period contain the modifiers: "remote," "non-face-to-face," "contact-free," and "digital." What these keywords have in common is that digital technology is achieved without meeting people in person. So begins the column in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a doctor in rehabilitation.

Although convenience was mainly emphasized in these changes, the actual introduction is aimed at reducing cost and time. Cost reduction has increased the efficiency of industrial sites and accelerated the distribution structures. However, as online delivery transactions increased, costs decreased. Retail stores with relatively high rents disappeared and local commercial districts have collapsed.

We have witnessed some side effects of the social application of digital technology. Even without thinking of digital crimes, black boxes, digitized personal information was leaked and easily abused. Various types of computerized information are circulated easily, and digital currency has long been the target of young people's speculation because there is no easy supervision.

In this situation, as social distancing continues due to the unprecedented pandemic of infectious diseases, 'digitization' has become an object to be praised and accelerated. Consideration of scientific and technological development and social benefits is acceptable, but not overlooking the side effects and social problems that may arise from them.  

In particular, digitization, starting with COVID-19, is focused on reducing human-to-human contact.  Human contact is what defines human beings as social beings. What is more problematic is the premise that the tragedy of reducing individual contact with infectious disease is essential and will continue in the future.

In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic reveals several digitization problems. Remote education in schools means a lack of cooperation, lack of interaction of students, the process of meeting teachers in person reduced, leaving only a simple knowledge transfer process. In fact, research reports show that language skills and emotional development have seriously declined. In the field of social service, no visits to the elderly living alone, meetings at welfare centers, reduced assistance for the disabled, and reduced activity and cognitive ability while relying on phone calls. In the medical sector, non-face-to-face treatment and medication, deteriorate the health status of chronically ill patients.

However, not all of these deteriorating processes are the same. As public education shifts to remote, private education are responsible for sports, student analysis, psychological counseling, and even peer meeting. The educational gap among peers has widened. Older people who can afford it still play golf, meet face-to-face, and do outdoor sports. Patients who prefer large hospitals continue face-to-face treatment, and those with chronic diseases consult doctors. Conversely, the elderly, the disabled, and the low-income group continue in the blind spots in society. Chronic diseases in patients who are not able to take care of themselves also worsen.

According to a recent government announcement, rehabilitation treatment will be done remotely, but he doesn't know what can be done. It seems natural that remote rehabilitation is not preferred by patients with money and time. In the end, inequality will accelerate if the value-neutral technology development of "digitization" is actually applied. This is because if digitization appears as a reduction in existing face-to-face services, many are forced to choose non-face-to-face. How to solve the inequality problem that will follow?
 

South Korea is aging faster than any other developed country. At a time when social care needs to be emphasized, the government's announcement to introduce "smart speaking machines," "AI robots," and "remote rehabilitation therapy" is absurd. Even if it is not during the COVID-19 period, what we need is the human touch and human care. We need first of all to throw away the delusion that care can be digitized.

Life Is Not Fair

It happened last Harvest Festival Day. A professor in the Media Communication Department writes about his thoughts that came to mind hearing of the death of a doctor in a traffic accident.
 

The accident was reported in the news on the last day of the holiday; he found it very sad. On one of the expressways, where heavy rain fell, an SUV slid off the expressway in the rain and ended up on a hill. A doctor who saw this while following hurriedly stopped his car on the shoulder and ran to the vehicle. Fortunately, the driver was not seriously injured. As soon as the doctor returned to his vehicle after checking the driver's condition, the car from behind slid and hit the doctor's car as he entered.  The doctor died an hour later.

When the news of the accident became known, those who knew him all expressed deep regret. The doctor ran an internal medicine clinic for 30 years, not only treated all patients with great care but also provided free medical treatment to patients in need. In addition, he was in charge of treating prison inmates and worked in community projects many unknown to many in the community.
 
Those who knew the doctor and all the good he did were deeply discouraged: "Oh, God why did such a man have to die?' It was a protest in they understood why God could not bless everybody for their good deeds but why this untimely death of such a good man. In fact, it seems an ordinary situation where good people who have done good deeds and lived conscientiously suffer in their daily life. Too often innocent people are horribly sacrificed. Such is the case with the Sewol ferry disaster and the genocide of Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
 
That is our condition in the world and human history. The world is not heaven.

From a different point of view, in the present world, we do not always see the good receiving their just reward. If a person's good deeds and evil deeds were accurately counted and rewarded according to the results of the calculation who would not be doing good deeds?

In this world, if the principle of reward according to the deed performed were accurately applied to good deeds and evil deeds, all those who enjoy success, wealth, health, and longevity have been paid a lot for their good deeds. But that is not our present reality. Many have worked hard with a good heart, but have achieved little, and others through their wit, intelligence and evil behavior have achieved much. This is especially true in a capitalist system where material values take precedence over all values.

This is not because God is indifferent, but because the world's work and heaven's work have different standards and values. Jesus once scolded Peter: "Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle in my path because the way you think is not God's way but man's way." In Matthew (5,45), "God causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike." It emphasizes that God's word is "complete love given without discrimination." The "parable of a good vineyard owner" who pays the same wages to workers who came out early in the morning and those that were hired late in the day.
 
Rewards according to the deed is a common ethical basis for all religions. In addition,  praying for blessings for oneself is a human natural instinct. However, while doing good deeds, you should not count in advance to receive compensation in proportion to the good deed. Jesus' message is that it should be for the kingdom of God.

Martyrs knew they would lose all earthly goods but their strong faith was not based on worldly blessings.
   
'God’s truth does not change'. In this world, both religion and theology have developed over the centuries. Also, even if the belief of many has undergone transformation and development, the periphery has shown a tendency to adhere to fundamentalism. 

 

Now, the trend is to break away from the conventional framework of causality and retribution theory and move toward 'enlightenment'. Also, asking for blessings is a natural instinct, the new trend is increasingly emphasizing not what we can receive but what we can give—consideration for others, love for neighbor. In fact, this is what Jesus emphasized from the beginning.

The Taliban We Don't Want to Be

Korea has accepted 391 refugees from Afghanistan recently. The issue at times is contentious since the country is still considered ethnically homogeneous by the citizens. The Korean government has amended the immigration laws to allow long-term residency as foreigners since the refugees provided special services to Korea in the embassy, hospitals and military bases etc. in Afghanistan.

In his weekly column  in the Catholic Times, a priest  director of a Catholic Spiritual Psychological Counseling Center, writes about the Taliban.

Not all Muslims are Taliban. However, the Taliban are Muslims. Perhaps because of the contents of the banner attached to a village, some  citizens have developed a fear of Muslims in our society as they entered Korea.

The problem is that this kind of dislike is likely to turn the person into a monster, so think carefully. After Corona 19, we hear about the hate for Asians and the use of violence against them in the West. We talk about it and complain on how can people be like that, but we may be doing the same thing.

 
So, what is the substance of the Taliban who commit crimes against humanity under the cover of Islam? He wants  to look at it psychoanalytically rather than religiously.

The Taliban's overly obsessive obsession with their laws shows we are dealing with a 'collective obsessive-compulsive personality disorder'. A bigger problem is the feeling of 'inferiority'. It is a structure of consciousness like a frog in a well, but since the Taliban themselves started as Islamic seminarians, they are immature and and feel inferior. He sees a need for them to see their problem as inferiority  because their behavior is immature, impulsive, extreme and aggressive. 

 

Psychologist Adler points out "desire for superiority" as the biggest side effect that occurs when people with a strong sense of inferiority are ambitious within religion. Morally, it refers to the desire to stand above everyone, and this desire for moral superiority naturally induces narcissism and evokes a desire to condemn others morally.

In addition, a sense of inferiority causes a problem of 'self-expansion'. Of course, there is no self-reflection here. This is because they consider themselves to be people with infallible rights. Their moral ambitions grow over time and want to make the world their kingdom. In their Islamic kingdom, they make heretics all others and antagonize people who differ from their thoughts. Conversation, communication, and respect are rejected.

 

These collectively religiously diseased patients are the Taliban. Their actions are reminiscent of pseudo-fanatics obsessed with delusional beliefs. It is presumed that the fundamental background behind their psychology was the abusive environment of their growth process. Children who grow up abused create  groups like the Taliban.

 

From long in the past, fanatic groups have shocked people by committing all kinds of atrocities with fanatical faith. Fortunately, the lifespan of these groups is not very long. He doesn't think the life span of the Taliban will be very long.

There is a lesson we can learn from the Taliban. They show the old story of trying to make heaven on earth eventually turns the world into hell is correct. The Taliban is not just in Afghanistan. If you express open hostility toward others and live in "aggressive exclusive collectivism" without dialogue, you are the Taliban.

There are voices of concern that Afghanistan refugees have entered Korea. However, what we should be worried about is not them, but the Taliban in us.

The Wisdom of Faith Is Love

 

Are certain conditions necessary to be loved? That is the feelings that many have when it comes to receiving respect and love. Does a person have to be worthy of love before it is given. In the Light of the World column of the Catholic Times the priest writer gives us his thoughts on the subject.

Isn't the love of God, love of neighbor, and human dignity emphasized in social doctrine, recommending  we sincerely express: "we love you" and "you are precious!" What is the feeling we have when we hear those words? How often do we hear these words? Who are those who truly feel those words and address them to us? They seem improper and difficult to utter but they are the generative power of our existence.

On the other hand, what would our lives be like if love was determined in direct proportion to the success made by our efforts. "You don't deserve to be loved because, you got poor grades on this exam!" Life would not be the same. However the writer wonders if this is not the direction we are going in society.

In the Abridged Social Doctrine of the Church paragraph 526  has the expression: "to place the gospel message in the context of our social reality." What does this mean? Even if the Gospel cannot completely be in harmony with society, first, it means interpreting social reality with the Gospel, and secondly, it means not giving up the possibility that all people, made in the image of God, can be saved.

Have you seen the Squid Game? Netflix's 'Squid Game' became the first Korean drama to take the top spot in the US market, gaining worldwide popularity and a historical success. It boosted the potential of K-drama. Although violent and provocative, it is evaluated as a masterpiece with a unique setting and excellent acting. But at the same time, the work satirizes the gray areas of Korean society, such as competition supremacy, social inequality, and survival of the fittest. 

The huge prize money of 45.6 billion won, and the setting of dying if you lose in the game is obviously unrealistic, but while the writer was watching the drama, he was reminded of the socially underprivileged he meets. For whatever reason, many people who are driven to the fringes of society are drawn there because of gambling, addiction, or their own sins, but in many cases, their birth and circumstances are so terrible, they are forced to the edge of the cliff without any help. 

Even in the era of per capita income of 30,000 dollars, 13,799 suicides a year (2019), 2,000 industrial  accidents ending in death every year, non-regular jobs accounting for about 40% of the total, the poverty rate of the elderly in the 40% range, including the elderly, women, and the disabled. The poverty experienced by the socially underprivileged, such as foreign workers and low-educated and low-skilled neighbors, is not an entertainment drama, but a real life squid game in the world around us.

More than the drama: "Reality is more of a hell! Do you still trust people?" It's a provocative statement, but it's hard to deny. That's why when Jesus sent out his disciples, he said he would send them out like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16). There are pains and tears while saying that we are in solidarity together, we say we love each other, and that we should be a blessing to each other and acknowledge that it is a reality that is difficult to overcome with human strength alone. That is why the writer refers to grace with a sense of urgency. 

In the "Social Doctrine", it is said that grace is necessary to break the vicious cycle of frustration and violence, and the social doctrine itself has the effect of truth and grace. Faced with the harsh reality, what we need now is a belief in faith and grace. And it starts with love. The confession that love does not fade (1 Cor 16:8), is stronger than death (Song of Songs 8), and that love is God (1 John 4:16) is the confession that we have experienced change and restoration in the face of a painful reality for thousands of years. It is growth in wisdom.

Saying "I love you" is like the sigh of
A white wild rose blooming in a thorny bush.
 

Saying "I love you" is

A branch that is moved by a slight breeze
Saying "I love you" is a huge night sky that pours out countless stars at once.

A face that shines brightly even in darkness
A word that grows tall even in despair.
What an amazing and enchanting confession it is.
When we say we love each other. [With apologies]

"The Word Love" Enchanted Confession

 Sister Lee Hae-in (Claudia) Korean  Poet