Searching for Peace

"We've done too many things against our conscience." In the Light of the World column of the Catholic Times the priest writer uses the first words of a prayer by  Cardinal Stephen Kim to begin his column on searching for Peace.
 

"Pew Research Center" in Washington released a report titled "Diversity and Division in Advanced Economies" for 17 countries, including South Korea. Korea had the highest degree of conflict on political views and differences in supporting parties. (90% answered that the conflict was high) The U.S. is similar to Korea, with second-ranked groups Taiwan and France at 65%, Sweden and Singapore at 35%, 33%, respectively.
 

In addition, 92% of respondents said that conflicts between cities and rural areas were high, and that society would gradually be divided by COVID-19. The report states that Korea is divided in the fields of race, urban and rural areas (real estate), including politics. Last summer, Korea's conflict index was announced as third among OECD member countries, and experts see Korea as a  conflicted republic. The annual average number of complaints, the large income gap among citizens, the high poverty rate of the elderly, numerous social conflicts and fierce confrontations over politics are not of recent appearance.

Korea's social conflict should be seen as a result of accumulated complex causes, but to name a few: short-term rapid compressed growth, rapid changes in society, marked differences in values between generations, lack of mutual communication and understanding, and the collapse of the family community. Today, in Korean society the different generation find it difficult to live with  trust and warmth with others: MZ generation (born 1980-2004) does not mix with the  Korean War generation.

If the situation does not improve, enormous social losses, fatigue of the people, and tension will continue to increase. The numbers of suicides, the poverty of the elderly, and the young people having to give up: romance, marriage, children, house  and career they were the five things they had to 'give up' now it has become the N-Po generation,—Po meaning to give up.

 

Of course, any society has conflicts or problems, and a happy society is not without difficulties, but a mature society has the ability to overcome difficulties. So, what do we have to do for this? Institutional supplementation and improvement are also needed, but above all, it is the restoration of the evangelical values of inclusion, tolerance, love and sharing. 

 

This year, we are in the Advent  period, waiting for Christmas. The writer recalls the legend  where Peter was leaving Rome running away from persecution and meets our Lord walking towards Rome. "Where are you going Lord?" "I am going to pick up the cross you abandoned!" It is considered no different today. At some point, the sacred objects have become decorations, prayer and spirituality, indiscriminate greed rather than gospel, love for money, obsession with success and prosperity, and indifference to neighbors make our society sick and crucify our Lord again.
 

There may be limitations in politics and society, but what should we do with our refusal to love, share, forgive and reconcile? What else should we do with the temptation to be liked no matter what, and the inner heart of looking for money rather than God? The writer as a person with many failings has feelings of great shame in this time of Advent. 

 

Catholic social doctrine teaches that true peace is possible through courageous reflection and repentance, and that it is the beginning of social change and the way to realize God's will on this earth. Lets make it a time of true repentance beginning with ourselves.

 

Peace on Earth—which man throughout the ages has so longed for and sought after—can never be established, never guaranteed, except by the diligent observance of the divinely established order. (St. John 23, Peace on Earth Encyclical #1)

 

How to Restore the "Collapsing House"

 

The church has arrived at this time in history overcoming many difficulties. A priest professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the College of Medicine writes in the Catholic Peace Weekly on his thoughts on our 'collapsing House'.
 

When the Western Roman Empire, made Christianity the state religion in the 5th and 6th centuries and then collapsed with the German invasion, the church faced a major crisis. At this time, the religious community founded by Saint Benedict (480-547) contributed to the promotion of church spirituality and Western European culture, allowing Europe to escape from the "dark night of history" that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
 
In the 12th and 13th centuries, medieval churches were eroded by material abundance as they entered a period of commercial revival following the agricultural society. At this time, Saint Francis of Assisi heard the Lord's call to "rebuild the collapsing church" and reform the spirit of the church as a life that thoroughly follows the gospel of poverty, charity, and obedience.
 
In the 14th and 16th centuries, when the Protestant Reformation divided Christianity and the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe the 'magisterium' of the church was at stake. At this time, St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Teresa of Avila renewed the Christian faith, and the church overcame this crisis through reform and renewal by holding the Council of Trent.
 
The 1st and 2nd Vatican Councils held in the 19th and 20th centuries were also carried out to renew and reform the church. The two councils were held to deal with the problems of atheism, secularization, and adaptation to modern society. In each crisis, the church has responded through religious movements, the emergence of saints, and the holding of church councils.  
 
In the face of today's late industrial society, the church is facing the problem of our global environment, collective depression caused by the crisis of human identity, the dissolution of the family, and the collapse of the community. There is a deep shadow over the core relationship: with God, people, and nature.
 
On May 24, 2015, on the Feast of Pentecost, Pope Francis issued the encyclical Laudato Si. The Pope analyzed the cause of the collapse of the "common house" and suggested a solution. In this Encyclical, we listened to the cry of the Earth, suffering, and groaning due to human arrogance, greed, and predatory attitudes, and reflected on our common home, the Earth, from the perspective of faith, calling for repentance and right action.
 
We also suffer from a crisis of human identity. We don't know who we are, cannot connect to God, the master of life, and live a life floating on the ocean like a buoy. This leads to an unsatisfactory and gloomy life not feeling the grace and blessing given by God. It can be said that our society is currently in a mass depression. The three typical phenomena of depression are prevalent.
 
Depression is first revealed as an addiction, obsessed with objects to fill the emotional emptiness and loneliness. The reason why people are obsessed with honor, power, or pleasure is that their hearts are empty. Depression secondly may show aggression against others. Aggression in cyberspace, as well as physical violence or mental abuse against others. Third, depression turns out to be aggression against oneself. The extreme action that attacks oneself is suicide. How many people can't respect themselves even if they haven't committed suicide?

In addition, our society is experiencing the collapse of the community. Divorced and incomplete families are exploding, non-marriage culture and the damage to traditional family concepts are gradually decreasing the likelihood that a human being will be born and grow within a loving family.
 
People are losing a sense of belonging and are becoming increasingly isolated psychologically. Although living in an apartment, residential space in a new city, the apartment culture is a cluster life without relationships. The problem with today's community is not only the loss of relationships but also the marginalization of the socially vulnerable. The distorted distribution structure of the poor and the rich intensifies social inequality and health inequality. 

Pope Francis issued the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, on the Feast of Saint Francis on October 3, 2020, in connection with these issues. The subtitle of this Encyclical is 'on fraternity and social friendship'. The Encyclical emphasizes the need to re-establish the dignity of the human person and rebuild the social system. The need to revive a sense of community as the main content. 

Human identity, social community, and the global environment are the crisis mentioned by Pope Francis. They are problems to solve for human survival and completion of humanity— the crisis of "home". How will you restore the collapsing house? This is a key task that our era must urgently consider and solve.

People dying alone

In the Eyes of the Believer Column of the Catholic Times a priest writes about those who have been dying alone.

The priest recalls not seeing a woman for some time, a daily Mass goer. Upon inquiry, he found out that an old man living alone, just below her apartment, had died and the body left unattended for several months, the smell had entered her apartment.
 
She searched for the source of the disgusting smell for a long time and eventually found out that it came from the person who died alone downstairs. Knowing the source of the smell, the woman was afraid to stay in her house alone after her husband went to work and went to live with her daughter. A few months later she returned to her apartment, after redecorating and refurbishing the interior.
 
Smell sharply divides the two different levels of society in the movie 'Parasite'. Some families live in basements without even knowing they have a musty smell about them while others live with the scent of perfumes. The difference in scent becomes a sign that separates the 'haves' from the 'have-nots'.
 
However, there is no class distinction or discrimination from the scent of corpses left unattended after dying alone. This is because the death from loneliness is revealed in every class without exception. They had to live alone without being cared for by those around them, cut off from their family and neighbors, living without human relationships.  
 
Dying alone is a sign of social isolation. In Korea, since 2013, society began to see dying alone and the loneliness attached with it, not as a problem for others but a social problem that concerns all of us. In the past, death alone was an issue with the elderly. but recently, it occurs regardless of low-income or high-income, among the young and old and is due to the increase of people living alone.
 
In particular, there are many people who live in a non-face-to-face situation due to COVID-19, and have decreased interaction with people, and are depressed. Now, beyond the melancholy of 'corona blue', the 'corona black' phenomenon, a feeling of frustration, despair, and gloom, is spreading and is increasing the number of deaths from loneliness which takes a higher toll on the economically vulnerable.
 
According to the Population and Housing Census of the National Statistical Office, the estimate for single-person households in 2020 was 31.7%, the highest among households, and the death toll among this group, dying without relations, has risen from 1,820 in 2016 to 2,880 last year.
 
The death from loneliness is an indicator that our society is moving in the wrong direction. The prevention of a lonely death has been accepted as a problem by the government with the ‘Lone Death Prevention and Management Act’ that took effect in April of this year, but as the number of single-person households rapidly increases, the number of deaths alone without care will continue to increase. The government policy to prevent and manage the risk of loneliness is important, but the church is also required to pay attention to the phenomenon of loneliness and to take an active pastoral response.
 
Although artificial intelligence caregiver services for the prevention of loneliness have recently increased, they cannot provide what is necessary— the human touch. Of course, it is necessary to make good use of the convenience of digital culture, but the fundamental relationship lies in the exchange of trust, friendship, and love. 

The church must establish and practice a diverse and continuous care system for those who are in the blind areas of our welfare system. This is especially the case with small community gatherings and Legion of Mary activities in parishes. In order to revitalize the parish community, which has been greatly reduced due to COVID-19, it is necessary to jump into the welfare field of the local community and play the role of a 'field hospital'.

Mourning In Silence

 

Does God Exist? "If God exists why are these things happening to me?" Words said crying by many experiencing serious accidents, sickness, and sudden deaths in the family. The beginning of an article in Biblelife magazine by a Catholic University priest philosophy professor.

This question has no answer. Many try to give an answer, in most cases of little help. Especially words packaged with religious sentiments: "God takes those he loves first." He wants to ask those who say these words: "How about you receiving some of this love." God needs some angels so he took them. These and similar words are improper in the face of death.

The very devout Christian C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) after losing his wife to cancer wrote Grief Observed. A book that describes his feeling of loss and grief at times intense and other times indifferent. The writer underlined the following paragraph of the book. 

"Talk to me about the truth of religion and I’ll listen gladly," he says "Talk to me about the duty of religion and I’ll listen submissively. But don’t come talking to me about the consolation of religion or I shall suspect that you don’t understand."

After the death of his wife, he received many words of condolence but they were not consoling. He considered that they did not understand his grief. They don't know. Grief does not disappear with words. We say those words too easily.  

These are people with a deep faith: why don't they understand? They are attempting to give condolence from their faith, we should not blame them for the effort. However, those who grieve when they have no other place to go, tormented with anguish, go to God to vent their feelings, whatever they may be, allowing them to breathe. He doesn't want that moment to come to humans, but in the end, you have to cry sadly even in front of God. Why does this have to happen to me? They have to ask God for an explanation. 

If not the sadness is so strong they can't breathe. Human words don't work and God's silence just adds to the pain. It's then we need to seek an answer from God. Need to express our resentment to God.

He gives us the example of a famous Korean novelist Park Wan-suh (1931-201). In the same year, she lost her husband to cancer and her only son in an automobile accident while a college student. She was so overcome with grief she had thoughts of killing God. She had no thoughts that this was not to be done.

She took the statue of Jesus and flung it to the floor and heard from her act: "Feel free to be outraged, mad, and to kill me but I am here am I not? She saw vividly the sadness and tenderness in his face— the words of the novelist.

God is the last name that can be called at the end of suffering. Prayer becomes resentment, this becomes a curse, and thoughts of murder come out like a scream. It's only God that can accept these words.

At this time resentment towards God is not impiety. You know that it is only God that will accept your feelings of bitterness. Others with deep faith and tender hearts may see this and recoil at the words expressed but this feeling that arises (if it arises) should not be repressed. All will be alright is not the correct response. The one who is grieving does not hear the words that are said to alleviate the pain.

We can just hold hands, give them our shoulders to lean on, or gently pat their backs. He doesn't know any other way to mourn.

North Korea Unknown to the World

 

North Korea blocked the border as soon as COVID-19 appeared in February 2020. And two years are approaching. So begins an article in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a member of a University Research Team.
 
Something unprecedented in history is happening. Therefore, some diagnose that the North Korean economy is at its worse. North Korea-China trade, which has been regarded as the lifeline of the North Korean economy, is predicted to fall below the record low of $200 million this year. Trade is carried out at sea under strict quarantine guidelines. Most of the human traffic was suspended due to the blockade. The National Intelligence Service announced that there was a shortage of essential medicines in North Korea and that water-borne infectious diseases such as typhoid were spreading.
 
This situation was also confirmed by North Korea's supreme leader, Chairman Kim Jong-un. In a speech at the National Veterans Conference held in July, he said: "The unprecedented global health crisis and the difficulties caused by the long-term blockade are a turning point, comparable to that of war." He admitted that it was the most severe period since the founding of the country.
 
In the blockade situation, Chairman Kim seems to have paid the most attention to solving the problem of hunger. According to the National Intelligence Service's National Assembly report, he said: "It feels like walking on thin ice. To secure even one more single grain all of us who eat rice should go together in rural support." To overcome the food shortage, the army mobilized the entire population and completed the rice harvest around October 20 earlier than usual. Fortunately, this year's overall food crop is expected to exceed last year's level due to increased sunlight hours. This has given them some space to breathe.
 
Corona 19 is acting as a huge challenge for the Kim Jong-un regime today. One problem is that North Korea is one of two countries that have not started the vaccine program among the citizens. The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that North Korea and Eritrea are the only countries that have not started vaccination against COVID-19. This means that unless North Korea starts vaccination as soon as possible and increases the rate, it will not be able to contain the spread of the coronavirus, so it will not be easy to ease the lock-down for a long time to come. 

Some predict that North Korea will soon open an overland route between North Korea and China as the internal hardship and economic difficulties intensify. However, if you open the border clumsily and allow goods and people to come and go in a situation where vaccination has not even started, you can expect an out-of-control spread of COVID-19. So, while other countries are moving toward a step-by-step recovery of daily life, with Corona, North Korea is not slowing down the reins of emergency quarantine.  
 
It is noteworthy that North Korea does not appear to be as nervous about the situation as we think. Rather, it justifies border closures. "The current situation of complete lock-down is a golden opportunity to maximize our internal strength and power based on our technology, raw materials, and resources"— the words of a labor newspaper. They view the situation as an opportunity to reduce dependence on imports, which are prevalent in North Korea, and to strengthen self-reliance and internal capabilities. Of course, it is not easy to say what the outcome of the Kim Jong-un regime's efforts will be. What is clear is that we are dealing with a new North Korea, we have never experienced before.

Let's Live As We Should

 It is the season of politics. With more than 100 days left before the presidential election, what can the Korean people expect from new leaders and governments? A former politician gives his ideas in his Remembrance of the Past column in the Catholic Peace Weekly. 

When any leader rises to a responsible position, he is bound to reaffirm his determination to do his best for the country and the people. At least that level of initial commitment can be expected by the people. The problem is words and actions of the candidates before the election day will often depress and disappoint. 

This is because it is easier to attack and criticize the other candidates than to highlight one's own position. It is also undeniable that the so-called negative election strategy has been accepted by the voters. Most of the time what I do it's OK but when the other does it, it's not OK — blaming others without acknowledging our mistakes. The avoidance of this attitude is a mark of a good leader. 

In particular, one of the reasons people are disappointed with politicians during election time is irresponsible behavior and harsh talk. He remembers a person who resigned in the middle of running for president a long time ago explaining the background to journalists. In the election, he had no choice but to brag about himself and criticize his opponent, he was not confident of doing well in either. In the end, he said he could survive in the political world only when he was generous to himself and infinitely harsh to the other person.

Similar things happen during elections in so-called politically advanced countries, only a difference in degree. The wisdom of the electorate is shown by their choices. 

When the writer was a member of the National Assembly, he participated in The Movement for Unity in Politics (Mppu), an international workshop for shared politics sponsored by the Focolare Movement and established the "Right Political Language Award" every year for his fellow lawmakers. Professors and college students reviewed and evaluated all the official remarks of each lawmaker. It was an event that started with the idea that every word of responsible politicians was a strict assessment of politics. Furthermore, it was intended to refine the political language and create a decent political culture.

 

At the same time, religious leaders participated in the National Assembly's "Let's Live As We Should" campaign. Of course, the main targets were politicians who most frustrated the people, but they were messages aimed at all leaders in our society. In short, it was also the result of deploring the reality that those in responsible positions are not doing their part.

The habit of "blaming others" is to avoid one's responsibility. On the contrary, the idea of "thanks to you" is an attitude of gratitude to the other person. It is unreasonable to expect this attitude towards the other party ahead of the election. However, a candidate who is accustomed to blaming others can never give hope to people.

All candidates are appealing to the citizens for votes, seeing them beyond conservative and progressive. Possible when you do "addition" politics, not "deduction" politics. The people hope that a leader will be one who does not exclude but will lead the whole country. 

He wants to see a candidate who can shout "Mea Culpa" when decisions were wrongly made singly or with others. 

Even if it is due to a bad relationship, it is the responsible leader's attitude to admit the mistake if he was involved. Bad relationships do happen. And if the results of the relationship cannot be accepted, this needs to be made known.

 

Left or Right Let's Not Hate

 

In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times a lawyer writes how one early morning he received a message in KakaoTalk (similar to Skype) in which two politicians of the ruling party, were singled out as communists, sent by someone unknown. It was a chat room he was dragged into by a friend.
 
There was a notice from the operator of the site not to post political or religious issues. In politics and religion, we have different opinions, so it's difficult to have a conversation. It's essential to respect differences if we are to maintain contact with one another.

In the beginning, God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Before there was light, there was just chaos? God? Then there was light, and there was darkness—'difference' started. Since 'differences' have arisen from the one God, this world is the unfolding of 'differences'. All things, including human beings, are different. Human concepts, language, thoughts, hearts are derived from this 'comparison of differences'.That's right. We are all 'different' from the 'one' we have come from. 

God is the one beyond these differences. Transcending differences means 'love'.  God is love. Love is God Himself who transcends differences in this world, we have the unfolding of differences and to overcome them we need to return to God in love.

Recently, the lawyer defended in a new trial a case of a Korean resident in Japan. A native of Jeju Island, he went to Japan during the Japanese colonial period to run his business and saved quite a bit of money. After liberation, he was about to return to his hometown, but when tens of thousands of people died unjustly due to the Jeju 4·3 incident, he remained in Osaka. He saw the persecution and hardships the Koreans in Japan faced in their daily life and worked hard to help. He devoted himself to the education of Korean children in Japan using his personal wealth.

The pro-Pyongyang federation of Korean residents in Japan was doing the same kind of work so they naturally joined forces. However, in time he was very disappointed to see the pro-Pyongyang group gradually fall into organizational selfishness as they gained trust among Koreans. He left them and returned to Korea to focus on his business.

However, National Security under Chun Doo-hwan's administration tortured him when he returned, claiming he was doing business in South Korea under the orders of North Korea, and ultimately sentenced him to death. Since there was nothing that could clearly be seen as an act of espionage, he was acquitted in this retrial. At the time of the first trial, although he escaped the death penalty, he passed away after spending several decades in prison, and since his family and relatives were also accused of being spies, the family bond was destroyed.

Last month, he attended a discussion about the National Security Act. It is right that those who harm the peace and order of the country or society are punished for rebellion, foreign exchange issues, espionage, and organized criminal groups, and the like. However, the National Security Act punishes people with ideas or interests even when they do not harm others, saying that they are sympathizing with the enemy. And promoting hatred is not just a matter of the National Security Law. Even if the law is repealed, another law or system will take the place of the National Security Law as long as we do not acknowledge our differences and refuse to hate each other. In fact, these days, the media amplifies hatred in our society several times over that of the National Security Act.

The KakaoTalk that came to him this morning was also hatred for someone different from himself. During the discussion, the moderator asked how this law could be repealed. He answered: "Let’s not hate those who demonstrate with candles and those with the national flag." (Liberals and Conservatives)
 

That's right. Jesus said that although we are different, we are all children of God. The Buddhists say the same thing with different words. Saint or sinner, rich or beggar, stupid or smart, red or blue, each one of them is different but in need of our love.
 

Why? All those with these differences have come from God and are meant to return to him. [It's love that can bring about change]