Self is Second

After living in Korea for a few years, I’ve begun to understand more deeply how the society works, and why I was subconsciously drawn to the culture before I had arrived back in 2011. Korea has a strong emphasis on the country as a whole, to be the priority, rather than the individual. Being raised in western culture, I grew up in an environment that put priorities on independence, freedom and opinions. There is certainly nothing wrong with having freedom, however, the ego can distort an inherently good thing into selfishness and create a lack of unity.

Korea isn’t perfect by any means, as no society is, but the amount of respect that goes into caring about the community is something I am impressed by. In the USA, there isn’t really a “we” and “us” kind of feeling. The only time it seems that people collaborate together as a nation is during catastrophic events. After the event is finished, people go back to their everyday lives. Why can’t we feel more like a group that belongs together? It almost sounds like a joke to think about Americans being a family together. It’s not because people feel separated in the USA because it has people from different places around the world living in the same country – most countries have that. It’s because the emphasis is on the individual rather than the whole.

Freedom is easily abused in an individual-minded society as people take their freedom to do things that are disruptive when it caters to personal desires rather than the community. In Korea, drinking in public is legal. In the United States, drinking in public is unthinkable and strictly prohibited. If drinking in public were legal in the United States, many people would drink without regard of their actions to the community. The respect of the community is what keeps Korean’s behavior in check (though, not all) when drinking in public. The abuse of freedom is what calls for restrictions.

The biggest problem people have with working together as a community is feeling they have to pull the weight of others. Especially, politically speaking, when we think about welfare and wealth distribution – we may often think the ominous correlations to socialism and communism. However, we’re held accountable by more than the money we make. We’re morally held responsible for our own actions. Those who choose not to contribute will reap what they sow. Everyone deserves to have his or her health and basic needs taken care of. What they choose to do with their life is their choice.

However, having children starving in poor countries is ridiculous when we have enough resources in the world to provide for everyone. The top 1% of the richest people in the world have earned their rewards, but how much is enough? How many cars and houses does one deserve? I’m not calling for a political reform, but a call to moral understanding. We need to think about others and their lives. Yes, you may have worked really hard and deserve the money you’ve made. But what about the child who’s grown up with nothing and had no chance to start any business regardless of ability. They should at least be given the chance to live life fully with food, water, and shelter.

We all inhabit the same world. None of us had a choice in choosing our parents, our status, or financial situations. Perhaps we can think about working together rather than working for ourselves to make this world a better place.

For further related reading, please check out: Life, as it Is.