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By Haydn Sennitt
On the 10th of March last year I wed my Korean wife in a small Australian church, excited at the prospect of marrying someone from another culture.
Marrying a Korean came as a shock to my family, in which no one has ever married someone from outside Australia. For me it was a matter of wanting to be with someone who was not like myself, who could share her own culture, and cancel out the negative aspects of my own culture. As I discovered, there are some elements of Korean culture that are just as bad as Australia's, but at the same time it also enjoys many things that Australians envy.
One thing that is glaringly missing from Australia, in my opinion, is a strong sense of community and care for one's neighbour. Instances of people dying alone in their apartments without anyone noticing are becoming an increasing problem, particularly among the elderly.
According to the government television network, the ABC, 40 percent of elderly Australians live by themselves and are being forgotten. In our census, about 80 percent of Australians are identified as Christians, which is surprising given how many people live just for themselves and their own cherished freedom. We're pursuing lives of extreme individuality, one that ignores the weak, the vulnerable, and the lost. It often seems like we don't know how to form a community with one another any more. According to government figures, our financial contributions to charities and time given to non-profit organisations are in decline as we pursue pleasure for its own sake. These days it seems like individual happiness is the ultimate measure of good and evil.
Thankfully, South Korea has not quite reached the same level and is still largely a communal society. In its rush to be more like America, some Koreans, particularly those in the city, have gone for all things ``Miguk" (America) but overall Korea has not changed all that much. My Korean family have taught me a lot about living in a community and how relationships work, and although it's hard at times I like its gift-giving culture.
However, this does not mean that South Korea has got ``all the goods" on effective relationships ― the stressful nature of Korean culture and its overt striving for success leave a lot to be desired. Some of the kids never spend time with their families during the week. However, Koreans have a lot in their culture to commend it and it would be a shame to lose those things as it strives to be more like the West. In Korea its unusual for people to be alone, and usually you have someone to go out with if you want to have fun. It would be extremely odd for an elderly person to die without anyone noticing because there would at least be one person around to see how they are doing.
Let's face it ― I love my home country and the culture that reared me. I would not change it for any other culture, no matter how much I admire Korea or any other country, but Korea definitely has something to offer. I'm blessed to have a loving Korean family who's been very patient with their ``wegug" (foreign) son-in-law who can be selfish with the money he makes. The West definitely has as much to learn from the East as the East can learn from the West.
Haydn Sennitt comes from Australia and teaches ESL in Songpa-gu, Seoul. He can be reached at sennitt@gmail.com.
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