Love thy neighbor like thyself

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Fri, December 1, 2023 | 05:27

Editor’s Note

Love thy neighbor like thyself

Posted : 2013-02-12 17:22

Updated : 2013-02-12 17:22

By Oh Young-jin
Managing editor

Despite the title of today's column, you'll be relieved to know that I won't play a two-bit theologian and write about the early retirement of Pope Benedict XVI.

However, before I tackle the subject I have chosen, I have a small confession to make. I mistakenly thought an emphasis on neighborly love was part of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament.

A Wikipedia check shows it is the Great Commandment cited in the New Testament that comes together with a devoted love of God.

Of course, the Great Commandment is based partially on the Ten Commandments, which states as its 10th and final entry, "Thou shalt not covet thou neighbor's wife …"

Am I encouraging some Bible study? Not really, although I don't object to it. Also, even if I am not a practicing Christian, I do believe in the Almighty.

But I also believe that much religious wisdom found in the Bible can be found in the Pali Canon, the Koran, the Torah and so on.

If you want me to change tack and get to the point, I will be obliged to do so, but I would also like you to humor me, relax and read on.

I know I am running the risk of creating exactly the opposite effect ― but I hope not.

Please read on.

Two incidents that took place during the Seollal holiday made me feel dumbfounded, most of all because they remind me of how close my family, my neighbors and myself are exposed to a clear and present danger.

However, the threat is not from a stranger or North Korea, but from immediate neighbors. We have an old Korean saying, "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative." But that's not exactly true, if we reflect on these Seollal incidents.

The first case took place in an apartment in Myeonmok-dong, eastern Seoul, Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday.

A man visited an associate's home on the sixth floor and happened to be present when the owner called on his upstairs neighbor to complain about the noise.

It should have ended as an ordinary neighborly quarrel but it got nasty, when the man who was with the woman met the two brothers, the neighbors upstairs, and continued from where they had left off.

The man stabbed the two brothers to death and ran away. He remains at large.

The second case took place in Mokdong, western Seoul, on Sunday.

A 49-year-old man, with the surname Park, who resided on the ground floor of a three-story tenant house, went upstairs and threw a Molotov cocktail into his neighbor's home.

The second floor was burnt out, injuring six people including a toddler. Park is in police custody and refusing to speak.

Police found that Park, who lived alone, had an ongoing quarrel with the upstairs family over noise and leaking water. He had previously sued the same family and gained 5 million won in compensation because of the leak.

The common cause in both cases was noise. Some media highlighted the lack of relevant regulations for use in mediating disputes about noise in apartment buildings that has led to this issue increasingly becoming a bone of contention among residents living in close quarters. I agree to a degree and ask for prompt action in this regard.

Equally or more importantly than that is an effort to revive our neighborly love and, in a broader sense, reawaken our moral decency.

After these two tragedies, we may feel tempted to think that our neighborly love is aimed primarily at boosting our chances of not being killed by a neighbor

Just imagine that the two brothers behaved more kindly toward their perspective killer or if the family in the tenant house was friendlier to the lone arsonist.

They may have saved themselves from the tragedies that followed.

But that may be beside the point.

The issue is bigger than it appears to be.

Therefore, we have to tackle the problem from a broader perspective. An increased sense of security should be a byproduct of such efforts.

In other words, the two cases expose a sickness that we as a society are suffering from. The sickness dictates unbridled competition within a monstrous society that turns everything into a race; cherishes only the winners; shows zero tolerance to also-rans and doesn't allow for second chances.

The remedy may lie in actions that are the opposite of the symptoms ― setting limits on the all-consuming competitive atmosphere; showing compassion to people who struggle; rewarding the spirit of participation and ensuring that there are second chances for all.

Call me naive but I insist on trying this because I believe one of the most admirable human strengths is learning from mistakes and improving ourselves. I also believe that good things can come out of tragedies. So how should we start? Let's begin by each of us saying hello to our neighbor and offering one another a handshake. It all comes down to the spirit of "Love thy neighbor like thyself."