Work vs. Worker: Which Comes First?

By Paul Kihiro

The great Mongol emperor who expanded his territory to Eastern Europe, making it twice the size of the Roman Empire, is said to have died a very unsatisfied man.

Genghis Khan was determined to do one thing after which he was ready to die ― he wanted to conquer the entire world and put it under his rule. As he lay on his deathbed he lamented to his subjects: ``My life was too short to conquer the whole world, this I leave to you." The commercially-minded society of today is carrying on the spirit of this great emperor who hailed not very far from here.

Within the last few years a lot has happened in this country and its vicinity that leaves one conclusion: this society, like many around the globe, needs a paradigm shift in all its dealings. In a documentary last weekend highlighting the plight of education in modern China, the BBC Knowledge Channel portrayed how children are subjected to the memorizing of study materials ― something they do early in the morning. My friends from Asia do a great deal of memorizing even at the masters level!

Many key figures have committed suicide, as well as countless commoners. Hagwons have subjected young minds to countless late hours of studying. There is great haste in this side of the world and people run even when it's apparent the opposite would suffice. Whenever you engage young minds you will find their state of tiredness and loss of vigor undeniable. Sit with any teenager in a relaxed mood for some minutes and it's highly probable they will doze off.

The upside of the story is that the economy on this side of the world is soaring at an unprecedented scale to the bafflement of the West. Technology is very high and life in general terms seem to be at its best and undeniably there is an economic diagonal stretching from Japan to China across Korea, which together are commanding the rest of the world.

On the other hand, the meaning of life has been pushed to the periphery. The Japanese ``Forest of Death" is a place where people driven by corporate pressure to perform in a highly competitive society enter to meet their demise; the worker is worth only as much as his work and his life is measured by the degree of delivery. ``Underperforming" executives are unwilling to face ridicule from executives.

A former President of Korea; a famous actress, the physics don from Sogang University, a Kookmin Bank manager, a Samsung Electronics executive, to mention a few, have joined the list of the ``tired lot." A Korean teenager confessed he is ever tired due to his parent's demand to perform ― school work, English studies, music class, and more are mentioned as duties most teens have to face daily. Here lies the problem.

We must work to live and earn our daily bread but it is imperative that when our work is detrimental to our lives it should cease. We work because we live; not the opposite and work should maintain life, not destroy it, as is the case today. Our society has pushed life out of its value paradigm and economic achievements have replaced it.

My Chinese friends told me money is the most important thing there is, not life or God. This is the attitude plaguing many young minds; they do not to marry, seeking to meet the expectations of society. Perplexity and despondence now rule, leading them to a hedonistic lifestyle evident in every corner of our cities. These young adults are plagued by delusion and apathy reaching the point of contemplating why they need to live an ``unappreciative" life.

This has been aggravated in Korea by the suicides of great figures. If the elite are finding life futile why should the youth think they can make it blissful?

When life is accorded its rightful worth and place, then we will experience repose from this menace of today's society. Abortion must be addressed as murder and the taking away of life. Work should come second to the worker and money third. Man should not be valued as a thoroughbred horse that will win all races it enters. Work and all that goes with it must serve human life. Otherwise, more elites and non-elites will take the shortcut - suicide.

The writer is a student seeking an MA degree in divinity at Kosin University. He can be reached at kihiro05@yahoo.com.