This December was marked by the disappearance of both the festive mood and the sales boom around the Christmas holiday due to the global credit crunch and economic slump. It seems that the ``Blue Christmas'' has become a universal phenomenon around the world in the wake of the crisis resembling the Great Depression. But we have to notice one exception ― this winter has been much more characterized as the season of giving than ever before.
We Koreans often say: Let's help others even in hard times. This saying reflects the poverty and destitution of our parents and grandparents who went through Japanese colonial rule, national division and the Korean War. They still remember the spring austerity in the 1950s-60s when they suffered from an acute shortage of food. Especially, in the past winter was the bleakest season for people, mostly the poor and the underprivileged.
The country is now the world's 13th largest economy. But at this time of worldwide financial turbulence with the economy slipping into recession, the older generations tend to go back to the memories of the ``good old days'' when they never gave up hope for a better future. They devoted themselves to hard work to avoid leaving the legacy of poverty to their children. We Koreans have boasted the fact that we have realized the Miracle of the Han River by becoming the world's fastest growing economy in the past decades.
Despite the brilliant economic development, the country has still many social problems to be tackled. There are many poor households with their children skipping meals and living below the poverty line. There is a widening gap between the rich and the poor. The country still has a long way to go to become a welfare state. The government has to do more to firmly establish a social safety net for the poor and the underprivileged.
There are lots of people who are waiting for help because of a lack of state support for their livelihood. In this situation, the good news is that the local Salvation Army collected 3.5 billion won during its Dec. 1-24 charity campaign, up 14 percent from last year's sum. The increase is meaningful because individuals were active in giving, despite the fact that corporations and other organizations reduced their donations by over 10 percent this year due to the credit crunch and the economic downturn.
It is really moving to hear that even poor people have participated in sharing a penny with others. They are the real champions of love by practicing the true spirit of sharing and giving. We hope this noble spirit will spread to every sector of society so that we can bring hope and love to our neighbors in need. The global financial turmoil was created by human greed for more money and profits. It is time to reflect on our human nature and eschew the meaning of humanism and philanthropism.