By Steven L. Shields
Last year was unkind on all fronts: health, the economy, politics and climate change. Friends and families have suffered from COVID-19; many people have died. Our daily routines have been changed dramatically. Although I worship with my church family each week, we haven't been at the church for almost a year. Online services are better than nothing at all and at least we are with members we miss.
No more coffee hour on Sunday morning. No more fellowship lunch after the worship. I haven't been able to visit my grandchildren for a year, which is not what I had planned for in my retirement. Missing their birthdays and Christmas in 2020 was emotionally devastating.
Small business owners in my neighborhood are struggling to survive. They are my friends with whom I shop and share daily life as I come and go. My dear friends who run a kindergarten have suffered from having to close, then open, then close again ― all the while dealing with lower attendance and extreme precautions to keep both staff and children safe. Their shuttle bus contractors have also suffered from significantly reduced work.
Delivery services have surged to unprecedented levels as people stay home more and avoid crowded shopping places. But delivery drivers are dying of overwork. Sure, they get paid by the number of packages they deliver, but their companies push them to deal with the heavier volume.
The weather has been strange, too. Summer 2020 in Korea had more rain and flooding than has been seen in decades. The extra water caused many basic food prices to rise. Did you try to buy tomatoes? Or cabbages? An "older sister" in my neighborhood said she couldn't make kimchi. Because of the high price of cabbage, she said kimchi had lost its flavor.
What about the political scene? Wow. It's been a roller coaster ride both in Korea and in my home country, not to mention Brexit and all the other craziness going on around the world. Rather than seriously confronting the pandemic, some politicians paid more attention to bitter in-fighting among and between political parties.
In many Western societies, the beginning of the new year is a time for reflection and an assertion of goals for the coming year; it is a time to begin anew. This tradition seems to be taking root in Korean society as well, especially among the younger generations. Making New Year's resolutions is one way to reflect on the past year. Most who make such resolutions discover their resolve fading after just a few weeks. I gave up years ago. I no longer make any resolutions. I will do what I will do.
Some people say 2020 was the worst year ever. Indeed, it was terrible, but the worst? I think many might disagree. Among my friends in Korea, many lived through the waning years of the Japanese occupation ― having been forced to take Japanese names and speak only Japanese at school and in the public forum. Those same friends, and many who are younger than them, survived the Korean War's devastation.
Hunger, loss of shelter, disease, the ravages of bombing raids and slaughter of innocent villagers by combatants on every side of the war. What about when thousands on Jeju Island were massacred in the name of "democracy?" Indeed, as bad as 2020 was, it was not the worst year for most Korean people who are my age and older.
Despite all this, we try to survive. We learn to live with changed circumstances. We try to make the best of it.
During 2020, I've done more reading than I have in recent years. Ebooks, magazines and newspapers make reading much easier for me since I suffer from low vision. Regular printed material is too difficult for my poor vision to read comfortably.
Technology has made it possible for me to connect with my grandchildren by video almost every week ― sometimes more than once a week. I've also enjoyed video chats with friends in many parts of the world ― people who I only emailed with until this year.
Something else I've done for the first time in decades is trying to grow houseplants. I was never very good at this seemingly simple task, but surprisingly, I have several hardy plants that respond well to my touch. I've also taken up a new hobby this year ― collecting Korean banknotes.
Banknotes go back to the late Korean Empire period (coins, of course, go back for centuries). Banknotes are a unique part of a nation's economic and artistic culture. I've been learning a lot of history through this hobby and my visits to a wonderful coin dealer in the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center.
Rather than making guilt-motivated resolutions for the new year, how about looking at something new or different that you did during 2020. Focus only on positive, happy ideas. Retrospection may be good for your soul.
Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea.
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No more coffee hour on Sunday morning. No more fellowship lunch after the worship. I haven't been able to visit my grandchildren for a year, which is not what I had planned for in my retirement. Missing their birthdays and Christmas in 2020 was emotionally devastating.
Small business owners in my neighborhood are struggling to survive. They are my friends with whom I shop and share daily life as I come and go. My dear friends who run a kindergarten have suffered from having to close, then open, then close again ― all the while dealing with lower attendance and extreme precautions to keep both staff and children safe. Their shuttle bus contractors have also suffered from significantly reduced work.
Delivery services have surged to unprecedented levels as people stay home more and avoid crowded shopping places. But delivery drivers are dying of overwork. Sure, they get paid by the number of packages they deliver, but their companies push them to deal with the heavier volume.
The weather has been strange, too. Summer 2020 in Korea had more rain and flooding than has been seen in decades. The extra water caused many basic food prices to rise. Did you try to buy tomatoes? Or cabbages? An "older sister" in my neighborhood said she couldn't make kimchi. Because of the high price of cabbage, she said kimchi had lost its flavor.
What about the political scene? Wow. It's been a roller coaster ride both in Korea and in my home country, not to mention Brexit and all the other craziness going on around the world. Rather than seriously confronting the pandemic, some politicians paid more attention to bitter in-fighting among and between political parties.
In many Western societies, the beginning of the new year is a time for reflection and an assertion of goals for the coming year; it is a time to begin anew. This tradition seems to be taking root in Korean society as well, especially among the younger generations. Making New Year's resolutions is one way to reflect on the past year. Most who make such resolutions discover their resolve fading after just a few weeks. I gave up years ago. I no longer make any resolutions. I will do what I will do.
Some people say 2020 was the worst year ever. Indeed, it was terrible, but the worst? I think many might disagree. Among my friends in Korea, many lived through the waning years of the Japanese occupation ― having been forced to take Japanese names and speak only Japanese at school and in the public forum. Those same friends, and many who are younger than them, survived the Korean War's devastation.
Hunger, loss of shelter, disease, the ravages of bombing raids and slaughter of innocent villagers by combatants on every side of the war. What about when thousands on Jeju Island were massacred in the name of "democracy?" Indeed, as bad as 2020 was, it was not the worst year for most Korean people who are my age and older.
Despite all this, we try to survive. We learn to live with changed circumstances. We try to make the best of it.
During 2020, I've done more reading than I have in recent years. Ebooks, magazines and newspapers make reading much easier for me since I suffer from low vision. Regular printed material is too difficult for my poor vision to read comfortably.
Technology has made it possible for me to connect with my grandchildren by video almost every week ― sometimes more than once a week. I've also enjoyed video chats with friends in many parts of the world ― people who I only emailed with until this year.
Something else I've done for the first time in decades is trying to grow houseplants. I was never very good at this seemingly simple task, but surprisingly, I have several hardy plants that respond well to my touch. I've also taken up a new hobby this year ― collecting Korean banknotes.
Banknotes go back to the late Korean Empire period (coins, of course, go back for centuries). Banknotes are a unique part of a nation's economic and artistic culture. I've been learning a lot of history through this hobby and my visits to a wonderful coin dealer in the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center.
Rather than making guilt-motivated resolutions for the new year, how about looking at something new or different that you did during 2020. Focus only on positive, happy ideas. Retrospection may be good for your soul.
Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea.
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