tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post1234334438889428440..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Ask a Korean! News: English at LG ElectronicsT.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-15034471716213600102015-04-12T22:37:22.770-04:002015-04-12T22:37:22.770-04:00I have taught in both Korea and in Canada and I wo...I have taught in both Korea and in Canada and I work as a full time secondary school teacher now in Canada. I think a lot of the reason for the dramatic comparisons and contrasts between Korean and Canadian (or Western generally) education and parental styles comes from the fact that overwhelmingly, the vast majority of English teachers from Canada (and the West) teaching in Korea are in their early 20s and have not had the chance to raise their own children in Canada, nor to understand the teaching culture in Canada. I am speaking with 20 years experience teaching in both cultures, and my own opinion is that both systems and both parenting styles are remarkably similar. I would say with strong conviction that Canadian parents are on the whole a little bit stricter than Korean parents (you are surprised, right?), and that Korean school is more focussed on knowledge and understanding than on research compared to the Canadian system, but in both cases good high school students do an awful lot of study and hard work; the main difference (again) being that the Canadian students' hard work while it does focus on memorizing facts too (remember science, history and math tests anyone?) has about equal emphasis on researching, compiling results, and testing one's own theses. I absolutely do not think the differences are dramatic. Korean students are about 2 years ahead in math (according to a Korean math professor I knew who worked in Canada for a few years), and Canadian students are a few years ahead in essay writing, research and such, but any kind of dramatic black-and-white contrast is a bit ridiculous and overworn. I also think that these overworn and exaggerated contrasts lead to misunderstanding between our two countries, and that is a real shame. Canadian students are just as competitive with each other, self-conscious, respectful of authority, shy, and as diligent as your typical Korean student. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-11978389076263024512011-02-03T23:59:07.455-05:002011-02-03T23:59:07.455-05:00Korea - A hyper-competitive, collectivist, densely...Korea - A hyper-competitive, collectivist, densely populated, homogenous, neo-confucian society - it's adopted and even embraced many of the capitalist values of their big brother USA. It's unfortunate to see Korea also suffer from the same problems USA is trying to deal with: rising inequality, poverty, "living to work" instead of "working to live", high divorce rates and the deterioration of the family... Discipline is great, but it should be a means and not an end in itself. Korea ranks quite high in terms of stress levels, suicide, and ranks low in happiness. Koreans are having a hard time accepting moderation and not being the richest or prettiest..The vanity and plastic surgery obsession is just one example...An Indiana Fobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01974532947819615013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-58596606613904218722010-03-30T19:23:35.674-04:002010-03-30T19:23:35.674-04:00Bryan,
I was thinking about the same thing, like ...Bryan,<br /><br />I was thinking about the same thing, like the first would be discipline and the second is self-dicipline...but you said it better than I can :)Phiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302325440544095326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-11491233244709522962010-03-30T17:19:59.941-04:002010-03-30T17:19:59.941-04:00Discipline is both horrible and a blessing.
If y...Discipline is both horrible and a blessing. <br /><br />If you are disciplined at something you hate and will forever continue to hate, you will ruin your life. If you know in your heart you want to be a musician but your parents urge you to be a physician, all the discipline in the world when you go to work day in day out at a job you hate will not add up to happiness.<br /><br />If you have the integrity to stick to your values through the hard patches, through rough and short-term thankless work or drudgery, then you are using discipline in the pursuit of your values and it will lead to long term happiness. If you are writing a book that you want to complete but don't feel like it that day, or you know you need to get in shape but don't want to work out this week, discipline will align you with what your real values are.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13164617843762806572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22638490109377805362010-03-30T15:24:39.162-04:002010-03-30T15:24:39.162-04:00"If you do study and you fail, the problem is..."If you do study and you fail, the problem is that you're stupid -- and stupid, for a student, is a death sentence."<br /><br />So I think the important question is, stupid compared to who? Am I scared that no matter how hard I work I will be stupider than people of average talent who don't work as hard as I did? No, because I know through past experience that I fall within the average talent group. Am I scared that I will be stupider than people of the most exceptional talent who don't work as hard? No again, because I am fairly resigned to the likelihood that that will be the case, since again, I know that I fall within the average talent group. Is Tiger scared that he'll perform worse than others after doing his best? Yes, because, due to past experience, he knows that he is gifted with exceptional talent for golf.JWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01057751527419614924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-27799057988043312022010-03-30T13:18:22.493-04:002010-03-30T13:18:22.493-04:00TK,
I believe that sometimes there is no point of...TK,<br /><br />I believe that sometimes there is no point of expressing any opinion. Silence is gold.Phiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302325440544095326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-77857639771079331382010-03-30T11:13:19.017-04:002010-03-30T11:13:19.017-04:00Easy! People are lazy and easily distracted. Like...Easy! People are lazy and easily distracted. Like me right now, when I should be working...<br /><br />I think Gladwell has a point, but I would argue with the severity with which he thinks it's a problem. At least until I see some experiemental studies done to support his observation. I mean, for one thing, I think Phil Mickelson would agree wholeheartedly that even if he were to try his best in golf, he wouldn't get anywhere near Tiger's level of domination.JWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01057751527419614924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-66638768960515396772010-03-30T10:42:25.779-04:002010-03-30T10:42:25.779-04:00Phie,
So what do you mean by undisciplined people...Phie,<br /><br /><b>So what do you mean by undisciplined people? What is the level of disciplined self one should reach?</b><br /><br />One should reach as high level of discipline as one can.<br /><br /><b>Do you really think, there is an authority to tell that instead of every single person free to decide it themselves? We are too different!</b><br /><br />If we must leave everyone alone, what is the point of expressing any opinion?<br /><br />JW,<br /><br />That's the obvious side of things, and that's why Malcolm Gladwell wonders why people don't work hard when it's in their best interest to do so.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-86904250085523850672010-03-29T17:11:47.431-04:002010-03-29T17:11:47.431-04:00Isn't also very risky, pyschologically speakin...Isn't also very risky, pyschologically speaking, to *not* work hard? Because if you don't work hard, the blame largely falls on you, whereas if you do, you really can't blame yourself. Sure, you can shake your fists at God for not endowing you with greater talent, but how often does that happen as opposed to feeling a certain relief from knowing that you gave it your best shot regardless of the results? That's how it always feels after studying hard for an important test anyway.JWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01057751527419614924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-44830584162581170572010-03-29T14:41:54.272-04:002010-03-29T14:41:54.272-04:00TK,
I agree with that someone needs discipline ev...TK,<br /><br />I agree with that someone needs discipline even to understand others, or being a good father, and etc. <br /><br />But everybody experience doing necessary things they hate, it ranges from eating carrot to prepare to attempt an elbow airtrack.<br /><br />So what do you mean by undisciplined people? What is the level of disciplined self one should reach? Do you really think, there is an authority to tell that instead of every single person free to decide it themselves?<br /><br />We are too different! Hey, I believe that maybe there is someone who could die, if he must eat carrot! How could I argue with him? That is his experience! May I kill him. We are not living in the jungle, where the strong survive, or something. We decided to be more intelligent, and wait, until everybody will grow up enough to recognize his/her endless possibilities.Phiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302325440544095326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-39108700262878459962010-03-29T13:29:57.574-04:002010-03-29T13:29:57.574-04:00This discussion reminded the Korean of his favorit...This discussion reminded the Korean of his favorite little thing from Malcolm Gladwell:<br /><br />"This is actually a question I'm obsessed with: Why don't people work hard when it's in their best interest to do so? ... The (short) answer is that <b>it's really risky to work hard, because then if you fail you can no longer say that you failed because you didn't work hard.</b> It's a form of self-protection. I swear that's why [Phil] Mickelson has that almost absurdly calm demeanor. If he loses, he can always say: Well, I could have practiced more, and maybe next year I will and I'll win then. When Tiger loses, what does he tell himself? <b>He worked as hard as he possibly could. He prepared like no one else in the game and he still lost. That has to be devastating, and dealing with that kind of conclusion takes a very special and rare kind of resilience.</b> Most of the psychological research on this is focused on why some kids don't study for tests -- which is a much more serious version of the same problem. If you get drunk the night before an exam instead of studying and you fail, then the problem is that you got drunk. If you do study and you fail, the problem is that you're stupid -- and stupid, for a student, is a death sentence. <b>The point is that it is far more psychologically dangerous and difficult to prepare for a task than not to prepare.</b> People think that Tiger is tougher than Mickelson because he works harder. Wrong: Tiger is tougher than Mickelson and because of that he works harder." <br /><br />(<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060302" rel="nofollow">Source</a>)T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-33323164111285277442010-03-29T13:26:50.787-04:002010-03-29T13:26:50.787-04:00Ben,
Your whole analysis seems to assume that ind...Ben,<br /><br /><b>Your whole analysis seems to assume that individual interests are set in stone, but I don't think that's true.</b><br /><br />The Korean does not assume that, and he agrees with you on this point. The post said: <i>the Korean thinks that Korean educational system often deny its students the opportunity to find something about which they are passionate -- and certainly, as Strayblog pointed out, passion is an important element of life.</i><br /><br /><b>Why should I torture myself shoveling shit at something I hate when I could cultivate an interest in it and then perform the much easier task of motivating myself to do something that I'm passionate about?</b><br /><br />Because:<br /><br />(1) It is very likely that you will end up in a job about which you are not necessarily passionate, given that's how most people end up, and;<br /><br />(2) Even if you are lucky and find a job that you want, that job will have certain aspects that you will absolutely hate. Doing those parts well determines your success.<br /><br />Stray,<br /><br />To be fair, the Korean thinks that American and Canadian hard-work is underrated. Working part-time and playing sports while going to school require discipline also.<br /><br />But the following was a little bothersome:<br /><br /><b>Because, as my dad told me, no matter how hard you try, there will ALWAYS be someone better than you, and at some point you gotta let that go or you will never be happy with what you have.</b><br /><br />Obviously, it is not as if your father told you not to try hard. But the part that bothers the Korean is how that lesson implicitly sets a cap on how much you are expected to achieve.<br /><br />It was a little different for the Korean Family. Not trying as hard as you can was the greatest sin. Both of the Korean's parents were teachers, and they were very wise about how to dispense punishment and reward. The few times when they doled out the worst punishment (i.e. corporal ones -- which will be covered in a later post) were when they saw the Korean not trying hard. And truly, the reward of discipline does not become apparent until you become somewhat older, and find yourself at a better position than you ever dreamed of.<br /><br />Your point about status anxiety is completely valid. Koreans (as a whole and on average) would do better if they knew what their limits are and be content with the fact that they have done everything they could. But before we get to that level, the Korean thinks it is imperative that truly, everyone really did everything she could.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-47667878553221530142010-03-29T07:50:26.810-04:002010-03-29T07:50:26.810-04:00Korean - I actually had written in my response fro...Korean - I actually had written in my response from a few days back that you would probably say happiness is overrated, but then I erased it. <br />Lo and behold ... <br /><br />Anyways after experiencing the Korean education system, and interacting with Koreans for just over a year, I marvel at their diligence. I'm not sure I ever could have put in a 15+ hour study day. Certainly not while playing sports and maintaining a part-time job. <br /><br />But the suicide issue always hangs in the back of my mind.. It seems like such a high price to pay in the process of creating disciplined Korean adults. I think happiness will come if Korea ever figures out a way to quell its seemingly never ending fever-pitch of status anxiety .. I.e. craving to go to the best school, own the biggest tv, be the best nation in the world,etc,etc. I know status anxiety exists everywhere but Korea has got to be the world capital.. Because, as my dad told me, no matter how hard you try, there will ALWAYS be someone better than you, and at some point you gotta let that go or you will never be happy with what you have. <br /><br />I also realize that I probably would have benefited from spending a year in Korea studying while I was in high school.. it may have done wonders for my work ethic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-15424804832949348502010-03-29T01:48:47.510-04:002010-03-29T01:48:47.510-04:00TK,
I agree with you about the importance of disc...TK,<br /><br />I agree with you about the importance of discipline, but your dismissive attitude toward passion doesn't sit right with me. <br /><br />Your whole analysis seems to assume that individual interests are set in stone, but I don't think that's true. Why should I torture myself shoveling shit at something I hate when I could cultivate an interest in it and then perform the much easier task of motivating myself to do something that I'm passionate about? Is blind discipline really a better motivator than cultivating a passion and pursuing goals?Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07387120990256348079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-50713392861418256192010-03-28T13:35:35.915-04:002010-03-28T13:35:35.915-04:00Phie,
With trying to understand them, you can alr...Phie,<br /><br /><b>With trying to understand them, you can already do more, than their fake politicians and utilitarian company presidents.</b><br /><br />But understanding them takes discipline as well. The Korean may have put it inartfully earlier, but the bottom line is that people need discipline to do pretty much everything in their lives, particularly those necessary things they hate.<br /><br />Adeel,<br /><br /><b>People who don't devote themselves to their jobs are contributing themselves to being better fathers, husbands and creating better families. They can also create better neighbourhoods, better societies and better countries.</b><br /><br />The distinction is not about people who devote themselves to work and people who do not, but about people who have discipline and people who do not. And undisciplined people do nothing right -- including being good parents.<br /><br />question,<br /><br />You would get no argument from the Korean if your point is that there are other important things than discipline. That is most certainly true.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-15615335665158844332010-03-28T13:29:07.666-04:002010-03-28T13:29:07.666-04:00Shawn,
Good luck with the Internet guy.
At any r...Shawn,<br /><br />Good luck with the Internet guy.<br /><br />At any rate, the point is not even really about language learning. The Korean said in the post that Goldman would never need that type of policy at any rate.<br /><br />The question on point is this: when an American firm demands out of its employees something as tough as conducting business in an entirely new language, how well the employees respond? It was probably a lack of imagination of the Korean's part to come up with an equivalent policy. But that's really what the Korean is getting at.<br /><br />MC,<br /><br />Suicide is a whole 'nother thing, but your point about happiness is interesting. The Korean thinks all this talk about happiness is overrated. Even talking about happiness is a luxury when one is struggling to survive. Obviously people need to be happy, and Korea's next step will have to be about figuring out how to be happy. But in doing so, it does not make sense to abandon the very thing (discipline) that got Korea to this point.<br /><br />Eugene,<br /><br /><b>... others may view that as a pity, a waste, but calling it outright bad might not be right.</b><br /><br />As far as the Korean is concerned, waste is bad.<br /><br /><b>Young people somehow find a way out of college and then betray the discipline that got them there by being unwilling to take on mediocre jobs to hold them over until the economy improves.</b><br /><br />The Korean cannot agree more.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-26116215190795887152010-03-27T09:58:43.648-04:002010-03-27T09:58:43.648-04:00I think that Alexander Graham bell said necessity ...I think that Alexander Graham bell said necessity is the mother of all invention. <br /><br />It's not just a simple matter of discipline. It is also important to look at incentives. LG had an incentive to used the English only rule and I think that most everybody needs an incentive (not always a cash incentive mind you) in order to persevere through the things they hate to do. <br /><br />Then there is the small matter of legality. In the US, I can imagine such a rule bringing about real lawsuits. I think that corporations in the US have to watch themselves more then the Korean ones. ACLU anyone? <br /><br />But yeah I do think that discipline, perseverance and incentives can be a powerful combination for growth.questionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12384721299378851408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-66923973413626860902010-03-27T03:00:51.658-04:002010-03-27T03:00:51.658-04:00@AAK: those people will not be contributing to mak...@AAK: <b>those people will not be contributing to making their companies and their nation better. They will do just enough to get paid, because there is nothing inside them that drives them to do the best they can. That is not a good thing.</b><br /><br />People who don't devote themselves to their jobs are contributing themselves to being better fathers, husbands and creating better families. They can also create better neighbourhoods, better societies and better countries. <br /><br />The sort of person who works six 12-hour days a week can't help his kids with his homework, volunteer in his spare time and take part in civil society as well. He also can't exercise, read recreationally or generally do anything other than work.<br /><br />There's a lot more to life than work, and there are other ways to create a good country besides compulsively working.A Deal Or No Dealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03846366896375330656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-42752183884112179822010-03-26T21:52:32.744-04:002010-03-26T21:52:32.744-04:00AAK: "People smile and get things to you with...<b>AAK: "People smile and get things to you with blazing speed. In America? The cable guy will come some time between noon and 8 p.m., and you had better be home for him."</b><br /><br />This isn't so much a refutation as a friendly jab. Right now, it's 10:48 in the morning. We're waiting for someone to come hook up the Internet in my girlfriend's apartment, and we have no idea when they're going to ... except that it's supposed to happen sometime today. There's no number for us to call in English. My girlfriend's cellphone doesn't even have an English option for the menus. <br /><br />We truly feel like a Mexican Couple trapped in the Midwest. <br /><br />These countries aren't so different after all.Shawn Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16571099379593064154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-20275547383179545732010-03-26T12:22:39.882-04:002010-03-26T12:22:39.882-04:00Korean, great post.
I'm with strayblog. I ne...Korean, great post. <br /><br />I'm with strayblog. I need to share this article with a few Korean students and colleagues as well.Marc Hogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10778867844683941083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-55191868822348212982010-03-26T03:11:22.080-04:002010-03-26T03:11:22.080-04:00Okay - where should I start.. I have been thinking...Okay - where should I start.. I have been thinking a lot about this topic and thread since its been posted... <br />My first thought is about the English lessons that these chauffeurs are taking. <br />They all went through 9+ years of English training in school, and yet they need to go to classes to re-learn "Welcome to LG Electronics"? That's proof enough for me that when learning language, discipline is only part of the equation. <br />Like Nassim Taleb says, the nerd studies English with his/her in a book in his room, whereas the student who is passionate about the subject (and life) learns on the fly by hitting on girls/guys at the bar. (He speaks English, French, Arabic, Italian and Spanish).<br />I would certainly take issue with your general statement that Korean discipline produces better results ... Sometimes yes, but not always (especially in the language department, where discipline alone doesn't come close to cutting it). Anyways, I'll think of more to say later, but now I'm not feeling disciplined. (Probably due to my lax education).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-33505733542653510742010-03-25T18:12:09.539-04:002010-03-25T18:12:09.539-04:00Great! Have a nice day.Great! Have a nice day.Bradpetehoopshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02474468363959001065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-21930528954625712602010-03-25T17:19:41.865-04:002010-03-25T17:19:41.865-04:00@ The Korean:
May I don't really know, but I&...@ The Korean:<br /><br />May I don't really know, but I'm definetely more close to it, than you.<br /><br />Why I just can be American, Hungarian, Polish, Korean, Jamaican, African at one time? I do love them, I can love those people and I can love even more, and I'm ready to take the responsibility and effort to understand them. I'm not contributing to their welfare? With trying to understand them, you can already do more, than their fake politicians and utilitarian company presidents.Phiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302325440544095326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-64252919319475935502010-03-25T14:20:04.997-04:002010-03-25T14:20:04.997-04:00TK,
Kudos. This is one of my favorite posts by y...TK, <br /><br />Kudos. This is one of my favorite posts by you so far. We have an eerily similar view on education and I'm glad that someone else thinks that from a fundamental standpoint, the Korean education system - although inflexible and antiquated at times - is better than the American one. In fact, the American education system is more unique than most people realize. Western European countries are perhaps the closest when it comes to the weight given to individuality and creativity, and even then, I (in my unprofessional opinion) think they are nowhere close to America. This, of course, has its benefits clearly evidenced in the superior American collegiate education system, but also its shortcomings.<br /><br />Chris from South Korea,<br /><br />You talk about self-improvement, but self-improvement itself can only come about through discipline. Your analogy of lions and gazelles is invalid since what these creatures possess is instinct. Lions are wired by evolution to catch their prey; gazelles are wired by evolution to outrun their predators. Self-improvement, on the other hand, is not instinctual or evolutionary. If it were instinctual, people wouldn't be lazy; people would always be working towards their self-improvement.<br /><br />About this comment:<br /><br /><b>Ok. And those people will not be contributing to making their companies and their nation better. They will do just enough to get paid, because there is nothing inside them that drives them to do the best they can. That is not a good thing.</b><br /><br />I don't know if it's a good thing to put it in such black and white terms. There are a variety of reasons why some people become figurative "garbage men." But assuming no one voluntarily chooses to become a garbage man, I think we would agree that a large reason why one would end up as such is a lack of discipline. But in the end, as Shawn says, the world needs garbage men, too. <br /><br />The reality of human society is that at one end of the social spectrum, there are the "CEOs" and at the other end the "garbage men." Not everyone can be a CEO, and that may be due to a lack of discipline, but is that in general a bad thing if the world needs such people? It might be a "bad thing" for a particular individual if s/he isn't ready to accept the vocation s/he's stuck with, but in the grand view of things, I don't think so. If that individual were to say, "I'm undisciplined, hence why I'm stuck in this job and I don't care. I'm content with where I am. I will work my job and come home to my family and enjoy my time with them," then others may view that as a pity, a waste, but calling it outright bad might not be right.<br /><br />In fact, I think this is a large part of the current high unemployment rate that has gripped Korea. Young people somehow find a way out of college and then betray the discipline that got them there by being unwilling to take on mediocre jobs to hold them over until the economy improves. The disciplined will do what it takes; the example in this article is learn English. The undisciplined are weeded out, which is true in this scenario, as indicated by The Korean.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10289456832628285151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-16889807187453342532010-03-25T11:46:30.383-04:002010-03-25T11:46:30.383-04:00TK,
While we may both agree Koreans are on averag...TK,<br /><br />While we may both agree Koreans are on average more disciplined than others, the over-arching issue we need to further examine is how the discipline translates into practical-everyday-life in Korea. Specifically, how happy are Koreans with respect to overall quality of life, which, if you know Korea, it drastically needs improvement. <br /><br />For example, Korea and Japan are usually ranked in top 2 countries in the number of suicides on a yearly basis -- I know we duke it out on everything from politics, sports, cars, and electronics, etc but I would have never thought we would be battling over who ranks on top in number of suicides. Maybe Korea and Japan really do hate each other, we simply want to out duel each other in every imaginable way. But lets bunt Japan for now and focus only on Korea. <br /><br />The rapid economic developments have brought in significant amount of "monetary wealth", but along with it has brought in tremendous amount of pressure to always "achieve more" attitude. Added to the fact that Korean parents live through the success of their children so having to succeed is really not an option if you're Korean, especially if you're a son. Furthermore, there are added pressures to gain admission to "SKY" universities, -- which is a must if one wishes to have success in the corporate world, and unreasonable societal and family expectations; the former for having the burden to represent your country in a respectable manner; the latter for giving your parents something to chit chat with their friends in church, have thus greatly exacerbated the issue at hand. <br /><br />Koreans, however, are slowly beginning to realize that being wealthy isn’t what makes people happy, that real happiness begins with one being contempt with oneself first and foremost. But when it comes to happiness, IMHO; though, I think we are generally more unhappy than happy nation compared to Europe and/or South America because of the conditions prescribed above. <br /><br />As proud of a Korean as I am, there are certain things we can learn from the west, i.e. Just being contempt with oneself and accepting others as is. <br /><br />Being healthy, happy and contempt should be our main purpose of life. The rest matters, but only to a lesser degree.Miguk chonhnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07695554200912433082noreply@blogger.com