Happy New Year

I lived for a couple of years in Korea. It's a beautiful country, one filled with ancient traditions as well as newly adopted technologies and ideas. The juxtaposition of these elements create an interesting atmosphere - a place where there is a 5000 year written history of a continuous homogeneous group of people sharing language, culture, and cuisine that now boasts the most Internet connections per capita. There are professional video game players in Korea. There are probably some here as well, now that I think about it. But the thought blows me away.

The thing to keep in mind about Korea is that 50 years ago it looked like this:

Today it looks like this:

Looking at the history of Korea, it's not really surprising. Located on the strategically important (and aptly named) Korean Peninsula between two of the most belligerent and bellicose nations (Japan and China), Korea has been overrun in turns by China, Japan, Mongolia, and more lately, western nations. In 1945, after 40 years of Japanese occupation, the retreating Japanese burned everything. Everything. It is hard to find a wooden structure or even tree that pre-dates the occupation. In 1951, a fratricidal war began on the peninsula, dividing not only the land but also families and a society that still feels the pains of the forced separation.

The truly amazing thing is that this country exists at all. And to think of the prosperity, the democracy, and the freedoms that exist there now is truly miraculous.

All of this must be attributed to the Korean people themselves. There is no more hard-working people in the world than the Koreans. They each have a fierce sense of national pride that is a wonder to experience. They call it "uri nara" - our country - and each person feels invested in making it succeed, from the smallest pre-school child to the eldest harabogi. It is important to each member of the society to do what they can to help it succeed. The trees all burned after the Japanese occupation? They have a national holiday to replace these trees - and everyone feels responsible to find a spot to go out and plant a tree (not just sit under one). This is just one example of the mentality best summarized by the Korean proverb chil chun pal gi -if you fall down seven times, get up eight. Never, never give up. It is that attitude that has made Korea what it is.

New Years is more than a "day after" event for Koreans. It is a time of reflection and introspection, a time for gratitude for ancestral intervention and for commitment to future generations. This is a true celebration of the past and its glories as well as an anticipation of the achievements yet to come.

I hope that this year will be one full of joy and fulfillment for each of you. I hope that we will all look for ways to make this happen for ourselves and for those around us. I hope we can all work a little harder, laugh a little more, care a little more deeply, and walk a little stronger and straighter.