Human. Younjeong Kwak
Dedicated to the last awakened one
to widely benefit humanity.
Prologue
My first book, Unknown, dealt with human issues from a macroscopic point of view. It has a big frame for us about who I am, why I live on Earth, what future mankind will look like, and how to live in the future. If you are interested in these kinds of a philosophical thesis, Unknown would lead you the way to understand the world from a different perspective. The second book, Human will try to explain the world from a microscopic point of view that will fill the large pillar built by Unknown.
Human is about a human being. It might be believed that we are already born regardless of our will. Now, if you are already born as a human, life must go on anyway. However, in life, we have faced too many trials. What if there was a guide or a hint book for lives? What would your life be like if you were told, before marriage, about what marriage is? Difficulties arise due to a lack of certain knowledge. How would you live if you understand how life was different in your 20s and 40s, and what you need to prepare?
Regarding these issues, I have sought advice from my parents, people around me, or through books. However, when I look back on my life, it seems that they rarely knew the answer neither. How long do we have to pass mistakes and failures caused by ignorance on to our descendants? I am not now trying to standardize a life that includes many variables. Rather, informing future generations on what choices make what kinds of life is what we must do in a transitional period, I believe.
Therefore, this book, Human, tries to talk about reincarnation along with religion and life under the ties that a person meets and what to do at each age. In summary, I will look at how we can understand the circumstances given when we were born, the relationships we encountered, and the changes with age. What if there are a clear cause and rules? It involves the related literature and the ‘Jungbub’ that has been discussing related issues. Since ‘Jungbub’ is not well known in the West yet, it will be a good opportunity to get acquainted with a new theory currently being discussed in South Korea. ‘Jungbub’ is a lecture that teaches the way of life.
Some readers feel my writing be unfamiliar. The structure of the language is based on philosophical thinking, and the usage of vocabulary is influenced by culture. So the English structure used in this book may be a bit out of sync with the native English. However, it would be nice to understand it as a difference in the way of thinking. It would be the matter of how you distinguish between wrong and un-wrong, and right and un-right. Also, the difference in what is perceived when objects or phenomena are used as a subject in a sentence can be exemplified.
The beginning is all alone, but if we gather the experience, knowledge, and wisdom of many people, a valuable guide book for future generations will be completed someday. I hope many of you are willing to participate in this ideal and we would be able to make a better place full of peace and wisdom at the end of the pandemic.
Plus, the current English name, Korea is the old name of the dynasty (고려 918-1392) established by King Wang Geon (왕건 877-943) by reunifying the Korean peninsula divided in the late Silla period. However, the official name of this country is Daehanminkuk (대한민국, 大韓民國). This nation has long been called Dan or Han (한), and the Dae Han (대한) refers to the unification of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla called three Hans, named by emperor Gojong (고종 1852-1919), the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty. In 1919 independence movement took place, the Shanghai Provisional Government designated it as Daehanminkuk. Min Kuk (민국) here signifies that the owner of this country is the public, not politicians. So from now on, I would like to use the term, Dahanminkuk.
November 9, 2020
Younjeong Kwak
Dahanminkuk
1. Religion
Humans have developed the soul with the permanence of time. Reincarnation makes it happen. Fundamentally, since it has been dealt with in religion, I will examine religion in the East and the West from a broad perspective. Since the advent of mankind on Earth, men had worshiped nature and the universe like the sun, moon, natural phenomena, water, fire, animals or mountains, etc. The Vedic Scriptures of 1200 BCE and the Bibles of the 2nd BCE became the basis of the development of religions in the East and the West respectively.
According to the 2015 study of Pew Research Center, Christianity accounted for 31.2%, Islam 24.1%, Hinduism 15.1%, and Buddhism 6.9% in the world. Here, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were based on the Bible. Hinduism was grounded on the Vedic scriptures, and Buddhism occurred later in the same culture.
Bible
The Bible is composed of the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew scripture was called the Old Testament after the New Testament came out. And it consists of threefold division, Torah (teaching), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings). Yahweh tells of how the covenant was made between God and humans, and what the mission of human beings on earth is. Judaism has valued the Torah and Jews have learned a way of life through the Talmud, the collection of ancient Jewish laws, and the Mishnah, a compilation of precepts as an oral tradition. Rabbis, the spiritual leaders, and mentors of Jews have enabled knowledge of the Torah to be passed down through the generations.
Muslims have faith in the previously revealed scriptures like the Torah given to Moses and the Gospel (Injil) conferred upon Jesus. And the Quran, which was revealed for 23 years to the final prophet Muhammad by Allah or God through the archangel Gabriel, is the last revelation and literal words of God. Therefore, they believe it is the only holy book that has been meticulously preserved in its original text. After the prophet Muhammad’s death, Islam began to be divided into Shia and Sunni due to different successor candidates and election methods. That is, two denominations of Islam have different viewpoints on Hadith, which have constantly caused many conflicts in the world.
The largest religion, Christianity, believes that Jesus is the Christ as the son of God and the Messiah. Adherents’ beliefs and biblical interpretations vary. A different point of view on the Bible led to the division into Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. Later, differences in biblical interpretation resulted in various versions of the Bible and Christian sects as well.
The New Testament is a collection of scriptures about the teachings, the life of Jesus, and events at different times by various authors. The central tenet of Christianity is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and then will be saved in eternal life. Also, they have a faith in Trinity referring to the teaching that the one God or the Godhead comprises three distinct: The Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
I think it is in the life of Jesus that Christianity is the most prosperous in the world. Jesus was born to a single mother, the most vulnerable social class at that time, and sacrificed for the poor, crucified by a high priest and elders. Reinterpreting this as the Trinity, God is the side of the minority, saving the general public against those in power. The dramatic factors of Jesus’ birth and death are fascinating enough to inspire many. Of course, it must be more dramatic than the story that a man was born as a prince, well-educated, and died of illness while helping many people.
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all have a strong belief in monotheism; that there is only one true God. But what to think about here is whether people go to church to believe in the ‘God’ or not. People gather and scatter owing to just a person. In other words, if you like a pastor, priest, rabbi, or imam, you will listen to the holy scripture through him in his church. But if not for any reason, you will look for another one. As French sociologist Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) mentioned, the reason that