【South Korea】 Are suspicion and jealousy truly characteristic of our people? — The meaning of the proverb, "If a cousin buys land, one gets a stomachache." [07/28]
1 : ★: 2012/07/28 (Sat) 21:44:20.43 ID:???
In our country, there is a proverb: "If a cousin buys land, one gets a stomachache." As I understand it, this means that one feels unpleasant when a neighbor succeeds. It is bitter to think that this proverb might offer a glimpse into the character of our people.
Some argue that this proverb was originally used in a positive sense. The idea was that since a cousin had bought land, one ought to celebrate—but having nothing else to offer, one might "get a stomachache" (develop diarrhea), thereby providing fertilizer [for the cousin's land]—a gesture of good intent.
However, they claim that during the period of Japanese colonial rule, the Japanese altered the meaning of this proverb to the exact opposite. It came to signify an inability to bear seeing a neighbor succeed. They argue that while we, as a people, possess no such greedy or envious nature, the Japanese changed the meaning, and that distorted version has persisted to this day.
Yet, the reason this "altered" proverb remains in use is precisely because it accurately reflects the psychology of our people. If we, living in the modern era, did not truly harbor such sentiments, the proverb would have naturally faded away—or reverted to its original, positive meaning—regardless of any changes supposedly imposed by the Japanese.
Are such suspicion and jealousy truly characteristic of our people?
Recently, the educational broadcaster EBS conducted an intriguing experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). They had Korean and American housewives play a card game to observe the situations in which they experienced joy. In a card game, American mothers showed activation in their brain’s reward system—the mechanism that triggers feelings of pleasure—only when they scored points themselves. The gains of their opponents had no impact on this response.
In contrast, Korean mothers showed activation in their brain’s reward system only when they achieved a better score than their opponent—not simply when they scored points. Korean mothers derive satisfaction from relative gains rather than absolute ones; they find happiness not in their own success, but in performing better than others. American mothers, meanwhile, tend to find satisfaction in their own absolute gains, rather than through comparisons with others.
Why, unlike Americans, do we Koreans tend to fluctuate between joy and distress based on comparisons with others?
It appears to be because Korea has limited resources and a large number of people vying for them, making competition inevitable.
Compared to the United States, Korea has a smaller land area and fewer natural resources, and its population lives in a densely packed environment—a reality that naturally intensifies competition. While Americans also engage in competition, they benefit from a vast expanse of land. If someone cannot find a job in Michigan, they can apply to a company in Florida; if that fails, they might even move to another country, such as the United Kingdom or Australia—or perhaps come to Korea to work as an English instructor. Because they have a wider range of choices, Americans appear to be less driven by competition than Koreans.
Korean society has undergone rapid transformation. In the aftermath of the Korean War, the country was left in ruins, and we could not have survived without aid from the United States. In the late 1960s, when I was in elementary school, I, too, ate bread made from corn provided as American aid. Most children were poor, and if someone had an egg as a side dish in their packed lunch, it would draw the envy of everyone else.
Since then, Korea has undergone a transformation so remarkable that it has astonished the world. In the process, some who were once poor farmers living in what is now the Gangnam district have become so wealthy that they now drive Mercedes-Benz cars. An acquaintance from my school days—someone whose circumstances were much like my own—ended up amassing a fortune of several billion won through a series of apartment transactions. Our society has undergone drastic changes since the era of Japanese colonial rule, and throughout this period, it has been all too common to feel a pang of bitter envy—a "stomach ache," as the saying goes—upon seeing someone from one’s own social circle suddenly strike it rich. This is why the meaning of that particular proverb has evolved and remains in such frequent use today.
We live in a state of constant anxiety, fearing that we might fall behind in the race amidst these sweeping societal shifts. There is a persistent, unsettling sense that if we miss a current opportunity, we might be left behind for good. Shaped by life in an hyper-competitive society, we have developed an impatient, restless nature—one that makes it impossible for us to ever truly lower our guard.
http://img.seoul.co.kr/img/upload/2011/07/22/SSI_20110722182912_V.jpg
▲ Psychiatrist (Specialist in Mental Health Medicine)
Seoul Shinmun (Korean) [Window to Life] The Competitive Spirit of the Korean People
http://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20120728026001
TITLE: [South Korea] Are suspicion and jealousy truly characteristic of the Korean people? — On the meaning of the proverb, "If a cousin buys land, my stomach aches" [07/28]
DATE: 2012/07/31 03:34
URL: http://awabi.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/news4plus/1343479460/801-900
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