Being transplanted

Being transplanted

Transplanting is a matter of life and death. When we transplant organs into a body, we need a very sensitive and attentive care to keep the balance in the rhythm of the body. Otherwise, there will be disharmony and disconnection that will finally result in the deterioration of health and even death.

Whenever I transplant some flowers from one place to the other to rearrange the garden, I always find they struggle a lot to adjust themselves to a new environment. Each time I move some plants, I just feel it would be better for them to stay in their own places. They need much time and energy to survive.

Our lives are endlessly linked with many chains and curves of transplantation, movement or transfer. There could be various reasons to move up or down from one place to another, but apparently, the present moment and place are most meaningful and worthwhile.

The poet Kusang (1919-2004) said in one of his poems that "The place you sit is the flower seat. The very place that you regard as thorn cushion now is the flower seat." However, even though we realize the precious value of the present moment and place, we sometimes can't help but move and transfer to another place.

It is a pity to see that more than half of those beings transplanted are prone to wither and die. Adaptation and adjustment always require considerable patience, an indomitable will, and silent waiting.

The whole world is becoming multi-cultural and multi-national evermore. Diverse races are mixed among one another in society, and religion is not an exception. Entire churches are also renewed for the new evangelization from the mission to people ("missio ad gentes") to the mission among or into people ("missio inter gentes").

As thousands of refugees are desperately running away from their countries, they add some colors to this multi-cultural globalization. Unfortunately, many of them fail to arrive at their dreamlands. In the Mediterranean Sea, many people sink down from the boats before arriving at their destination. 

Nevertheless, people keep moving to other places. So in spite of all their desperate struggles and hardship, they do their best to escape from their gloomy realities. Some strong countries push them away at the frontiers without welcoming them as they are.

At present in Korea, about 4 percent of the population is made up of migrants. Half of them are Chinese, followed by Vietnamese and Taiwanese. Other nationalities from the Philippines, America, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia and Pakistan are also crowded here. 

Once a month for about two years, I have visited English-speaking migrant communities here and there to encourage and inspire them to read some spiritual books and the Bible, but their priorities are how to survive in a foreign country. 

They might earn more than in their countries, but it is true that they are not able to appreciate and enjoy their rights to the fullest. The harsh reality of abusing their rights with verbal attacks and even violence is announced in public from time to time.

Some migrants bravely choose a book like "Wounds and Forgiveness" by themselves. I do believe that reading can deepen our spirituality, inspire our inner vision, and thus change our lives to go beyond the limits.