[김애란] What would unite us?

What would unite us?  

By Kim Ae-ran

"Passion. Connected!" With such a vital and passionate slogan, the 23rd Winter Olympic Games started on Feb. 9 in PyeongChang with 2,925 participants from 92 countries worldwide. 

"Peace in motion" was the main theme of the opening ceremony in the evening of the first day. It was touching to see the creative, harmonious, and hyper-technological presentation of the theme of peace in motion. 

North Korea sent 22 athletes to join 144 athletes from South Korea under the united banner. I am so glad and grateful for such a united step toward peace.

One day to prepare the community prayer with the theme of the unification of our country, I tried to figure out and print the map of the whole country, and I found out that the actual geography of North Korea is much bigger than that of the South. 

Then, I thought to myself that our power and synergy will be marvelous and enormous if we are united. How abundant would be the natural resources of the North!

Unification has been a long-term catchphrase of our country since the miserable 1950-53 Korean War. It was over 68 years ago and we have sincerely yearned and desperately longed for unification, but unity in a political and ideological sense seems to be difficult and demanding to realize in the near future. 

In spite of all the obstacles and differences, we could certainly establish some kind of collaboration and bonds culturally and socially with a universal sense of fraternity, goodwill, and common goodness as we are trying hard to do now. 

Athletes from the two Koreas wave unification flags as they arrive during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday. AP-Yonhap 

I recently attended a special lecture about personal experiences of living in North Korea. From the South, we can't go to the North openly and freely. Nevertheless, from other countries, and with other nationalities, many people are actually entering to serve the needy of the North.

In fact, many missionaries from abroad are contributing a lot for the goodness of the people there with the funds and donations of contributors of goodwill. Some of them are constructing and promoting various facilities such as education centers, hospitals and factories.

Political ideology or religious faith can cause division, confrontation, and obstacles, but the common goodwill beyond ideological prejudices and dogmatic differences can always invite others to shake hands with one another and work for others. 

Witnessing by deeds instead of talking or proclaiming about faith directly is necessary to truly and deeply transform the hearts and minds of people wounded by the war and terror. Being an example of life through witnessing deeds is always a critical issue to put into practice not only in religion but also in society.

What would make us united? There might be many keywords that can contribute to building the unity among us: love, joy, sharing, renunciation, sacrifice, perseverance, faith, compassion, understanding, unselfishness, forgiveness. 

Above these moral and spiritual virtues, I would like to say that a sense of the common goodness and goodwill can do a lot to unite us from the bottom of our hearts. Dedicating ourselves to the present moment with altruistic goodwill and common goodness always attracts lots of people and touches the hearts of the public.

The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.