Earth Management: A Dialogue on Ancient Korean Wisdom and Its Lessons for a New Earth

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Preface

What We Must Do Now for the Next Generation

Lately, every time I read news reports, I read of events and trends that heighten tensions in the world. I worry whether these confrontations will bring about a new Cold War—or something worse. The economy is in decline, and politics at the local and international levels are rife with confusion. Beneath the surface shown to us by the media, the polarization of social classes keeps growing worse. If we think about the danger of military conflict alongside the dangers of climate change, and about other threats to the earth’s environment that rise across the globe, it does appear that we are facing the most dangerous moment in human history, perhaps bleaker and grimmer than any other era we have seen yet.

In spite of this harsh reality, there isn’t a hint of action on the part of the groups in our society who are the most educated, who are most directly involved in the formulation of policy. It is heartbreaking to think that those who can formulate a real solution to the problem have decided to sleepwalk through history. I am painfully aware of the crisis that we face when I teach my students. I have taught history and literature for twenty years, but now I feel uneasy just talking about homework assignments with my students. I think we need to do something, to show real leadership.

In addition, I often have trouble sleeping. When I lie there in bed and allow my mind to wonder, I imagine the terrible disasters that are taking place around the world, and I am dismayed that somehow I cannot do anything to help.

I had the chance to discuss these matters with Ilchi Lee recently, and we had a series of discussions that helped me to focus my ideas more effectively. This dialogue reflects our concerns most directly and gives some hints as to what solutions we imagine. We grew up in very different environments, and we have different ideas about how to address issues, but the more that we talked, the more that I sensed we had a common concern and a common conception of the solutions possible.

There are many who are curious as to how I came to meet Ilchi Lee. I have had a great interest in meditation and yoga from high school on, and when I was in Korea in 1997, I practiced at one of his Body & Brain centers for a year. But we did not have any conversations about ideas at the time. It was two years ago that he read my Korean book, The Republic of Korea of Which Koreans Are Ignorant, and bought a thousand copies to distribute to friends, and also invited me to give a talk.

After the South Korean president Park Geunhye remarked at a cabinet meeting that during her summer vacation she had read the book, it was featured in the media. But in fact it was two years prior to that, right after the book was published, that Ilchi Lee was one of the few who displayed great enthusiasm.

Lee has taken a great interest in Hongik Ingan (universal benefit for all of humanity) philosophy, the strong belief in universal values that is so powerful in traditional Korea, but that Koreans themselves seem to have lost sight of. Perhaps he was struck by the fact that it was an American with no original connection to Korea, a scholar with a doctorate degree from Harvard in Asian studies. In any case, we were drawn together to engage in a series of conversations that resulted in this book.

I came to understand the value of Hongik Ingan philosophy as a result of my readings in Korean classical literature and philosophy. People think of Koreans as being very ethnocentric and as a closed society before the twentieth century, but when I read the writings of the time, I learned that the Korean tradition was one of universalism.

Ilchi Lee has worked to awaken the mind, body, and consciousness of thousands of people around the world over the past thirty-six years, and he has made great accomplishments by introducing traditional Korean philosophy. I have seen, as has Ilchi Lee, just how much can be achieved drawing on the great Korean spiritual tradition, and that tradition has brought great hope to me as well.

I feel a special fondness for Korea, and although I learned about Korea late, it has become very important to me. Now that I’m living with my Korean wife and my two children here, I feel that my destiny is so deeply entwined with that of Korea that I could never be separated from it even if I tried. Furthermore, Korea has become a critically important place in my present and future life.

I have written about Korean culture, starting with my dissertation, but I had the chance to serve as an advisor to the culture center of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, DC. That work made me aware of the dormant potential of Korean culture. And now Korea has become a unique global leader as a nation that overcame terrible poverty and achieved remarkable economic growth, but which does not have a history of using colonialist or imperialist policies. And today, Korea’s young people possess a cultural power that’s brimming with vitality and appeals to youth around the world.

This book is a conversation about Korea’s Hongik spirit that moves beyond the geographical space referred to as Korea. We want to consider what potential the Hongik spirit offers to people around the world who desire a sustainable approach to Earth Management.

Culture should not be just something we enjoy; it must be ethical and beneficial. The global crisis we are witnessing, both the destruction of the earth’s environment and the dissolution of families and communities, brings into stark relief the importance traditional culture embodied by the Hongik spirit. We can find in this past tradition a driving force that can restore humanity and create a new, sustainable civilization.

Love for one’s family, consideration for others, the promotion of thoughtful and humane technologies, and the tradition of socially committed intellectuals (the seonbi in Korea) are not just features of Korea, but part of a global cultural heritage for our the future.

I hope that this book illustrates the contemporary significance of Korea’s traditional culture to young people. Our concern is not simply preserving the past, but also reinterpreting that tradition so that it is accessible to future generations.

The power to change the world cannot be found in multinational corporations, national governments, or social movements. However small a voice may be, if that voice is true and speaks to the heart, it can have the power to change society.

The great anthropologist Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Her words ring true today. We must seek out a spiritual solution.

If we truly intend to do something that matters to us, and to the world, and if we gather together our strength for a purpose, then there are those who will echo our message in society and around the world. In this way, we can be certain that our voices are not small at all.

Through this book, I hope that many people grow to understand that each of our everyday actions are related to the changes of the world in which we live, and that to the degree that they are frugal and they maintain the attitude of humility as Earth Citizens, they can actualize the moral ideal of human completion.

Emanuel Pastreich

February 2016

Dialogue

The Hongik Spirit and the Future of the Earth

In a life lived in constant competition with others, everything is about getting skills and qualifications according to the world’s standards of success. In a life lived for the sake of completion, the philosophy and values I pursue become my standard.

Chapter 1

From Success to Completion

The First Thing to Do for the Future of the Earth

(Moderator) The subject of today’s talk is Hongik Spirit and the Future of the Earth. The subject, Future of the Earth, is a big one, but I believe it won’t be too much for our two guests. They are already engaged in global activity in different fields, and it is my understanding that, when it comes to the value and importance of Hongik Spirit, they are in considerable agreement. We will gradually unravel through our discussion the knotty question of how Hongik Spirit can actually contribute to the future of the Earth and humanity. First, we’ll ask Ilchi Lee. What do you think is most important for a sustainable future on our planet?

(Moderator) The subject of today’s talk is The Hongik Spirit and the Future of the Earth. The subject, Future of the Earth, is a big one, but I believe it won’t be too much for our two guests. They are already engaged in global activity in different fields, and it is my understanding that, when it comes to the value and importance of the Hongik spirit, they are in considerable agreement. We will gradually unravel through our discussion the knotty question of how Hongik spirit can actually contribute to the future of the earth and humanity. First, I’ll ask Ilchi Lee. What do you think is most important for a sustainable future on our planet?

(Lee) When most people ponder the future of the earth, they probably think of environmental problems. Environmentalism is no longer about protecting beautiful scenery. It has become a practical problem that must be addressed, like a dirty house. If a person’s house is polluted, there’s no way they can stay healthy. Likewise, the environment must be recognized as an urgent problem directly connected to our survival. I guess we could call it the evil of material civilization. Thanks to indiscriminate consumption, perfectly good things are thrown away, while, elsewhere, people are racking their brains over how to deal with the resulting garbage.

Spirit has been unable to keep up with the speed of scientific and material development, leading to our current predicament, in which both environment and people are being ruined. Humans are actually the beings who get the most benefit from the earth. Even so, we’ve failed to contribute much to the global environment. We cannot