Korean Culture and Humanity

I wish I had 3 hours to spare to expand on the title of this entry because I have more than enough information to fulfill that timeslot. However, as I am still currently without (speedy) internet, and not wanting to indefinitely hold up the computer at the house, a brief overview will have to suffice for the time being. (Hopefully I can find some time when I come home (in less than 2 weeks!) to expand on this as well as many other elements of Korean culture which I find particularly admiring and interesting).

In fact, the original title of this entry was 'Korean Culture and Magnanimity', but as I am currently at a loss as to how to even embark upon a description of the generosity and magnanimity that I have recently been the recipient of, I decided to save that word for the hopeful future date at which point I can find a suitable expression of the situation without being tactless. In any case, an itch in my soul is mandating that I write even the most ambiguous of accounts as a minute token of my gratitude.

Over the past few days (in notable addition to the past year and past week), not only was I able to observe incredible kindness seemingly stemming from a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but that benevolence was delivered in the sophisticated and deft speech of a non-native English speaker. Not only that, but the justification that followed the convictive proposition left my mind searching in endless directions for an explanation of how and why these people make the decisions that they make.

After a brief period of befuddlement, I came to the conclusion that these people, while I'm sure have at least a few stemming personal interests, possess a magnanimity with which I am incapable of empathizing. Although I would like to believe that I would do something similar in such a situation, as I searched into the windows of this Korean woman's soul, I could detect no selfishness or hopes of personal gain. And it leaves me wondering - did I just stumble across some of the most kind, gracious people in Korea, and happen to create an unforeseeable bond with them? Or is this sort of kindness, in various degrees, a sort of native exuberance?

As my experience over the past year has created an affable and uplifting perception of the average South Korean person, I tend to allot these above traits, in proportion of course, to many of the people who I see daily on the bus and who carry on in such an encouraging manner everyday. Watching them bear all toils of life in near absence of frustration, scowls, or anger turned-outward is a constant inspiration for me to work through my frustration without bottling in the feeling, but by conquering it through assuaging the negatives, drawing from love, and creating a mental path prime for clear, effective decision making. Perhaps it seems that I am getting off topic, but I believe that this path of self-discovery and benevolence is all intertwined.

Unfortunatley I have already run out of time, so I will leave you with something that I hope strikes a somewhat introspective cord, for I think even the most magnanimous of people can benefit from, at the least, all instances of appreciating kindness that I'm convinced can be found in all spectrums of culture, even if you have to take an extra minute to find it, or perhaps even create it for others to reflect upon.