Yu+Sun

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 * Filial Piety Response**

Although most people from westernized societies would be appalled at some of the stories about filial conduct, I find them to be quite normal in terms of how it is emphasized in my culture. All people are required to take care of their parents practically their whole lives; even after they have passed away by performing sacrifice rituals. I have personally experienced this tradition for every year our extended family gets togethert to prepare a ceremony for our deceased grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Thus, it would probably not be an exaggeration to say that being the "best child" to a parent (called //hyo-ja// in Korean) is the most revered characteristic of all in our culture.

Through these cultural requirements in our modern society, we can discern the huge impact that Confucianism had on not only its origin but Korea too. This is reflected through the many Korean folk tales that emphasize the honor of being a //hyo-ja// to one's parents. However, most of them are quite similar to the Chinese filial piety stories; for example, the one about crying in the bamboo grove and making new bamboo sprout is told with various features but same overall theme. It is certain that the extent of one's conduct for filial piety has decreased over time for rebellious children and teenagers are tolerated not only in Western cultures but also in Korea today. However, I believe that this slight derivance from filial piety only reflects Korea's adaptment to the globalized culture; the principle of honoring one's parents still remains at the core of the Korean culture.

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 * Taoism Discussion Quotes**

1. According to the Taoist point of view, defining everything with labels or definitions is insufficient in fulfilling our perceptions of life because there is so much more to entities than their basic description. This quote sums up just the kind of mentality that Taoists resent; putting simple labels on everything without realizing that nothing can be simply explained. Although slapping an initial definition to something gives momentary satisfaction, one can never satiate their desire to really know what it is. and therein lies the basic core of Tao: everything is beyond our limits to be succinctly explained within our perception.

2. Pooh seems to think that scholars seem to over-analyze everything even when the matter at hand is very trivial. They must know what this is and how it relates to this and why this is and etc, etc. This type of analysis over life directly contrasts with the Taoist view of knowledge, which relates that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is worthless. instead, one must simply realize that there is something more to all of the knowledge and stop contemplating about what cannot be obtained by definition.

3. The central belief of this poem lies within the basic principle of the Tao: to accept things the way they are. Instead of trying to change the natural way or being of the flow, one must accept them into their reality with satisfaction. only when one recognizes that the flow cannot be converted can they actually work with what has been given to them naturally. if one respects their inner nature in this way, they can easily figure out where they belong and eventually find ways to change What's There. Instead of unnecessarily trying to question and define everything in the flow, one must simply live with the natural way of life.

--- Discussion Question #8

Question: Write a short reflection of what you learned from these readings. With the benefit of hind sight and knowledge of China and Japan, would Korea have been better off if it had “opened up to the west?”

Though Korea was admittedly held behind in global affairs by its isolation, I think that they made a wise decision in "advocating the peace" for they were able to retain their cultural identity. By reading Korea Unmasked, I realized just how vital it was for Koreans to have a sense of orthodoxy after all of the struggles and invasions they had been through. Even if they had opened up to foreign influence earlier than they were forced to, their cultural uniqueness would have been ripped out from under them. China and Japan, though they were increasingly pressured by foreign influences to open up, still remained their core values of culture. However even with this knowledge, I think that it would also have been wise for Korea to slightly open their doors to foreign influence while closing enough to retain their identity. Their neighbors were stripped of all their power over foreigners through continually trying to resist them; they were forced to open up in the end. In order to avoid this conflict, Korea would have been better off if it just kept a balance.