You assumed incorrectly that this would
be about the political reunification of the divided
Koreas. Although headline making news, this the
Land of Morning Calm being divided, and possibly
on the verge of becoming whole, it is irrelevant
because what I wish to discuss encompasses the
whole peninsula. Let the natural vertical division
of Korea down the middle in the form of Taebaek
Mt. Range be the starting point of what it is
I wish to say.
The North/South relations
I speak of are not of geography, but rather of
stratification. I do speak of borders, but not
the intangible lines which are the creation of
politicians and wars, mapped by cartographers
who tell us nations are divided on 38th parallels,
but rather of borders created by nature and consolidated
by global trends. What are you rambling about?
An eye for an eye. A question for a question.
What percentage of Korea is mountainous? Experts
estimate roughly 70 percent of Korea is mountainous.
Korea is a very small country, a dot on the world
map. Yes indeed, a population of 45 million in
the ROK makes for very dense living.
Yet no previous generation
has seen such denseness on this, the Korean homeland.
Modern day Korea is vastly different from what
it was yesterday. I look around and see life in
Korea saturated with meaninglessness. Swirled
away in the inhuman currents of economy, globalization,
bureaucratization, etc. etc. etc. etc. It threatens
the very existence of woman's soul. The void of
nothingness threatens to sweep the Korean spirit
away forever. The
existential angst is amplified by the crowded
concrete conditions. This small land centered
in polluted, over-built metropolitan areas severly
sever woman's ties with nature and spirit. The
once was lushly hued rainbow paradise is being
painted in a drab gray. Oh, the horror dear
reader.
The apartment buildings
soar into the sky without a hint of artistic architectural
freedom. Highly utilitarian and proletariat. Build
them high, build them the same, and build lots
of them. Large communities thrive in the corporate
apartments made by household names: Hyundai,
Lg, Samsung, Daewoo, etc. Then you have pockets
of areas where the lower middle class and poor
live, a mishmash of buildings and houses thrown
together. One building goes up, another to be
soon squashed beside. The architecture accommodating
itself to the land and other structures beside
it. The electrical and telephone wires criss-cross
in a neurological order which esteems all Korean
electricians who somehow make it work. Unlike
apartment building
communities, the infrastructure is lacking in
these less to do areas. No running water except
the great orange-yellow water tanks, stoic observers
sitting quietly on roofs. (Great
picture, Miss Park!)
You ask, "My goodness! How
is survival possible? Yet, the people do thrive.
They live, work, breed, and die in crowded spaces.
They are able to do so because of their affinity
for mountains, and what may be called the phenemona
of North-South Escapees. Redemption lies for Koreans
in the culture of mountain. Have you observed
how so many people like hiking in
Korea. Although hiking is a popular sport worldwide,
I would propose that it holds a special place
in the hearts of Koreans. On a mountain, the pollution,
noise, crowds, and all that you do wish to leave
behind are easily forgotten.
In Pusan, a twenty minute
walk is all one needs to find sanctuary from the
urban chaos. It is an amazing feeling as one ascends
upwards. You not only feel a change in the air,
but also in the spirit. As you leave behind the
city below, you enter the mountain above. It is
amazing how quickly one can leave. The transitionary
period is a very fine one indeed. Concrete, then
suddenly, unexpectedly and pleasantly, you are
enveloped in trees and quiet. The air is cleaner,
and you feel relaxed. The stress falls off like
heavy weights with each progress step into the
mountain. You have become a votary in the cleansing
spirit of mountain. The ecstasy of when you reach
a vantage point and look over and down on the
anthill called home. The joy to realize it so
small and so far away.To have to the ability to
turn away back into the mountain and continue
ever higher. How nice to get away from it all
once in a while.
Although it requires much
labor to climb up, it seems that an 'uber' effort
is required to come back down. Take one final
look about you before stepping back into the sunshine
and heat of the city. The sidewalk greets your
feet with a loud clip clop. You're back into familiar
surroundings. But you've had your fix. More can
be explored next time. The beautiful and
redemptive mountain in your backyard. The culture
of mountains. Look about you. In Korea, there
are many celebrants of mountain culture. Escape
with others into Northern Korea, where freedom
and peace are just one of the many offerings to
be had.
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