“문화는 자아들이 형성하는 것입니다.”
재미 치과의사이자 사회평론가로 잘 알려진 이명동 박사의 특강(特講)이 관심을 모으고 있다.
이명동 박사는 지난 12일 애틀랜타 한인복지회에서 ‘자아와 문화, 문화와 자아(Korean American Identity and Culture)’를 주제로 특강을 펼쳤다. 이날 행사는 흥사단 동남부지회가 마련, 강연과 함께 토론의 시간도 가졌다.
이명동 박사는 “문화는 자아형성에 중요한 일부이고, 동시에 자아들이 모여 문화를 형성한다”고 보았다. 그는 ”특히 미국같이 전 세계의 모든 문화가 모여 한 독특한 문화를 끝없이 만들어 나아가는 나라에서는 더욱 자아와 문화를 주기적으로 점검하고 비교해 보는것이 중요하다”고 강조했다.
이 박사는 또 “미국속의 한국인들은 대화와 타문화에 대한 이해 노력이 필요하다. 우물 안의 개구리 문화에서 벗어나 더 넓고 유연한 자세로 미래의 비전을 만들어 가야 한다”고 덧붙였다.
강연후에는 미국내 한국문화와 흑백갈등에 대한 토론의 시간이 이어졌다. 이 박사는 “강연의 취지가 재미한국인들이 좀더 밝은 미래를 위해 지금 무엇을 해야 될 것인가에 서로 머리를 모아 보자는 것이었다는 점에서 진지한 토론까지 이어져 만족스럽다”고 말했다.
한편 흥사단은 일제 강점기에 조국의 독립과 민족의 부흥을 위한 단체로 도산 안창호 선생이 미국에서 시작한 단체이다.
뉴욕=민병옥기자 newsroh@gmail.com
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Korean American Identity and Culture --- 자아와 문화, 문화와 자아
For the last several months, many interesting events(both wonderful and not so wonderful/on the individual level and the collective level) happened, and more so than, probably, at any other time in my life. I have made decisions and observed decisions being made. I have observed vividly good and bad decisions being made and could foresee their inevitable consequences. Every decision we make has its consequences. Every decision we make is the manifestation of the individual and collective culture we are coming from. To have a better and brighter future, I assume everybody wants this, we hope to make a better and brighter decision. This decision making process is closely dictated by the culture. The quality of the culture decides the quality of a decision, individually, and collectively. Understanding, correctly, the individual and collective culture is paramount to have any chance of creating brighter future which will endure for a long long time.
문화는 자아형성에 중요한 일부 이고, 동시에 자아들이 모여 문화를 형성 한다고 봅니다. 특히 미국같이 전 세계의 모든 문화가 모여 한 독특한 문화를 끝없이 만들어 나아가는 나라에서는 더욱 자아와 문화를 주기적 으로 점검하고 비교해 보는것이 중요하다고 생각합니다.
Culture is a tough topic because we have to go beyond our identity and culture to truly understand ourselves. A frog in a small pond will never fully realize his identity and culture in relation to the globalized world, if the frog insists on its world to be a small pond. The small pond is what made the frog, but the global climate change may dry up the Pond or flood the small pond into a huge lake with enormous predatory animals. Simply put, remaining and insisting on the small pond is not an option. The human beings have already crossed the bridge a long time ago.
At the moment on the world stage, we are witnessing many cultures insisting on staying in the small pond because that is, they thinks, what they are. Loving and insisting on your identity and culture is respectable, and wonderful, but, at the same time, any viable identity and culture should have a blue print for the future and a positive vision.
The positive vision should be based on respect, fairness, decency, equality, and empathy. But we, the humans, have some very ugly side to us, and have to be guarded against it all the time, always. That is what makes our life very interesting. There will always be something to do. The life will never be boring.
Korean American identity and culture are interesting, exciting, and evolving. Defining KA identity and culture is not easy. We may be able to do this only in a very broad and sentimental way. It is because each one of us has one's own unique identity and culture, and because each one of us has different challenges and hopes. We are coming from different small ponds located at the different places.
No matter where we stand at the moment, KA as a whole is already contributing tremendously in the U.S. It is only just the beginning. That is the given, but there is, also, the clear need to examine our identity and culture. We are constantly evolving, making decisions, and shaping our future. This process is greatly influenced by our culture that formed us, and that culture requires improvement, always.
Korean American Identity and Culture --- 문화와 자아, 자아와 문화
We're constantly making life-determining decisions, and those decisions are in turn shaping and clarifying what kind of person we are. The question becomes why and how we are making the decisions we make. Everybody has one's own personality. Every group has its own group-think. A city, a state, a country, a cultural zone has its own flavor and flair. In other words, all human affairs have distinct cultures, and whatever that were the basis of that culture largely determines the fate of that particular human affair. Culture is a very crucial factor in determining the quality of our life. Let's find out what is my and our culture is, and find out that I and we are on the desirable trajectory in the journey of life, and in the U.S.A.
I) Facts on the ground --- 우리 자신의 발견
1) Where are we coming from?
2) How are we handling the each unique situation?
3) What are the unique situations?
II) Understanding the Facts --- 우리 형성의 요인
1) different cultural zones
2) financial, moral, educational, and familial infrastructure
3) understanding different cultures in the multicultural country and the world
III) Finding the Way Forward --- 우리 미래의 창조
1) the goals of an individual
2) collective goal
3) the vision
4) what is living well?
오늘의 목적은 좀더 밝은 미래를 위해 지금 무엇을 해야 될 것인가에 서로 머리를 모아 보자는것 입니다.
This is a part of the project, FINDER; fresh insight, new dialogue, enduring responsibility.
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