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[Editorial] Family

Posted May. 02, 2005 23:57,   

한국어

We are now embracing May, the month of family. When we had a hard time making a living, every day was reserved for family. With strong intimacy among family members sprouting in small but cozy houses, we were dreaming of good days in which we could enjoy gorgeous foods together in our own large houses. Now that we have achieved this dream materialistically, we have lost another important thing: family intimacy.

Today, it is not a rare case to see fragmenting families that have no communication among family members. Considering the fact that the development of information technology has enabled contemporaries to enjoy unlimited, mass, and simultaneous communication, such family patterns are quite paradoxical. The more people spend time watching TV and working on computers, the less time they have for family communication.

The collapse of the family may be an inevitable result of today’s lifestyles: workaholic fathers, paid worker mothers, and kids obsessed with college entrance exams. However, those who are proud of good family atmosphere say that the problem has other causes: the lack of attention paid to other members and the negligence of their roles as family members. For problem-solving, they argue that a consistent effort among family members is very important.

A few days ago, one elementary school located in Daejeon held a night athletic meeting for parents who were unable to participate in the regularly scheduled meeting due to their working hours. This initiative was quite successful because as many as 80 percent of the students enjoyed the meeting together with their fathers. On the other hand, one civic group launched a campaign for the improvement of family communication under the slogan: “Getting Away from TV and Closer to Love.” The campaign calls for not watching TV at least one week—which started yesterday.

However, it is nonsense to expect the complete enhancement of family relationships just by running together with children one day and not watching TV for a week. The answer lies in sincere communication among family members, endless attention to one another, and thoughtful consideration to other family members. This will, in the end, improve family intimacy and eliminate the causes that debilitate family solidarity.

To celebrate the month of the family, a variety of programs are waiting for you. Let’s go out with our kids and enjoy fresh verdure of May, which is getting mature as quickly as our kids are growing.