Korean Fortune Telling

There’s a cafe near my place that offers over-priced coffee, lavish furniture and, at this particular place, free fortune telling. The outside is overly garrish. The bright red paint and gold trim distracts you from the 1950's American theme, which is totally lost upon most customers. Once you find your seat, a waiter comes to your table, takes your order and then presents you with a list of fortune telling options. We could choose from tarot cards, palm reading and "Saju" or "사주" (which uses your birth year, month, day and hour to predict why you’re so darn special). We opted for the latter.

Ten minutes later our coffee arrived and shortly thereafter, a chubby man in his mid-thirties approached the table, opened his collapsible chair and plopped down. He started by asking 고s birth information and then referred to a old, tea-stained book that was filled with ancient Chinese charts. It was in these charts that this man told us what I already knew: that this type of thing is what douche bags do for money. He tried his best to sound official, but it was just a waste of time. He told me that I don’t have any women in my life and that I had to marry a Korean woman because I couldn’t find a woman in the States. Luckily, I have been in Korea long enough to realize that this is a stereotype of foreigners, so I didn’t take much offense. He also told me that I needed more sleep, should exercise more and eat better. So, he told me things that ALL people need to improve about themselves and that makes him “gifted”. Garbage. It reminds me of that South Park episode where they are making fun of John Edward. “I’m getting an “em” or a “na” sound”.

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고 seemed to like it though. Of course, she says she doesn’t believe in the stuff, but was jazzed enough to try it again after we left the café. In Gangnam, these little tents are all over the place. There are at least 8 separate places I can go to have my fortune read in my neighborhood alone. So again, we braved the cold and set out to find another place. I guess we were going on a cross-checking mission to see if the facts and methods of the two snake oil salesmen were similar. I have always protested going to these places. Some of my students go to these places and the information they receive dictates their decision-making heavily (especially among women). Before this, I had always imagined that 고 and I would go in there and the little racist woman would look at me, make some bogus claim about how bad I am or that we’re not a good match and that that info would be stored somewhere deep in 고s psyche, only to come out during an argument. Of course, that was when we were only dating. Now, I don’t care as much. I’ve already hooked her.

I digress……This specific tent was quite small and sported a big sign that read “사주 3,000원”. Fair enough. We opened the plastic zipper door and entered the gas heated booth which, of course, reeked of propane. I tried to unzip the door and vent a little after we sat down, but was quickly corrected by the wily fortune teller. The fumes were so thick and acrid that my eyes were suffering as much as my lungs. She started the same way as the last guy: birth year, month etc… I tried to look as pleasant and friendly as possible in hopes of getting a positive review.

She started with 고. She said that 고 wouldn’t work with a Korean guy, might obstruct people who own their own business and will be better off living outside of Korea. I guess I should have taken that as an endorsement, but it really sounded like a differently worded version of the “can’t hack it” stereotype that the other guy said about me.

Then she moved onto me. She started with my vast intellect and other equally schmoozy traits, but then went right in for the kill. She also claimed that and I quote (and translate), “You do not and have not ever had a girl in your life.” I asked her to expound a little more and what she said actually made a little sense. My wife and I did a little reflecting and discovered that maybe they’re not too far off. I prefer male friends. She was not saying that I’ve never had women who were important to me, but that since I have only one woman who is important to me, I tend to push all other females away. This is true. If I think about it, I have forged most of my close friendships with males. This works for with my marriage as well. My wife, for instance, is a guy’s girl or a man’s woman. She does better with males than females and since most of my friends are males, it’s a good match. Still, this woman didn’t know that. She was just going for the “can’t hack it” stereotype and luckily I filled in the gaps myself.

The woman also said I would be rich by 41 and that 고 and I needed to have start having kids next year. I like the rich part, but there is no chance of babies though and I’m pretty sure that we both agree that 3 years will the best time to start popping them out.

Most Koreans, when asked (by me), say that they don’t believe in this type of thing. I think most Americans would say the same thing. But you’re telling me that in Gangnam alone, hundreds of people are lining up at these places, waiting for an hour in the cold, just to hear something that they don’t believe in? If I were to look at the demographics of those in line, I would say that 85% of them are under 30 and most of them are with their significant other. They are there looking for something and it’s not “just fun” as I so often hear.

Which brings me to my final thought: These fortune-telling women swing a lot of power --much more than they know. And in a nation where people are searching for reasons NOT to like the person they’re on a blind date with, I have to wonder just have many relationships these women have ruined.

Oh and by the way, it cost of 20,000원. What a douche.

Obama and McCain at Saddleback

If you were watching the friendly patty-cake like event that took place at Rick Warrens mega church in sunny California, you either saw a very genuine Barack Obama or a very quick-thinking John McCain. If watched the event twice then you saw an authentic Barack Obama in a somewhat politically hostile environment or John McCain giving a stump speech (which was against the rules).

"John McCain, who has been deemed a “maverick" for years, played the part well and seemed not to play by Warren's guideline. Instead, he took the opportunity during the discussion, carried live by cable news networks, to stick hard to the message he's been driving across the country since running for president. Almost none of the lines or stories were new, but McCain jumped from sharp, brief answers to weaving through his tried-and-true anecdotes, many of which his audience, and Warren, seemed to have never heard before."

And finally, if you watched it three times then you saw Barack Obama dodging pro-life questions and would have started to think that John McCain was not in a silent room, but in fact privied to the questions beforehand.

All in all I think that the forum did not offer too much insight into either candidates religious convictions, rather it was a tease of how the debates are going to be. Obama appeared cool and did well within the confines of the preset conditions of avoiding a stump speech. McCain answered all the questions well and appeased his base, but did not show anything besides well-rehearsed talking points.

However, I cannot spin this as a win. It was not a loss though. Obama showed his true self, but he did so in a vexxing manner that did not sink into the less-complex crowd at the Saddleback mega-churh. McCain, however, did connect with them by relaying personal stories of heroism and failed marriage. If I were to give each candidate a rating, I would give Obama a B and McCain an A-. While the media will use this event as more "Why can't Obama close the deal?" garbage, the numbers will not move in any one's direction. Why?

As pun-ish as it sounds, McCain was preaching to the choir. He summed up his entire existence with with his catch phrases and appealed to his base. He did not win any new voters. In fact, he made it very difficult for those women on the fence to cross to his side with his anti-choice mantra.

I think that this event was some proof the Obama will destroy McCain in the debates.

My reasons are as follows:

1. The Religious forum took place on the same day as Michael Phelps breaking the record for most Gold Medals at an Olympics in the history of the sporting event. If you look at all the news wires that is the big story, not a critique of performances of the presidential candidates. Bottom Line: This provided Obama with general election debate experience, on a day when the forum was not the big story.

2. The one group that was following this event closely and are in a position of influence were the pundits in the MSM. All the performance did was raise the bar for the undecided evangelical crowd for McCain's debate performances in October. The pressure on him will be intense and it will be especially difficult for him to tamp down expectations. Its very rare having an event like this prior to one of the sanctioned presidential debates.

3. Obama now can critique McCain's most recent answer style habits with the moderator (in this case, Warren) and be able to put McCain on the defensive because what we saw from the him were slogans and stand up comedy, not solutions to address the struggles of average Americans. I guarantee that Obama debate prep staff will analyze this video closely and derive some very valuable information from it.

4. Obama was attempting to appeal to a group that was firmly situated in McCain's camp before this event. I feel that moderate evangelicals that want to avoid a Bush third term will focus on the overture by Obama in simply attending this event rather than focus on the style he used. In this case his mere presence as a Democratic nominee in a well known evangelical church provides Obama with the unifying message that he has been advocating on the campaign trail.

Again, I am not saying there was a winner or loser in this event. Both candidates approached it differently.

But what about the young, independent minded evangelicals? To many, McCain was indistinguishable from Bush in his answers and I have to believe that the intelligent young people who have challenged being used by the "Religious Right" would notice that this is just more of the bellicose, unthinking, unfeeling diatribe and see the stirring differences between Obama and McCain.

McCain, as Pat Buchanan said, "was black and white" and Buchanan presented that as a positive. I think that even the Evangelicals of this country are 'burned out' with the rigidity of this point of view.

To the older evangelicals, Obama did not win tonight, but he lost them when he registered as a Democrat. What he didn't do was lose the young evangelicals. In this respect, Saddleback was just what Obama needed. He appeared more church-like and respectful. He came across as someone who actually went to church. McCain blustered in, with all his prepared answers and didn't look into himself at all. (From what I can gather, most thoughtful people of religion do look into themselves as a primary route to their beliefs and ethics and actions. And they can recognize when someone is not willing or able to look inside themselves.)

The fact that McCain used his POW experience as a feint to take attention away from his inability to be thoughtful/religious/spiritual about the questions that were actually asked, is indicative of his religious shallowness.

To me, Obama came across as a person of faith and McCain came across as a political, glad-handing slick operator. But that was my take. I don't think Obama lost to the group he was trying to appeal, the Matthew 25 Group.

To me, the real loser in this forum was Rick Warren. I went into tonight with curiosity about him and have come away with a bad taste in my mouth. It seemed to me that he repeatedly cut off Obama, who was trying to expand on his answers and hurried him on the questions. And yet, he let McCain go on and on and even took McCain back to the Georgia question. The fact that he didn't rein in McCain the way that he did Obama, showed an egregious lack of balance. I think that was disgusting.

It became evident that he was doing a home shopping network promotion for McCain. I am disgusted with Warren.

Recap: The win/loss scenarios...

McCain won the night by appealing to his older base.
Obama lost the night because he wasn't stumpy enough.

McCain won the night because he made all political points.
Obama lost because he only revealed his faith.

Obama won because he stood up for women's rights.
McCain lost because he made his anti-choice beliefs VERY clear.

Obama won because he appealed to a wider-spectrum.
McCain lost because he raised his faux-evangelical bar too high for October.

Obama won because I like him more.
McCain lost because he's difficult to look at or listen to.

Harmony

In Korea, there exists a connection to the past. It's a harmonious bond that holds on to the past while allowing the pace of modernity to remain constant.



Amidst the backdrop of fashion, people, buildings and globalization, stands an older Korean Buddhist monk. He's clad in the traditional Korean Buddhist red and grey robe. Calmly he walks past old movie posters that are on display in the subway station. He has not seen nor heard of any of the movies. It's a world that he has chosen not to be a part of.




He reaches into his robe and reveals a card which he then proceeds to swipe as he slowly walks through the subway turnstile. He has a clean shaven head, thick glasses and a grin that speaks without words.

He is one of the millions of observing Buddhists in Korea and here he is, riding the backed subway amongst the millions of businessmen, teachers, students, artists, and doctors. The subway doors open and he waits his turn to board. A seat opens, but he just stands there watching the vacant seat. He does not sit. He does not move.

The train comes to a stop and he calmly exits. No one noticed him. No one thought twice about what his presence meant, but he was there and he is part of this society.

A mother and her daughter get out of their new BMW. Mom, in her fashionable pant-suit, is hurrying her nine year old daughter who is typically more reluctant to practicpate in the weekly visits to the temple. It's a dreary day and the sounds and sights of the city are in the background washing away any natural sounds that might be coming from the small patch of nearby trees. She takes her daughters hand and together they walk towards one of the many Buddha statues. The closer they get, the more serious they both get. The whining has stopped and both of them have a more serene expression on their face. They stop in front of a very large white stone Buddha. I watch.



They remove their shoes and bow. It's silent. They're silent. They stand up and walk towards a small monastery where a resident monk is chanting. Inside they bow, light incense and worship. Some time later, they open the decorated wooden doors, walk to their car and join the Seoul traffic that never seems to end and head back to their busy lives.

Korea has an interesting way of blending the new with the old. Many people like to taunt or say that Korea is only 50 plus years old and if they were discussing the political South Korea, then they would be right. South Korea was formed in 1948. However, the Korean people have been here for thousands of years. Koreans are believed to be descendants of Altaic speaking tribes, linking them with Mongolians, Tungusics, Turkics, and other Central Asians. Like most, they started as small hunter and gatherer kin groups. They developed indepently from other peoples and, from that, have an earned deep and rich sense of pride.

Prior to the introduction of Buddhism by the Chinese in the third century, Koreans were mostly Shamanistic. While Korean Buddhism initially enjoyed wide acceptance, even being supported as the state ideology during the Goryeo period, Buddhism in Korea suffered extreme repression during the Joseon dynasty, which lasted for several hundred years. During this period, Neo-Confucian ideology overcame the prior dominance of Buddhism.

The Koreans out-Confuciast the Chinese and as a result Confucianism left it's mark on Korea and is deeply rooted in all facets of Korean culture and stratum.

The pictures I have posted on here show the contrast between the fast-growing Korea and its past.



The hotel in the background in the one that mom will be staying at in May.



It's interesting to me to see a mother and daughter bowing and worshiping like this. Buddhism to me has always been very mysterious, solemn and for some reason, only practiced by those in the rural mountains of Asia. Seeing young people and families practicing their Buddhist faith is so contrary to what I always imagined. The monk walking through the busy subway station is the last location one would expect to see a monk, but there he was.

I think that Korea has an amazing and facinating history. There are so many elements to it and so much has happened on this small peninsula. The Korea that the world knows now really amazes me. Korea melds their history with their future and does it so well. They use the wisdom of the past to guide them through these often treacherous times.