Hyunho Jung/p135 initial draft/Summer Session

A-3. Are there universal good manners? In other words, is there a core of good manners that polite people of all countries recognize? Or are good manners different for each individual culture?

 

Throughout human history, people cultivated many different cultures. Some of the cultures seem similar according to the distance of different civilization, but are mostly very different from one another. There are different styles of courtesy for each culture, too. People use different gestures and tools to pay respect, tribute, and condolences. Sometimes in some culture areas, how people show one's will can mean totally different or opposite in another culture. For example, if we make an Okay sign with our finger, it means three for Chinese and a swear word for Brazilian. And this is where misconceptions happen to each other. People who are not aware of other cultures may upset others even if showing a good will. In other words, it is a matter of style and appearances that conflicts occur, not the contents. In this respect, I believe universal good manners exist. Various it may seem, but the manner shares one idea inside.

Universal manners often can be seen to people who go overseas. When people travel abroad, one of the biggest reasons why they loved their trip and the country they visited is because of the warmhearted citizens at there. I have a personal example to support this. I once visited China when I was little. But I still remember the young lady at the Forbidden City, Beijing who showed her kindness to me. At the time when I have been there, it was in a middle of summertime and was very hot and humid. I was tired too much to sightsee all the travel spots at there. While I was exhausted and taking a rest by sitting on a bench, the lady next told me I look tired and let me grab some small fruits in her plastic bag. I took some apples and grapes and I ate it. I said the Chinese word Xiexie, which means thank you in Mandarin and the only word I know in Chinese at that time. Her face was like you are welcome. I was very grateful for her warm attitude and believed Chinese people are kind. Even though media say a lot of bad things about Chinese until these days, but I still believe their nature is not that bad.

This example shows there are manners that transcend cultural barrier that can move people who came from other culture areas. The woman in my case was nice to me and I could notice easily. It is not only just possible to have a courtesy for the people who have different cultural background, but also easy to do so if you have that will. It is because most of humans share all kinds of feelings that we know. Happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, and many other feelings are the things that every human has. In this respect, manners can be expressed to any person and make people moved. 

Hana Lee/chapter5/summer session

                         Each Day is a Miracle

       The Hindu religious leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi said, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." This is an important quotation because it has a great meaning in it. This quote suggests to act upon what we say because this is the only way to be truly free.
      The experience that comes to my mind when I think about this quote is when I used to always complain to my mother how small our house was or how few clothes I had. I never thought about the struggles my parents faced, I was selfish and I was only concerned of my well-being without considering the sacrifices they were making to make my life comfortable. I had an unforgettable experience when I was very little with my family where we lost almost everything in the fire.
My mom used to own a water refilling station and a laundry shop and that was where we used to eat, sleep, and take showers. One afternoon, there was a fire in the salon next to where we lived. The firefighters came to the rescue. They told everyone in the salon to get out because they needed to put the fire out. For everybody's safety, they also wanted the people in our shops go outside because the walls were closed to the salon. The employees got their bags and ran outside. My Mom grabbed our hands and led us outside. We just ran outside leaving everything in the house. When they had put out the fire, our belongings were still there intact but they were all wet. The electrical circuits especially in the ceilings were all drenched in water and would take more than a month to dry completely before we can use them to run our machines safely. My mom needed to close down her business and we had to find a new place to live.


       I felt affected watching everything for this to happen to our family. I felt worried about so many things. I was worried about my mom's feelings because she had put a lot of time but everything just ended up getting destroyed. I was thinking if we could still continue going to school or stop for a while to meet our family's more urgent needs.
I began to understand what Gandhi meant. This experience made my thoughts and words into one. I learned that I should not just think about myself because there are other people who are having a harder time than I do. I also learned to be grateful for all the blessings I have in my life and that I should live it with a positive attitude.

Inessa Kim/ page 136 the last initial draft :(/ July 6 summer session

    The common three universal good manners, like gratitude, remorse and greeting make people communicate well with each other. I consider these manners are very important in every country and these three things that make everyone in this world civilized and mannerly people. 

  Greeting is an inherent part of communication and is the most important thing when you meet a person. Different countries have different ways to greet people, like waving hands, shaking hands, hugging, kissing or just saying a certain expression. However, the meaning of every greeting is the same: we greet people to show that we give an attention to people, pleased to see them, and wish them all the best. In many countries the expression word for greeting means wishing something good or asking about people's condition. For example, in Russia people say in a formal way "Zdravstvuyte", it means "I wish you a good health". It shows that people really care of a person they greet and they express it with a good intention. 

    When someone receives a gift or a help, they should be thankful for it and express in words or in behavior their gratitude. This is a good manner that is matter-of-course in the world. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for." said the American author Zig Ziglar. In other words, the more you show your gratitude towards people, the more likely they will do a favor to you next time. I agree that gratitude is the healthiest and significant emotion a person can have, and people who are thankful for just a little help they get from me, the more I want to help them.

    Nobody can call themselves good mannered if they do not apologize to people when they hurt someone or make someone feel awkward. Feeling sorry and apologizing for making mistakes is a good manner in every country, and not only for people. Even my dog apologizes when he makes mistakes and upset people, he lowers his head, whines and gives his paw to a person he apologizes. He shows that he does not want to hurt or upset a person and he will be a good mannered boy next time.

    

    In conclusion, the core of good manners, such as being thankful, feeling sorry and greeting people are recognizable for polite people of all countries in the world. And these qualities make people of different countries and different cultures be simillar, be civilized humans.

Tsay Miri/ ch.5, p.136/ summer56

"Happiness is what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony" (Mohandas K. Gandhy, Hindu religious leader and social reformer).

I think the meaning of this saying is difficult to identify at first. However, if we figure it out it may become a golden rule of our lives. In my opinion, Mohandas K.Ghandi wanted to say by this that it is important not to lie to yourself, so that your actions would be coherent with your thoughts. For example, imagine that you decided to go on diet for 2 weeks and lose some weight. You are full of determination and  gave yourself a word that you won't give up. But then after a few days you had a "cheat meal" because you craved for some carbons. You might have thought that a few carbons won't harm but after eating them guilt starts pervading your whole being. Why?  Because you just deceived yourself .You know that you shouldn't have done it because you promised not to. Your actions didn't follow your thoughts and harmony was destroyed, so now you have an internal conflict.

It is not difficult to define whether you live in harmony or not. Are you doing something sneaky when nobody can see you? Do you claim things that you don't believe just because you want to be perceived as someone else? If you answered "yes", probably there are some inconsistencies in your life. Even if it is just a small thing like example that I provided above it is necessary to work on it. The smaller incongruities are probably no more than small cracks in a foundation. But you wouldn't buy a house with cracks in foundation. Things and actions that do not coexist in harmony confuse us and lead to a very negative consequences.

Nevertheless, life is complicated and sometimes we have no choice but to lie to ourselves and to others for better purpose. Good example can be manners and politeness. I think that there are universal good manners that all encourage white lie to some extent. We lie to others because we don't want to hurt other people's feelings. But it is not that easy to define the boundaries of the white lie. Sometimes we think that we deceive because we want to protect the person from unpleasant truth, but is it always the case? I think that many times people just afraid of the consequences for themselves and reaction of others if they know the truth. As far as I am concerned I believe that white lie is acceptable when we truly care for others. Only that way we can maintain more or less stable harmony within ourselves and others.

In my short essay I wanted to provide a personal perspective on the saying of M.K. Ghandy. I want to conclude that we should always make efforts to become a better people for ourselves and others. It is important to know when you can tell white lie and when you should act coherently with your thoughts. That way you will be able to change yourself and influence others for better lives.  

Kim, Jusung / p135 Ch5 Pt5 A-1 / 2017 Summer Session Prose & Paragraphs

A Universal Courtesy?

             Culture is an interesting thing because it changes all the time. Cultures are often considered an old thoughts or customs, but some of them are surprisingly new when we search the origin of it. For example, a traditional kimchi used to be a salted white cabbage, not the red kimchi we know today. Likewise, tradition and culture is not an old, fixed rule but something fluent and changing. A biblical saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is widely accepted today in the world. Western and Confucius society had been separated for a long time and believed in different norms. In Korea, we have golden rules similar and different from western countries as well. However, as culture and tradition change, golden rules change as well to be more similar to one another.

             Jesus' teaching in Luke chapter six verse thirty-one tells us to treat other people as you want to be treated. In Korea, there is a similar saying, "Nice words for Nice words." Also, there also is a Chinese Confucius four character idiom, "역지사지(易地思之)," which means "Think in the other's shoes," widely used in Korea. It is surprising to find similar ideas from different cultures. These ideas differ in small parts, but have a same way because they all tell people to consider others for the sake of them and themselves.

             In Korea, age is something big when it comes to treating each other. We use honorifics to each other when we meet a stranger or order person. Even though someone is just a year older than you, you will have to use a respect form of speech. Because of Korean's way of counting age, you sometimes have to use honorific even though the counterpart is only a month older. However, culture always changes as mentioned before, so this norm is loosening nowadays. If someone gets any closer to another, they tend to use informal speech soon.

             Although the golden rule faded, it is still widely accepted to respect the stranger. For example, people will be offended if a stranger just starts speaking without using respective form. The degree of change differs from regions also. People in country towns will be much more conservative and slow to change than people in major cities. For instance, people are different in Seoul from my hometown which is a small town near the west coast. I tend to say hello to all the elders I meet in the street back in my town, but I never do so in Seoul unless I know the person.

             The way people treat each other is changing especially in the cities where people are more changeable and progressive than people in the country. Seoul citizen's way of life is becoming more individualized recently which means they are more westernized. Korea's culture or thoughts used to be a collectivism. They used to value the society more than themselves. For example, Koreans gathered gold when the economic crisis broke out in 1997 to help the country rise again. Therefore, the culture or golden rules are different in Korea from western countries where Christian beliefs are mostly taken as a golden rule, but it is now changing and resembling each other as it is twenty-first century right now.

Dong Heui Kim/Page 135 First Draft/Summer Writing

Compare your culture's golden rule to the Biblical one: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Every culture has a distinct ethical belief which contributes in shaping the nation and people for centuries. Ethical rules exist for humans' moral sense and social order. It can share similar ideas among cultures but are can be quite different due to the historical influence that has taken place in certain culture. Jesus left his words to his sermons, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This became a golden rule and is a common principle shared world widely. Also, Korea has its own golden rule known as, 'Elders first(장유유서)' which is constantly becoming problematic.

    Biblical golden rule is from Jesus and he taught people to treat others in a way they want to be treated. Even though this is Christian principle, all the other religions conform to it because they acknowledge the importance and change it will bring. By showing kindness to someone without any expectation, the person will return it back. Very simple, but not a common thing one can notice. However, it gives a fair sense of equality since it can be applied to anyone. This starts all the universal manner or etiquettes to show courtesy towards people. That is why most westerners happen to be polite in terms of greetings and gratitude, being careful not to offend anyone.

    Confucianism is deeply rooted down in Korean history and has influenced majorities in people and cultural norms. This created the idea of Elders first and has become one of the most crucial principle Koreans have to keep in mind. It basically means there are social order and rule between young and old. Youngster must always respect the elders and have courtesy towards them. It was fine at the beginning but the meaning of it gradually changed time after time. Old people take the authority and manners for granted and condemn young people who do not seem to behave well. It is not only some, but the societal atmosphere is demanding sacrifice and respect from the young. For instance, my friend, Ji Hyo, was on her way to meet her boyfriend. She wore a blue dress she bought with me before and got on a bus. Then an old man who was sitting beside her began to criticize her fashion, starting with words like, 'Kids these days are not ashamed of their looks! Girls especially, they never know how cheap they look with short bottoms..." He was talking to himself but loud enough to make Ji Hyo mad. She told the man he does not have any right to say those things, but the man cut her words and shouted how rude it is to talk back to the elder. Everyone in the bus looked at them and the guy kept saying my friend is not educated enough and young people should always listen and never talk back to old people because they are more wise and have more life experiences. Ji Hyo could not say anything as no one tried to help her so she got out of the bus. Referring to this event, absolute respect our society requires from the young is completely wrong.

    Golden rules can benefit society and human as a whole but possibly has side effects. It is meant to arrange social conflicts and is indispensable in cultures. Rules just have to be managed in a degree just in case it brings about other relevant problems like the one mentioned above in Korea's case. I am sure that the Principle of elders first has started off with good intent; it just went too far in one way.

 

Kim Chaeha/Ch.5 first draft/summer 56

 

3. Think back to the discussion on page125 about universal manners. Answer these questions in your essay: Are there universal good manners? In other words, is there a core of good manners that polite people of all countries recognize? Or are good manners different for each individual culture?

 

Are There Universal Good Manners?

             Every country in the world has its own manners and most people try to keep the good manners. Although some manners are limited to certain cultures, there sure are manners that are applied universally. I want to introduce three general manners that all responsible citizens know.

             First, we greet each other whenever we meet someone. I think this is the most common manner in the world. Every country has different styles of greeting but to say hello is a common fact. I can see people always greet each other whether they see first time or again. This is not only natural in our country but also in other countries. I have been to the Philippines, Japan, and Germany and people in all these countries greeted me even though they did not know me. At then, I thought that greeting someone is a thing that we first learn and becomes one of human's basic manners.

             Second, we tend to appreciate anything we get. People say thank you from small things like having some candies to big things like receiving help in emergency. We also give thanks when we get services. For example, in restaurants or in beauty salons, I say thank you all the time when servers bring me foods or a hairstylist cut my hair. They provide us invisible forms of help and we feel grateful for them. Whether the aids are material or not, people find it in their heart to appreciate what they receive.

             Finally, it is about table manners. We all humans eat and there are things to be done with people who eat together. Smacking one's lips, blowing one's nose, or burping at the table can make the others unpleasant. One day, I went to a fine restaurant with my family and was having an enjoyable meal until I heard an irritating snap sound at regular intervals. The sound was made by an old man who had a neat appearance and ended when he finished eating. We learn table manners as well as greeting manners from kindergarten. It means that when we are having a meal with other people, it is important to behave gently.

             In conclusion, I listed greeting, appreciating, and eating properly as three universal manners. Although there is a difference to some extent between country and country, it is equally common in regard to respecting others. Therefore, we should not forget others have the same rights as us and be polite to other people anywhere and at any time.

Dooseok Lee / P.136 / Summer writing

Golden Rules in Korea, Do They Still Exist?

 

             Many decades ago, Korea was known for courtesy and respect for elders. People had their own golden rules such as being polite to those who are older than them. They also had a kind of affection and kindness (in Korea also called '정'), which led people to be more considering for other people. However, time has passed and the golden rules seem to fade away. What are causing Koreans to lose their golden rules?

             The first reason for golden rules in Korea to disappear is the gap between the old and the young. Old people grew up knowing that respecting elders and politeness is a must. However, young people these days seem to think differently. Although they share the notion that elders should be respected, they don't really act like the people in the past did. Rather, some of them find the golden rule strange because in other countries, the old and elder people are considered to have the same rights, not superior. They are respected under the same rule and viewpoints that young people are. Also, some people in their 20s or 30s tend to disrespect elders because they have different political viewpoints. These differences between old people and younger ones are making golden rules in Korea weaker and weaker.

             Individualism that's spreading in Korea can be the second reason for disappearance of golden rules. Koreans nowadays tend to act on their interest more than before. Few decades ago, as I remember, people were far more polite and cared for others. For example, we lived in an apartment and everyone in the building knew their names and ages, and cared for each other. This kind of bond between people brought good impression on the society. However, now, we don't even know who lives next door. We seldom say hi to our neighbors. I believe that this kind of situation happened because people now think that personal interest and privacy is more important than building bonds and respecting other people.

             Now that the golden rules are getting weaker, other rules might replace current ones. Maybe being personal and not caring for other people, and never do any harm to them could be the new notion to replace the present one. However, I think it's important to learn lessons from golden rules. There is no reason for us to be completely different from before. If we try to build some kind of connectedness between the old and the young, then we could maybe have a chance to develop our golden rules to even better ones.

Park So Yeon/Chapter 5 initial draft/ Summer Session 56

Essentially, It's all the same

             Recently, in a Korean TV show called "Abnormal Summit", the panels from around the world discussed etiquettes travelers need to know. Unlike Korea, in China, touching a child's head is unacceptable because people think it brings bad luck and in Japan, speaking inside the subway is rude behavior. Like these, there are different manners people follow according to different cultures. However, I believe universal good manners exist because fundamentally, the good manners share the same attribute.

             Before elaborating why universal good manners exist, the first step is to find out what they are. When I say "universal good manners", I don't mean something grand. Rather, I am talking about manners that are easily noticeable in our daily lives. For instance, universally, when you hold a door for someone coming behind you, you are considered to have good manners. When you go to a restaurant and you say thank you when the waiter brings you food, you are a person with good manners. On the other hand, if you talk loudly in public places such as subways or in the theatre, you are considered to have bad manners. If you make chewing noises when you're eating or if you talk with your mouth full, the person you were meeting probably won't want to meet you again because of your bad manners. These are some manners that are commonly considered good or bad around the world.

             Then why do universal good manners exist? I believe it exists because regardless of culture, the common attribute behind the examples I have stated above is consideration of others. People hold the door for the next person because they think in that person's shoes. People don't talk loudly in public places because they know it is rude and it disturbs others. Good manners all come out from a good heart that considers other people. Then why do people consider other people? I believe this is because we want to get along with others. Humans are social beings and in order to belong to a society or group, it is crucial to get along with other members within that society. If people act in a way they don't respect or consider others, it is only natural they get ostracized by the members in the society. Since humans all share the same idea that they want to belong somewhere, they choose to have good manners and this is why I think there are certain good manners that are common around the world.

             In conclusion, although there are some differences according to culture, universal good manners still exist around the world. The core of the universal good manners is the desire to fit into a society.

Ji Hwan Kim/Chapter 5 Initial draft/summer 56

Different country, Different manners

 

 All of people in the world stress that we should be polite when we meet other people. Then, how can we become courteous person? Is it same the way that we act politely to someone both in United States and in Korea? So we should be careful when we face other people in other country. Some action can be courteous behavior in Korea, but it can be also rude attitude in USA. Then why each country has different good manners? History of individual country and culture make the differences.

 

 First, each country has different history. History can decide that some action become polite or impolite behavior. For example, some for Korean sometimes ask about other people's ancestor when they think they become friendly. It is just one of the questions that we can ask to our friends. And asking ancestor of friends can show our interest to them. So it can be polite action. However If we do same thing in Australia, people must think we are rude. Why Australian hate to ask their ancestors? Their history explains about it. Many of Australian's ancestors were in the British lower class (such as farmer, criminal). They escaped from the Britain for rich life in a new world. And they founded Australia. For this reason, question about ancestor is bad manner in Australia.

 

 If you believe that there are universal good manner, you may overlook the cultural differences between countries. All of countries of the universe have their own culture.

It is many cultural differences between USA and Korea. Korea has oriental culture and USA has occidental culture. In eastern countries such as Korea, Japan and China, communicating with neighbors was very important. Because these countries are based on the society of community. But USA have personal social. So they decide differently what a good manner is. For example, when new neighbors come next to us in Korea, we firstly greet to them and give something to eat like rice cake that means welcome. It is a good manner to our new neighborhood in Korea. However, people don't care about new neighbor in USA, because they are more independent than Korean. So they don't try to interfere with them. This case shows that cultural differences make different polite behavior.

 

 When we go to the other lands, we should know about their history and culture. Without knowing them, we may act rude action in front of other people. But, if we study them, we can have good time with foreigner. Some of action could be universal good manners, but most of courtesy have differences in each individual countries.

 

 

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Sunkyo Kang / pg 136 / summer writing

Having Manners: No No Manners

             Every culture has its own golden rules which is shaped throughout generations and has become the norm. For example, in the Korean culture, people tend to avoid causing harm or inconvenience to the people around them. Also, since age is an important factor, it is the norm to respect elderly people. The Korean golden rule may somewhat be similar to the Biblical one: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" which is the most standardized rule. However, nowadays, people are more likely to be inattentive to their surroundings. Therefore, it is different from the Biblical golden rule because realistically, even if they do not show manners, they try not to be impolite to others and do not expect much manners from others.

             We get to notice in public transportations especially in buses or subways where there are seats for the disabled, pregnant, and the elderly. Even throughout the world, showing some respect for the elderly may be a universal manner. However, Koreans are more sensitive to age. It is almost a must to make seats for them if they are standing but nowadays not many people tend to yield seats due to some misuses of this. Once I have heard from the news that an old woman asked a young, healthy man in his twenties for directions and has asked him to lead her the way. It was a street and as soon as they arrived, about three men were waiting to kidnap the man—human trafficking. We are not supposed to always have a pessimistic view but these freaky incidents did happen. Therefore, the golden rule which is must show respect to elderly is changing and people are beginning to not show too much respect.

             If you "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," you would probably be gazed by people, meaning it is sometimes regarded as over-exaggeration. There are many kind people with good manners and show respect to others of whom they do not even know. However, most people have become not to cause harm and also not to show enough manners. This may not be selfish because trying not to cause inconvenience can also be viewed as having manners. For example, if a person did not cause any inconvenience to you, then you would not think that the person has no manners and also you would even most probably not think that the person has manners. Either way, that person becomes nothing to you but if that person did try not to cause any harms, then the person has showed manners to you. Not causing harms may be an obvious norm but there are many who do not know that they are causing inconvenience.

             It may sound funny where the logic is that not causing any interference to others can also be viewed as having manners, but it is becoming the norm. Doing unto others as you would have them doing unto you may not be the golden rule in Korea. Obviously, there are more people with good manners but due to the minority who do not even recognize it as bad manners, people just try to be themselves. Also, too much manners can create an awkward situation and sometimes even lead to a dangerous situation. Therefore, instead of trying to show manners, just try not to cause harm or disturbance to others.

YUN JUNG HWAN/ chapter 5 first draft/ summer 56

      I think courtesy is a way to maintain the close relationship with others and make people to interact more smoothly. To keep the relation stable, we have to consider other's mood. In this respects, being courteous means "Do not hurt other's feeling.", and this can be the general definition of courtesy in our society. There might be common manners that run through the cultures, but the criteria to good manner can be diverse in each society.

      First, saying about common things of courtesy, the politeness to other people would be necessary in most of our society. For instance, we often say "Thank you" for people's kindness, say "sorry" for our bad behavior or for our mistakes. These are kind of politeness and that most of us think as a general meaning of good manner. Using politeness words can makes other people feel they are regarded and this can be the ultimate purpose of courtesy. Similarly, lying to someone, especially, "white lie" is a good example of courtesy. The white lie has same intention as to politeness words, it is aim to do not displease someone you have close relations. We often lie to our friends to keep up the friendship. For example, we can say "You well dressed" or "I perfectly agree to your opinion", as we do not have such a feeling though. Actually saying the truth would be more helpful to counterparts, but we cover up the truth for our stable relationship. I think this is the actual feature of courtesy nowadays. In some ways, it seems like hypocritical aspect in our society.

      However, the meaning of courtesy have things in common, but this can be different over the culture. Different criteria exist within culture, different by person by person and the extent of politeness can also different. For example, both in Korea and Japan, people use honorific words to express their manner, but Japan use more honorific titles to seniors than Korea. There also a gap between individuals. When we were young, we learn politeness from parents, in our family. However, we learn about courtesy in different style, as each person has own standards to which behavior is courteous. Someone believe that saying frankly would  have mutual benefit to each other, but someone think this is not always the best way. This is the matter of difference in values and difference in teaching method of each family. However, the value of individuals are not same, but they have same intention for these politeness behaviors.

      We can say the purpose of good manner is for maintaining our relationship. By using politeness words and white lie, we can make people please and more favorable to us. This is the main point of nowadays courtesy. The form of courtesy can have difference between culture and individuals, but the intention of that action that would be equivalent. On the other hand, It seems like the real sense of good manner has been vanished, but it is always the core value in our society.    

Kim taekmin / Chapter 5 initial draft / Summer 56

Happiness; balance between your thoughts, words, and actions

 

Hindu religious leader and social reformer Mohandas K. Gandhi said something like this, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." I think this quotations gives us good suggestion of a way to perceive what happiness is.

What is happiness? Happiness is the feeling of being happy, and this is the thing that everybody seeks throughout their lives. Some may seek happiness in a wrong way, obsessed with money, work or something material, and they seem not happy at all. However, I think those people are also pursuing happiness, but the problem is that they don't realize that they are heading for the wrong way. They became obsessed to materials because materials make them feel better, but it would last for a moment. We sacrifice our happiness to achieve happiness and we tend to focus more on the result, but why not seek happiness in the process too?

I think this quotation shows us a way to seek happier life, and it also gives us the standard to examine if we are closer to happiness or not, which is making us think about balancing what we think, say, and do. For example, when you want to eat the cholate cake in front of you, but you can't because you're on a diet. In this case, you wouldn't be happy. However, if you want the cake and you eat the cake then you will feel happy. In other cases, it would be same, if your thoughts, words, and actions contradicts each other it would be hard for you to have happiness. I think this quote is good because it reminds us of this.

Kim Keunho (201200283)/ chapter 5 first draft / summer session

Topic: Compare your culture's golden rule to the biblical one: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." // Are there universal good manners? In other words, is there a core of good manners that polite people of all countries recognize? Or are good manners different for each individual culture?

 

Manner make'th man: Is a universal manner really exist?

Kim Keun Ho (201200283, prose & paragraph summer session)

 

Like the bible's saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," so is there old Confucius saying in our culture; "己所不欲, 勿施於人 (don't do something that you don't want others to do on you)." Surprisingly, it's exactly the same as the bible's saying! Korean society has been dominated by Confucianism for more than five centuries and naturally, people's behavior, concepts and values are widely affected by the old school. That old saying originated when Zilu(子路: comparable to Peter), one of Confucius's students asked his master what he can constantly do during the entire life. It seems quite obvious that Asian ancestors also highly valued manners and tried to act politely.

 

Owing to Confucius and his scholarly successors, Korean society is requiring one of the most elaborate, formal and strict rules in the world that should be abided by to be a polite and courteous person. I believe that there's not much difference between the biblical lesson and Confucius maxim. They both have become the basis of many actions or attitudes we call manners and they have infiltrated deeply into societies and people's conscious. In my opinion, it can be said that both western and Asian culture put heavy emphasis on being considerate and yielding to other people.

 

Above I mentioned two matching proverbs. We can figure out from the proverbs that they both presume there's a universal manner in our society. Let's put it simply; if something offends you, others may as well get irritated by it. Basically, even though specific expressions of manner could vary from culture to culture, but still I think that the core essence of them is the same; thinking about other people and being sincere and polite to them. Every types of manner in the globe is based on this idea and I strongly believe that 'universal good manners' actually exist among civilized societies. For instance, basic etiquettes are pretty much the same in most of the cultures (e.g. don't curse or blame others in public, respect your elderlies, keep your promise, etc.). Therefore, I think it reasonable to claim that qualifications to obtain a positive reputation-a courteous and mannerly person-are universal and general among countries in the world.

 

   Now, let me wrap up here. Two proverbs from the bible and Confucianism give us exactly the same lesson; be considerate to others and be polite. They are assuming that people have common sense about being polite and rude and in reality, we see that people's conceptions about good manners are pretty much the same, both within and across cultures. Therefore, we can conclude that there's universal and general good manners in the world, although specific expressions of manners can differ. 

Inessa Kim/ page 110 initial draft/ July 4 summer session

A good worker for such manager as me...

There are a lot of standards of being a good worker, such as working hard, having a lot of experience, showing a high quality, being responsible etc. However, in my opinion, a good worker is also a person who can get along with co-workers and create a good atmosphere at work. Along with friendly atmosphere, a good worker should also create a trust between co-workers. Also, I like when people stay motivated and show their best, it motivates other people around them and improves teamwork.

So, the first thing I consider important in the working place is a friendly atmosphere. I would like my workers feel free to talk to each other, joke, and spend time together during the breaks. It will make the team work cohesively and make a success for a company. When there is a mutual support between co-workers, there will be more chance for progress. For example, my father works more than 10 years in a company and he says his co-workers make his work more interesting and meaningful. Such close relationship between team workers lets him feel comfortable and never feel the pressure of bad atmosphere. A good atmosphere helps him to focus on tasks and do his best, because he is sure he works in a place where he is needed and liked.

    Another good thing that I will appreciate in my workers is being frank to each other. It is important to tell people their mistakes and help them to fix their problems. Good workers will improve themselves and their co-workers, so it will develop the company and bring profits. Also being honest with people can prevent misunderstanding and improve relations at work. I think the advice by Albert Einstein "Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters" is needed to be considered seriously by team workers who want to be professional and successful.

And the last thing I consider important in good workers is a good motivation. Motivated people believe in what they do and know the reason why they need to do something; they know the significance of their work and it makes them work harder. That is why I think workers should always be motivated and show a good example for others.

I am sure that bringing to workers good atmosphere, motivation and honesty will make them like and appreciate their work. A happy worker is a good worker, so if I were a manager, I would like to work with a team who satisfied with their work and happy to work with me. With such team I am sure I can create a good company and make it succeed.