The impact of even the smallest change in our lives is bigger than we perhaps perceive. A campaign last year, joined by about 200,000 SK Telecom customers, saved some 10 million won (US$10,000) by using less costly electronic transactions rather than printed paper phone bills. The money was used toward the disabled.
In the 1990s, a movement was launched in Britain encouraging students to "adopt" a certain part of the land and take care of the site. The Earth Adoption Project became a worldwide movement. At a kindergarten in Britain, children adopted an abandoned playground and cleaned up the site. They raised narcissus and other flowers there, and even put on a performance to raise money to buy new wastebaskets.
This kind of practice is not particularly difficult. Start at home. For instance, let’s turn off television this week. If we turn off the "idiot box," we will see our families. Let’s eat without light. Then we will understand ordeals of the blind. Let’s not buy anything today. Then we will be able to reflect on our consumerist lifestyle.
The aformentioned kind of civic movements are springing up more often in South Korean society, and this series, titled the "Alternative Lifestyle White Papers," will follow them. People who want to get involved in progressive works in their community, the environment, in the area of human rights, education, gender equality, and social minorities can begin by making small changes in their ordinary lives, changes which our series will cover.
Lawyer Park Won-soon, who is also an executive of Hope Factory, a civic group, said, "Apart from ideological issues," which can become idealistic or unrealistic to implement, "we need small policies and acts that can be applied to real life...We should gather wisdom from ordinary citizens."
Such movements have prompted civic organizations to think about their style of activism. Oh Kwan-young, a civic group official, said, "Civic groups have been operating in the public sector, but it’s time to expand operations to encompass lifestyle, as well."
Kim Ki-sik, an official of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said, "Democratic capability within civic groups has been gradually dwindling. While political and action agendas are important, to sustain progressiveness and reform in our society, progressiveness and reform must be rooted in civic groups themselves."
The Alternative Lifestyle White Papers series will hopefully confirm that the more people that consider altering their lifestyles, the better the future to come, mirroring the monk Venerable Dobeop’s remark, "If you hope for world’s peace, you should render yourself as peace."
[Campaign] Small lifestyle changes can make all the difference |
