Korean Religion, Culture, and History | Anton Scholz 

finally we have money! lol good conversation!

Really enjoyed listening to this interview. Anton, thank you for addressing some very important topics related to Korean society which are not so openly discussed in Korea publicly. You do it very well, with respect but also with the honesty it needs. I will definitely read your book. And thanks, David for organizing this dicussion. Great listen!

Just before the 1 hour mark when the discussion is about the golden rule, I also heard a similar variation from another psychologist, Dr. Jordan Peterson: _"Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping"_ I understand what you were implying by "Treat yourself as nicely as you do to others" as it may be necessary for some people who are too agreeable or self-deprecating. However, if we look at ourselves as someone we're responsible for helping, then it's not just about being kind to ourselves, but also employing self-accountability along with self-encouragement as circumstance would see fit. The discussion on Korean History was the best part of the episode for me. It was so refreshing to hear a non-politically correct analysis of Korea's dogmatic education on its history. I attended school in Korea until 3rd grade before immigrating to the US, but even at that early stage, the indoctrination of 독도&동해 was firmly rooted in me. It took YEARS of personal reflection and intellectual honesty/curiosity to even begin unraveling the brainwashing. Studying European history in the 18th&19th century, and understanding how nationalism was used by the heads of state to power their imperial ambitions and ultimately leading to the destruction in the 20th century, I fear that Korea today is on a similar trajectory of those European powers. It seems like every year, we get more dramas and movies about the colonial period, or 임진외란, not from a place of genuine desire to preserve history but to enrage the populace and stoke the flames of nationalism. Korea needs to be more sensible in their approach to Korea-Japan relations. There was a line from President Yoon's talk at the Kennedy School shortly after his inauguration that I found most commendable. To roughly paraphrase it, it went something like "The notion that our country (Korea) cannot budge an inch towards remediation unless Japan has utterly surrendered to all of our demands is an untenable position". I really enjoyed the other parts of the episode regarding Buddhism and happiness too. I wonder if you will or have talked about Korean Christianity with an expert. Christianity has had such a massive influence on helping to create certain social and moral structures in even pre-colonization Korea but it has fallen from grace in modern times. I hope you and the family had a great time in Vietnam and thank you for a fantastic episode!

"If we live in fear of other people's opinions, we are no longer living in a Democracy." As an American living through "interesting" times, that *really* resonated with me. All I can say is WOW, my entire nation just got schooled by a German & a Brit living in Korea.

@antonscholz9891 Mr. Scholz, I enjoyed hearing your views on Buddhism in Korea. I have practiced meditation for a number of years, but it is quite different from Zen, mindfulness. It's focus is on the heart and centered around the concept of pranauti. However, I have been to the Seon Temple at Hwagyyesa. I think there could be much more gained by more people exploring and discussing the various paths of meditation and practical philosophy. I hope to see more of your thoughts and experience shared with others in Korea. May your practice be joyful.

I am a Canadian. I grew up in a small rural community in 80 and 90s. I moved to Korea in 2002. I loved how the small Canadian community supported the town through dads and moms being the coaches, leaders, and teachers for every one who chose to be active in the community. We were a bunch a small fish in a small community. As a man, I look back to my memories and sense there was a lot of good, truth, and beauty there. I can’t speak for it now, but I do miss it. Korea was fun because I could get lost in the chaos of Seoul. It isn’t as fun anymore.

I haven't been able to see the whole episode yet, but I did skip to the end and was astonished to hear Anton Scholz's last line: "Discussion culture is not a big thing in Korea." Why is that? This is a topic on its own that should be more deeply examined. After the death of Lee Sun-kyun, I was surprised how little public discussion there was of the aspects of Korean culture at work in this tragedy. But Scholz's last line seems to imply that self-examination on a collective level is somehow avoided in Korea. Why is that? I think that a program like yours is a model that Koreans might emulate to address the issues of the day.

Really excellent trialog. Interesting perspectives are shared throughout the video.

I really enjoyed this interview. It is always rewarding to hear from different viewpoints. I can not help but feel that with all peoples and countries around the globe when it comes to a history that is less than desirable at its best to heinous at its worst..just because you do not like to hear about it does not make it any less true.

I recently moved to a bigger place in the hopes of spending more social time at home. I love going out but there is a certain relaxation I feel only when home. It was hard in a small studio, but now with an extra room, I hope it will be a regular thing. Very interesting points about Korean home life such as the indoor cloths they change into! And living in Seoul vs having a bigger apt. I think here in Busan has a good balance of lots of stuff to do with a decent cost of living.

Excellent talk. I learned so much here. Thank you to you all. I agree so much with Anton and all of you. So impressed about Anton’s Korean language level too! Such an inspiration. But if there is something I disagree with Anton on is his criticism of Korean Gen z. I think it’s slightly unfair. I’m a teacher myself and, although I don’t teach Korean youth, I know that young people’s resilience is not something that should be automatically expected, but encouraged and nurtured. Yes, the old generation of Koreans are resilient, but they are also inflexible, intolerant and patriarchal. Gen Z is not like that. They have other influences and they should be given the opportunity to flourish, speak and create. They have gone through that gruelling education system in Korea and they have been exposed to such contradictory messages from East and West… I think these guys need time to breathe, travel, explore… Gen Z women have opportunities that their mothers could not have dream of: Isn’t it a bit unfair blaming these young people for being “too soft” when in reality we want them soft enough to make those educational changes in South Korea that prioritise wellbeing and compassion over gruelling prescriptive memorising and inflexible mindset?

First of all I want to say that ANTON is a nice name, I like it, it reminds me of Superman. Dictatorship has been a scourge for a very long time, especially in former poor countries Colonialism, whether inherited situationally or spontaneously and sporadically, when power transitions and dictatorships occur means that cynics are silenced systematically and more than It has the power to eliminate the feeling of regret and responsibility for all the crimes that have been committed so that people in power are always addicted to evil And cheating whenever he wants without guilt and regret can be seen everywhere, especially poor people, whether at school, employed in public places, they can't defend themselves. The barbarity of the dictators who thirst for obedience and do not tolerate cynicism and undermine the image and the dictators are difficult to communicate what they want they always overflow Everything is behind after everything doesn't go as it should, which is why dictators often forget their sense of responsibility. Humans are experiencing the evolution of language today and can process ra thoughts A sense of will to do it and expressed in output and input communication so that cognitive can be created that is in line with the will if dictators expect a true obedient person to do it. Well do it with plants or animals they are always ready to be solemnly conditioned. Your homework must be able to make it more concrete but that requires a lot of dollars💸💸💸🇲🇨🤔🤔👍