I think this is a book that can be read in a difficult way if a reader usually doesn’t read a novel. That is why it took me quite a while to read because I only get close to non-literary books until now. The book 'Wonderworks(In Korea, the title was changed to ‘We need literature now') I read this time is may be difficult for anyone who is like me. Nevertheless, this book is very helpful to read not only for those in my industry(I’m a lawyer in Korea), but also for others in another industry.
I think it is a book that gives me an answer that why I could not write a ‘novel’ which I tried to write in past.
The first thing I can agree with the opinion in this book is there is 'unnecessary justice' in some cases and 'problems in the continuous pursuit of justice'. Actually, I see many times in Korean Society people who pursue the punishment on others. The below is the writer’s saying.
“And our brain’s desire for fairness isn’t just ancient. It’s also very, very strong. So strong that, as modern psychologists have discovered, we’re willing to trade our wealth and our health to enforce fairness, even when the wrongdoing isn’t against us. If someone cheats our neighbor, then we feel the wrongness in our own heart, and, indeed, can feel it with such emotional intensity that we risk our own safety to bring the perpetrator to justice.”(Kindle version page 60/450)
I think this demand is very strong in our Korean society. The victim might think, 'It’s enough. If the perpetrator asks my forgiveness, then I...' or 'If he apologizes, how about forgiving him at this level?”
But in Korea, there are some third parties like newspapers, non-profit organizations which insist, 'The perpetrator must be punished', 'The perpetrator should not be forgiven by a court’. In order to accomplish their justice while making the punishment on the perpetrator, they overlook whether the victim wants to forgive the perpetrator or not.
Every time I saw something like this, I wondered, "Is that justice?".
Rather, I believe that such a 'demand for justice' makes our society 'without forgiveness' and 'unacceptable for harmony and forgiveness'.
Because this book points out the things that I have thought about for a long period, I was astonished by the comments below. I think this book will be very helpful to read not only for those in my industry but also for others.
“Perhaps the perpetrator acted out of ignorance or desperation; perhaps he made an honest mistake; perhaps he’s willing to change his ways and be rehabilitated. If so, then we can forgive him, avoiding the harsh social consequences of total justice and freeing our brain from the negative effects of persistent anger and distrust.” (Kindle version page 61-62/450)
I often think that pursuing justice is important, but only with proper 'forgiveness' in order to run society well. If you are a victim, I suggest you think like the contents of this book. In my personal experience, I think we can’t live with hatred, resentment, hostility toward the perpetrator to the end of our lives.
And if you evoke hatred towards the perpetrator more and more, you burst out in anger not only towards the perpetrator for justice but toward yourself. This prohibits us to live a proper life. So I'd rather forgive the perpetrator when I’ll be asked for. And I feel that I need a way to forgive with an open mind and free myself from negative experiences. These books express same opinion as I thought before.
“And apologies don’t just do good things for our broader society. They also do good things for us individually. When our brain accepts an apology, negative emotions such as anger and victimhood decrease, while positive emotions such as trust and love increase. We feel relieved, even happy, to let go of the urge for punishment. Our overall mental health improves.” (Kindle version page 63/450)
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