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Old future: the Ondol Culture
I whole-heartedly congratulate the commencement of the 12th International Society of Ondol Symposium!
This symposium is a very meaningful event being held for the 12th time since the birth of the society on an excellent topic ‘Sustainable Architecture and Healthy Living Environment.” I believe that through this symposium we will be able to increase the opportunities for inter-regional exchanges, examine the culture of environment friendly architecture and ondol’s healthy residence, and further the development and succession of the great invention invented by our ancestors, the ondol culture, by combining the ondol technology and culture succeed for thousands of years with the modern.
I would like to thank the presidents JuneBong Kim and ShinHo Rhee, board of directors, other secretariats for their efforts in holding this symposium. I would also like to thank the governor of Jin Cheon-gun, Young Hun Yu, for providing the space for this meaningful gathering!
I have continuously argued that, like the traditional culture is argued to be the solution to the current human culture, future human culture’s topic should also be searched within the traditional society. More specifically, the solution is in mankind escaping from a human centered mindset and switching to life centered mindset. The biased narrow-minded self-centered philosophy makes people live in a cage made of nationalism, racialism and culture centralism. The results of these conditions these types of point of views are the severe problems we face today.
This type of mindset has influenced the way people consider the environment, and at it’s extreme making the environment ancillary to mankind. It can be said a different form of nationalism has been created through the self-centered mind set making mankind the center of the ecosystem instead of being one of the links of the ecosystem chain. If we do not break this self-centeredness it will be impossible to find the stable equilibrium of the ecosystem.
The ancient animism that considered every organism as a living thing has hidden itself beneath modern science, and the respect for nature has been replaced with conquest and exploitation. The solution to environmental problems is only possible when the self-centered mindset is broken and the human disposition that seeks to coexist with other species is restored. The restoration of ecological ethics is the only solution for mankind to live on earth forever.
Only when the understanding that, things we use have been borrowed from nature and the future is shared, will we be able to solve the current environmental problems. Only when we look at the ondol culture from this point of view, are we able to get a new perspective on the ondol culture and ondol cultural areas that contribute to mankind’s ecology preservation, peace, and coexistence.
The research on ondol culture is not simply on culture preservation or education but in the process of recognizing ondol as a cultural asset, understanding ondol culture’s changing pattern, and ondol’s cultural and economic approach. Thus, productive heritage movement is needed. It is great that the variety of activities and academic research of International Society of Ondol’s is not only in cultural asset protection and succession but also in worldwide aggressive cultural asset protection based on environment friendly advancement of mankind’s life quality.
From what I have observed of the International Society of Ondol I feel that it has kept the primordial philosophy of ondol culture and has established the identity and symbolism nested within the Korean peninsula. In other words, it has produced results not only in preserving the original form of the culture and managing the certification of ondol technicians but also in ensuring the broad popular appeal of ondol.
I would like to praise the efforts and service of International Society of Ondol fortified by advisor Yubok Hwang, president JuneBong Kim, and president Shinho Rhee. In addition, I believe that the following types of efforts are needed. First of all, an academic system based on natural science and humanities of ondol. More specifically there is a need for the expansion and concentration of researchers and experts to explain the ondol culture’s value and meaning quantitatively and through humanities.
Secondly, there is a need for the establishment of the ondol culture’s system and management plan. Namely managing resources by ondol securing the original form of ondol culture and technical certification holders, policy based protection and advertisement. Only then will the regional residents that have ondol cultural asset have the pride to voluntary protect and be in the forefront of the cultural movement.
Thirdly, by connecting the ondol cultural asset with policy, contribute to regional economy. This process must be done carefully so that it does not destroy the regional culture and it also the process that protects the natural heritage. A tourism policy and sustainable ondol cultural asset conservation strategy must be established.
Finally, a strategically promoted administrative support must be secured. Through long-term administrative support with a vision, a unified regional cultural identity must be established through community services of regional culture lovers, such as teens and historians, and alternative movement and community education on cultural asset succession and protection.
For continuous cultural development, there is always a need of awareness and behavioral transition. Thus, the modern understanding of the conservation of culture is not in perfectly conserving it in its original state but the process of keeping its original essence and adapting to the developing times.
The academic establishment of ondol leads to the establishment of the ondol culture. Furthermore, links within the concept of ondol cultural areas conservation and development, awareness, practice, education and policy.
The problems we face today are not independent of the past. The long gone past has provided for us, who live in the modern, wisdom. In addition, it has opened the intelligent knowledge report that allows for the future. Hence, I have great expectations for the International Society of Ondol since it allows for the experience of the environment friendly lifestyles that our ancestors had.
Thank you!
