Monthly TOEFL Essay #1 : "Jeong" is the power

Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.

           In the modern industrialized society, personal space and virtual relationships via online is considered more important than the sense of belonging together and real relationships through offline meeting. While East Asian countries have developed community-based culture, individualism is spread on other countries, especially western countries. However, the driving force of any community is cooperation than personal activities. Thus, I’d like other countries to adopt the custom of Korea, “Jeong”, which is a feeling of attachment made by having intersections. I recommend this because it grows connectedness among members of a community and it makes people to get along with others.

           First, “Jeong” could help people to feel strong tie among them. As mentioned, “Jeong” is to have ties by sharing. In Korea, as friendly the people are, the more shared by them. People supply their privacies to really close friends or family and the opposite side also provide theirs. As components of a community have intersections, these intersections become strong glue and this glue is stronger when the intersection is bigger. For instance, boys may share stories such as their lovers if they are close, and by sharing those stories they become closer. This custom can be expanded to a bigger community such as country. In the 2002 World Cup, Koreans supported Korean soccer team passionately with one reason: they are Koreans. Not only sharing personal things, but also just having a simple similarity can from “Jeong.” If foreign countries adopt the custom of “Jeong”, it is certain that cooperation among people is easier. Especially for countries with individualism, “Jeong” can make a synergy effect by integrating individuals by a particular sharing, which can lead to a smooth procedure to the goal of a community.

           Moreover, “Jeong” makes people to be friendly with others. This is not limited to the community a person is belonged to. Even though the object has no special intersection with the person, the custom of “Jeong” allows sharing things with the object. For instance, when a Korean person goes to America, that person becomes very close to other Koreans just because that person is Korean. Although for people who have no similarities, people try to share things. For example, a newcomer gives out rice cakes to neighbors in Korea, which is a part of the “Jeong” culture. The newcomer has no relationship with the neighbors, but in this case the newcomer is trying to make an intersection. By this characteristic of “Jeong”, people can get along with not only the people in the same community but also people with no intersections. In the modern society, it is hard to have relationship with people, but the “Jeong” culture allows having relationships with others easily. As a result, the bond between members is stronger by “Jeong”. The bonds between members lead to an easier cooperation, which strengthens the unity and by this unity power of the community become stronger than before.

           In conclusion, I’d like to spread the custom of “Jeong” due to its advantage of communities’ unity and harmony with other people with no intersections. In fact, the main factor Korea has conserved its properties and developed rapidly is the power of unity based on “Jeong.” It is true that individual is important than community in other countries. If other countries mix “Jeong” culture with individualism, there will be a significant effect.