Quality of Life

Hyo Jin Moon

August 19, 2007 7:00 am

Belvedere

Here are my notes from Hyo Jin nim's speech Sunday 19 August 2007. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo Jin nim said and are not a verbatim record. Hyo Jin nim's website is: www.canaanstation.com/ To see two of the projects that Hyo Jin nim is working on log on to: definingmoment.tv/ and definingmoment.eu/

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo Jin nim and Yeon Ah nim and offer a standing bow.

Hyo Jin nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage.

Good morning (Good morning)

Another day of the grind, just another day.

Today's topic is "Quality of Life."

Can you give me some idea of what you think quality of life is to you? (No response)

Oh you have no quality of life; that's terrible! (Laughing) OK.

I was watching TV the other day and there was a documentary about conservationism. I guess they summoned some economist and a geologist to estimate what it would cost for the clean water and clean air that we take for granted that nature gives us for free.

There summation was that humanity would have to cough-up annually about thirty trillion dollars for something that we take for granted. Because when we spoil something, based on that kind of logic.

Obviously something is trying to provide us with quality of life, even with the fundamental stuff, just your sustenance, the vital stuff that keeps your body working.

So from there, what are you chasing? What is the quality of life?

Let's say that you're locked up in a prison in a six foot by eight foot cell. It's much better for you to try to somehow get into a work program that you volunteer for. Let's say that you wash thousands of dishes every day; they'll pay you about two dollars a day. Because, based on legality, if they don't pay you, it's slave labor. So you get paid about two dollars a day for doing that kind of stuff, washing toilets or mopping the floor, washing dishes, that kind of basic stuff. The most that you can get is about ten dollars per day being a nurse's aid or doing some clerical work for the bureaucrats.