tombs, temples and faked clones

today was interesting as it was spent among tombs and temples... we visited the city of Gyeongju and saw the tombs of kings, the relics of Buddhism and experienced it among Korean tourists who were examining their heritage... i told the girls that it was "the Wiliamsburg of Korea" for Hungarians it would be Opusztaszer and Eger rolled into one... so we are on a bus tour which takes us at an excellent pace with just enough time to see that which is important in one of these one day tours... I am struck by what I see...

actually I have been struck by this culture with a DEEP heritage ever since my brain caught up with me on the second or third day... I have been stuck by the modernity of this place, how things seem to be changing and how fast... and I do not think for the good.... travelin from one part of the monster of concrete and cars that is the mega-city of Seoul to another part of the city, one is struck by the apparant wealth of this country... many times I have said to folks who ask, "What do you think of Korea?" I respond, "Korea is now a rich country" - materially...

Cars, skyscrapers, HIGH speed trains, spotless subways, World Cup Stadium, Olympic park,,, amazing progress... yet a newspaper article yesterday proclaimed that over 400,000 young Korean men between ages 25-35 have STOPPED looking for work... these are growing pains... but growing to what?... progress IS AMAZING... I am clearly astounded by what I have seen... but where are they going? where are any of us going? what is the REAL meaning of all this progress? the very fact that I have had fairly ready access to this blog during my trip, often through my own notebook, (though via wire in a house or hotel, as wireless is not big here) ...progress... is this real progress?... I contrast this to what Willard says on pg 91 of Divine regarding change and progress... he says that

"nothing fundamental has changed in our knowledge of ultimate reality and the human self since the time of Jesus..." he further states "...The multitudes of theories, facts, and techniques that have emerged in recent centuries have not the least logical bearing upon the ultimate issues of existence and life. In this respect they only serve to distract and confuse a people already harassed witless by their slogans, scientific advances, 'labor-saving' devices, and a blizzard of promises about when and how 'happiness' is going to be achieved."

On the flight here we saw the news of the meltdown of the Korean scientist who claimed to have cloned a dog among his 'amazing' cloning research, his work a fruad... yesterday I stood in a tomb of a 6th century king whose body had crumbled away, surrounded by the relics of the most advanced technology of his time, a tomb filled with relics...

Isaiah 2:18 says "and the idols shall utterly pass away", this is so true, for the tombs, temples and faked clones will indeed pass away, and things really haven't changed that much... and they will not until we realize that only He can satisfy us...