Now At The Top Of Happiness

South Korea is a country enjoying the successes of early capitalism. My first weekends here were about learning how to get around with the efficient public transportation system to buy household necessities in huge subterranean malls echoing with pop music, getting weird snacks and taking in the sights. Doing all this shopping and enjoying my leisure time was actually exhausting after the long hours of the 5 day work week and if I wasn't in a new country I'd probably be at home sleeping. It hit me how all of this civically systematized consumerism was carefully designed by the patriarchal Confucian founders of Korea to keep the working masses busy and feeling rewarded by their paychecks. I don't see anything sinister in this but it did make me worry about holding to my goal of continuing to write and think in spheres beyond the mundane. This country's so small that nationwide organization is easily implemented. For instance I can pay all my bills at any ATM, I have a transportation card that works on all buses and trains everywhere and can be recharged at any convenience store, and if I was a Korean citizen my cell phone would be free. This all makes for a happy consumer driven economy where everyone can afford to eat out every night and go to the beach on the weekend. The South Koreans look up to America as an ideal. We saved them from a communist invasion led by their evil twin who were backed by the Chinese juggernaut. The failure of communist North Korea 50 years later in contrast to the South's rapid rise to wealth must be a bittersweet thing for the people here. It seems to be reflected in strained insistence on only focusing on the good times in all English statements. Nobodies wearing any ironic t-shirts. It makes me wonder where this is all going. Will Korea be able to learn from the U.S's mistakes; circumvent the straits leading to an obese, diabetic fast food eating population, psychopathic children killing their classmates, and legions of drooling morons? It concerns me to see overly packed Dunkin Donuts getting more business than the traditional restaurants in the subway stations. I got a meal composed of rice, various fresh vegetables, with a little minced bbq'd meat, an egg, never ending side dishes of pickled cabbage, radish, bean sprouts, seaweed and soup for less than 3 bucks. Then I walked over to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee after and ended up paying six bucks for a lentil curry stuffed donut (which was pretty good) and blueberry donut with the black coffee. The prices are inflated for the allure of the American brand name but it just felt stupid to be paying so much for coffee and a couple of donuts.