Ways of Knowing

In class, we studied on the various ways of “knowing”. We were given an article, which explored a contradictory act of the Japanese visiting a war shrine from WWII, which raised a conflict between the Chinese and Korean versus the Japanese. While reading the article, we were encouraged to think about how each side of the dispute “knew” that they were right according to factors such as their emotions on the situation, their memory of ancestors, and perception from their point of view.

My group decided to perform a talk show where I played the representative of Korea and Sean played the role of representing Japan. From Korea’s standpoint, I emphasized the mockery we felt and the disturbance that we felt to see Japan honoring their soldiers who killed our ancestors. I also depicted the fact that from what we remember, it was our families and grandparents who got killed and attacked by the men in the war shrine. Japan, on the other hand, argued that they were only paying respect to their “heroes” and the people who sacrificed themselves for their nation. Of course, it would only be appropriate that Korea felt offended and perceive Japan as the "villain", while I also understand Japan's pride in their ancestors and their sacrifice. I now understand that "knowing" is usually combination of so many factors, in this case, emotions, logic, and memory. 

Through this activity and watching other groups also present, I could physically watch the way people use multiple ways to portray their knowledge. I realized that sometimes, we don’t need a tangible or visible object or proof to be certain of something. Sometimes, it is possible to know through what we feel and the strong emotions that we experience. This led me to think back about my religion. Had I ever seen God physically? No. Can I feel his presence physically? No. Can I hear him with my ears? No. But I know that God exists because I believe. This is where knowledge through faith comes in play in my life, and although it is difficult for me to grasp the idea that this is a factor of “knowing”, I am relieved to know that “faith” is a legitimate reason to know.