[Viewpoint] Guiding the people to a path of hope

Ants in the Sahara Desert are a special object of human observation. Science magazine has found special navigation abilities among ants in the Sahara. Unlike other types of ants that move in groups, the Saharan ants journey alone to find food.

The scope of movement for Saharan ants is within 200 meters (656 feet) of their home. It is, however, an enormous distance for an ant. And yet, an ant, after finding food during its search in the sands, never hesitates to choose a direction and calculate the way back home. To compare this feat on a human scale, it’s like finding home after wandering about 50 kilometers (31 miles) in the desert with no landmarks.

How is it possible? Scientists said the ants likely count the number of steps when they move. In other words, the ants have a step-counter in their heads and use it to find their way back home. And the magazine also said the ants are capable of making mathematical calculations to use in their navigation in addition to the step-counting ability. The magazine described the special abilities as the unique navigation system of the desert ants.

The ants’ genetics, perhaps more advanced than human technology, are incredible, but it also prompts another question. Why do they need such abilities? The instinct of survival, of course, is the key, but from a psychological viewpoint, the abilities are likely the product of the evolution of defense mechanisms to prevent insecurity. The abilities could have developed from the need to remove the insecurity that the ants will face in finding their way alone in the desert.

Similar examples can be found in the consumer market. When concerns increase about unstable prices and food safety, consumers react to the market with an increasingly strict attitude. They analyze every single product in detail when making a purchase. They try to find the best value for the price. Advertisements, a tool of communication with the consumers, therefore, also focus on insecurity.

Now, ads focusing on emotional images are reduced - the themes of advertisements become more focused on prices and the benefits or the safety of the products. For example, apartment advertisements, which normally feature the images of top models, instead present specific benefits, and credit card advertisements promote how mileage points can be used.

Some may say that the changes in the advertisements are the navigation tools of the communicators to remove the consumers’ insecurity and help them find the right path to make a selection. Yet, they are simply communication skills using the psychology of the consumers. And, of course, consumers have the right to make their own selection.

What if, however, the consumers are in the middle of a desert with no good ideas from which to choose their path? That’s the situation that Koreans are facing today. There are many new keywords that are associated with instability. The economic instability prompts housing price instability and price instability, and the political instability prompts insecurity in inter-Korean relations and insecurity about the future.

It is important to keep the public insecurity from expanding into a panic. A recent series of news stories about child sex crimes has struck fear in parents. Over the last year, an Internet portal site showed that the keyword “child sex offense” made it onto the list of the most popular searches - 5,286 times. That is a far larger figure than the 481 searches in the previous year.

What has caused the sudden increase in insecurity in our lives? We have heard about the announcement of the utility prices first, while the government did not make public any detailed plans for its so-called “working-class friendly policy.” What will we do with the domino effect of price hikes?

And there are more incidents that have worsened the insecurity. From the Cheonan’s sinking and the Sejong City project to economic and social issues such as household debt, unemployment and early retirement, fear has come to grip Koreans tightly.

It is worrisome that the gradually accumulating insecurity is fueling fears about the uncertain future. How can we stop it? Leaders of our politics and economy must admit to their hubris and find a true cause and give up their vain greed.

A few days ago, a great news report appeared. Forty billionaires in the United States have made a pledge to donate more than half of their wealth to society sometime during their lifetime or after they die. The promised contribution is estimated to be at least $150 billion. They are the providers of the navigation, guiding the despaired people to a path of hope.

President Lee Myung-bak has returned from his summer vacation, during which time he mulled over the direction of his administration for the rest of his term. Anticipation is high that he will present the navigation of hope to Koreans so that we can find our way home without worry.

*Translation by the JoongAng Daily staff.
The writer is the CEO of the UCO Marketing Group.

By Yu Jae-ha