Can our 'Jung' ever be severed?

I woke up one morning last week with a certain word ruling my thoughts. Although it’s been five years since I lived in South Korea, the concept came to me as clear as day. To explain in short, Jung is a concept quite unique to Korea and in broader terms East Asia. Jung, (written as 정 in Korean or 情 in Chinese) is the idea of feelings, affection, a bond, or sentiments towards things, they can be alive, or not. It’s hard to express in words but it’s a feeling of a connection.

A modern example we can relate to is the Marie Kondo method, (Although it’s worth noting that she is actually Japanese,) Marie Kondo argues that if an item in your house does not ‘Spark Joy’ then you could probably do without it and thus, it is a good enough reason to throw it out. I feel like she is saying that if you feel a connection or sentiment to that object then it’s worth keeping and in a way that’s how I understand Jung.

For me when it comes to relationships with people, during my time in Korea I felt what I would now identify as Jung towards many of the people I interacted with on a daily basis. I think back to the girl in AK plaza in Suwon who worked at the benefit counter and would always do my eyebrows for me exactly as I liked them, always smiling and bubbly and supportive of my attempts to speak Korean. I also think back to the ahjumma who ran the ddeokbokki stand around the corner from my house who would always save me an extra egg because she knew I liked them. These kind interactions left an impression on me and stay in the back of my mind whenever I fondly look back on my time living in Korea.

Recently however, I have started to think of the idea of Jung pouring into all the relationships I have made throughout the years having lived in several different countries. It’s also worth noting that Jung doesn’t always have to be a positive emotion, it can be negative. Because honestly the opposite of love is indifference and I think that applies to Jung too. You are connected to the people who you feel negatively towards just as much as those who evoke positive emotions.

In my many years and many travels through China, Korea, Italy, Taiwan and the UK, I have felt affections towards teachers, landlords, bosses, classmates, colleagues, friends and romantic partners. Some of which are easily explained as friendships, mentorships or admiration and others emotions stand to be more complex. But I can’t help but wonder, will I continue to feel these bonds to everyone I have met in my lifetime or can they be severed with distance and growing indifference? Does Jung ever truly go away. You can have a relationship that soured or people you naturally lose touch with as life happens but surely the memories of what you experienced together keep a thread of a connection between the two of you?

When looking into and exploring the concept of Jung I’m reminded of the traditional Chinese concept which also exists in Japanese culture too which is a red string of fate which ties you to people who you are destined to be with although it is definitely considered more of a romantic concept and more of the idea of predestined meetings. However, it also deals with the idea of being bonded with people in life.

Do concepts like this exist in other cultures? I’d love to know!

photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@amir_v_ali