The body reading journal #3

Reading Journal #3 of “The body”

<Final thoughts about “The body”>

16^th waver 10b1 Seung Jun Kim

             After I finished reading the book, I made a small grin. Why? It was because I was pretty glad about how those four boys acquired maturity that will last for their rest of their lives (although three of them die). Maturity is something that cannot be acquired easily especially in the modern day world where there are parents running hastily around to do everything for their kids.  

             This is how the world looks like: “Mom, what should I do next?”

“You go to the English private academy at 2 o’clock and return at 6 o’clock. After that, you take a shower and eat dinner. Next, you have to prepare for your first math class you’ll have tomorrow.”

“What? I didn’t even know I was going to a math private academy...”

“You are a teenager. You don’t know what’s important and what’s not. I make decisions for you and the only thing you have to do is to follow them.”

“Mom, but...”

“Be a grown up boy, Sam! You should learn how to obey your parents. Parents know what’s best for you!”

             At first, this piece of dialogue seems very far-fetched, but unfortunately, this is the reality of our society. Kids are not allowed to think about their own life and they never encounter hardships in their lives because their parents are getting rid of the obstacles before their children face them. However, the four boys were different. They knew how to control their lives, they understood how things should be done, and finally they worried about their own future (although these things happened not because their parents educated the four boys to be independent, but rather because the disregard of the parents towards them inevitably forced them to be independent). So let’s look at some the thoughts that came up to my mind after reading this book.

             To begin with, I believe good friendship contributed greatly to the development of maturity within these four kids. The relationship between Criss and Gordie was especially encouraging. Throughout the journey, Criss constantly encourages Gordie to become a great writer. In response, Gordie solaces Criss about the unfortunate milk money incident. This kind of mutual cooperation continued on even after the disunion of the four kids. Despite the derogatory and hostile attitudes of the surrounding people, Criss was never discouraged because Gordie was always there for him to give great advice. On the other hand, Criss was always beside Gordie to heal the emotional scars within Gordie’s soul by making peace. Eventually, Criss and Gordie achieved their goal of self-realization by becoming a lawyer and writer respectively.

             Moreover, I believe there were some really good symbolic entities that greatly contributed to the overall atmosphere of the story. The deer, for example, represents purity and innocence. In the book, Gordie states that the experience of seeing the deer was the best and cleanest part of the journey. By evoking feminine and delicate feeling within Gordie’s mind, I believe the deer was effective in portraying the process of how Gordie’s scar was healing from the scars of Castle Rock. Also, I believe the train symbolizes the societal pressures and corruption of Castle Rock. According to the societal prejudice of Castle Rock, Criss is expected to become a bad boy and Teddy is considered to be a “son of a loony” no matter what he does. These societal moulds are very difficult to pulverize. I believe the scene where the train almost ran over Vern and Gordie, represents how the boys eventually escapes from the malicious society of Castle Rock and acquire maturity. 

             Lastly, I was pretty disappointed by the sad ending of the story. It would have been much better if all the four boys were alive and lived happily ever after. The sad ending sharply contrasted to the movie I once saw called, “Coach Carter”. The movie was about a black basketball coach who eventually succeeds in making the basketball players of the school to lead a better life. At first, this task seems very difficult for coach Carter because most of the boys in the basketball team were addicted to drugs, sex and they didn’t have any will to study whatsoever. However, all the indulgent boys are touched by the devotion of their coach, Carter and finally make up their minds to transform their lives. In the end of the movie, the narrator describes how most of the boys turned out to be successful in their lives. One became an officer in the Bank of America, another became a famous basketball coach of NBA and some other dudes became good businessmen. I believe same goes with “The body”. If Stephen King had changed the ending by allowing all the boys to be alive and to lead a wonderful life in the end of the book, the theme of maturity would have been more effectively portrayed. However, overall, I loved both the book and the film J 

"Stand by me, Gordie."

Thank you for such a good book and film, Mr. King :) 

Introduction statement for the DIA application :)

My passion for KMLA

  16^th waver Seung Jun Kim

             My name is Seung Jun Kim of the 16^th wave and I am honored to apply for the Department of International Affairs. One year has already passed since I entered KMLA and so many things have changed. KMLA has simply enriched and sometimes challenged me to become a bigger person. Since KMLA has done so much to me throughout the year, it will mean so much to me if I am able to contribute to my school in any way. That’s why I applied for DIA. If I become a member of DIA, I would greatly contribute to improving KMLA’s image in various ways.

             To begin with, my time-management skill will enhance the efficiency of DIA. Since I was included in many active school clubs, I had to deal with both school work and loads of club activities at the same time. Fortunately, I managed to handle all the work effectively and this was possible owing to my time-management skills. This invaluable skill implies that I have more time, effort and passion remaining for me to invest on DIA affairs.

             Moreover, I believe my diligence will greatly contribute to the development of DIA. I assumed the role of class president for six consecutive years from elementary school to middle school. Throughout my presidency, I was touted as the ‘Diligent Juny’ just like ‘Honest Abe’ because I used to swiftly finish all the necessary tasks for the class. When I was in the second grade of middle school, I used to go to a foreign language private academy to learn Chinese at 6:00 a.m. sharp every day. Of course, I was tired in the morning but my passion towards Chinese couldn’t stop me from rubbing my eyes and continuing to learn Chinese. Likewise, my passion towards my school and DIA will enable me to do a superb job in spreading the fame of our school.

             Most importantly, my fervor towards KMLA and DIA is irresistible. When I was a middle school kid, the short video which explained about the overall life in KMLA mesmerized me. Since then, I made up my mind to apply for this school. After I entered the school this year, KMLA never disappointed me. Rather, it constantly encouraged me to grow as a bigger person. Every day, I feel lucky and blessed to be in this school with wonderful teachers, friends and seniors. I want to do something for my school. And the most important thing, I believe that should be done, is to improve the image of our school and spread the name all over the world. I even heard that several years ago, a certain American university thought KMLA was a Chinese university and decided not to pick as much students as before. As this example illustrates, there is a clear need for KMLA students to stand up and fix the wrong perception or information foreigners have. I would be so glad to be part of this campaign. Thank you very much.

"Languages and Leadership" [Minjok Herald Feature Writing 2nd draft]

Learning how to make audiences dazed with their mouths open

Languages and Leadership

Kim Seung-Jun

Junior Feature Writer, 16^th Wave

             In the presidential election of 2008, distrust and resentment were at an all time high. However, President Obama mesmerized the crowd with a simple word “change”. Whenever he faced hardships during his presidency, he pacified the roaring crowd with the magical power of speech. This is exactly why leaders need language abilities and shows how simple words can bring forth great changes. Let look at why languages are required to foster leadership and how students from Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA) learn languages.

            To begin with, language skill for leaders is important for the survival of corporations in a global economy. Nowadays, overseas partners are looking for people who can communicate fluently with foreign counterparts. This is because only companies are able to break down language barriers can acquire new contracts and commercial opportunities in the global economy. In fact, many of the able-graduates of KMLA are receiving love calls in the United States. Even several months ago, good news that a 10^th waver was employed by the Bank of America made us proud.

             Moreover, great speeches improve productivity of a group or organization. In bureaucracy, ‘just tell them approach’ hinders effective communication between the administrative branch and the executive branch of a corporation. Often times, miscommunication have caused serious problems. On the other hand, if a leader has storytelling (language) ability, it becomes much easier to convey the exact views and vision of a corporation. Also, direct storytelling of a leader outweighs all other alternatives. Charts, for example, leave listeners bemused and dialogue is just too laborious and slow. Mind-numbing cascades of numbers or daze-inducing PowerPoint slides won’t have the same effects as direct storytelling of leaders either. This reminds us of KMLA’s student council election process. All candidates are required to give speeches that appeal to the students. Plus, they have to write their manifestoes in an orderly manner to persuade and give credit to the voters. Without coherent language ability, even assuming a president of KMLA is something unimaginable.

             Finally, language ability of leaders enables the society to be united. When there are only abstract numbers that exist to explain about the future, people are often not willing to accept what leaders say. Why? It’s because certain numbers aren’t effective at showing a clear vision and people inevitably feel uncertainty about their future. However, storytelling of a leader changes dry and abstract numbers into compelling pictures of a leader’s goals. Although visions of good businesses are mainly conveyed through the use of numbers, they should be approved on the basis of a story in order to unite people into one. Especially, when a certain corporation faces the task of persuading a group of managers or front-line staff in a large organization to get enthusiastic about a major change, storytelling is the only thing that works.

             So, what does KMLA students do to improve their language abilities? First, they take regular sessions of language classes. Students are encouraged to participate actively in in-class discussions regarding pieces of literature, video and various sources. They learn how to express their opinions in a logical manner and how to interact with their audiences. English debate and public speech classes enable students to be confident in giving speeches just like leaders are.

             Second, after-class activities foster the language ability of students. Students are required to finish piles of homework which includes writing essays, reading several pieces of writing, and watching news clips. Classes such as AP Language, for example, even allow students to enjoy greater challenges such as writing several synthesis essays. What’s more, students individually participate in language related competitions such as English Debate competitions and DELE, a Spanish proficiency test.

             Students in KMLA are certainly striving to get the most out of their language classes. In fact, many students have already acquired the necessary ability to become a leader. That is, they are learning how to make audiences roll in the isles, cry and inspire them. I believe incessant efforts of KMLA students are bringing them closer and closer to becoming a respected global leader who can change the world.

Common group v.s. new group ?

Is there any value for people to belong only to a group or groups with which they have something in common?

             Most of the people agree that humans are better than animals because of their ability to think creatively and logically. Humans are able to spread out the delicate wings of imagination and make the world a better place to live in. However, this magical and wonderful ability loses its power when a certain person is restricted only to a group with which they have something in common. That is why I believe there is not much value for people to belong only to group with similar members.

             To begin with, people often become narrow-sighted and lose the spirit of diversity once they are limited only to a group of similar people. If people spend time only with people who are similar to him or her, distorted thoughts and prejudices start to grow within the minds’ of the people. The prejudice that all other people in the society are going to be just like them will greatly deter people from becoming bigger men. It is because people will suffer from enormous conflicts with others once they step into society and meet new people. Also, people are no longer able to learn from others because they only notice the negative side of new culture and people. This is exactly what happened when the Chosun Dynasty shut its door against the Western culture. At that time, citizens in the Korean Peninsula had no interactions with new groups or societies of any kind. As a result, people in Chosun Dynasty lost their precious chance to develop the nation by accepting novel and advanced Western culture. I believe the reason why we go to universities is not just to learn academics in depth but also to escape from the limited society where there are only similar people. People from all different races, religions, ideas and culture gather together and are allowed to discuss and share ideas fully about many issues. In that process, people learn how to become tolerable and open-minded.

             Furthermore, excessive conflict is inevitable in a group only with similar people. All humans have an innate desire to be recognized by other members of society. Unfortunately, it often becomes very difficult to stand out in a society with only similar people because people are unable to differentiate themselves from others. The only way to receive attention is to greatly surpass others on a certain subject. As a result, members in that restricted group come to see others as competitors and people to overcome. The good spirit of cooperation and co-existence fades away. Only excessive competition and conflict remain in the group. For instance, Korea and Japan were called as ‘Hermit Kingdoms’ because of isolation. Unfortunately, bipartisan conflicts were much more severe compared to other nations in the world. It was common to see tens of people killed in a single day due to the conflict within the royal family.

             Even now, prejudices and biases exist in our society. Violence and bloodshed started from trivial misunderstandings and biases in the Middle East. This catastrophe can be prevented if people learn how to be tolerant towards others. Wonderful things will happen if people escape from their limited society of similar people and embrace the new world where diversity blossoms like a delicate rose.

What is the source of aggression in human beings?

What seems to be the source of aggression in human beings? What can be done to lower the level of aggression in our society?

             At this very moment, hundreds of people are dying because of homicide and violence. Aggression seems to be part of life in human beings. Sadly, violence and aggression are common even to congressmen, who represent the whole nation. So, what is the source of aggression which is inevitable and widespread in our society? If we have any, what are the solutions to alleviate aggression?

             To begin with, people display aggression when their desires are not fulfilled adequately. Human needs and desires are endless. Virtually all of us would like to have social status in our community, perpetual health, unconditional love, and so on. However, only few of us will enjoy these things. Self-control sometimes breaks down which results in aggressions ranging from trivial theft to extensive murders. Imagine a man living in a city slum all his or her entire life. All around him is massive poverty, crime, and violence. His father has been deployed to a nation for war and his mother passed away several years ago. On the other hand, gangster leaders lead a relatively modest life. In such a desperate situation, where basic requirements of life are not met, this person has every incentive to become aggressive in order to escape from abject poverty. This desire-aggression model applies equally to desires for food, love, recognition and so on.

             Furthermore, aggression is often learned from society. In the field of psychology, there is theory called “social learning theory” which focuses on aggression as a learned behavior. It emphasizes the role of the social influences on aggressive behavior. Nowadays, sites of violence and aggression are all over the place. For example, studies have found that network television broadcasts about 10 violent acts per hour on average. And teenagers spend a lot of time playing violent video games. By looking and experiencing these aggressions in their daily lives, people learn aggression through a combination of modeling and reinforcement. What’s more, social collectivism mandates people to learn and display aggression within a group. Collectivism is the principle that places social rights, needs, or benefit above and apart from the individuals who make up a certain society. Although social collectivism often sounds beneficial because it calls for the greater social good, it is actually the main reason for the violence in many societies. For instance, to achieve the utopia of Karl Marx, thousands of people were tortured and slaughtered. Professor Rummel who is the author of "Death by Government," estimates that the people killed were about 70,000,000 in the Soviet Union because of excessive aggression among the members of society.

             At this point, do we have any solutions to alleviate the intensity of aggression? First, I believe training oneself to be tolerable and lenient will definitely help reduce aggression. Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the leading thinkers and fathers of United States, tried to become a good person in character. What he did was to check whether he was following some values such as perseverance in a daily basis. If people follow what Franklin did, it will be much easier to keep in check what he or she is doing wrong. Second, it will be great if people avoid irritating situations by remembering when and where you got angry in the past. In our daily lives, people are often provoked by the same kinds of incidents that happen routinely. However, people repeat the same mistakes over and over again although he or she makes up her mind not to vent anger or aggression. Also, the second solution will be more effective when you reward yourself if you had better control over your temper.

             There are innumerable incidents that will arouse anger. However, the world will be full of resentment if people started to display aggression for every single incident that frustrated him or her. The saying that says, "Aggression breeds more aggression" is true. Violence produces more hate in your opponent and in you. Let us be more tolerant and open-minded people in order to lead a happier life for all of us.

Reflective essay "They are always beside me"

They are always beside me

             Right before I came into this school, there was one unfortunate incident which struck me. It was about how I called a sunbae’s name. My informal way of calling female sunbae aroused resentment among the 15^th wavers and eventually I was branded as an inappropriate 16^th waver. My intention was to become closer with sunbaes, but my intention was grossly misinterpreted.

             Even after I entered the school, my reputation was at an all time low. I tried to overcome the situation which was very bewildering for me, but it was never easy. It seemed to me that there was nobody to stay by my side. I felt I was all alone and excluded. I even worried about whether I could continue on a decent school life. However, as time passed by, some sunbaes started to open up their minds. They started to approach me, and care for me. They gave respect to me and I gave my sincere respect to them. Such mutual interaction of respect continued and my life became much smoother than before.

             Yesterday, I was deeply touched by a sincere letter written by one sunbae from English Debate Society. She was the one who was mostly related to the unfortunate incident last winter. The letter was about how she has opened up her mind towards me. The letter went on and talked about what she has learned from me, my strengths, and weaknesses and so on. This considerate and thorough content of the letter made me smile dimly, because it was a indication of how a person started to care about me.

             Even today, after the prelims in Korea for World Individuals Debating and Public Speaking Championship next year, I didn’t feel good. Although I did my best to smile, and become positive, I couldn’t help myself lose some confidence that I cherished so much. I was really frustrated about the inability and lethargy of myself. I gazed out the window dully while I headed towards the dorm. At that moment, a text message from another sunbae from the English Debate Society came. In the text, sunbae encouraged me to do better and gave great consolation for my shaking soul. I was able to maintain my composure and positive spirit owing to that touching message. A few sentences can make a big difference.

             In the beginning of the semester, I was pretty much afraid and cautious about the entire unfamiliar environment all around me. Teachers, sunbaes, and even friends seemed to antagonize me. But now, I stand firm and feel great pride going to this wonderful school, KMLA. I am no longer afraid of facing hardships because there are lovely people who are always beside me, ready to get rid of the obstacles that hinder my path towards my future. I love my friends, teachers, and sunbaes in my school sincerely and genuinely.

Writing about TED "Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food"

             Cases of homicide, murder, and death are always on the front page of every paper. We spend our lives being zealous and paranoid about death, murder, homicide, you name it. However, many people are indifferent about how food has taken away the lives of millions of people and will incessantly kill people.

             Sadly, in the next 5 minutes, several people who were once alive will be dead from the food that they eat. Look at homicide, for God's sake. It only makes up 5% percent of the total death in a year. On the other hand, diet-related disease makes up almost 40% of the total death and definitely is the biggest killer in countries such as United States, right now, here today. Mexico, Australia, Germany, India, China, all have innumerable problems of obesity and bad health. This is a global problem. It's a catastrophe. It's sweeping the world.

             Think about a female colleague who lives next door who got only got six years to live because of the food that she's eaten. Think about Justin, 12 years old, who has already gained 350 pounds. He is bullied in school, for God's sake. Imagine a girl, Maria, crying over her father who died in her arms because of obesity-related disease. And then the second-most-important man in her life, her uncle, died of obesity. You see, the thing is obesity and diet-related disease doesn't just hurt the people that have it; it's all of their friends, families, brothers, sisters.

             But the thing is children don’t even know what kind of food there are aside from fast food. When we ask children about healthy foods such as onions, potatoes, and so on, they can’t even differentiate these foods from each other. That is, they don't have any kind of discernment regarding food. This is what happens right now. When I point to an onion and ask Sally what this is, she’ll probably say, “It’s a lettuce!” Immediately you get a really clear sense of do the kids know anything about where food comes from. If the kids don't know what stuff is, then they'd never eat it. This is inevitable, especially in Western Europe and the United States. We've got to start teaching our kids about food in schools, exclamation mark.

             And these are the reasons why I came here to start a food revolution that I so much believe in. This is exactly the tipping-point moment. Now is the time when it's ripe. The good news is that deaths due to obesity are very preventable. So what are the solutions?

             Let’s begin with supermarkets and fast food companies. Supermarkets need to show us how to cook, quick, tasty, seasonal meals for people that are busy. This is not expensive. It is done in some. The big brands, you know, the food brands, need to put food education at the heart of their businesses. It's the only way. Also, labeling is a massive problem. The labeling in this country is a blasphemy. How can you say something is low-fat when it's full of so much sugar? Labeling, I said earlier, is an absolute farce, and has got to be sorted.

             Next, moving on to fast food companies and governments. Fast food companies are very competitive. Basically they've weaned us on to these hits of sugar, salt and fat. And everyone loves them. So, these guys are going to be part of the solution. But we need to get the government to work with all of the fast food purveyors and the restaurant industry. And over a long time span, governments should definitely reduce the extreme amounts of fat, sugar, fat and all the other non-food ingredients.

             Thirdly, let's think about schools and workplaces. Obviously in schools we owe it to them to make sure those 190 days of the year, they need to be cooked proper fresh food from local growers on site. There needs to be a new and lucid standard of fresh proper food for your children and my friends.  School food is something that most kids, 31 million a day in the U.S for example, have twice a day, more than often, breakfast and lunch, 190 days of the year. So you could say that school food is quite relevant, really, judging the circumstances. That is why schools need to ameliorate the quality of foods. Of course, additives and seasonings are appeasing to the tongue. However, if schools really care for their children and students, they need to instigate action for the enhancement of school foods. The workplace. It's high time for corporate responsibility to really look at what they feed or make available to their staff. The staffs are the moms and dads of friends as well.

             Next, think about households. Households should definitely teach their children about healthy foods and healthy cooking. It's profoundly important that every single child in the world learn how to cook recipes that will save their life. The home needs to start passing on cooking again, for sure. Before, cooking at home was considered to be a philosophy. Home is where it used to be the heart of passing on food and food culture, what made our society coalesce into one. But look at what's happening now. That isn't happening anymore. The only thing we hear from modern day people is "Do it faster! Faster!". This flagrant culture stems from the appearance of fast foods. We should change the current situation.

              I truly believe that if changes can be made in this country, beautiful things will happen around the world. I have a dream. My dream is for people to help a strong sustainable movement to educate every child about food, to inspire families to cook again, and to empower people everywhere to fight obesity. Let us now abandon the hedonistic eating habits and accept healthy ones. Let us imagine the happy faces of our blithe children. Let us escape from the apathy we once had towards our healthy foods. In 10 years time, the history of my friends and your children’s happiness will look different.

Review of a song "Western Sky"

[Above is the remade version of the "Western Sky" sung by Ul-La-La-Session in the music audition program SuperStarK3]

One of the best Korean ballad singers, Lee Seung-Cheol drives you to a world of deep love and yearning.

This is one talented individual who has written, produced and sung “Western sky” to make it one of the more interesting songs that were released in 2005. Lee Seung-Cheol, who won the Golden Disk Award for the best ballad of the year in 2009, is known for his elegant and refined voice. His appealing ability to emotions is powerful enough to attract the audiences.

This song is the original sound track of the movie “Blue swallow”. Blue swallow is about the first Korean female pilot who inevitably has to give up her love to achieve her dreams. The song “western sky” is much more touching especially when you listen to the song while you watch the movie at the same time.
Moreover, “western sky” has become a hot issue among many music fans. It is because a music group called “Ul-La-La-Session” has decently remade this song in Superstar K3, a famous music audition program.
But for all the impressive comments and attention towards this song, Lee Seung-Cheol ultimately fails to warm out winter hearts. Why is that? First, his pronunciation is not clear enough to convey the dramatic emotion all music listeners are yearning for. “Western Sky” is a great song in itself, but has its limitations. Second, the flow of the song doesn’t have any dramatic components. A good song with powerful influence needs to have four steps.

3 Words describing myself (Mr. Moon's Class)

Like a delicate dove hovering in sky, I continuously fly to the end of the world. I test my limitations by accepting new challenges. Rain pours and slaps my face. Happiness and solitude exist at the same time. Sweet whispers from devils entice me to the end of the cliff. However, I cling on to the last branch of a tree. The delicate feather of imagination and creativity engenders me to the utmost extent.

Metafiction ver.2

True love never came

My heart was still pounding. I couldn't believe she sat next to me. I couldn't concentrate on the movie. All I could feel was the warmth and equanimity from my dear Bess. After an hour or two, it was time for all the camping students to leave the theater.

 We drove to the campsite where we slept and ate during the camp. I looked at the glowing sun descending out of sight. I could see Bess’s delicate face in front of me as if she was right in front me. (In class chain writing ends)

 Yes, my love story started a very long time ago. Bess was a girl who was always to pleasant to be with. She had shining eyes and rosy cheeks. Her smile mesmerized me and made me unable to pay attention to my classes. She was even a well-behaved student who was loved by all the teachers in the school. On the other hand, I was just an insignificant small boy who basically sucked at everything.

 I looked through some books and realized that the only way to achieve the love of a girl was to improve my self-confidence. From that day on, I started to do my best on everything. My English Teacher, Mrs. Garrioch, was bewildered by my sudden active participation in class. “John, what’s the matter? You have become a new man!”

“It’s the power of love, Mrs. Garrioch.”

“See? I’ve told you. If you start to love a subject, you are going to excel at it.”

I thought by myself, ‘That’s not what I meant, hehe’

 Several months have passed by, and there were a lot of changes in my life. I came to become a renowned person in the school, known for integrity and diligence. There were also changes in relationship with my friends, luckily, with Bess. I realized how similar we have been and how good a friend we could have been.

 One day, both of us were walking down the road together after school. It was very dark outside, and only the moon lit the roads dimly. Bess gazed at the moon for a moment, and a drop of tear started to roll down her face.

“What’s the matter, Bess? Is there anything wrong?”

“No...”

“Then...?”

“The moon just reminded of my dead father...

“Wow...It seems to me that we have so many similarities with each other.”

“Why is that?”

“My father...my beloved father also passed away several years ago.” John smiled dimly while he spoke.

“Well, my father was such a good person. Would you like to hear my story?”

“I would love to”

I grew up in a small time called Creekville in Cincinnati, Ohio. My father used to work in the military and often times, he got wounded severely.

The financial situation of our family was not decent at that time. The meager wage my father receives from the military was never enough to feed all our family members. My mom spent most of the day lamenting her poor existence. But things got worse...

My father...my beloved father passed away during the military conflict in Afghanistan. After that, my two brothers, Bill and Tom had to stop going to high school and college. They needed to earn some living to sustain our family.

My eyes glistened with tears and I spoke up. “Bess, I know how it feels like to live in family with no father. I have gone through exactly the same experience as you. I know how sorrowful it is to live without a father...”

I embraced her into his arms and smiled. “Do your best in life. And God will reward you for it. Also, I believe being loyal to your life is what your father in heaven wants.”

After several months of dating, both of us got to know each other very well. We found out that we had similar backgrounds, viewpoints and values. I thought that she would make a great wife for me.

On a peaceful and bright Sunday morning, I waited for Bess in the bench. The weather was extremely suitable for sweet words and especially a confession of love. I have decided to confess my love towards Bess and start a new life. I didn’t have a father during my childhood and therefore somewhat lacked love. However, Bess was the one who could embrace my inner scars in my mind and who could give me love. And I was willing and ready to give my love towards Bess.

Bess appeared, smiling like a full blown rose.

“John! It has been so long since I saw you!”

“Yes, indeed! And you look happier than when I last saw you.”

“I guess it’s because of the warm and cozy weather!”

We walked around the park, full of decent and beautiful flowers which were showing off their delicacy. Then, I spoke up.

“Bess, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“You have been such a good friend to me. You were always beside me, encouraging me for every small incident that happened to me. If it were not for your help, I would not have been able to lead a happy life until now.”

“That applies equally to me, John!”

I inhaled my deep breath with a momentum. There was several seconds of silence and then I grabbed her hand gently.

“And I want you to become more than a good friend of mine. I’ve realized that my love and affection towards you are incontrollable. Would you please marry me?”

“I was waiting for this moment, John!” She cried with happiness, with happy tears in her eyes.

However, when I tried to put the ring into her, a thunderbolt shaped scar was on her fourth finger. The ring slipped from my hands helplessly, and I fell to the ground.

“John, what’s the matter?”

My sight started to become blurry, and I was almost on the verge of throwing up. I ran to the opposite direction as fast as I could. I didn’t know where I was going nor did I know what I was doing. I could her Bess’s bewildered voice from behind but nothing could stop me.

When I regained composure, I realized I was in front of the Henry Catholic Church. Tears started to roll down my cheeks. My father’s words, once again, came up to my mind.

‘John, if you ever meet a woman who has a thunderbolt shaped scar on her body, she is your half-blooded sister. Treat her well and do your best to care for her.’

I howled with pain and sorrow.

‘God! What aren’t you allowing me to achieve the true love I was looking for? I had lead a unhappy childhood and I deserve to receive love from a person I truly confide in! Why? Why...”

But the only thing that remained now was the sound of my agonized voice, reverberating in silence.

2011/11/02 Minjok Herald Writing

Reforming the sleeping overnight system

A long way to go

By 16^th waver Kim Seung-Jun

             Sung Hun-Jae teacher, head of student management, gave an important announcement about the change in policy next year regarding the sleeping overnight system during the morning assembly in the gymnasium. He warned that indulgence of some of the students is harming the true meaning of student autonomy.

             Sleeping overnight system is one of the things that best characterizes Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA). Unlike other ordinary high schools, students in KMLA are allowed to engage in various activities during the weekend from volunteer work to eating out. Of course, this system was created to encourage student autonomy and based on the premise that all students are going to take responsibility to their actions.

             Unfortunately, many students have misused this system. They took advantage of the loopholes in the sleeping overnight system and pursued their own pleasure at the expense of student autonomy. For example, some students signed up for returning home during weekends in order to miss honjeong and shinsung. Even several months ago, these irresponsible actions were found out by the school dorm parent, Kim Dae-Gi teacher.

             As a result, the assembly of teachers made the decision to reinforce the system by applying more stringent rules. It decided to make the parents, not students, to sign up for the returning home during the weekend when there is a need. Also, it reduced the number of times students can go out of school to only once a month. Although the change in policy is expected to at least prevent indulgent trickery of students, some problems come up on the table.

             First, student activity is significantly restricted. Extra-curricular activities make up a large part of the life in KMLA. They enrich the lives of students by providing motivation and novel experience for students. Most of the students engage in such activities such as volunteer work, competition and so on during the weekend. However, because of this change in policy, students will be forced to look at their dull books even in weekends and deprived of the chance to get an outside experience that is unattainable inside school.

             Next, the reinforcement of the policy is expected to contribute to the growing vicious cycle of distrust between the teachers and the students. The prerequisite for successful student autonomy is mutual belief and cooperation with the teachers. Sadly, the conflict between the students and teachers is on a stalemate and is not expected to come to an end soon. It’s because no side is willing to step back and concede to the opposition. On one side of the debate, students claim that just because some of the students violated the rules doesn’t justify sudden drastic changes in policy without consent. On the other side, teachers assert that students who don’t even abide by their responsibilities don’t deserve to be a global leader and thus need rigorous measures.

             Nobody knows what kind of impact this change in system will have in the future. Currently, many students are displaying negative reactions and the conflict with the teachers is not expected to wane soon. However, one thing that is evident is that unless trust, cooperation and responsibility are present, we can’t achieve true student autocracy. Let us genuinely believe in what this school stands for: student republic with responsibility.

2011/10/3 Minjok Herald Writing

Sudden Attack

By Seung Jun Kim

 Within the recent two weeks, many students from KMLA have already caught a cold and the number is rising rapidly. The reason why this negative phenomenon is spreading throughout KMLA is mainly because of the enormous daily temperature change and the inevitable characteristic of a boarding school. Let’s look more closely on what’s happening in KMLA.

 First, the temperature dropped drastically in a relatively short period of time. KMLA is situated in a relatively high elevation which makes the average temperature lower. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration center, the average temperature difference between areas in high elevation and ordinary places can be maximum eight degrees Celsius. This means that the weather can be modestly warm during the day but relatively cold in the evening. In fact, the daily temperature difference was a whooping ten degrees Celsius while the average was about six in other areas. This sudden change in weather made the students in KMLA more vulnerable to cold viruses because human body can’t all of a sudden adapt to a drastic change in environment.

 Next, the inevitable trait of a boarding school created an easier environment for viruses to infect students. In a boarding school, students have to spend the whole day with their friends in the dormitory, classroom and so on. The contagion of virus happens in this incessant physical contact among students.

 Why did this become an issue although cold is a very banal subject to bear any significance? It’s because the mid-term is only about a week away. In a period where concentration and time-management are required, cold is preventing many students from effectively preparing for their exams. A 16^th waver, Tae Hyun Kim shared his bitter experience of getting a cold a week ago. “My quiz scores significantly dropped”, he said, “I wasn’t able to concentrate in class nor was I able to study well during extra hours. I’m worried about my mid-term.” Unfortunately, more students are expected to be infected due to the patients around them. It is high time for students to be alert and take good care of their health.

Reflective mini essay about Kim Ki Duk's film (spring)

 Although we didn’t watch the whole film, the first part, spring itself was pretty impressive. I guess it’s because the film allowed me to reminisce about my happy childhood years. I especially felt a sense of similarity with the little boy who has a pure and innocent heart. I would like to introduce my two childhood experiences which enabled me to become a better man in intellect and virtue.

             When I used to be young, I was given many chances to have new experiences. It was partly because my parents encouraged new challenges. My mom used to tell me, “Memorizing one more mathematics formula on your desk doesn’t change anything, dear”. She continued, “Rather, I want you to embrace the world and escape from the provincial and bigoted way of thinking. I want you to become a bigger man”. Therefore, owing to my parents’ influence, I tried to do my best on everything I can. I read diverse books, went to the rural area for several months to learn farming, and learned all kinds of sports and so on. These kinds of extra activities during my childhood enabled me to have profounder view and ideas about social issues. Also, I was able to avoid the dull and hackneyed life of sitting on the chair all day long. I’m pretty sure the little kid will someday thank the monk for his benevolence. The benevolence I’m talking about here is the provision of various opportunities to experience new things.

             Moreover, I remember my mom using the eye for an eye approach to fix my problems. When I was in 7 years ago, perhaps, I had a bad habit of occasionally lying to my mom about my whereabouts. I used to hang out with my fellow friends and enjoyed snowball fighting and playing sports after school. As a little kid, I was not confident enough to tell my mom that I spent several hours with my friends playing. At this period of time, I thought studying was everything in life and deemed the rest of the activities as evil. I felt as if I had crossed the borderline of good and evil. That was why I, as little boy, had no choice but to tell my mom a lie about my whereabouts. However, my mom who is astute enough, managed to find out that I was lying. Since she was such a good actor, she acted as if she doesn’t know anything. But as days went by, I also noticed that she started to life about things. “Juny, I promise to buy you a present on your birthday”. The present never even arrived at our house. I started to doubt my mom, and I felt bad about how a person I confided in could constantly lie to me. Then, I suddenly realized that this lack of credibility between my mother and me was rooted to my own mistake, habitual lying. I felt contrite about my past deeds. The eye to an eye approach of my mom was certainly powerful.

            

[Advice for China] Reviewing newspaper editorials (3)

Advice for China

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

TO: President Hu Jintao

SUBJECT: The Arab Spring

Dear President Hu: You asked for our assessment of the Arab Spring. Our conclusion is that the revolutions in the Arab world contain some important lessons for the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, because what this contagion reveals is something very new about of how revolutions unfold in the 21st century and something very old about why they explode.

Let’s start with the new. Sometime around the year 2000, the world achieved a very high level of connectivity, virtually flattening the global economic playing field. This web of connectivity was built on the diffusion of personal computers, fiber-optic cable, the Internet and Web servers. What this platform did was to make Boston and Beijing or Detroit and Damascus next-door neighbors. It brought some two billion people into a global conversation.

Well, sir, while we were focused on the U.S. recession, we went from a connected world to a “hyperconnected world.” It has connected Boston, Beijing and now Baotou in inner Mongolia. This deeper penetration of connectivity is built on smarter cellphones, wireless bandwidth and social networks. This new platform for connectivity, being so cheap and mobile, is bringing another two billion people into the conversation from more and more remote areas.

To put it in Middle Eastern terms, sir, this new platform has connected Detroit and Damascus and Dara’a. Where is Dara’a, you ask? Dara’a is the small Syrian border town where the uprising in Syria began and whose residents have been pumping out video, Twitter feeds and Facebook postings of regime atrocities ever since.

The point, sir, is the world is now hyperconnected, and there is no such thing as “local” anymore. Everything now flows instantly from the most remote corners of any country onto this global platform where it gets shared. What the laptop plus the Internet plus the search engine did for Web pages was enable anyone with connectivity to find anything that interests them and what the cellphone plus the Internet plus Facebook are doing is enabling anyone to find anyone who interests them — and then coordinate with them and share grievances and aspirations.

The days when Arab dictators could take over the state-run TV and radio and shut off all information to their people are over. The Syrians can’t shut off their cellphone networks now any more than they can shut off their electricity grids.

Sir, think about this: Syria has banned all foreign networks, like CNN and the BBC, but if you go to YouTube and type in “Dara’a” you will see the most vivid up-to-date video of the Syrian regime’s crackdown — all shot with cellphones or flip-cams by Syrians and then uploaded to YouTube or to newly created Web sites like Sham News Network. Nothing stays hidden anymore.

The second trend we see in the Arab Spring is a manifestation of “Carlson’s Law,” posited by Curtis Carlson, the C.E.O. of SRI International, in Silicon Valley, which states that: “In a world where so many people now have access to education and cheap tools of innovation, innovation that happens from the bottom up tends to be chaotic but smart. Innovation that happens from the top down tends to be orderly but dumb.” As a result, says Carlson, the sweet spot for innovation today is “moving down,” closer to the people, not up, because all the people together are smarter than anyone alone and all the people now have the tools to invent and collaborate.

The regime of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was just too dumb and slow to manage the unrest. The Tahrir revolutionaries were smart but chaotic, and without leadership. Therefore, the role of leaders today — of companies and countries — is to inspire, empower, enable and then edit and meld all that innovation coming from the bottom up. But that requires more freedom for the bottom. Do you see what I mean, sir?

But this is not about technology alone. As the Russian historian Leon Aron has noted, the Arab uprisings closely resemble the Russian democratic revolution of 1991 in one key respect: They were both not so much about freedom or food as about “dignity.” They each grew out of a deep desire by people to run their own lives and to be treated as “citizens” — with both obligations and rights that the state cannot just give and take by whim.

If you want to know what brings about revolutions, it is not G.D.P. rising or falling, says Aron, “it is the quest for dignity.” We always exaggerate people’s quest for G.D.P. and undervalue their quest for ideals. “Dignity before bread” was the slogan of the Tunisian revolution. “The spark that lights the fuse is always the quest for dignity,” said Aron. “Today’s technology just makes the fire much more difficult to put out.”

We need to keep that in mind in China, sir. We should be proud of the rising standard of living that we have delivered for our people. Many of them appreciate that. But it is not the only thing in their lives — and at some point it won’t be the most important thing. Do you see what I mean, sir?

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             It was an interesting article about what stance China should take in the hyper-connected global society. I absolutely agree with the fact that China needs to work on a lot of things, especially the citizens’ quality of life. Despite the incessant advice from many analysts and the international society, China doesn’t even bother to budge for change. It is a sad thing that only the size and quantity of China’s economy are growing.

             So what is the fundamental problem that exists in China? The answer is “quality”. Of course, major economic indicators such as GDP and economic growth have been steadily uprising for the past several years. It is an undeniable fact that China has become an influential economic force. However, the dark side of China’s society is being concealed under the glorious and magnificent achievement it has made. Individual freedom is constantly encroached upon without any reluctance, the judicial system is ineffective, and minorities are marginalized.

            Let’s first look at the individual rights. Freedom of speech, religion and expression are restricted in all circumstances. What an absurd idea to restrict what we say in the press when we need transparent and diverse opinions to be reflected! Also where is the justification for regulating my conviction on a certain religion? Members who are involved in politics for example, are officially required to be atheists. Being religious can limit their economic prospects regardless of his or her ability and aptitude. In addition, the government tries to maintain control over not only religious content, but also leadership choices.

             Next, the judicial system is highly ineffective. The concept such as independent judiciary system, rule of law, and due process are nowhere to be seen. Thus, citizens are always subject to unjust treatment of laws which is definitely against human rights.

             Lastly, the social discrimination on minorities and weaker members of society is another major issue. Minorities such as Tibetans are forced to stay in the low social status. They are not given the chance to even attempt to climb up the social ladder. Workers who have less power than entrepreneurs are denied the right to form independent labor unions to assert their rights. One child policy only allows the rich people to have babies as many as they want while poor people are restricted on their rights to have babies.

             With this in mind, I felt three things in this article. To begin with, I realized that what China is doing now will strangle its future. As the article says, the role of leaders today is to inspire and encourage all bottom-up innovation. However, China is exactly following the other way around. Creative ideas and innovation are continuously repressed by the Chinese regime, and citizens aren’t fully living up to their potentials. If this kind of situation persists, China will fall way behind the global competition in a few decades.

             Furthermore, China should take responsibility in the global society. China’s government and its citizens are very proud of being one of the major superpowers in the world. However, I believe being a “superpower” requires more than high GDP and economic growth. The ultimate purpose of economic growth is to allow citizens to enjoy a higher standard of living. If the increased wealth isn’t used for improving the quality of life and human rights, China would become a fat guy who doesn’t have any content inside his brain. Also, this article reminded me of another responsibility China should take: protecting the environment. It was very irresponsible of China to actually refuse to fully participate in the process of reducing CO2 emissions in the Copenhagen conference. Unless these responsibilities are taken, China does not deserve to be a superpower.

             Finally, I was amazed to see how much the “citizen power” had grown up. Even several decades ago, citizens were lethargic about the oppression of tyrannical regimes. Many people were not educated and they didn’t even have the slightest notion of what freedom and rights mean for them. However, for the past few years, many people were enlightened and the fire for enthusiasm for freedom has gone ablaze. What’s more, the rapid development internet, personal computers and social networking sites enabled many people all over the world to participate in the global conversation. Let’s take the Arab spring in Libya, Sudan and Tunisia for example. People in those countries were no longer the citizens several years ago. Now, they were able to post vivid images, videos and information on sites such YouTube and Facebook. Protests have become more systematic owing to the active communication in the internet. Arab dictators were very much startled by such strong waves of commotion. The power of the citizens made me feel that China is no exception; it is no longer able to take over the media and restrict citizens’ rights just like before.