Small Things Are Great
We are getting paralyzed by various numbers games appearing at the national front
pages almost everyday. Whenever a political, social, or monetary scandal breaks out,
tens of millions, billions, or even trillions of won are necessarily involved in it. It is
very disheartening to hear the recent news about the misuse of the public funds, £Ü158.9
trillion in total, thus far raised and injected since the IMF era. This shameful
mismanagement of money by the government signifies that, while patriotic spirits swept
the IMF-stricken country, some Mammons were immorally making big dirty money
behind the scenes. It is estimated that the expected losses could go up to £Ü142.2
trillion, and the problem is that the losses are to be covered by our tax money. They
plundered the public funds, that is, "other people's money," and therefore they ravaged
people of their property.
It is a bolt from the blue when we consider that average college students just earn two
thousand-something won per hour for their extra hard-working. How many people are
suffering under the poverty line in our country? Is it a society in which it is hard to
find any good person? In recent years, there has been a mood of deepening pessimism
about the future of our country, politically, socially, and economically. Here, the worse
problem is that people don't seem to realize what troubles they are in. The various
leaders of our country seem totally unconcerned with the recent crisis, and people are
also seemingly indifferent to the current situations. They just don't care about various
social ills, considering those as trivial. Only sensational or big-time criminal cases are
their concern.
Today at the streets we see lots of faces benumbed with figures inconceivable. It is as
if they are living in a dreamy wonderland. They blindly pursue easy money and try to
rake it in these days. The work ethic is weakening day by day and nobody wants to
work like a dog. However, our current society is not a "brave new world" which
provides us all kinds of opportunities for a better tomorrow. It is, in fact, a world which
"Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, / Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for
pain." It is rather a battlefield where the survival of the fittest dominates.
Then, what our youngsters can do in this seemingly "brave new world?" The first
motto should be "cherish small things." Ambitious mind for young college students is
okay because "it's a jungle out there." Life may be too difficult for social novices when
they have to fight for what they want. However, before they become ambitious, they
need to be as pure as the driven snow. The real power comes from the pure
mind--"Blessed are the pure in heart." Our young students, who would be the stronger
members in our future society, have a duty to help those who are weak. In this season
of charity, we, the stronger members of the society, must show the caring side of our
nature when we see people who are in trouble. Our future is now up to our young
college students who must try to create a more caring, more compassionate society.
Though oxymoronic, small things are also great and beautiful.
Park Yoon-hee feeling9@dongguk.edu
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