[Kim Seong-kon] Messages for today’s young people

KIM SEONG-KON

Recently, I came across a children’s book that impressed me greatly. Published in Korea, it was entitled, “When Everybody Says It’s Right, Is It Really Right?” The subtitle was “How to Say 'No!'”

Written by Lee Ki-kyu and illustrated by Bang Sang-ho, the book explores the problems of the “tyranny of the majority” and illuminates the ways in which we can say “No!” and reach agreements reasonably.

The book begins with a fundamental question that touches upon one of the inherent problems of democracy: “Is the principle of majority rule absolutely right?” The author argues that the principle of majority rule is neither ideal nor perfect. Rather, it is the last resort when discussions fail to reach a conclusion. Without realizing it, we customarily decide everything according to the principle of majority rule, assuming that it is the best solution. But what if the minority is right and the majority wrong?

The author then stresses the importance of saying no when the majority wrongfully shouts “Yes!” Of course, it is not easy to say no when everyone else yells yes. Yet we should say no whenever the majority is wrong. We should also say no when our social conventions or customs are improper or unreasonable.

In the book, the author explains that there are many ways of saying no, such as signing petitions, joining boycott movements, or becoming a whistleblower. Such actions may risk our jobs, families or reputations, and yet we should still say no when something is not right.

The author refers to Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and August Landmesser as exemplary people who said no when others said yes. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony boldly said no to the social convention that prohibited women’s suffrage in America. In 1955, Rosa Parks courageously said no to racial discrimination on buses in the American South. In 1936, August Landmesser valiantly refused to join the crowd in giving the Nazi salute to Adolf Hitler.

According to the author, saying no is not always good, because sometimes people say it for selfish reasons. “Not in My Back Yard,” for example, is a typical case of egoistic resistance. Indeed, people often object to facilities being built in their neighborhoods if they believe such developments will lower real estate values. In addition, there are those who stubbornly say no to everything. Such people turn a deaf ear to other voices or opinions. They are self-righteous and thus believe that they are always right, while others are wrong.

We should be different from them. Like Zeus, we should have the courage to say no like thunder when others howl yes. Joining others who shout yes is easy, but saying no amid roaring approval is not. Nevertheless, we should say no whenever necessary. In that sense, Lee’s book significantly broadens the horizons of children’s minds.

Another book I have recently encountered is “Reminiscing upon Those Days.” It is a collection of poems written by Cha Yun, a former high-ranking Korean Navy officer and diplomat. Cha wrote these poems during and immediately after the Korean War, when he was a young Naval Academy cadet and later a junior Navy officer on the battlefield.

As a war veteran, Cha decided to publish his poems to help young people open their eyes to the harsh reality of a country still divided by ideological conflict. Through his poems, Cha reminisces about his youth entangled in war, the agonies of adolescence, and his visions and ambitions as a seaman aboard a battleship. The title of Cha’s collection is a wonderful reminder of Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time.”

In “Falling Flowers,” written in 1951 during the Korean War, the poet writes, “I hate anything that falls / People who fall from high mountain cliffs, blaming the world / Bombs that mercilessly fall upon screaming innocent people.”

Then he continues, “Yet everything falls these days / Some people fall into despair, hopelessly losing hope / Young soldiers fall, too, while fighting for their country / Huge bombs fall from the sky and destroy this land.” The poet then concludes: “Flowers fall, too, and so do my heart and hope / Why is it so sad to see flowers fall in 1951?”

Another touching poem, “Harmonica,” written in 1954 in San Francisco, portrays the loneliness of a wanderer on foreign soil. The poet seeks to comfort his homesickness by playing the harmonica, “I’ve bought a harmonica at last. / It was too expensive / So I hesitated for a few days. / My heart pounded whenever I passed the shop / And whenever the storekeeper smiled at me. /”

The poet concludes, “I bought a harmonica at last. / Because, far from home, a harmonica was something I could not do without. / Intoxicated by memories and nostalgia, I played my harmonica. / Ah, I’ve bought a harmonica at last.”

Both Lee’s and Cha’s books are milestones and guide constellations for today’s young people, who have never experienced military dictatorship, extreme poverty or devastating war.

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Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of Engli…