▲ Kim Ji-you (Sogang Univ., 1)

   On the pathways where busy people anxiously wait for green lights, and on the roads where drivers switch on side blinkers to get ahead in a squashed traffic jam, everybody is trying to get to their destination first. Honking is not only on these streets, but seem to be everywhere: in our families, among friends, and in our jobs; the desperate honk for "me" to be first by slowing others down is heard everywhere. Individualism and self-centeredness is at its peak in Korea. We're on the wrong track. To be both successive and happy lies in being a truly united community that builds others up.
   Korean people, who never had a real opportunity for success, have been obsessed with the dream of "my" success since the late 1990's. Such a dream never entered their minds before. What all people wanted was to eat three meals a day. In those days, people were generous, sharing what little they had. Today, people eat three meals a day, plus a lot extra, and the feeling that we are one is buried somewhere deep inside the food remains.
   College students who rioted because of unlawful deeds of the government no longer exist, because we are too preoccupied with taking care of "myself" so that "I" can succeed. In the midst of all this a sign on the road stands out boldly; a simple sign that reads, "if we each yield one minute, traffic will get ten minutes faster overall."

   This is such a true statement, not only on the roads, but in general life as well. We all have to yield. If everybody lets go of their "I go up by pushing others down" idea and think about others more, we will become a better community. We need to become a country where there are less people sleeping on the streets not because the government provided them with housing, but because other people out of generosity and goodwill donated their own hard-earned money. This will be better than any economic advance or lottery ticket. It is time to care less about ourselves, and more about others. A true accomplishment!

Kim Ji-you (Sogang Univ., 1)

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지