 |
By Lee Nan-hee
Several weeks ago, I watched the well-known program "I want to know it" on SBS. In the past, I would watch this program on an almost regular basis, though I used to feel very upset or sad due to the mostly tragic and heartbreaking stories featured. I tried not to watch it for a while. However, as time went by, I felt a bit curious about what had been aired recently on that program and what has been happening nowadays in our society.
In the meantime, I followed the case of a 28-year-old woman on that program. She had died in a car crash on Jeju Island with her boyfriend driving. I was stunned and speechless to hear and follow the story in which her boyfriend checked that she had not buckled up her seatbelt and sped up to over 100 kilometers per hour. It was extreme speeding. On top of that, he was drunk at that time. To make matters worse, they were having a fight. The man told his girlfriend to break up with him.
According to the story and explanation given by the program, the woman seemed to be eager to date a nice guy and fall in love with him, while the man appeared to be callous and careless. Though the man told her he wanted to break up a few times, the woman did not want to. She seemed to become clingy with him. At the end of the day, the man was charged with her murder.
What was so outstanding and memorable about this case was that she was young, very beautiful with long, curly hair and makeup. She looked promising and competent, no matter what she might have done. I could see some pictures of her and that man posted on her social media. She must have enjoyed sharing pictures of herself and her boyfriend, as is usual for people nowadays.
Many times we forget the fact that seeing is not everything. What is seen is not always the truth, especially in times like this when everyone seems to be on social media. I feel that we need to be careful about every little thing that we do, show and choose.
In addition, I cannot help but think about this. Namely, had it not been for such fixed and conventional stereotypes of love, marriage and happiness in our society, she could have lived a different life. Those expectations felt like almost a myth that neither any progressive group of people nor any daring, brave individual could dismantle. Plenty of media including traditional television, radio as well as video-sharing platforms and OTT services have helped support this entrenched myth. Nonetheless, they never tell us the hidden truth that there exists no fixed, right way of life, and that true happiness doesn't hinge on dating and marriage. You had better be happy, can be happy regardless of whether you are dating, married or single.
The bottom line is thus. Open my eyes and see what a wonderful world that I live in. I am happy here and now. Nobody, nothing can take this happiness away from me, be it money, power, spouse or whatever.
Dr. Lee Nan-hee studied English in college and theology at Hanshin University.
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
