Resolution

By Kim Jin-hyun

Recently I watched a movie called “Mountain Man” (2017). The story was set in Gahlaur, Bihar State, in the northeast of India. This is an area where the untouchables, the lowest caste among India's classes, live poorly. It is 60km away from cities with limited road access and no school or hospital. It is surrounded by rocky mountains.

People could only walk or ride in carts as they had no modern transportation. If they wanted to visit nearby villages, they had to traverse the treacherous mountain terrain along a 75km trail.

The protagonist, Manjhi, poor and illiterate, got married to a lovely lady named Phaguniya. One day, when she was walking on the mountain to deliver food to her husband, the pregnant Phaguniya fell. She was taken to hospital, but died although her baby was born.

Understanding that his wife died because of the long distance to the hospital from the isolated area, Manjhi decided to build a road so that no more people would meet his wife's fate. His children were being raised by his father. If the road was built, he thought that the villagers could reach a nearby village more quickly in an emergency situation. The nearest village was only 6km away in a straight line.

At that time, his only asset was a goat. He sold it for a hammer and two chisels and began to cut a path through the mountain with them in 1960 and finished it in 1982. The road was 110m long and 9.1m wide.

In the process of building the road, injuries as well as hunger, and social disturbances prevented him from working continuously, but the death of his wife encouraged him not to give up.

There is a Chinese proverb, “a foolish old man moves a mountain.” In other words, with persistence even an inconceivable job can be accomplished. Like the proverb, this is what caused the man to finish the unbelievable construction with his simple tools.

His wife's death might have helped awaken the reality that he faced. That was, if he didn't build the road, a second or the third person could have become a victim. Still worse, his village, by being isolated from advanced society, would not receive any benefits such as education or medical care.

Realizing that the mountain had blocked his village from education and society, he began his project. At that moment, he only had the simple tools. His situation resembled the foolish old man in the proverb. Chinese novelist, Lu Hsun (1881-1936) said, “There was no road on the Earth at first. As a person walked there, many people began to walk together. Therefore, it became a road.”

In fact, roads exist in the sky and on the earth, and also in the minds of human beings. To make roads, insightful and resolute men would give sweat and blood. As mankind's great teachers, Jesus made the road of “love” by being crucified on the cross, Buddha “mercy” by choosing austerity, and Confucius “perfect virtue” by wandering around China for a long time.

Manjhi also spent his golden time making the road for 22 years, from age 26 to 48. His love for his wife gave him huge energy constantly. Energy may be one of man's high spirits. Thus, when his will was shaky, the man tried to concentrate on the essence of constructing the road and finishing it. In that point, he was a life pioneer and great teacher.

A man's determination would change human beings' paradigm or help them live a more improved life. Our life has been made on such a great man's benevolence.

The writer is an English teacher at Chung-mu High School in South Jeolla Province.