Let’s love our children
By Agus Susanto
I am an Indonesian interested in education. My purpose in coming to Korea was to become equipped as a wise teacher for the future. Why did I choose Korea? There are at least two things that made me do this.
Firstly, I had heard that Korea's missionary expansion around the world was one of the largest.
Secondly, Korea, a poor country 40 years ago, has become a major economic power. Therefore, I assumed that education was the tool that may have explained those two important achievements.
There is another pair of reasons, two occurrences that encouraged me to write this article related to Children's Day on May 5. The first happened while I was on a bus on my way to my professor's house. I saw an interesting exchange between a young teenage boy and his mother.
The other was overhearing some elementary students talking seriously with each other when I was on the subway.
The scene between the teenager and his mom was on April 15:
It was around 6 o'clock in the afternoon when I saw a boy in a school uniform with his mom. I noticed their intimate conversation and body language, which seemed to be very rare during my stay in Busan so far.
Usually, I find teenagers conversing with their peers when they go home, and not with their parents. The mother touched her son's face and nose tenderly. I was amazed to see their close relationship! Though the son looked embarrassed when the mom did it, he kept enjoying the conversation.
The scene of elementary students on April 20:
It was a sunny day in the morning when I took the subway on my way to school. My attention was drawn to three elementary students who were sitting in the special seats for the elderly.
One thing that I noticed the most was their discussion about homework in the hustle and bustle of people. Those who could not answer the problems were easily able to copy their friend's answers without feeling guilty.
From the two scenes above, there are two aspects that I find significant. Firstly, I do think that it is important to love our children. It is easier for adults to understand young people rather than the other way round.
Adults have passed their adolescent period, but teenagers have not concluded that stage yet. The teenager stage is an unstable period where they are trying to find their own self image.
A lack of parental love and attention may have an impact on their lives. An article in the Asia Times online said that in Korea more than 1,000 students between the ages of 10 and 19 killed themselves from 2000 to 2003, citing the nation's official statistics. What a tragedy.
James Smith, a philosopher, asserted that as human beings we are moved by what we love. It happens in all areas of our lives. Whatever we do or think, all are driven by what we love. For example, if we love money, we will do whatever necessary to get money.
If we love our children, we should do the same as well. We can start to give them our attention through spending time with them. This is because the most precious thing in this world that we cannot buy is time for their development.
Also, there is the issue of plagiarism. Recently, an editor of The Hankyoreh wrote an article with the title ``Korea: Republic of Plagiarism.'' It was not only sad to read that article, but also sad to confirm it in real life.
The incident that I saw in the subway several weeks ago showed a clear example of it. Young people have become used to plagiarism. I think plagiarism not only happens in Korea but also in other parts of the world as well.
Maybe no one paid attention to them and told them how they should behave. As a foreigner, some people may say that I am not supposed to critique what is happening in this country.
Other people will say, ``It is not your business,'' but I choose to care about it. I believe that peace and prosperity will come also to me if I show concern for peace and prosperity in the city where I live. This is a way to prove our love for the next generation also.
Happy Children's Day! Let's love our children by giving our precious time to them so they can build their future.
Agus Susanto is an Indonesian graduate school student at the department of education at Kosin University. He is interested in education, science, philosophy, football, and developing and sharing cultures. He can be reached at santo77@gmail.com.