What we owe to those innocent kids
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By Lee Eung-tae
Everyone throughout the country is profoundly saddened by the news of the tragic ferry sinking which claimed more than 100 lives and left hundreds of passengers unaccounted for. The most terrible part is that the majority of the victims are young helpless high school students who were so full of excitement about the field trip.
Losing their young daughters and sons in a moment, how miserable the parents must be! In the temporary disaster center in a small island, mothers and fathers are wailing, and sometimes wearing blank looks as if they still do not realize the gruesome situation facing them, hoping that they will soon wake up from this nightmare. It should instantly drive them mad, frantically looking at the dark water underneath which their kids are trapped.
Their heart-stricken wailing may well stop the young innocent deceased who are just about to cross the River Styx. As a dead mother cannot step back onto the other side of the great divide because of the crying of her youngest kids, how can those innocent teenagers cross death's river while hearing their mother's mourning cries?
You can’t help shedding tears at those poignant scenes, nor hold back the fury at the inhumane and irresponsible behavior of people charged with the responsibility of overseeing the rescue operation, some of whom deserve to be severely punished.
But, in hindsight, can we vindicate ourselves?
We owed those helpless, innocent kids the right to lead a safe and happy life until they reached maturity. Due to our irresponsibility, more than 300 teenagers were killed and the survivors are destined to be traumatized for the rest of their lives. Those beautiful young buds were cruelly plucked away without having bloomed.
In terms of education, we failed to instill in them an inalienable wisdom – critical skepticism in any emergency. While imagining the miserable kids trembling in the small compartments in the cabins, obeying the announcement to remain where they were, we can’t help shedding tears. What if they had been taught in school that all that is told them is not true? What if they had been inclined through teachers’ incessant warnings to think twice in an emergency? What if they were able to privilege their own rational thinking over blind obedience? (I am not blaming the virtue inherent in our cultural tradition to obey elders in most normal social contexts.)
Moreover, our education policy makers owed them an education that emphasized the wisdom of life which conveys the secrets of survival. Under the competition and grade oriented education system, how many teenagers have been driven to stay in school and private academies from morning till midnight? Reflecting on this miserable disaster, what is the use of children studying English and math when they don’t have any rudimental wisdom or basic survival skills like swimming?
Given this, I feel guilty for my belief in the rigid theoretical academic way of teaching under all circumstances, ignoring the holy duty of enhancing students’ rational maturity and critical thinking.
Looking back, we adults owe all students profound apologies for our unforgivable behavior.
We neglected the duty of ``doing things right” by complacently resorting to the easy way of ``getting things done,” leaving the way open to horrific possibilities and catastrophes.
We neglected the duty of developing a critical attitude which could have given those children the initiative to jump from the ferry. Due to long sedentary years devoid of physical activity, all our teenagers became vulnerable to whatever risks they faced.
Now, all Koreans are extending deep condolences and prayers to the bereaved families. And we all are aware that it is time to recover ourselves, hoping that such a horrific accident will never happen again. However, who can be so sure?
Though it is easier said than done, without fundamental measures to boldly address the chronic problems prevalent in all walks of life, we cannot confirm that such an accident will never ever happen again.
The writer is an English teacher at Gimhae Girls' High School in South Gyeongsang Province. His email address is eungtae@gmail.com.