Comments on: tHuRsDaY, OcToBeR 16, 2008 // post #80

By: Franie

Franie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:58:41 +0000

Oh, Robin~! I couldn’t agree with you more!
Our history… Well, many in my generation do not know the pain, but we can listen to those who do.
I’m still hoping that we’re moving forward.

By: Darrin White

Darrin White — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:13:33 +0000

Nicely said Robin. Very nicely said. You always had a way with words.

So… You gonna right me back sometime?

By: r.e.m.

r.e.m. — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:57:12 +0000

Franie the Fantastic! I am delighted to read you! I hope you will drop by whenever the spirit moves you… you are eternally welcome.

The new class is good, plenty of bright, friendly faces. We will learn a lot together. How about you? Your command of English is growing by leaps and bounds, my friend. You own your words…

What you say about recent elections in Korea has got me thinking in the deep end again … it makes me wonder. I’ve been doing a bit of reading about Korea since ’45, north and south of the 38th parallel. It’s quite a story…

Grandparents and their parents can tell about the overthrow of the First Republic by students and unionists, the hwan measured against it’s own weight in U.S. dollars driving the relentless return of military adventurers with deadly, exploding promises and your parents can tell you what happened after all of that.

We learn that war is good for business and that should tell us something about how this world does business. We learn that it is dangerous and powerful to be a student or a worker. We watch people sleep through one revolution after another because revolutions always bring us right back to their boiling point – it is their nature.

We have the imagination for freedom, but we become mute in the face of all that responsibility. We don’t know how to make it real. Many histories have been written about people winning and losing their freedom. I don’t see how we can lose something we haven’t yet had; if it hasn’t been shared, then we haven’t had it yet. I wonder if we’ll keep reaching for it… or stand still while a snake slowly swallows it whole?

If we can believe that the fog is lifting, we will see the sun.

By: Franie

Franie — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Hello, how are you Robin? How’s your new class?
Well, now I’m just sitting on my chair with coffee, doing nothing special, and I’m just reminded of this page and……… I am here!!
Is this ok? I mean what I’m doing now – to stop by, read your posts, leave a reply… things like we did when I was in your class. I know you don’t mind, but maybe I’m little shy. You know me, right? ‘-’

Anyway, about your post, the same things happened in Korea. The number of voter, I mean who actually go to the poll, is getting lower and lower. For example, last presidential election, 62% of people voted. It’s obviously higher than Canada’s, however, for the parliamentary election, only 49% of people did it. Especially the great majority of twenties did not care about election. What’s wrong with them?
In Korea, election day is national holiday. Which means people have a whole day to go to the voting both, and it won’t take that long. But many of them, almost half of the people who has right to vote, don’t do it. Instead of doing that, they go on a vacation, or just stay in home, enjoy their one day off……. “Oh, irony.”