A Holiday For You - My Name

A Holiday for You

           I disagree with the idea that names can influence our fates. Not simply because a guy named Success actually ended up with a more miserable life than his brother named Failure, but because names are just labels that tells nothing about who we truly are. But I know myself that I will be grappling with the exact problem when I have a daughter or a son. Why? Because I do think that different names can give different first impressions to others. Especially when it comes to English names, names are worthy thinking about. Until recently, I’ve never known that are ‘black’ names and ‘white’ names. It seems specific names slightly indicate your ethnicity, region, or even income level.

           However, I don’t want my name to be an expression of my personal information. I think that choosing names based on information like specific race underlies an implicit discrimination. Rather, I just want others to be filled with mild happiness and relaxation when they call out my name.

           Holiday. That’s how I want to be called. The only person that I know with this name is Jrue Holiday, a fabulous NBA star. But besides him, I’ve never encountered a man with this name. Typing in a name like “Roger” gives you a lot of people as well as various meanings and origins. But typing in “Holiday” barely gives you any information other than the facts that it has British origin and a famous American jazz singer and songwriter was named Billie Holiday. It also says that Holiday is actually a female name, but I disagree, especially since Jrue Holiday is a man, making the ratio 50-50 as far as I know, with Billie Holiday on the female side. Besides, what

           So instead of copying origins and meanings about my name from the internet, I want to talk about what this name means for me. Holiday brings delight by the name itself. It is a time of celebration, unity, and most importantly, relaxation. A break is what humans most need in the 21^st century. The phenomenal concept of ‘healing’ illustrates how much humans suffer from stress and mental breakdowns. Especially for students in KMLA, our daily lives are crammed with so many assignments, tests, and official school events that we sometimes forget to look for joy. In this sense, I want to give a small reminder that happiness and rest matter a lot, to both myself and others who call out my name.

           I also chose this name as a promise to myself that I will become a holiday for people around me. Everytime someone calls out my name, I will remind myself that I will give warmth, rest, and festivity. A Holiday for you~

Debunking Myth - Happiness and Looks!!

Most people tend to think that good looks lead to happiness. Is this really true??

How I was Caught

          

 How I was Caught

           My lung stopped. 

           I was standing on the tip of a cliff edge, struck out of breath by the mightiness of a gargantuan basin with towering monuments forged by nature: the Grand Canyon. I was ten years old, traveling around the States with my parents and older sister. I was a little boy, and I was caught by rocks. The simple vastness emptied everything inside me: thoughts, fear, awe, beauty, blood, whatever you say. Never in my life, even until now, have I experienced a force greater.

           My family and I were on a trip to the west half of the States. We didn’t follow a tour company; all of us disliked the restraints that accompanied group tour. We encountered several interesting sights, like remnants of Pueblo houses. But I soon became tired of the long trip. One of the last stops in the journey was the Grand Canyon. On our way, father handed out pictures of the Grand Canyon to me and my sister. Pretty. Awesome. I thought. The colorful grooves on the surface of the rock towers and the red river that seemed to gently flow in the picture caught my eyes. Father stopped the car and we dragged our bodies out of the car. We were on a rocky road with trees on the sideways. We followed the path for a bit. After swerving around a corner, we found empty air greeting us at the end of the path, about 50 meters ahead of us. The road simple stopped and all we could see was whiteness, blemished with few blobs of cloud. We walked a little more.

           Suddenly, so abruptly that it happened in a matter of three steps, the Grand Canyon unrolled itself, pouring into eyes, body, and soul, like a tsunami. That moment when nature finally revealed its existence to me, my feet were immobilized by a rope stronger than that made out of money, fear, excitement, or even love. After a few minutes, my head cleared out and mixed feelings of awe, fear, and beauty materialized and mingled.

           That night, I wondered whether I would feel the same if I were to meet God. I was overwhelmed by the realization that I, a person that had been the center of everything, was nothing. In this vast world, I was nothing more than an ant among millions of others walking by a human foot. Of course, this single experience didn’t bring huge changes to my character. But it certainly allowed a room inside my brain to roll around with the idea of something not me. So far, it had been so busy operating with my feelings, my interests, and my future.

           I wasn’t into God. I wasn’t into Mother Nature. It was more like a shock to realize that such greatness existed, and had always existed regardless of who I am. Some things were simply out of my reach. Some things I simply had to watch.

           That moment when my eyes opened to the world, I was caught. 

Should we send propaganda balloons to North Korea?

Balloons of Hope and Truth




Topic: Should we send propaganda balloons to North Korea?

Background information
South Korean and North Korea have maintained their peaceful yet hostile relationship for many decades. One of the major conflicts rose due to something quite unlikely to cause any harm: balloons. South Koreans have sent balloons containing articles or other paper material that explicitly criticize the North Korean government. North Korea reacted strongly with its usual threats. Although many people are prioritizing the health of the South Korean citizens, others are still stressing the importance of reunification.

Personal Connection:
I have had a special experience regarding North Korea. I was in 6th grade in elementary school. I participated in a camp to North Korea. Its main purpose was to visit North Korea and have an opportunity to think about reunification. We climbed the KeumKang mountains and ate in North Korean restaurants. Of course, because the area was restricted and controlled by the North Korean government, I can't say that I experienced the true life of North Korea.
But the thing that I remember until now is that the people there gave off a smell of robots. Their conversation and smile didn't look genuine. The waiters served food with a smile and warm voice, but I somehow felt that the smile and the sweet tone were artificial performances.
This experience made me to support unification afterwards. I somehow felt a kinship towards them, which made me even more sorry for their mundane lives.

Stance: We should send propaganda balloons to North Korea.

Argument 1
Sending propaganda balloons is an efficient method that takes us a step closer to unification. No matter how we hard we try to talk with North Korea's leaders, we never get close to meaningful talks or treaties that they will actually abide by. What we need is a grass-root policy that alters the attitudes of the citizens themselves. Once North Korean citizens realize the truth, many will rise against their corrupt leaders.

Argument 2
North Korean citizens have a right to know. North Korean leaders have incessantly brainwashed their citizens with the idea that democracy is a horrible disaster and the Kim family should be worshiped. But the truth is that they are being exploited by their own leaders. The innocent citizens are suffering under famine and preposterously oppressive policies. The international community, especially South Korea, has the obligation to rescue the North Korean citizens from the abyss of lies.