Golden Rules in Korea, Do They Still Exist?
Many decades ago, Korea was known for courtesy and respect for elders. People had their own golden rules such as being polite to those who are older than them. They also had a kind of affection and kindness (in Korea also called '정'), which led people to be more considering for other people. However, time has passed and the golden rules seem to fade away. What are causing Koreans to lose their golden rules?
The first reason for golden rules in Korea to disappear is the gap between the old and the young. Old people grew up knowing that respecting elders and politeness is a must. However, young people these days seem to think differently. Although they share the notion that elders should be respected, they don't really act like the people in the past did. Rather, some of them find the golden rule strange because in other countries, the old and elder people are considered to have the same rights, not superior. They are respected under the same rule and viewpoints that young people are. Also, some people in their 20s or 30s tend to disrespect elders because they have different political viewpoints. These differences between old people and younger ones are making golden rules in Korea weaker and weaker.
Individualism that's spreading in Korea can be the second reason for disappearance of golden rules. Koreans nowadays tend to act on their interest more than before. Few decades ago, as I remember, people were far more polite and cared for others. For example, we lived in an apartment and everyone in the building knew their names and ages, and cared for each other. This kind of bond between people brought good impression on the society. However, now, we don't even know who lives next door. We seldom say hi to our neighbors. I believe that this kind of situation happened because people now think that personal interest and privacy is more important than building bonds and respecting other people.
Now that the golden rules are getting weaker, other rules might replace current ones. Maybe being personal and not caring for other people, and never do any harm to them could be the new notion to replace the present one. However, I think it's important to learn lessons from golden rules. There is no reason for us to be completely different from before. If we try to build some kind of connectedness between the old and the young, then we could maybe have a chance to develop our golden rules to even better ones.
I read your essay well. It was easy to catch your thesis and main points. Your writing is well organized with appropriate words. However, I think it would be better if you add examples or illustrations in the second paragraph. It will make your writing more specific and detailed. Also, in the second sentence of last paragraph, 'never do' needs to be changed into 'never doing'.:)
ReplyDelete-Kim Chaeha
DeleteI think you wrote a good essay and it makes sense of you make some changes and developments.
ReplyDeleteFirst, it will be better if you state a thesis statement accumulating your points about the topic in the introduction. Doing so will make your writing more structured and powerful. You pointed out 2 reasons why the golden rule in Korea is disappearing. State those two reasons in the introduction briefly. That will help the readers better understand your idea.
Also, 2nd paragraph lacks detail and I don’t really understand what you are trying to say. You should state your point clearly like “They grew up in different situation with different education.” Or “Political viewpoint.” But, I don’t think political viewpoint is the reason for young people acting disrespectful to the elders, do you? If you do, why? Answering this question will help you developing your idea about the topic. In addition, giving an example will make it even better. Find your own experience of the loss of golden rule in Korea. It will make your writing much more interesting and powerful. Good luck!
Kim, Jusung / PSD