Well, as you all know, I am currently residing in (yet another) country technically at war. The Korean War ended in 1953, not in a treaty, but in an armistice, basically saying let's just cut this country in half and try not to screw up either side.
Well, at first the South was all messed up, slipping into a devastating economy and having to rely on foreign forces to pull them up by their bootstraps. As the economy of South Korea grew, the Kim family regime in the North helped to oppress their population into the most isolated and destitute nations in the world. People died by the thousands during a famine in the 1990s, as Kim Jong Il would have lobsters airlifted to him daily. Koreans get shot trying to cross the border into China, where, if they are captured, they are repatriated back to North Korea where they are executed, tortured or forced into hard labor in the many gulags. All the while, the elite stand around, saying they are the best, that the American bastards are the enemy, and that war with the imperialist pigs is imminent (Their words).
So here I am, in a country under threat by a 30 something year old leader in the North is trying to prove to the world that the...ahem...asian stereotypes of size don't apply to him. We have spent the last few months seeing if all of his talk will amount to anything. People here in South Korea don't give him a second thought, as this rhetoric has been commonplace for years. Back home, I have friends and family about to buy me a plane ticket home because they are so worried about what they see in the hyped up media portrayal of the non-threating blob-o-kim jong un-reliable.
So all that is happening, and while most of our foreigners have ignored the warning from the North to evacuate, we have our necessary precautions: copies of our passports, an emergency escape suitcase, a general idea of where we will run to, a solid catch phrase we can shout at the opposing army (which could also be a great title to the inevitable memoir that will be written about our lives).
Many of us our homesick, myself included, especially as the weather warms up and you think about all the fun you have with friends and family at home. In fact, on Monday, April 15th, I fell asleep here in ticking-time-bomb South Korea, reminiscing about the good ol' days in Boston on Patriots Day...Marathon Monday...when we would all get wasted and wander around the city celebrating each other, the spring weather, the marathon runners, and life in general.
Well I woke up in ticking-time-bomb Korea to find that the bomb was detonated. As I was prepared to evacuate a nuclear war, there was danger at home, where we least expected it. Two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people, and critically injuring dozens of others. At first I couldn't believe the news updates I was getting in my email. How could that happen? At an international charity event?
I spent the whole day upset, trying to make sure all my friends and family were accounted for, and trying to find out via the many sensationalized news networks what in the hell actually happened.
I watched the gruesome footage of the explosions, and I cried at the people who's lives were forever changed by this incident. I felt angered, that people feel the need to reek havoc on the lives of unexpected bystanders, of innocent children, and of people who are just trying to enjoy the best of life and help others in the process.
I try to promote peace and love. I try and be a good person. I try to treat others the way I would want to be treated.
But people who commit crimes like this are not people. The terrorists who attacked on 9/11 are not people. The gunmen at Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech, or the other various shooting locations are not people. The rebels destroying Damascus, or planting bombs in Ireland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Pakistan or Afghanistan are not people. They are cockroaches, they are pieces of shit, they are heartless and soulless assholes who do not deserve to be treated as people. These people deserve punishment in the harshest of ways, because these are premeditated acts of anger, aggression and murder.
And as I felt this anger, and as I cried watching the people scrambling for their lives, I also felt pride. Pride in my city, pride in my country, and pride in humanity. Because as the attackers likely dropped the bombs and ran for their lives...strangers on the street risked theirs, and ran to the bomb sites to do anything they could to help the victims. Not just one stranger, not just the cops, but dozens of people immediately sprang into action. Marathon runners continued to run down Boylston to get to Mass General Hospital and donate blood. First responders were ready and willing to help in any way. And that, is amazing. That positive energy overcame my vengeful anger, and I remembered that even when people are acting like assholes after a big burrito dinner...there are awesome people all around us. The good far outweigh the bad, and while there is disaster all over the world, the good people in all of us will prevail. This I am sure.
So now, no one cares about Kim Jong Un's fanny wobble. No one cares about the intentions of the bombers. No one cares about the mental stability of the Newtown gunman. We care about each other. We care about the well being of our fellow man. We care about what we can do from here, how we can change and improve, and how we can try and prevent these tragedies in the future.
There will always be danger in the world. Most importantly, there will always be benevolence. This week has proven that. And the future will prove this as well.
I love that dirty water.
Stay safe everyone.
-G.
Well, at first the South was all messed up, slipping into a devastating economy and having to rely on foreign forces to pull them up by their bootstraps. As the economy of South Korea grew, the Kim family regime in the North helped to oppress their population into the most isolated and destitute nations in the world. People died by the thousands during a famine in the 1990s, as Kim Jong Il would have lobsters airlifted to him daily. Koreans get shot trying to cross the border into China, where, if they are captured, they are repatriated back to North Korea where they are executed, tortured or forced into hard labor in the many gulags. All the while, the elite stand around, saying they are the best, that the American bastards are the enemy, and that war with the imperialist pigs is imminent (Their words).
So here I am, in a country under threat by a 30 something year old leader in the North is trying to prove to the world that the...ahem...asian stereotypes of size don't apply to him. We have spent the last few months seeing if all of his talk will amount to anything. People here in South Korea don't give him a second thought, as this rhetoric has been commonplace for years. Back home, I have friends and family about to buy me a plane ticket home because they are so worried about what they see in the hyped up media portrayal of the non-threating blob-o-kim jong un-reliable.
So all that is happening, and while most of our foreigners have ignored the warning from the North to evacuate, we have our necessary precautions: copies of our passports, an emergency escape suitcase, a general idea of where we will run to, a solid catch phrase we can shout at the opposing army (which could also be a great title to the inevitable memoir that will be written about our lives).
Many of us our homesick, myself included, especially as the weather warms up and you think about all the fun you have with friends and family at home. In fact, on Monday, April 15th, I fell asleep here in ticking-time-bomb South Korea, reminiscing about the good ol' days in Boston on Patriots Day...Marathon Monday...when we would all get wasted and wander around the city celebrating each other, the spring weather, the marathon runners, and life in general.
Well I woke up in ticking-time-bomb Korea to find that the bomb was detonated. As I was prepared to evacuate a nuclear war, there was danger at home, where we least expected it. Two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people, and critically injuring dozens of others. At first I couldn't believe the news updates I was getting in my email. How could that happen? At an international charity event?
I spent the whole day upset, trying to make sure all my friends and family were accounted for, and trying to find out via the many sensationalized news networks what in the hell actually happened.
I watched the gruesome footage of the explosions, and I cried at the people who's lives were forever changed by this incident. I felt angered, that people feel the need to reek havoc on the lives of unexpected bystanders, of innocent children, and of people who are just trying to enjoy the best of life and help others in the process.
I try to promote peace and love. I try and be a good person. I try to treat others the way I would want to be treated.
But people who commit crimes like this are not people. The terrorists who attacked on 9/11 are not people. The gunmen at Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech, or the other various shooting locations are not people. The rebels destroying Damascus, or planting bombs in Ireland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Pakistan or Afghanistan are not people. They are cockroaches, they are pieces of shit, they are heartless and soulless assholes who do not deserve to be treated as people. These people deserve punishment in the harshest of ways, because these are premeditated acts of anger, aggression and murder.
And as I felt this anger, and as I cried watching the people scrambling for their lives, I also felt pride. Pride in my city, pride in my country, and pride in humanity. Because as the attackers likely dropped the bombs and ran for their lives...strangers on the street risked theirs, and ran to the bomb sites to do anything they could to help the victims. Not just one stranger, not just the cops, but dozens of people immediately sprang into action. Marathon runners continued to run down Boylston to get to Mass General Hospital and donate blood. First responders were ready and willing to help in any way. And that, is amazing. That positive energy overcame my vengeful anger, and I remembered that even when people are acting like assholes after a big burrito dinner...there are awesome people all around us. The good far outweigh the bad, and while there is disaster all over the world, the good people in all of us will prevail. This I am sure.
So now, no one cares about Kim Jong Un's fanny wobble. No one cares about the intentions of the bombers. No one cares about the mental stability of the Newtown gunman. We care about each other. We care about the well being of our fellow man. We care about what we can do from here, how we can change and improve, and how we can try and prevent these tragedies in the future.
There will always be danger in the world. Most importantly, there will always be benevolence. This week has proven that. And the future will prove this as well.
I love that dirty water.
Stay safe everyone.
-G.
