What events make a person an adult?

There are so many differences between children and adults, such as adults always make decisions independently, while children often deal with things under the supervision of adults. Although it is a course that a child grows up and become an adult, I believe that many events play a significant role in it. Based on the experience and life style of my own, leaving parents and living alone is the event that turns a child into an adult.

The main reason of the argument I support is that living independently could develop the ability of thinking and doing independently. In family, parents always prepare everything and create a comfortable condition for children. Children at home are almost carefree, and need not worry about cooking, washing, making cleaning, and the only thing they have to care of is study. However, when living in the dormitory of school, they have to begin to study how to deal with house work and how to get on along with others. And it is more important that they have to think independently and make decisions like adults.

Another reason can be seen by everyone is that to live independently a child will have to face many problems which need courage and the capability to cope with. Without the help from parents, children will find there are so many unexpected concrete troubles can not be resolved only by themselves. For example, when a freshmen move into dormitory, he or she have learn to change the light bulb, clean the room, how to get on well with roommates and so on. At this time, making friends and helping each other are very important for them to resolve the troubles.

In addition, the frustration or even the failure in life is very significant in the course of growth. An experience, example, or observation imparts beneficial new knowledge and wisdom. In the same way, a failure brings children lessons and makes their thought and behavior mature and sense.

General speaking, living independently will develop the ability of dealing with things of children, test the courage of coping with difficulties of them, and bring them many lessons. Taking into account of all these factors, we may reach the conclusion that living by own make a child mature and wise, and turn a child into an adult.

sacrificing democracy to preserve democracy?

For these recent years, it has been especially harder to travel abroad than ever before. Because of potential terrorism and tragic accidents which already occurred, each and every country puts more effort on immigration process at international airports. Thorough security check has been started and loads of CCTV have been installed everywhere.

As a foreigner living in Europe, I’ve actively been to several European countries for my short holidays. While I was travelling, however, I observed some outrageous happenings at airports. It was the day when I left London to come back home, just after passing my security check, I found a woman next to me who looks very humiliated. Her baggage was opened, and a security officer who was a man searched throughout her private belongings. Of course I had no idea whether she had some plastic bombs inside her underclothes or not, it definitely looked like a scene of sexual molestation. Apparently, the security “for citizens” does not concern citizen’s privacy or freedom.

To avoid terrible accident, like 911 in U.S. and to preserve democracy itself, many democratic countries restrict the freedom of their citizens. With this paradox, what do we earn and lose?

On the bright side, we can save our lives by sacrificing our little freedom. No one would want to die from terrorism. We never say any freedom-thing in front of terrorists who are holding muskets and bombs. If these whole little uncomfortable things can prevent tragic accidents in the future, who wouldn’t accept being watched or searched at times?

On the dark side, however, we are still human-beings who have right to have freedom and privacy even though we are threatened by terrorism. No one wants to pee under a CCTV or let his or her baggage searched throughout by the other gender. If we lose the dignity as humans, are we still humans?

The grading of children in primary school is good or bad?

In many Korean primary schools, teachers evaluate students by their grades. Some people think that it is unfair and one-sided to judge children by grades and it might discourage some students. I believe, however, grades make them learn more. The reasons for this can be analyzed as follows.

First of all, grades could let children learn something properly. Attending classes is not enough for students to learn the subjects no matter how much they concentrate. To get a better grade, they would like to be more prepared to exams. To do like that they need to review the lessons and remind their memory once more. From this process, they could learn the subjects by their hearts.

Secondly, grades could be standard measurements to figure out the knowledge level of each child. When people are younger, they tend to put interest to only one thing which they like most. Because of this, there could be some students who are only good at just one subject. As a normal person, however, everyone needs to have common knowledge about every subject from primary school curriculum. To find out the level of knowledge, children’s grades for subjects could be very helpful. With grades, teachers could know each student’s weak subject.

Thirdly, grades could also give children the feeling of success. When they get high grades thorough hard work, students may think that they make a great achievement. This feeling of success would encourage students to study harder and harder. At the same time, the successes in schools could lead students to find chances to succeed in society.

In conclusion, grades help students to study properly, be evaluated correctly and feel great from their success, which is a high grade. For these good reasons, I firmly believe that grades are good for each and every child.

What makes it slow to realize the severity of climate change?

‘Global Warming’ has been a hot issue for all over the world recently. In spite of warning from governments and some scientific associations, however, it takes long time for people to make a proper solution for this problem. Why is it this much slow? As far as I’m concerned, they have two good reasons.

First of all, people are not desperate. Even though they might feel little climate change, people cannot see “real problems” directly. Because a lot of important people, who are supposed to move and change world, are living in the cities. The visible problems are, however, actually lying on the desert or the polar region. Things have been changing a lot in those areas. Thousands of tribesmen are threatened by desertification. Hunters living in Iceland are losing their jobs–Global Warming made wild polar animals extinct–and menacing melting down glaciers are killing natives. People in big cities never realize these critical situations unless they look for some documentary films about climate change. Until they find it is a problem directly related to their lives, finding the solution would be still unsuccessful.

Secondly, people became so lazy to abandon convenient technologies, even though these new technologies are accelerating Global Warming. CO2 gas is the main reason of this phenomenon, and it is emitted from consuming coal and gas, which is also used to provide fascinating lifestyle of us. People just cannot give up the whole convenient skills and try hard to delay ‘No-more-coal-or-gas Era’ for finding alternative fuel, which has not been successful for decades.

In conclusion, people are not really ready to start considering the solution of Global Warming. In my opinion, however, people should get out of their dreaming and realize the severity of circumstance. This realization would be a big step toward an ‘Anti-Global Warming’ movement.

What is my favorite TV series and what makes me like it?

For your information, I’m really addicted to American TV series such as Grey’s anatomy, Desperate Housewives, The O.C, CSI, Gossip girl, America’s next top model, Project runway and so on. These American TV series are very popular in South Korea as well as in Europe. Almost every young people in Korea have been into at least one of American dramas or soaps. And I’m not an exception. This might be because there are many differences between Korean and American TV series. Today I’d like to write some fascinating characteristics of one of my favorite American TV series, ‘the Desperate Housewives’, comparing to Korean TV series.

Above all, the most attractive feature of the Desperate Housewives is that no one can figure out what would happen next. There is always something else going on behind the scene. Therefore the situation now could reverse itself in anytime. For example, Mrs. McCluskey was seemed to be a normal wicked old lady on neighbor, but it turns out that she has been hiding her husband’s dead body in her basement for living on his pension. This story was really shocking, but very much interesting as well. In Korea, on the other hand, most TV series has typical plot, the good would succeed and the bad would fail in the end, and everyone can guess the next episode. Surprisingly, however, people keep watching those series even though they know the ending. I guess every TV series has its own charm.

Furthermore, those housewives have their distinct personalities. And they all are very lovable and understandable. Brie is a traditional American housewife who can do everything, like cooking, baking and gardening. She is very strict to every single thing, but generous to her loving family and friends. Gabriel is a young shopaholic housewife who was a famous model. She is very mean to strangers, but cares about her close friends. Lynette is a wise mother. She is the only one who can control the evil twins. Her life became little bit pathetic after she gave up her golden job, but she knows how to live happily. Susan always causes trouble because of her carelessness. She is very socialized and attractive woman even though she is sometimes annoying. Each of these four women is not perfect at all, but they are perfect together. That’s why these characters are lovable in spite of their defects. In Korean TV series, the evil characters have just evil personalities. They never can be understandable, which is very pathetic actually.

These two are the main reason why I love to watch American TV series as well as ‘the Desperate Housewives’. However, I’m not always watching American ones. I’m also a big fan of British classic dramas, Japanese animation and of course my own country’s TV series. These TV programs have been a part of my life one way or another even though I didn’t realize that I am like that.

What experiences should children of the world have as they grow up?

Almost every people has own memory from their childhood. Whether the memory is good or not, it could affect their whole life one way or another. As this childhood is very important, grown ups ought to take good care of their children. In my point of view, there are three critical things that are necessary for children. I’d like to introduce these experiences to you as follows.
First of all, children should be close to the nature. When I was younger, my family lived in the country side. I spent most of my childhood in the small town. This old town had beautiful scenery, like breathtaking mountains and valleys. Of course there was no pollution, unlike a big city. Me and my friends were so healthy and had an out going personality. When my family moved to a big city, however, I realized that there were a lot of children who suffered from diseases, like the atopic allergy and had introvert personality not in a good way. As the proverb goes, the sound body has the sound mind. If your children are close to the nature, they would get healthy body and then this healthy body would help your kids to think in healthy ways.
Second of all, grown ups should travel with their children as much as they can. People who never travel and have lived in just one place might have a very narrow sight toward the world. Children must know that there are another world outside which is very different from their own world. People who has broaden mind are more likely to have insight which is very helpful for keeping the harmony with others. Traveling around would help your children learn a lot of things and get out of their own bubbles or eggs. Therefore they could be more mature.
Finally, children should hang out with their friends instead of being alone playing video games. There are so many children addicted to video games and the computer recently. Those kids could overlook how much important their real friends are. In childhood, hanging out with a group of children of their age means a lot to each of them, because it helps them to learn how to socialize. As a human-being, socializing is one of significant things to survive in this world. Not knowing the skills for dealing with social problem, your children could be left behind.
I believe firmly what I wrote above would be very much useful for many parents to raise their children in a proper way. For children, being healthy and extrovert, having a broad view toward the world and learning how to socialize is very essential. And these three things would let your kids have much happier childhood memory, which could influence their whole life.