[제 2회 드림에세이 수상작] Eric Park - 'Balance: Beyond Mistrust'

Grade: 11th / High School: Bishop Montgomery

A sea of blue flooded Dodger Stadium as the World Baseball Classic Finals began on March 23; Koreans had rushed to see a baseball game that had become so much more. Although sports had become especially important with South Korea rising as an Olympic power, sporting events against Japan usually brought a larger crowd. The game became an outlet for political, social, and economic emotions and frustrations that had transcended from an individual level to that of societal. As one of the Korean-Americans in the crowd, the game had exposed a larger world than just baseball.

Tensions between Korea and Japan lay in the troubled histories that intertwine both nations. Japan had invaded, annexed, and brutally exploited Korea, only to remain an invader that had refused to leave. Even with the demand of independence, the Japanese only left after their defeat in WW2. The majority of the mistrust does not lie in the invasion, but the treatment. Under Japan, Korea experienced a cultural genocide where name changes, censorship, and book burnings were common. Nonetheless, the refusal of the Japanese government to issue a formal and official apology, only engraves the scars between the two peoples

These scars remain especially deep with the older generation of Koreans. Older Koreans harbor suspicious feelings against the Japanese; regardless of whether that particular generation is to blame currently. But that is where the new generation seems to differ. My generation, the off-spring of native Korean immigrants, seem to have a generation gap between their parents. Insults, stereotypes, and especially such suspicion are not as common for a generation that was born on and grew up on American soil. Although we as a generation recognize the anguish, suffering, and sorrow that the Japanese has inflicted, mutual distrust does not pervade our relationships.

Our generation cannot afford the emotional and psychological investment that our parents had fostered. The duties among the two generation had changed. Our parents were born in a world where Korea was removing its shackles, while we have an opportunity to change the world around us. As a generation that has been given all the benefits that our parents did not have, it is our duty to create an impact in the world. One of which is to never let such horrific actions take place again.

For my generation, living in America has meant not looking at the world in black and white. By acknowledging our history but not letting it cripple ourselves, the new generation of Korean-American youth has a distinct advantage over others, common ground. By freeing ourselves from the extremes of the spectrum, our generation would be better able to prosper in world that is never just black or white. This freedom will become increasingly important as America becomes more diverse and will serve to foster business, education, and leadership opportunities with different individuals around us. Moderation and “The Middle Way” is my different perspective from my parents. Balance would create a forum and exchange where everyone gets a voice, and as universally known two heads are always better than one.

The extremes of anything only work to hinder the individual for there is no longer an exchange of ideas and only mistrust. As a member of the new generation, the future seems not only brighter but calmer. It is surprising to note that I had learned all of this from a World Baseball Classic Final, but the lesson offers a profound virtue, balance. Rather than being hinder by the past, it is a stepping stone for Korean-American youth to make an impact.