창밖에 눈이 시리도록 푸른 은행잎을 흔드는 바람이 오늘은 시원하게 느껴집니다. 아직 6월이 오지도 않았는데 요즈음 날씨가 대중없이 더워서 불볕더위라는 말이 등장하는 5월 마지막 주말입니다. 5월은 푸른 하늘과 초록세상이 어우러지고 어린이날을 비롯해서 어버이날, 그것도 모자라서 올부터는 21일을 부부의 날로 지키고 있습니다. 어느 해인가 유엔이 가정의 달로 5월을 지정한 해도 있었다는 기억이 납니다. 5월이 다가기 전에 오월에 어울리는 아름다운 세상을 그려보고 싶습니다.
오월은 무엇보다도 뛰노는 어린이들이 있어야 한다고 믿습니다. 정말 뛰노는 어린이를 보기가 어려운 황폐한 세상에 우리가 살고 있었습니다. 시골에는 노인들만 남았고 도시에는 학교에 갔다가 학원에 간다고 뛰노는 어린이를 찾기가 힘듭니다. 그래서 언젠가 지역 어느 신문 칼럼에 “아이들을 뛰놀게 하라”는 주제로 글을 실은 적이 있었습니다. 한국에 가장 불쌍한 것 두 가지, 배합사료를 먹고 왼 종일 진흙탕 같은 우리에 묶여 있는 젖소하고 초등학교 1, 2학년밖에 안된 아이가 학교 가방 던져놓고 곧바로 학원 가방 메고 공부하러 가는 것이라는 요지의 글을 실었더니 어떤 학원원장으로부터 항의 전화를 받은 기억이 있습니다. 하지만 단지 학원 운영차원의 문제가 아니라 심각한 인류환경파괴에 관한 문제입니다.
그리고 오월에 가장 어울리는 그림은 꿈을 가진 청소년입니다. 중학생은 밤 10시까지, 고등학생은 밤 12시까지 학원심야교습을 제한하는 것을 두고 어떤 지방신문은 “경쟁력 강화냐” “학생 건강이냐”로 제목을 뽑고 있습니다. 길거리 농구가 안 되는 울산광역시의 청소년들이 참 불쌍합니다. 그래서 우리 십대들의 둥지에서는 토요일 하루 저녁이라도 십대들을 위한 축제의 밤을 작년에 이어서 올해는 6월 16일 저녁 6시 문수 구장 호반광장에서 준비하고 있습니다.
오월은 아름다운 달이다보니 부부의 날까지 비집고 들어왔습니다. 그렇습니다. 뛰노는 어린이, 꿈을 가진 청소년은 아름다운 부부가 있어야 존재합니다. 그들의 생존환경은 서로 사랑하는 아름다운 부모입니다. 40 년 전 어린이들의 가장 큰 두려움의 대상은 동물이고 다음은 캄캄한 방안에 있는 것이었는데 요즈음은 그 첫 번째 자리에 부모님의 이혼이 자리하고 그 다음이 핵전쟁이라고 합니다. 정말 황폐해진 인류의 생존환경입니다. 가정은 3대가 있어야 정상적이라고 하는데 가정의 달에는 기도하는 노년, 할아버지 할머니 세대가 자리해야 그림이 완성됩니다. 뛰노는 어린이들, 꿈을 가진 청소년들, 아름다운 부부가 있어야 하고 마지막으로 기도하는 어르신들이 존귀하게 여김 받는 오월이 오기를 아직도 꿈꾸고 있습니다.
The wind rustling through the piercingly green ginkgo leaves outside my window feels pleasantly refreshing today. Even though June has not yet arrived, the weather these days has been erratically hot, making this final weekend of May feel like the height of midsummer heat. May is a month when blue skies blend harmoniously with a vibrant green world; it embraces Children's Day, Parents' Day, and as if that were not enough, from this year onward, May 21st is being observed as Married Couples' Day. I also recall a year when the United Nations designated May as the Month of the Family. Before May slips away completely, I wish to picture the beautiful world that truly befits this month.
First and foremost, I believe May must have children running and playing freely. We have been living in a desolate world where it has become genuinely difficult to see children at play. In the countryside, only the elderly remain, while in the cities, children rush from school straight to private tutoring academies (hagwons), making it hard to find any playing outdoors. That is why I once wrote a column for a local newspaper titled, "Let the Children Play." In that piece, I wrote that two of the most pitiful sights in Korea are dairy cows tied up all day in muddy pens eating manufactured feed, and first- or second-graders who drop their school bags only to hoist hagwon backpacks and dash off to study. I remember receiving a phone call of protest from an academy director after that. Yet, this is not merely an issue concerning academy business operations; it is a grave destruction of our human environment.
Furthermore, the picture that best suits May is youth filled with dreams. Regarding the curfew on late-night academy classes—limiting them until 10 p.m. for middle schoolers and midnight for high schoolers—one local newspaper ran the headline, "Strengthening Competitiveness or Protecting Students' Health?" My heart aches for the youth of Ulsan Metropolitan City, who cannot even find the time or space for street basketball. That is why our "Teens' Nest" is preparing a festival night for adolescents, even if just for one Saturday evening. Following last year's event, it will take place this year on June 16th at 6:00 p.m. at the Munsu Stadium Lakeside Plaza.
Because May is such a lovely month, Married Couples' Day has found its place here as well. Indeed, romping children and dreaming youth can only truly exist when there are loving, devoted couples. Their natural habitat is parents who cherish and love one another. Forty years ago, a child's greatest fear was wild animals, followed by being left alone in a pitch-dark room; nowadays, they say the number one fear is their parents' divorce, followed by nuclear war. What a devastated environment for human life this has become. They say a household is complete when three generations dwell together, and in this month of the family, the portrait is truly complete only when there is a praying elderly generation—grandmothers and grandfathers holding their place in grace. I still dream of a May where children play freely, youth hold dear their dreams, married couples flourish in love, and praying seniors are held in profound honor.
Die wind wat buite my venster deur die skerp groen ginkgoblare waai, voel vandag heerlik verfrissend. Al het Junie nog nie eens aangebreek nie, was die weer die afgelope tyd so wispelturig warm dat mense reeds van versengende somerhitte praat op hierdie laaste naweek van Mei. Mei is 'n seisoen waarin blou hemels en 'n lowergroen wêreld harmonieus saamsmelt; dit omvat Kinderdag, Ouersdag, en asof dit nie genoeg was nie, word 21 Mei vanjaar af ook as Huweliksmaatsdag gevier. Ek onthou ook dat die Verenigde Nasies Mei eens as die Maand van die Gesin aangewys het. Voor Mei heeltemal verbygaan, wil ek graag 'n beeld skets van die pragtige wêreld wat waarlik by hierdie maand pas.
Bo alles glo ek dat Mei kinders nodig het wat vry rondhardloop en speel. Ons leef immers in 'n verlate wêreld waar dit werklik raar geword het om spelende kinders te sien. Op die platteland het net die bejaardes agtergebly, en in die stede gaan kinders van die skool reguit na naskoolse akademies (hagwons), sodat 'n mens selde kinders buite sien speel. Daarom het ek eendag 'n rubriek vir 'n plaaslike koerant geskryf onder die titel: "Laat die kinders speel." Daarin het ek geskryf dat die twee mees bejammerenswaardige dinge in Korea 'n melkkoei is wat heeldag in 'n modderige kraal vasgemaak staan en mengelvoer vreet, en 'n kind in graad een of twee wat skaars sy skooltas neersit voor hy weer met 'n akademietas weghardloop om te gaan leer. Ek onthou nog dat 'n akademiehoof my woedend geskakel het om beswaar te maak. Tog is dit nie bloot 'n kwessie van sakebedrywighede nie; dit raak 'n ernstige aftakeling van ons menslike omgewing.
Die beeld wat verder die beste by Mei pas, is jeugdiges met drome. Wat betref die beperking van laataandlesse by akademies—tot 22:00 vir hoërskoolleerders in die laer grade en middernag vir senior leerders—het een plaaslike koerant die opskrif gedra: "Versterking van mededingendheid of leerders se gesondheid?" My hart krimp ineen vir die jeug van Ulsan Metropolitaanse Stad, wat nie eens tyd of plek het vir straatbasketbal nie. Daarom reël ons "Tienernes" 'n feestelike aandsaamtrek vir tieners, al is dit net vir een Saterdagaand. In opvolging van verlede jaar se byeenkoms, vind dit vanjaar plaas op 16 Junie om 18:00 by die Munsu-stadion se meeroewerplein.
Omdat Mei so 'n lieflike maand is, het selfs Huweliksmaatsdag 'n plekkie hierin gevind. Dit is inderdaad so: kinders wat vry speel en tieners wat drome koester, kan slegs bestaan waar daar 'n pragtige huwelikspaar is. Hulle lewensruimte is ouers wat mekaar innig liefhet. Veertig jaar gelede was 'n kind se grootste vrees wilde diere en daarna om in 'n pikdonker kamer alleen gelaat te word; deesdae is hul grootste vrees glo hul ouers se egskeiding, gevolg deur 'n kernoorlog. Wat 'n verwoeste leefwêreld het die mensdom tog geskep. Daar word gesê dat 'n gesin eers volwaardig is as daar drie geslagte saamleef, en in hierdie gesinsmaand word die prentjie eers voltooi wanneer die biddende bejaardes—die grootouers se generasie—hul regmatige plek inneem. Ek droom steeds van 'n Mei waarin kinders vryelik baljaar, jeugdiges hul drome behou, egpare in liefde leef, en biddende bejaardes met diepe eerbied bejeën word.