the passing of a korean hero

As a pro-democratic leader born from Haeiudo, a small island off the Cholla province in the Southwest of Korea, Kim Dae-Jung had one thing in mind.

Reunification of Korea.

Known to many as the "Sunshine Policy," Kim envisioned a future where his South Korean patriots would live harmoniously with their North Korean brethren. Unfortunately, he was not able to see a unified Korea, one in which he grew up in. He saw a peninsula of peace; not one of war, corruption, nor nuclear proliferation. Dubbed as the "Nelson Mandela of Asia," Kim Dae-Jung won the Nobel Peace Prize at the beginning of the new millennium, for his works in East Asia, as well as his unheralded cooperative efforts with his tyrannical North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-Il. Prior to his presidential inauguration, Kim's life was once at the mercy of the KCIA for having an opposition view against Park Chung-Hee (Korean War General, who took over S. Korea after a military d'état on May 16, 1961). Yet, the man pressed on - overcoming many hurdles to reach the highest office in the presidential democratic government. He became the voice for political freedom, the voice for a forgotten people, and the voice of peace. I admire Mr. Kim, for all his noble efforts while in office, and seeking friendship with a hated despot. Though he never saw his dream of a unified Korea manifest under his leadership, I know one day that his vision will unfold, and his legacy will have lived on.

It's easy to resort back to comfortability, and apathy. Ignorance isn't just about bliss, it's the willing state of mind that accepts everything, and questions nothing. We use the cover of sheep skin to be protected by the shepherd, scared to death of the wolves prowling in the near distance. As mere mortals, we all inevitably pass away from the living world. How you live your live is ultimately yours.

"I underwent many ordeals in my life but I never strayed from principles and never compromised with injustice, even at the risk of my life," - Kim Dae-Jung, RIP August 18, 2009.

the world's second largest aquarium

I read an article about the Great Barrier Reef the other day, and it said that in 20 years, this great ecosystem will have completely collapsed. I'm not too sure how they came about this number, or how they calculated the rapid depletion of the ecosystem, but if we're not careful this prediction can very well turn into fact one day. The Great Barrier Reef is home to almost 3,000 different reefs over 900 islands stretching 3,000 kilometers off the Coast of Queensland in Northeast Australia. It can be seen from outer-space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. It is truly a natural wonder. It's natural ecology is even more astonishing. Many species of animals including whales, dolphins, turtles, sharks, stingrays, crocodiles, seahorse, and over 215 different species of birds gracefully inhabit this natural phenomenon. It is also known to house over 2,200 species of plants, and more than 1,500 species of fish dwell in this delicate ecosystem.

However, man-made pollution along with climate change (whether its "Global Warming," or the increasing presence of carbon dioxide found in our atmosphere) is attributing to the ecosystem's collapse. Water quality has also been declining in the past few decades and will continue to do so. I'm not an ecologist, or an oceanographer, but one thing I remember from taking an introductory course in E8 (Environmental Analysis and Design) is that we are doing a great job at slowly destroying our planet. Whether it be the coal factories spurting up more dioxide in China, or American industrial complexes dumping toxic waste in our backyards, we are not taking care of the planet we are all inhabiting.

I don't have a solution to this grand problem, and frankly I wouldn't know where to begin. But corporations and $$$hungry mongrels have taken over the world, and aren't looking at giving up their reins. If we don't pay attention now we are going to pay dearly for it later. Even if we are long gone.