Kim Man-gon's Educational Commentary "Is There a Solution?" "It's Education!"

Charlie Chaplin was recognized as a playwright, artist, and educator, even receiving a decoration from the French government. This Chaplin met novelist H.G. Wells. Wells is introduced in the "Dictionary: 100 Figures Who Shaped Literary History" as follows: "A British novelist known as the founder of modern science fiction, he pioneered an independent genre of SF by publishing over 100 science fiction works including 'The Time Machine' and 'The War of the Worlds.'"

At the end of Wells' account of his visit to Russia, he said: "Progress is always slow. Ideals are easy to talk about, but putting them into practice is not as simple as it sounds."

"Is there another solution to realizing ideals?" Chaplin asked, and Wells answered immediately: "Education!"

In Chaplin's autobiography, I expected the anecdote to be followed by content about what "education for realizing ideals" means, but disappointingly, it was not. Did Wells recognize the importance of education but not know much about its actual practice? Or was it that even though Chaplin had received a decoration, education was an unfamiliar area for him, so he could not continue that conversation?

After pondering this for a while, I was able to resolve my question by rereading BTS leader RM's speech. That is what education is! It is natural for scholars to say "it is like this, like that!" regarding knowledge that they have finally compiled in their research laboratories. Moreover, our education has concentrated on such education for far too long.

However, it is inevitably difficult to directly mention the direction of education that changes the world and its flow, and Wells and Chaplin, who understood this situation, naturally had no choice but to end their conversation there. In other words, finding and nurturing people who seek the path to change the world and its flow is also an important role that education plays.

On September 25, 2018, BTS members took the podium at the United Nations General Assembly in formal attire, different from their usual style. It was the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) youth agenda event for expanding opportunities for young people, "Generation Unlimited," where leader RM delivered a seven-minute speech.

That speech was about education. The climax of the speech, which looked back on childhood, was something that should make those responsible for educational policy and administration feel ashamed. Every word seemed to reveal our educational reality.

"I was filled with wonder looking at the night sky and dreamed dreams as a child might. I even thought I was a superhero who would save the world. In one of the intro tracks of our early albums, there is a lyric that goes like this: 'Around the time I was nine, my heart stopped.' It seems that around that time, I started to worry about what other people thought of me. And I began to see myself through the eyes of others. I no longer looked at the night sky or the stars, and I stopped dreaming. I tried to force myself into a frame created by others. I no longer spoke in my own voice and began to listen to what others said. No one called my name, and neither did I. My heart stopped and my eyes closed. Thus I, we, became ghosts, having lost our names."

Regarding this speech, one reporter wrote that they felt a thrill, but was that fortunate, or was it unfortunate that we let a good opportunity pass in vain? That speech was certainly educational and provided an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on the education we have pursued so far, but such articles were nowhere to be found.

In fact, it is not just RM who rose from adversity and developed his own potential. Countless examples can be found of such people standing tall and making us reflect on our educational reality. Only our educators have turned a blind eye to such examples. With the consciousness that such talented individuals are finding their own paths well, other students need not be excited and can simply focus on the "College Scholastic Ability Test," and this has become the practical and actual educational philosophy.

If we are to bring about educational innovation, I hope that a way will be established to reflect the thoughts of such figures without distorting them. Through his brief speech, BTS leader RM showed us a picture of the direction our education should take.