Some things seem contradictory. How could such a prosperous country such as Korea advocate the discipline of military service but allow the docile danger of internet addiction to fester? Because it doesn't.
Such an assumption is simplistic to say the least but also wrong. Why? Because for someone ignorant to Korea's traditions, culture, victories and sufferings, I cannot even begin to understand how two things such as this co-exist in relative harmony. It still leaves me wondering what the effect of these two 'institutions' of Korean culture (the military and the internet) are on young people today.
Our late teens, early twenties encapsulate our formative years into adulthood. It is with hope and trepidation that 18, 19 year olds step out into the world.
I cannot imagine being anywhere near an army - unless it was a cosmopolitan, international, pacifist, intellectual one - and I cannot imagine a world where the Internet replaces the real world. Otherwise I would fear losing two of the beliefs I hold most dearly - peace and nature.
Perhaps I am on the 'slippery slope'/pessimistic side to express an alarm at this imaginary reality I have conjured up. But at the age of 26 and in the sphere of regular, long-term employment, I am acutely aware of how things can very much start to slide without you even noticing - your values, beliefs, philosophies, basically your whole life. YOLO all you like but it's worth being conscientious and momentarily thinking about the extraordinary value of idealism and natural beauty, in other words, a world without institutions and super-structures.
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