Now is an age of integrated thinking

Winter has begun, but let me get back to this summer for a moment.

During the vacation, though it was not a desirable time to do so, one of my school’s administrators decided to trim all the trees tall and small, around the campus into the same shape. He did not consider their different characteristics, most of which were more than 10 years old with some over 50 years.

If the administrator had considered the situation a little, he would have realized that all the different trees in the school have their own unique appearances and were contributing to the school environment in their own ways, which was also good for educational purposes. Instead, he pushed ahead with his plan just to save labor costs.

His excuse was that they were so overgrown that someone up high ordered him to do so.

Thus, they saved a little money, but the absurd act caused thoughtful teachers and students to lose confidence with the school authorities. Worse yet, they destroyed the beauty of those trees and their surroundings.

In the same vein, the City Hall recently permitted the establishment of a gas station in the heart of residential quarters, citing there were no problems with that.

But the law was passed in the 1970s, and can be unsuitable for citizens living in the 21st century. If the mayor and other officials had considered the citizens’ complaints, they wouldn’t have committed the mistake of hurting the citizens’ safety and even their lives. Instead, they stuck to legal grounds and administrative convenience in typical bureaucratic arrogance.

Another instance relates to the educational system. There is a senior school title called the school inspector. Their role is to help teachers improve their professional ability. But most of them don’t do their jobs properly, but use it as just a means of promotion. Their selfish, irresponsible attitudes have prevented teachers from enhancing their professional ability, even stripping them of any incentives to do so.

The above cases show how our country is controlled by a closed social system made in the authoritarian days of the 1960s and 70s. In other words, these examples demonstrate people in responsible positions didn’t think about their real role seriously by considering people around them ― but used their position solely for personal ambitions.

Today, the development of up-to-date communication devices, including the Internet and smart phones, and the consequent advent of the information age has helped citizens broaden their outlook beyond their surroundings. As a result, they expect far better social services and national leadership than before.

Narrow-minded, dogmatic leaders have no place, unable to persuade citizens and promote their policies. The more they pursue their monolithic ways, the bigger conflicts they cause among different groups.

Edward Wilson, the author of “Consilience,” says that the 21st century is an age of unity of knowledge. Scientists try to divide studies into various fields such as natural science, social science, and humanities, but he integrates every academic field after accumulating his own expert knowledge and tries to understand human conditions.

For instance, Wilson compares every study to a tree which consists of roots, branches, and leaves and has an inseparable relation. By doing so, he tries to find the essence of science. His unifying approach to science teaches that everyone in our society is part of an organism. It means that a person’s behavior influences his or her society directly or indirectly.

Therefore, in today’s colorful and complex society, every right or wrong selection can cause profit or damage. Therefore, everyone should carefully consider who she/he is, what she/he is, which his /her society desires.

This points to the need for every leader and citizen in our society to have more unifying attitudes. They should have a mind not only to pursue their own fame, but also to realize social value and purpose, and understand their surroundings. By doing so, as each person of the community competes and cooperates with such an attitude, society will continue to improve.

The 2012 presidential election is less than a month away. During the Lee Myung-bak administration, conflicts among classes, ideologies, regions, and religions have deepened. I do hope that a new president will be a person who has integrating thinking regarding politics, economics, society, and culture.

The writer is an English teacher at Yeosu Girls’ High School in South Jeolla Province. His email address is shinykim60@hanmail.net. <The Korea Times/Kim Jin-hyun>