Many tend to believe that different religions, ideologies or creeds are incompatible and irreconcilable. As a result, Christians and Muslims, capitalists and socialists, liberals and conservatives regard each other as archenemies and fight fiercely, as if they were gladiators in an arena who must kill their opponents to survive.

However, a popular Korean children's song teaches us that we should reconcile with one another and coexist peacefully. It says: "Early in the morning when a drizzle falls/ Three umbrellas walk side by side/ A red umbrella, a blue umbrella and a torn umbrella/ On a narrow alleyway, three umbrellas/ Walk along with their foreheads touching."

Another version of the song goes, "a blue umbrella, a black umbrella and a torn umbrella." However, "a red umbrella and a blue umbrella" sounds more appropriate metaphorically because it describes our contemporary world better, where we are witnessing ongoing conflicts between the left and the right, progressivism and conservatism, and Christianity and Islam. A torn umbrella may symbolize a third party, a neutral zone, or even wounded victims from the conflict between two antagonistic groups.

Umbrellas protect us from rain. They also provide us with personal space. In that sense, umbrellas are an excellent symbol of our religions, ideologies and creeds, which should "walk side-by-side, with their foreheads touching" peacefully and affectionately while respecting each other's personal space. And when there is a severe rainstorm, we should share our umbrellas with others who do not have one.

Unfortunately, however, we see that different religions, ideologies and creeds in our world are using their "umbrellas" as weapons to attack their rivals and counterparts, to beat them or stab at their heart. Especially when folded, traditional long umbrellas can be sharp tools that can hurt others.

Umbrellas are not supposed to be tools to harm others. They should be helpful tools that prepare us for sudden changes in weather. With your umbrella, you can help others who do not want to get wet in the rain. Likewise, a nuclear umbrella is a security guarantee by a nuclear-armed country to defend its non-nuclear allied countries.

If you have an umbrella, you can share it with others when it rains. If you have two umbrellas, you can give one to another person as a gift. Those are just two of the many charms of umbrellas. Even when furled, long umbrellas can be useful: You can use them as a cane to help you walk or as a device to pull something forward with its hooked end. You can even save a falling person hanging from a cliff by using it to pull them back up.

Like colorful umbrellas in the street, our religions, ideologies and creeds should coexist peacefully rather than trying to eradicate each other. Different faiths are not supposed to be weapons used to persecute or kill others. Instead, they can be complementary by providing different perspectives that open our eyes to a wide spectrum of ideas.

Recent debate in the United States about awarding scholarships to students attending private schools is a good example. Although it varies from one state to another, the tuition of a private secondary school in America ranges roughly from $25,000 to $30,000 per academic year. State governments may award scholarships of approximately $4,000 to a small number of students at private schools.

Progressives complain that it is not fair to give scholarships to the wealthy families who can afford private schools. In their eyes, it is a waste of tax money that should instead be used for needy students at public schools. Such an argument seems to make sense.

However, conservatives think it is only fair for the state government to return some tax money to wealthy people who pay high education taxes to support free public schools, because they do not benefit from the taxes they pay when they do not send their children to public schools. Surely, this argument also makes sense.

Listening to the two arguments, we realize that both sides present persuasive points. Two different ideas are not necessarily antagonistic, but can be complementary because, despite their differences, they give us a dual perspective. George Orwell once said, "Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accepting both of them."

Still, firmly believing that they possess the absolute truth and that all others are false, people sometimes condemn those who are different from them as "heretics" and attack them. However, such a notion invites retaliation from those who are so condemned and attacked. That is why religious and political revenge remains widespread today.

Regrettably, human history has always been plagued by clashes and wars between antagonistic groups. In front of our children playing affectionately, we grown-ups should be ashamed of ourselves.

When can we stop fighting and embrace one another? When can we walk side by side in peace, with our foreheads touching, just like the three umbrellas in our children's song?

Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed.


khnews@heraldcorp.com