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STUFF Escaping
Paradise Seoul Mates Recently, I was given the privilege (through Asialink) of being resident writer and guest lecturer at Sogang University for one semester in Seoul, South Korea. What a blast! If you ever want to experience one of the most vibrant and interesting cities around, check out Seoul. I was living in the Shinch'on area - four major universities within walking distance of restaurants, cafes, cinemas and night clubs. Saturday nights it was a wild place to be! I've never been surrounded by so many people, so much noise, and so much good natured fun. Students riot! One night I was out walking in Shinch'on and there was this huge crowd of thousands of young people protesting. Cops were out in force, directing the traffic. Roads were closed. It looked like serious stuff was about to happen. I couldn't read the banners, so I carefully eased in to the edge of the crowd and asked, "What's happening? What are you the protesting about?" "Oh, it's not a protest," the uni student explained. "It's our annual sports day. Our team just won the football match!" Dynamic Finding out about both the ancient Korean traditions and the modern changes which have made Korea so dynamic was a fantastic adventure. It was weird being 'the foreigner' - often I was the only wadjella in trains, in shops, on mountain walks. A very different experience which helped me once again appreciate some of the problems which people from minority groups in our society face. A stranger's smile can change your life when you're feeling homesick. I really miss my Korean friends - especially
some of the Sogang students and other young people who taught me so
much and made me feel so welcome. Annyong, Kim So-Youn! Kamsa hamnida,
Kwon Hyon-Joo! The last two years have been terrible for so many people. Afghani kids imprisoned like criminals in Australian detention camps. Refugees drowning because someone was out to make a buck from other people's misery. Iraqi babies born deformed because the US and British bombs which landed in their country in the first Gulf War contained radioactive materials in the warheads. And then our Balinese friends and neighbours, together with eighty-eight Australians and other international tourists were murdered in Kuta. How should we respond to these events? One way is to attribute blame and try to punish those responsible. Anyone aware of what's happened in Belfast or Jerusalem in the last few decades knows how stupid that approach is. Peace comes with education, understanding and discussion. It doesn't make 'good vision' for the TV news - people sitting down talking, arguing, talking some more - but it makes good sense. It doesn't make money for those who peddle newspapers, or give stock traders another percentage point profit, but for parents, kids and everyone who lives in the communities, it is a Godsend. It's easy to point the finger at George Bush jnr's crew for much of the idiocy that passes for world politics these days. But the same sorts of forces which (almost) elected him to power also seem to be running the show in Australia. Listen to talkback radio and you wonder: 'Who are these people? How can they be so misinformed?' The voices of reason - those who believe in tackling
poverty, injustice and ignorance - both here and elsewhere in the world
- need to be heard. They need to be encouraged. Bad things happen when
good people are silent. Escaping Paradise Since the Bali bombing in October 2002, some people are reading Escaping Paradise from a different perspective. When I was writing the book, I knew that the possibility of some kind of political fanaticism occurring there was quite possible. That's one of the reasons I wrote the book. I wanted Australians to realise that what they saw as tourists in Bali was only the surface of one paradisiacal lagoon. There are so many cultural pools and rivers in Indonesia. And yes, amongst the myriad beauty, lurks some danger. But we need to understand what makes some people fall victim to using violence in an attempt to achieve their political or spiritual goals. Whether they're impoverished amateurs or young soldiers in the world's most powerful army, we need to understand why they are willing to kill people and risk death, doing what they believe is justified. Doubtless, some are sadistic, evil people; some are crazy. Many are not - and that's the really scary part! The only way to affect long-lasting change is to alter the conditions which create terrorists and criminals. Bombing people - whether from a FA18, or a suicide car bomb - only reinforces the old prejudices. In Australia, people who work with young people (sociologists, teachers etc.) know that poor parenting, poverty, lack of employment opportunities - these are the things that breed drug dependency, crime and the spiral of social dysfunction. It's not so different in Indonesia. With extremes between the few wealthy and many in poverty, with limited employment opportunities, young people often turn to those who offer hope and purpose. It's the same worldwide. The local priest, rabbi,
or imam often provide guidance and purpose for these lost teenagers,
but sometimes the peaceful message contained in the scriptures is corrupted
and twisted into the horror of melting metal and burnt flesh.
Who's your favourite author? This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get when I visit schools. It's a tricky one to answer, because it changes a bit, depending on whom I'm reading that particular week. Some of the constants are: Tim Winton, Kazuo Ishiguro, Gail Jones, Cynthia Voigt and Garrison Keillor. I don't know that any of them have influenced me much, that's probably easier for readers to judge. I also used to really enjoy some of the 'old' favourites - Steinbeck and Dickens, in particular. Heinrich Böll and Banana Yoshimoto are great too. When I was a teenager I hated reading, except for poetry.
It started with me listening to Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Paul Simon
lyrics. There was so much brilliant rhymed verse on the radio... Then
I got hooked on John Donne, Dylan Thomas and G.M. Hopkins. Afterwards,
e.e.cummings and Miroslav Holub came along. I've written poetry
since I was in high school. Good Stories or Great Fiction? Great fiction challenges readers. Like Dickens' Pip, we're turned upsidedown, so that we see our own world, and the people in it in a new way. It obliges us to ask the big questions. It makes us suspicious of the lies of commerce, the humbug of the powerful, and the ignorance of the ten second video clip. Fear, death, creation, - pretence and passion, mystery and magic, lust and love - a person's connection to others in the world and to the cosmic powers of the universe. These are the stuff of all great fiction. Teenage fiction included. Who cares if fiction reflects our lives or not? The important thing is whether it causes us to reflect upon our own lives. As one teenager said: This book '…has not only touched my mind, but my heart as well. …this one book has changed my life in many ways.' until next time Feel free to quote Warren
for your school assignment, or research, but please remember to acknowledge
your source.
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