Korean relationships are so vertical sometimes - the 섬배 후배 (senior-junior) relationship that exists even with a mere year of age difference has such a pronounced effect. It's great like that, though. You know that if you're younger you'll always be taken care of, but that you're always junior and you obey and trust your seniors. If you're senior you know you have a responsibility to your juniors, but they'll look up to you and support you and be loyal to you.
Perhaps it's just the way that we are, but it catches me off-guard when people who are older than me share. I'm not talking cookies or drinks, I mean when they open up and let you into their lives and show you, to some degree, that they are human and struggle and hurt and deal with real things. That they're not invincible.
I don't think I've had as much trouble sharing with my juniors as I would think...in some ways maybe I share more than I should. But somehow I still find it surprising when my seniors share with me.
But that being said, there is value in bearing one another's burdens. Despite the situation and being helpless to do anything but offer my support should it be needed - I find it a great privilege to catch a glimpse of what they're going through and in some extremely remote way be a part of it.
Learning...
No comments:
Post a Comment