Love – Mother’s Confession
17 May 2011 1 Comment
in Current Issues, LOVE Documentary Tags: Korean Human Documentary, Quarter 4 2011
Not long ago, I saw no point in living. I did not even worry about my future and adjust daily goals as I did in the past. I considered home works, projects, quizzes, and tests as tedious duties. Needless to say, my grades started to drop. If this happened to me in the beginning of the year, I would’ve beat myself up and worked ten times harder in order to improve my grades. But now I did not care at all because I saw my grades as insignificant numbers, not a determinant that decides my life. Well…I still had an exciting and jubilant time in my lifeless life – sleeping. 12:00 A.M to 5:00 A.M was the favorite part of my daily life. It was the time when I was free to break away from the boring routine of my daily life. I could sleep over at my friends’ house and did the things that I genuinely wanted to do. Furthermore, my parents did not even scold me for not studying hard or make me to stay up late. Well… honestly, I almost forgot about them. My imaginary dreamland was my own utopia where I had no worries concerning money or my future. Yet, my negative viewpoint changed after I watched how a 20-year old single mother struggled to live with her one-year old daughter.
The single mom in this documentary program, “Love,” is unfamiliar with the word “family.” Her biological parents abandoned her when she was born, and her adoptive parents starts to not care about her when their marriage ended. Thinking she is abandoned by society, she feels lost. She begins hanging out with juvenile delinquents. As she spends more and more time with them, she acts as if she is one of them. Robbing people’s wallets and getting involved in group fights land her in prison. In prison, she finds out that she’s pregnant. She wonders whether she should have an abortion or not, like the way many teenage single mothers do. But, she is unlike them. She is more mature since she decides to take responsibility for her action.
Although there is no one celebrating her daughter’s birth in prison, she decides to take care of her daughter. After her daughter is born, she does her best to provide her with good condition for growing up as well as possible. At the prison, she does not violate any rules and works hard to get a parole. Therefore, she is released, but there is no one out there to welcome her.
Even without steel barred windows, life outside the prison is harsher than life inside prison. There is no one to provide them with daily meals. There is no one to provide them with a permanent home. There is no one to hire her as an employee. Yet, in such a desperate situation, she doesn’t give up on her life because of her daughter. She works hard with the expectation of a better tomorrow. After a year of working really hard, She become a salaried worker at a bakery.
By watching this documentary, I learned how idiotic I have been about my life. I considered myself as a bird living in a cage where there was no freedom and no joy at all. I thought I was unlucky to be born this way. Yet, as I watch this girl, around my age, diligently going through hardships and striving to live with her daughter, I realized my stress and pain were nothing compared to hers. Moreover, I found myself thinking I was fortunate for having parents who support me and my endeavor (so thank you mom and dad). Last but not least, I really respect the main character in Love. If most people were in her circumstances, they would have given up the baby. However, the main character is mature and takes responsibility for her action. I hope she lives well with her daughter.
Photo Bib: http://blog.naver.com/huchimind?Redirect=Log&logNo=70110131922
