Sung-bong Choi. The awesomeness of his talent shared with true humility is both inspiring and heartbreaking. His life is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. He is a Prime Mover in its truest sense. Rarely have I been moved with such depth of mixed emotions by any man’s presence… Listening to him sing evokes pain, beauty, hope, love…all at the same time. I sincerely pray I can meet him someday.
On this plane of existence, there are many injustices that the human mind cannot fathom. Among these are the heart-rending trials of innocent children. I know there are many studies in sociology and psychology that assert how a child’s past can determine his or her adult behaviour.
Some people observe that notably, those born to loving parents, are seemingly favoured by God, while those born to abusing and rejecting parents are destined to endure a lifetime of suffering, since children, growing up in such a destructive atmosphere are more likely as adults, to perpetrate abuse on their own children, thus repeating the cycle of violence.
However, I personally know more than a handful of individuals who were not blessed with loving parents and peaceful homes; and yet by choice, they have grown into the most dedicated and loving people I know. That is the beauty of free will.
What makes human life unique is the scale of our choice, the degree to which we are free to choose to act for good or evil, to help or to harm. From the Buddhist standpoint, we always have the option of choosing to create value from even the most traumatic or difficult situation. It is through such choices we can fulfill our unique mission and our self-determined purpose in life. Though this process of self-perfection, we manifest the fullest expression to the inherent treasure of our human dignity. The widespread awakening to the human dignity that dwells within each and every one of us is a critical foundation to implementing human rights.
When I was younger, I was tormented by the injustices suffered by many innocent children. My perception of the fate of children and their oppressors, to a certain extent, almost left me jaded. But after a decade, I have found my own path to peace and security, not just for myself, but for humanity as a whole. While I was intensively trained and educated as a journalist, I have finally decided to focus on education - instead of pursuing it as a hobby. While I was still studying in university, I taught special children and street children through theatre and creative storytelling in my free time. This is my chosen path of service as a follower of Baha’i Faith. Being a full-time teacher now still gives me time to research, write and contribute articles; but more importantly, it gives me the sense of peace that I am able to constantly commune with young children; and contribute to both their spiritual and material progress.
In a way, I am a cool mother to a hundred children and that in itself makes me learn so much from them. :) In my quest for a holistic approach towards education, I also became a licensed financial adviser more than two years ago so I can professionally educate parents and children about financial literacy. All in all, what matters to me is that as a teacher, I get to cultivate talent and creativity in young children. I believe that more than plain knowledge, nurturing talent, creativity & spirituality in children can help them shatter man-made limitations, and will thus eventually help change the status quo.
With respect to countless individuals all over the world who have also suffered different kinds of child abuse, I believe that only God is able to know the true state of any soul. It is of no help to fear that such children will grow up as abusive adults themselves. What we need to encourage is for all people to hone and share their allotted talents, whatever their past.
God in His bounty has endowed every created thing, however humble, “with the capacity to exercise a particular influence, and been made to possess a distinct virtue”. Reminiscent of the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Bahá’u’lláh, in the “Gleanings”, (p. 149) draws attention to the need to make efforts to develop and demonstrate in action our God-given potential:
…All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition. Your own acts testify to this truth.
Is it not an evidence of the justice of God that each of us, irrespective of family background, is assessed in terms of the efforts we have personally made to seize whatever opportunities existed in our lives, to develop and use our given talent, be it large or small?
The sublime dignity of all human beings lies not in the perception of others what an individual is worth based on his or her background and accomplishments. Human dignity is a given reality, intrinsic to the human substance, and not contingent upon any functional capacities which always vary in degree.
And Sung-bong, at such a young age, has evidently polished - against all odds - what is truly noble and sublime, latent in all human beings. It is my fervent prayer that his voice reaches more hearts all throughout Asia and beyond.
Love and Light,
Drei ze Dork Lord.
