I have lately found myself thinking about William Henry (Bill) Gates III. Who can deny that the co-founder of Microsoft is in an enviable position? Whenever he walks down the street—anywhere in the world—kings and queens step aside. Everybody laughs at his jokes. With a personal fortune estimated at $56 billion, Gates lives in a 60,000-square-foot pleasure dome and can take a vacation in Bora Bora as it suits his fancy. And he does not have to brown-bag it, like I do on my weekend excursions out of Seoul.
Nevertheless, there is one way in which my wealth far exceeds that of the high-tech magnate from Seattle. I am blessed with the affection of children, one of the true measures of success according to 19th century poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. In point of fact, it probably begins with my love for them which is then reciprocated. When I came to Korea in 2007, it was with a degree of sadness since I would no longer be so involved in the lives of two sets of siblings named Christine and Sarah, and Larisa and Sergey. In Daegu, at both schools where I taught there were numerous children who I loved dearly. I will limit myself to ten here, although the list could be much more extensive: Ji-Won, Ye-Na, So-Mi, Min-Ju, Jong-In, Kyun-Bin, Su-Min, Yu-Jin, Su-Mi and Ji-Hyeong. The feelings seemed to be mutual.
Of course, mention must be made of the children of Jangsan Park. The ones I played with most often and spent the most time with were Yeon-Su, Min-Seo, Eun-Seo, Si-Hyun, Eun-Su and Sang-Woo. Oh, the sublimely happy times we had in that park when we were neighbors! They are a major reason I go back to Daegu so often now, more than two years after I moved to Seoul.
Nikka, Shaira, Tommy, Kean, Shaona, James, John, Ritzjulieann, Frievel, Yalen and Lenlen are Filipino children I have never met, but we have a strong connection. When they call me “Uncle Richard,” I feel very happy.
I do not go out of my way to encounter kids. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I rode my bicycle to Yeoksam Elementary School. I intended to find a shady spot to do an hour of editing. As soon as I sat down, however, a number of little girls who had been playing among themselves turned to look. I said, “Annyeong haseyo,” and we were off and running. First one, then another and another came and spoke to me. (Our verbal communication was somewhat limited due to the language gap, but we did just fine.) No more than two minutes had passed before the entire group realized that the foreigner was trustworthy. They took great delight in talking with me, showing me the little sand-castles they had been building and other things. A kid’s frisbee had been caught in a tree, so I climbed up and shook one of its branches. When the plastic toy fell to the ground, you would have thought I had done something truly marvelous. These children were young and small enough that we could play the jump-and-swing games I had employed in Daegu. As before, I beheld a group of joyous Koreans—their hands extended and saying, “Me, me, me!”
A couple of them were able to “ride” my bicycle. I walked alongside with a firm grip on the handlebars and their clothing. It may have seemed precarious to them, but I would not have allowed them to fall. They displayed their prowess on a jungle gym, again with some assistance from me. Several kids wanted to engage me in an arm-wrestling contest. I struggled and lost every time.
Sitting on a nearby bench were two mothers who watched with big eyes and smiles on their faces. Both expressed gratitude for the unforeseen burst of happiness I had given their daughters; their sons were off playing somewhere else. The moms took a couple of photos of me with Sally, Amy, Sarah (sorry, I did not catch their Korean names) and the others with my cell phone cam, and soon it was time to go.
As I said earlier, there are many forms of wealth in varying degrees of tangibility. Bill Gates, having amassed 56 large, is trying to give as much of it away as he can. Kudos to him for doing that. I am a philanthropist, too—a philanthropist of unconditional love.
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