My friend had free tickets for the movie <Northern Line Limit> (it was showing as part of the Korean Film Festival 2015 which is co-organised by the Korean Embassy) and since I like one of the actors in the movie, I got three tickets from him and brought my sister and her boyfriend along to watch it. I walked into the theatre all excited and happy but sigh.. I left with a very heavy heart (and a bad headache - that was how distressed I felt). Damn. I didn't expect the movie to be about such deep and heavy life and death stuff.
The movie tells the story of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong where two North Korean vessels, in an act of belligerence (and lunacy an- I HATE THEM ARGH), crossed the Northern Limit Line (which marks the boundary between North Korea's and South Korea's waters) and attacked a South Korean patrol vessel. The South Koreans were at a disadvantage because firstly, they were caught off guard; secondly, the rules of engagement prohibited them from taking the offensive and firing at hostile North Korean vessels venturing into South Korea's territorial waters (to deter them) before the latter get a chance to attack them and lastly, as a result of the rules, their ship was placed in a vulnerable position (to attacks). The crew on the patrol vessel never saw the attack coming and whilst they tried their very best to defend their ship, scenes of devastation unfolded on the decks of PKM-357, leaving 6 dead and 19 injured. Those were men with families, men with hopes and dreams, men with a future! Having to witness all those innocent lives being lost, families ruined, happiness destroyed.. simply because of the antagonistic Northies' irrational and useless display of force (to what end, I have no idea since they achieved nothing but serious casualties to both sides) was an extremely traumatic experience. Sure enough, the loss of the sailors' lives was highly upsetting but it was the sheer depravity of the Northies' actions that was beyond shocking.. and not forgetting the brutality and pure savagery of wars and conflict.. both of which frighten and disgust me to no end. Because of one man's (loopy) decision, so many soldiers perished, both Northies and Southies. Wars don't kill people. People kill people. Likewise, medicine doesn't save people. People are the ones with the ability to save others. I can hardly imagine how twisted and grotesque the Northies' minds and hearts are for them to inflict this level of pain and suffering on their fellow countrymen (to a certain extent) or rather, on fellow human beings. Are they even human?
I've always known that I can't deal with loss and grief well.. but having to watch scenes from the actual broadcast of the sailors'/soldiers' funerals, bereaved persons burying their loved ones and interview clips of the survivors.. was gut-wrenching and so very painful. With the footage, the soldiers were no longer faceless victims. They were real people with real lives, some of whom are even younger than us. It felt almost as if the actual violence was playing out right in front of us and we were watching them die.. helpless and frustrating, both them and us. The movie was a sobering and unpleasant reminder of one's mortality and the reality that is known as war.
We destroy as much as we create. Humans have so much capacity for peace.. but unfortunately, human nature is not incorruptible when faced with the allure of fame, fortune and power. And then there are those who just want to watch the world burn.
I'm incredibly thankful that I live in a country relatively unaffected by the war and violence that plague many other regions currently but... every now and then, I wonder about our right and entitlement to lead such a safe, sheltered life when our fellow people are suffering out there, being oppressed, exploited and slaughtered. The war they are fighting may be far removed from our reality as we know it (I mean, how many children in your country do you think can connect/relate to/empathise with a child in say, Syria or Palestine?).. but does that give us the right to turn a blind eye to their plights? To continue living our happy, satisfying lives? Is that what we should be doing? Do we owe a responsibility to the rest of our kind? To be honest, I admit there's not much that ordinary people like you and me can do - we can't fight the wars for them but neither do we have the power to stop the perpetrators - but can we not do something? At the very least, make sure they don't feel forsaken? Are we really so weak, so helpless? (desperate plea)
Never forget, the things we take for granted, someone else is praying for.
To the fallen soldiers, I salute you for your courage and unyielding spirit.
You were strong, stronger than anyone else could have been, in the face of death.
May your souls be at peace and may you be reborn in a world rid of violence, hatred and destruction.
A happier, safer world we can call our home.
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