A dreamless life has little meaning even though it is biologically alive. Without a dream, there is no excitement, no life. Some people pour cold water on dreamers as a waste of energy since dreams are rarely realized, but everyone has the right to dream and the self-respect to work toward their realization.
Because of a dream, you can endure a difficult present, and continue working towards its realization. Dreams are a way of life, like the ocean voyager looking at the stars to find their way. When we achieve our dreams, big or small, we experience the joy of life. Even if for just a moment there is an unforgettable deep emotion.
Unfortunately, we are living in an environment where young people do not find it easy to dream, let alone their realization. It's difficult to get a job to solve your immediate needs, and even if you find a job the pay is poor and you don't know when it will stop. In such a life, dreams are a luxury and false.
The society where elementary school children's dreams are to get a regular job is cruel. It is a terrible society where life is divided into regular and non-regular jobs, and once trapped in the snare, it is impossible to escape. Is it possible to tell youth to dream and that dreams come true?
No matter how properly taught, it is a criminal act to force children to live in a world where they are forced to work with unfair treatment in unreasonable circumstances when they leave school. Adults should be held accountable for taking the children's dreams away. Dreams are necessary and adults need to create such a world for our young people. That is the responsibility of adults. To be able to dream, we need to create an environment where we can sleep comfortably. Adults who ignore this imperative are not preparing for the future.
The Gospel is a dream, an awesome reality, a duty of faith. Our confession of faith: the power to criticize and fight against exploitation and distortion, oppression, and greed comes from the gospel. In our unfortunate situation, the first to fall are the weak. To neglect our duty is to betray the gospel. "The problem of poverty and inequality is not an economic problem, it is a theological problem." These words of Pope Francis we need to make our own.
Living the gospel is to dream, to create a world in which the "Mongdang Pencil" exerts its power to realize our dream. It is only possible when children and young people can dream and pray: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
The practice of the Gospel is desperately needed in this tsunami of the Corona Pandemic. We need to rescue the weak who are the first to fall and give everybody an opportunity to dream. It is time for the church and the believers to be the first to work in accomplishing this task.
