Freedom

• Ari Lewis, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2009

Freedom is not something I can say I possess. Having grown up away from Western Influence, I do not think I could correctly define freedom, but I am sure it is not something you will come across in North Korea. My father says that people outside of N.K. do not appreciate their freedom as we would. He taught us to hate anyone outside of N.K. for being free. He would say that they did not deserve what they have, for they do not understand that what they have is something people like us long for. I wondered how he knew these things, since the N.K. borders are closed. He explained that, many years ago, he crossed the border illegally, into South Korea. While he was there, his eyes were opened to just how oppressed the people of N.K. really are. The people of S.K. can travel internationally freely. They do not require permits for everywhere they go. Religion and political opinion are openly expressed without fear of prosecution. Fashion is openly expressed. Music, films, television, books, pictures and news come in from all over the world, and is not filtered through the government before its release. Not only that, but people from other countries actually live in S.K. as well! Unfortunately, my father’s obvious surprise at everything the South Korean consider ‘normal’, stirred the suspicions of the local authorities. They soon discovered he didn’t have a visa, and he was deported back to the north. My father began preaching of his discoveries when he returned home. His words traveled quickly, soon reaching the ears of the authorities. He was arrested in a public display of police brutality and imprisoned for seven years. It was during this time that he and my mother met. She was arrested for practising Christianity instead of Buddhism and was imprisoned a year after my father. Since I’ve grown, I’ve thought more and more about what my father would say to me and my brothers and sisters growing up. People outside of N.K. may not appreciate what they have, but, I think it’s because they can’t. They don’t deserve to be hated for they have not done anything wrong, they are simply born into a better lifestyle than the unfortunate people of North Korea, myself included. It must be nice to be oblivious to the problems of people like us, to be free. I wish I was free.