These days, a lot of new words that indicate our estranged relationships with others have been coined, such as ‘honbap’, ‘honsul’, and ‘gwantaegi’. These neologisms are all the rage. In addition, many TV programs related to individualism, like ‘I Live Alone’, have appeared. Of course, it is natural that as the times change, our culture and thoughts also change. However, the problem is that our traditional values that shouldn’t change have also changed.
  In the case of Korea, since many people grew up in a large family in the past, they could naturally learn the importance of relationships with others. For example, their elders taught them about common courtesies, and they also learned how to treat others well by living with their siblings. Therefore, they could fortify the foundations of relationships in their families.
  On the other hand, many people have forgotten about the importance of relationships nowadays. Contrary to the past, since nuclear families are much more common and many activities that can be done by just one person have appeared, the chances to do something with others have decreased. As a result, they don’t feel the necessity for relationships anymore.
  If young people are asked about the barley hump that shows how hard our ancestors worked in the past, young people might think that the word is just used by the older generations, especially when elders complain about selfish behaviors of the younger generations who only think of themselves because they grow up with fewer difficulties, like hunger or poverty. There is a saying that shows the importance of sharing: A friend who shares is a friend who cares. Not only can this saying never be applied to the present situation, but there are even some students who have never heard of the saying.
  I am not saying that we need to return to the old days when our ancestors were very poor, but I am saying that there is something that we can learn from the aforementioned words and saying. That is to say, we need to take care of others and not just ourselves. Actually, our ancestors were able to get over the hardships by helping each other and sharing their belongings with others.
  Now, it seems like we don’t have to think of others because the society that we are living in now is quite affluent. Under these circumstances, some people might say, “Why do we have to take care of others? I just want to enjoy my life.” However, these kinds of thoughts have led to serious problems. For example, we have seen many terrible events in the news: the airline nut scandal, the Choi Sun Sil scandal, and the irresponsible behavior of the captain of the Sewol ferry. In addition, the Korean suicide rate and divorce rate have been increasing every year. According to official statistics, out of 3 couples, one couple gets divorced in Korea, and the Korean suicide rate has been the highest among the OECD. I think all these things resulted from egoism and a lack of relationships. Therefore, we need to try to recover our relationships with others.
  Aristotle said, “Man is a social animal.” Likewise, we cannot live alone. Since I am an only child, I was having troubles in making friends when I was young because I never learned how, but as I grew up, I came to realize how important relationships with others were, so I have tried to maintain friendly relationships with others. There isn’t a perfect person in the world, and every person has weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, we need to cooperate with each other to be better people.