For South Korean university students, vacations are divided into two categories:
those who raise their TOEIC scores and those who obtain a driver's license.Among them, the waiting room at the Western Driver's License Examination Center is always filled with palpable tension.
This is due to a strange sense of pressure, as if failing here would leave a major stain on one's life, even if a Class 1 Ordinary license isn't everything.
Female university student A was no exception. She stayed up all night memorizing the 'practical test formulas' on YouTube and repeated 'using the turn signal when turning left' thousands of times before standing before the examiner.
However, this examiner's demeanor was anything but ordinary. He glanced at Miss A over his magnifying glasses and abruptly threw a surprise question at her.
“Student, let me ask you just one thing. You are driving and suddenly a pig and a person appear in front of you.
There is no way to avoid them. Now, are you going to hit the pig, or the person?”
Miss A’s mind became a mess.
‘Is this a morality test? Or a legal test?’ In a split second,
True to the ‘correct-answer type’ cultivated by South Korea’s education system, she gave the most rational answer.
“Of course I have to hit the pig! I can’t hit the person, can I!”
There was not a shred of hesitation in her voice.
I even felt a sense of pride that I had upheld the dignity of life.
However, the examiner's reaction upon returning was cold.
“Student, pack your bags and go home. I will absolutely not give you a license.”
Ms. A felt wronged.
“No, then are you telling me to hit someone?” she protested.
The examiner clicked his tongue and said.
“Look here, student, in that situation, you should have stepped on the brakes! Why are you only thinking about hitting one of the two?”
This story may seem like simple humor, but it actually pierces right through the ‘trap of dichotomous thinking’ that modern people are prone to falling into.
We are constantly asked questions on the road called life.
“Money or honor?”
“Love or work?”
“A stable job or a dream?”
The world forces us to make it seem as if there are only two choices.
And within those limited options, we agonize fiercely over what is more beneficial and what is less harmful.
But sometimes, that agonizing itself is wrong.
Just like forgetting the ‘brake’ right under your feet while agonizing over whether to hit a pig or a person.
