Tuesday 2 May 2006

57

Excerpts of Lee Young-Ae's book "Especially Love" 《最特别的爱》which I have loosely translated in English.

On being kind to animals:

Young-Ae said: "Sometimes I wonder, why are there many people in this world who can't even be compared to animals? The thought of this makes me sad. Especially when there are so much violence and crime happening everyday around us. Animals, on the other hand, are more innocent and less cunning than humans. In fact they can be a loyal friend. For example, guide dogs who help the blind, they are the blind man's windows to the outside world. "

"Once, I saw an ad on a magazine, with a picture of a blind man with his guide dog. The slogan was 'If you see us in the park or the bus, please treat us as no different from you.' That picture remains deeply etched in my mind for a long time, especially seeing the bright smile on both man and dog. The way the dog is smiling looks exactly like that of an innocent child, full of happiness and joy. I loved that picture so much that I cut it out and put it in my wallet and kept it there for a long long time."

"I read from the news of French actress Bridgit Bardot writing a letter to the South Korean government, imploring them to prevent the act of eating dog meat in the country. This phenomenon is especially prevalent to cultures in China, Korea, Vietnam and the rest of Asian countries. Dogs are part of the family, closes to the human race. I strongly feel that people should stop this habit of eating dog meat. We should protect these animals from harm. But to totally eliminate this culture will take time, which leaves me with full of remorse."

On being responsible for one's own children:
"I used to think that instead of suffering in a loveless marriage, why not divorce and live one's own life without regrets? But when I know how many children of these parents suffered as a result (of this action), how hurt and abandoned these kids felt, I totally changed my stance. Life is precious to ourselves and nothing is more important than how we live it. However, if we sacrifice someone else's happiness in exchange for our own happiness, the value of this happiness becomes totally worthless. Considering not only these children are our own flesh and blood, but they being left helpless to fend for themselves and robbing them of their childhood. Parents should not be so irresponsible in their actions."

Pictured on the top left-hand corner is Young-Ae's dog with a ribbon, whom she adopted for her parents and whom she named 57. She is also generous with her love and care for the poor, ill and under-privileged. She donated large sums of money to charity, including the proceeds of sales of this book, as her payback to society with her love, humility and kindness. And reading her book, about her and her thoughts, her feelings, her travels, her encounters, it seemed that she shares mostly the same sentiments as me and I agree with most of her viewpoints. Her humility deviates her from other famous superstars. Such speaks volume of a person who has shown acts of compassion, not just to humans, but to animals as well.
My new found model, idol.

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