[Current & Culture]Picking Up Jewels from the Sea

Last summer, my 7-year-old child, who was playing on the sandy beach, said, "Dad, I found a jewel."

What the child brought really could be mistaken for that. I later found out it was sea glass. Broken glass bottles worn down by the waves and sand became smooth and shiny like jewels. Since then, my child's hobby became collecting sea glass. The child originally liked collecting small fruits or seeds. I thought it would pass, but whenever I asked what they wanted to do, the child always said, "Let's go pick up sea glass."

When the child had collected hundreds of pieces of sea glass, I told them that if they get something from the sea, they should also do a good deed. I gave the child a 10ℓ trash bag and added that from now on, while picking up sea glass, they should also pick up trash from the sea. The child said no, but when I said then they wouldn't come to the beach anymore, they reluctantly started walking along the beach in Gangneung, holding a collecting container in one hand and a trash bag in the other, grumbling a little.

One day, a few weeks after going to the beach every weekend with my child, we met an elderly woman coming toward us on the beach. Just as we were about to greet lightly and pass by, she asked my child,

"Oh my, are you picking up trash right now?"

When the child nodded, she stopped completely. She said she had lived here for a long time but had never seen a child picking up trash, and she was so proud and touched that she didn't know what to say. She said a child like this should be rewarded and kept giving endless compliments. Eventually, she told us to follow her. She insisted on buying some snacks. I said it was okay, but she was persistent. Her house was right in front of this beach, and she had left her wallet at home, so she said we should go together and then go to the convenience store. It wasn't an atmosphere where we could refuse, and since Ms. Kim Rin was already following her, I followed behind as well.

We arrived at the beach's trash collection site and sorted and disposed of the trash we had picked up. When the elderly woman tried to throw away the sea glass as well, the child shouted, "No!" She realized the child wasn't just picking up trash, but nothing changed. We went into the convenience store together, the children picked out snacks, and the elderly woman looked at them admiringly. When the children each chose a snack they wanted to eat, she told them to pick more, as much as they wanted. I quietly raised one finger while watching the children from behind. She said to the children again,

"This grandmother wanted to make sure you know that good things happen when you do good deeds."

It may be necessary to punish children who break the rules. However, what we all need to do might be to find children who do good deeds and make sure to tell them that good things will happen if they do so. My child, who initially disliked picking up trash, no longer shows that attitude. It seems they vaguely understand that it is a necessary task.

At home, thousands of pieces of sea glass collected by my child have accumulated. If all of these were jewels, I would be the richest person in Gangneung. But seeing my child going out to the beach with a trash bag, my heart is already rich.

Kim Minseop, Social and Cultural Critic

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.