My life for the next 6 years are going to be miserable. This was the initial mindset I had coming to Korea and starting school at Handong. After having lived most of my life in the comfortable bubble that is Orange County, California, and fantasizing about being part of a fraternity at a well-known American college since I was a child, one can imagine the disappointment I had when I realized that I had to go to Handong due to monetary issues. Now that I’ve completed my freshman year followed by two years in the military, I can say that I’ve come to terms with my situation and even started to become optimistic; however, I continue to have very mixed feelings towards certain aspects of Handong University.
My entire family consists of very serious and devout Christians and I’ve been brought up to be one as well. On the contrary, growing up in Orange County where the vast majority label themselves to be liberal, I found myself having very conflicting thoughts and opinions with certain topics. Whether my opinions are innate or have been formed and shaped by the friends I surrounded myself with, I tend to disagree with my family in regards to topics like the legalization of gay marriage or of marijuana. Many people in Handong as well often viewed my disagreement with their opinions to be in direct correlation with my faith. I cannot say that my faith and relationship with God is great and in fact, it has been spiraling down since I came to Handong; however, I will not support the idea that my opinions on certain social and political matters are a reflection of my relationship with God. Here is where one of my bigger concerns fall into play. Keeping in mind that Handong is a Christian university and as such, is completely understandable and even expected for students and professors to incorporate Christianity and its views in the many aspects of Handong life. Yet could this be a double edged sword in that it cannot only foster healthy Christians but also suppress forward and progressive thinking?
The idea of college, to me at least, is not just a place where one goes to learn and acquire technical skills in pursuit of their career but should be where students can understand the world and life in its entirety. It should also be a place where one can introspectively grasp their idea of self and identity, which can be done through a solidifying of opinions and beliefs. This, ideally, should be done without a filter and bias. What I’m trying to say is this: our school’s motto is Why Not Change the World. Yet we often worry too much about how we view the world rather than what’s in it.
It’s a hard topic to discuss and one where my opinions tend to oscillate. But I think it can be beneficial to all for us to not simply be open-hearted but also open minded.

Joohyuk Choi(Computer Science and Electrical Engineering 14)