today is the second election day in Korea since i've been here. (the first one was in December for the presidential election). for a country that has had a difficult and tumultuous history with democracy, i think they do a couple things right here.
1) voting holidays. schools, banks, government institutions and many companies are closed. the right and duty to vote is taken seriously.
2) in the weeks leading up to today, there has been massive campaigning in the streets of Seoul. it is much more active and visible here than in the States. i can't understand what they are saying, so i can't judge whether the campaigning is constructive or not. but i do, to some degree, admire the effort and pomp to which campaigning is done.
i've not been carrying my camera around. i wish i had because the campaign trucks are really interesting.
on a related but unrelated note, i've been thinking lately about how complacent (and complicit) i am. more and more i've begun to realize that i make the same intellectual, emotional, spiritual, financial, and physical shortcuts as the next person. this is not necessarily a bad thing; it's humbling in a good way. i'm normal.
