It takes a special strength to show weakness.
It’s a skill I don’t have much of. I often
wonder if I’m truly as weak as I think I am, or if I’m just making excuses and
hiding. I was reminded of the power of others’ perceptions in battling this
fear while watching a TV show recently. Once again, a teacher demonstrates the
power in pushing onward. Once again, I see how another’s lifting can give you
the strength to both try more and reveal more.
South Koreans are brilliant in the art of
television variety shows. Among the current gems is Master in the House. This show
offers a look inside South Korean culture with a cast of four talented young
men, actor Lee Sang Yoon, 36, comedian Yang Se Hyung, 32,
singer/actor/entertainer Lee Seung Gi, 31, and singer/dancer/actor Yook
Sungjae, 23, who seek wisdom from an different experienced “elder” every week
by following them for two days and one night. Each show has a unique setting
and is loaded with goofy stunts and banter between the castmates. Each master
brings a completely different style and life message for the men to reflect
upon.
In episodes 27 and 28, they meet Seol Min
Seok, a 47 year old teacher of Korean history. Seol Min Seok majored in theater
and film. For 23 years, he has used that background to teach in ways that take
people into important moments of Korean history. He brings the past’s people
and moments alive, and in so doing, has developed a huge following within South
Korea, including a YouTube channel with over 270,000
subscribers and over 55 million views.
In viewing him on this show and on some
YouTube videos from another variety show, I was struck by his blending of
old-school and modern teaching techniques. He stands before traditional rows of
tables and chairs filled with his students. There’s a whiteboard or chalkboard
as his backdrop, which he expertly uses. It’s his animation and style that pull
the students in, demanding their active participation. His delivery is magical.
This is “lecture” at its finest and most effective.
In Episode 27, Seol Min Seok takes the cast to
the border between North and South Korea. He tells them that during the 70
years the countries have existed separately, the people within the countries
have begun using their shared language differently. There will be a need, if
the two countries hope to come together, to work on understanding one another.
“If people can’t communicate with each other, we can’t do anything.”
My absolute favorite part of this time with
Seol Min Seok came at the end of Episode 28. He took the hosts to Dankook
University with the intention of having them give spontaneous lectures about
themselves (My History) to a random gathering of students. Think “busking” but
with lecture instead of music. They were to use the lecturing and storytelling
techniques he’d taught them to talk about themselves and engage the audience.
The hosts were terrified. Reading a script is
one thing. Talking about oneself is something completely different. Seol Min
Seok let them feel their nervousness, but he never abandoned them to it. He
orchestrated their anxiety by suggestions that emphasized their strengths both
individually and as a group. True expert educator mode.
I won’t give all the details of what happened.
It’s really worth a watch to see people who make a living being in front of
cameras dealing with genuine feelings of embarrassment and fright. Yang Se
Hyung, the comedian, is especially sweet as he talks to himself, saying, “Time
passes. This will pass.”. Why is he so concerned? In an academic setting where
only the smartest of the smart are granted entrance, he scored extremely low on
the test needed to attend such a school. He felt like he shouldn’t be there.
Showing weakness is painful. And yet, no one
is perfect. How do we keep moving forward? How do we resist hiding in fear?
These are vital questions to consider and
answer in the time we have. As I was reminded in Master in the House, it takes not only what we have inside,
but who we have outside, supporting our efforts and views.