After watching "Spring" by Kim Ki Duk.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth

Code of Hammurabi: which contains the law related to "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth."




When I was 3rd grader in middle school, I used to be the chief of my class. In the summer of that year, we had a school festival which we all had to join and open a section. We were all enthusiastic about opening a section and make profit out of it. However, everyone had a different idea about what the section will be and how we will manage and make money. And choosing what to do in the section was the most difficult part of that year.
Ideas came out like a flood, but not all are welcomed. No, it would be more correct to say that every plan was rejected by few people in the class. Those few people were the trouble-makers in the school who were always silly. They didn’t give any plan for the section but still they criticized others’ ideas. It took me more than two hours just to choose what to do on the festival mainly because of them. Finding it hard to endure any more, I tried something different rather than negotiating people’s idea alone. I came back to my seat from the front of the classroom and called them out to the front. Then, I asked them for ideas. They of course couldn’t answer me. Being silent for few minutes, I smiled coldly and again asked them for my favor; I asked them to be a chief of the class, lead the discussion and come up with a result. If they succeed, I told them that I will resign my position right away and give it to them. Being steamed up, they accepted my words and tried to lead the discussion. But no one gave ideas to them. They shouted at the class to come up with some ideas. But no one responded. One of them finally came with an idea and presented to the class. What I did was the same thing that they’ve done before. I criticized their ideas. Criticizing them about the hardship we will face, the idea was rejected. They, who had little smiles on their face at first when they gave their first idea, now were stunned. Few more minutes passed, and they came up with red face and insulting words on me. But I, who was also angry, shouted at them and to see what happened. What happened to them was exactly same to what they had done. We had a tough fight of the tongues and that was the end of the situation since teacher came right after hearing loud voices. She only interrupted our voice and didn’t punish us. And the day after that, we had the same discussion but they didn’t criticized ideas like before. I don’t know whether their silent behavior was an action of denying me and my position or an action that comes from self-observation, but I’m sure that they learned how I felt.
The young priest in the movie gets to bother animals by tying them up with stones. A frog, a fish, and a snake are tied by the young priest. The old priest observes this behavior of young priest and the next day, he does the same to him. The old priest tells him that he should go to the animals and let them free. If they die, the old priest tells that he will have to carry that stone forever. The young priest goes to the animals and let them free. However, only the frog had survived and others were found out to be dead. Then he shows his tears towards animals.
I’m not fully convinced that the young priest is perfectly aware of his crime and really knows what he has done. However, he at least feels the pain that he gave from the old priest.
This method in the movie, reminded me of the story above. The method is quite simple: Doing the same thing to the people who committed. This method in my opinion is very effective since it at least gives them the feeling of what they have done. Sometimes there are people who show no possibility of being rehabilitated. For those who show no possibility of rehabilitation, I recommend this method, since it at least makes them feel of what they have done.


Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prologue_Hammurabi_Code_Louvre_AO10237.jpg