News stories like this are always far more fascinating than fictions. The message (sometimes encrypted) in these otherwise lackluster real-life happenings is certainly more relevant in shaping our understanding about ourselves and the world we are in. Maybe the Guinness World Records should include a section about accomplishments of human mind or some amazing qualities of certain human traits (even virtues or spirituality). To me the illiterate South Korean has redefined all the terms related to “fortitude” and ”perseverance.” The unpronounced power of his act can be as strong and clear as a philosophical thesis on patience, persistence and determination.
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272nd time a charm for man on driving test (ZT)
Exam official says he’s regarded almost as 'one of the family'
Updated: 5:35 a.m. ET April 15, 2005
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7511425/?GT1=6428)
SEOUL, South Korea - The motto for one would-be South Korean driver likely is “if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again another 271 times."
Seo Sang-moon passed the academic part of his driver’s license examination on his 272nd attempt earlier this week.
The repairman, from a small town in the southeastern part of the county who will soon turn 70, said he was illiterate and used the test process to teach himself the rules of the road because he could not read them in a manual.
Since the oral exam was launched, Seo took the test as often as he could, paying about $1,000 in fees along the way. Each failure taught him a little more, and after 271 attempts, he was able to get the minimum score needed to pass the academic test.
Test officials were thrilled to see Seo pass.
“He has been coming here for more than five years and we regard him almost as being one of the family,” an official from the exam office said by telephone.
Seo said he was preparing for his road test, and was discussing with his wife what kind of car to buy once he get his license. “Driving seems a bit hard. But after trying 271 times to pass the oral exam, what do I have to be afraid of?” Seo said.
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
- posted on 04/17/2005
After posting the piece above, all of a sudden I remembered the theory of "gonzo journalism." I'm not sure how well my convictions to the power of simple and true facts (or raw data, so to speak) may sit with that school of thought, which I also feel equally intriguing. For those who might be interested in the theory or are actually practicing it with no formal acknowledgement, "gonzo journalism" is a news writing style, based on the idea that fidelity to fact did not always shed light on truth. Instead, the theory maintains that a deeper truth could be found in the ambiguous zones between fact and fiction. Arguably, an attempt to interpret or even over-interpret facts, and by doing so injecting additional or fictional human logic into the story (as many of us, myself included, often have the proclivity to do :-)may be itself a gonzo journalistic approach.:) - Re: 272,量器量 (ZT)posted on 04/17/2005
We tend to see what we like to see. It's a human nature. We need to be more aware of our prejudgment. It seems that some people out there are trained to take advantage of us:)
Maybe in future,reporters will be required to raise their right hand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth... before they start writing:)
fengzi老师,我可能又逻辑混乱了,给个C吧 :)
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