I immediately started drawing parallels between this story and climate change. Maybe it was because of the class I am currently taking (Global Ethics and Climate Change), or a history paper I wrote about environmental advocacy between the 1950s to 1980s, but regardless, the connections became pretty clear to me.
The tiger on the verge of eating the monk can be likened to our climate reaching its ‘carbon budget,’ a term that describes the amount of carbon that can be released into the atmosphere before the resulting rising temperatures are irreversible. Similar to how the villagers dug a hole to stop the tiger from eating more people, humans have caused and exacerbated the change in climate all around the world by building factories, extracting fossil fuels, and emitting greenhouse gases.
The moment when the monk saves the tiger could be seen as a turning point when one segment of society acknowledges how dire the situation has become and tries to enact change. However, even if the monk is morally right in helping the tiger out of the hole, the trees and the cow side with the tiger. They are like the earth’s flora and fauna, who have already suffered and resent humans. They have not been treated with respect, just as humans have not cared about these aspects of climate change.
Fortunately, the monk noticed the rabbit hopping by. To me, this rabbit symbolizes the last chance for humanity to reverse climate change and lower carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The figure of the rabbit, who chose for his personal benefit, signifies that there is still an upside for us to strive and save the planet. We must not miss this rabbit. If it wasn’t for the cunningness of the rabbit, the monk probably would have been killed by the tiger. Similarly, this is our last chance to save our planet and provide a safe environment for future generations.
The situation is already dire. I feel bad for my five-year-old brother and his friends because their normal outfit includes a face mask (regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic) due to the high air pollution and constant sand storms sweeping the city. I think that humans in general fail to recognize the favors that earth has granted us. So, how can we return the favor?
At this point, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the monk is not the one who dug the hole for the tiger to fall into, similar to how our daily actions, such as driving a car instead of walking or taking long showers, will not affect the world on a grand scale. But remembering that you are not the only person in this world is as important as acknowledging that the climate is not only affected by corporations, but also by the collective power of individuals who advocate for change. Your actions as an individual matter as much as those of corporations.
I’m not trying to lessen the responsibility of corporations in causing climate change. But as individuals, our roles are limited. The legal branches of large businesses are connected to government lawmakers, drafting policies that aren’t necessarily determined by individual citizens. Our goal, as humankind, should be to create a social environment that views saving the planet as a fundamental moral value rather than a mere political debate.
The parallels with the story run even deeper. On a psychological level, it fascinated me that the wise monk never tried to negotiate directly with the tiger or come up with a plan of his own, but was rather quick to ask other living beings to act as a jury. I suspect that the monk, by putting himself at their mercy, wanted to be acknowledged by his peers. By asking around for other people’s opinions, the monk acted out of a natural human desire to be seen, coupled with a fear of making the wrong decision. The monk’s need for attention was a bigger hole than that into which the tiger fell.
The monk’s fate was thus decided by the living beings around him, who passed judgments based on their personal beliefs rather than objective truth or morals. We see this sort of behavior in today’s skeptical society, where every conclusion, claim, and idea needs to be taken with a grain of salt and questioned. This is especially so with the advent of social media, which delivers massive disinformation with high speed and efficiency. As a result, we often find ourselves in a court of public opinion, where any piece of evidence is open to debate. As a result, people too often voice opinions that negatively affect the well-being of others. Luckily, the monk encountered the rabbit and followed his advice.
Suddenly my little brother pulled my hair and I came out of my reverie. I realized that I didn’t necessarily need to witness Seoul’s Starry Night in peace, but that I should rather be thankful for the living beings around me that make my life unique and offer me recognition. In a world where tigers are ready to devour us, we should learn to recognize the rabbits that lead us in the right direction, while ultimately making informed decisions for ourselves, as species.