[Kim Seong-kon] Between the 1st Floor and the 3rd Floor

In American towns, three-story apartment buildings are a common sight. Some Americans prefer first-floor apartments because of the convenience when moving large items like furniture or carrying groceries. Others prefer the third floor for its superior views and the absence of overhead noise.

The problem is that both choices carry distinct flaws. For example, first-floor apartments are hopelessly exposed to pedestrians, who peer in while walking by, even if it is often unconsciously or unwittingly. To protect your privacy, you must constantly keep the blinds drawn, which ultimately leaves the apartment dark and dim. To make matters worse, stomping sounds from the second floor can cause great annoyance whenever upstairs neighbors walk around with their shoes on.

Third-floor apartments have problems of their own. Due to roofs baking under scorching sunlight, these units can become boiling during summer nights. In the winter, they bear the brunt of the cold weather, making them chillier than units on the lower levels. Consequently, many people find that second-floor apartments offer a better balance than the ones on the first floor or the third floor.

From this, we can draw two invaluable life lessons. The first is that everything possesses positives and negatives. We often assume the world is inherently unfair. However, the world maintains a surprising balance because every situation has its pros and cons. While second-floor apartments are generally cool in the summer and warm in the winter, they are not perfect; residents must still contend with noise from both above and below.

We often assume that rich people are universally happy and poor people are not. However, the wealthy are frequently embroiled in bitter legal disputes over inheritance issues, while those with less can live contentedly by accepting what they have rather than harboring jealousy. This aligns with the biblical reminder to “give thanks in all circumstances.”

When we accept that everything has merits and demerits, even historical military dictatorships can be viewed through a dual lens. In South Korea, citizens rightfully abhorred the military rule of the 1960s through the 1970s. Yet, many acknowledge that this very government laid the foundation for the nation's current economic prosperity. Likewise, during that iron-fisted era, anti-government student activists represented the hope and future of the Korean people. However, if those same activists delude themselves into thinking they are still fighting dictators in 2026 — becoming tyrannical themselves and crushing political opponents — they become a profound disappointment. We must learn to view history from multiple perspectives.

The second lesson from the three-story apartment building is the importance of finding the middle ground to resist extremes, or practicing "the middle against both ends," as Leslie A. Fiedler noted. Safe in the middle, second-floor residents avoid both the embarrassing exposure of the ground floor and the extreme temperatures of the top floor. By occupying the middle ground in life, we can resist political extremes and live comfortably.

Unfortunately, our current society is plagued by heated ideological fights between the extreme left and the far right. We suffer from the scorching heat of these political confrontations every day, desperately needing an air conditioner to cool the national rhetoric. In that sense, our country resembles a third-floor apartment.

At the same time, our internal struggles are exposed to the global stage, much like living on the first floor. Since foreign onlookers watch us closely, we can feel disgraced and ashamed. We should consider how our country may appear to other countries. We may want to cover the window so that the outside world cannot see us. The problem is that in the age of ubiquitous social media, we can no longer pull down the blinds to hide our political dysfunction.

By choosing the second floor, we can reject both the extreme left-wing ideology and far-right dogmatism that have crippled our society since liberation. On the second floor, we can pursue moderation, gentleness and civility. Free from the sway of extremists, we gain the capacity to embrace differences, which is a crucial trait for any advanced nation.

As Edward Gibbon pointed out, the decline and fall of the Roman Empire was ultimately caused by a loss of generosity and the capacity to embrace differences. Unfortunately, our political climate exhibits the same phenomenon these days. To evade the inevitable decline and fall of our country, we should seek the middle ground, avoiding both extremes and be gentle and moderate. We also should embrace diversity and listen to different voices.

A simple three-story apartment building teaches us a priceless lesson. If we choose ideological extremes, we will inevitably suffer the scorching heat or freezing cold, and, moreover, we will embarrassingly make a spectacle of ourselves in front of other countries. If we choose the middle ground, however, we can live comfortably, free from ideological warfare. We should choose wisely. The choice is ours.

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Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed