A true story by Elie Molly
Kuningan, 16 November 2020
A: "Why do you want to walk a difficult path alone?"
B: "I am not alone. I have a friend like you."
Above is a dialogue between two men in a heart-touching movie entitled "Forbidden Dream 천문: 하늘에 묻는다 (2019)." I just finished watching the film after a meeting on Zoom with a foreign company today. The movie revolves around two men from different classes who shared a dream. The first man (A) is a born slave, and the second one (B) is the king of the Joseon kingdom. The story was based on a historical event in South Korea. The friendship between the two older men has brought me tears and smiles.
The King of Joseon had a big dream. He wanted to make his country's people have great knowledge. He dreamed of making an astronomical almanac and alphabet. At that period, people in his kingdom could not read and write and identify the time. The Ming emperor in China dominated military power; thus, Joseon was an inferior kingdom.
The king's dream began to seem possible when he met a slave named Yeongsil. He drew a plan for a water clock, so the king asked him to make it. When he successfully made the clock that sounded loudly to the entire country, the king set him free from being a slave and gave him a high position as a great scientist. The decision was so unbelievable that he cried while being granted an honorable scientist dress.
The king further asked Yeongsil to make an armillary sphere, and he accomplished the astronomical research that needed 100 years to finish in only twenty years. During the 20 years, the friendship between Yeongsil and the king grew fonder and fonder.
One beautiful night, the king asked Yeongsil to sit down beside him while looking at the stars in the sky. "Among those stars, which one is mine?" asked the king. "I think the highest star, Your Majesty. The Polaris is your star," replied Yeongsil. The king grinned, "But people say that the Polaris belongs to the Ming emperor." Yeongsil smiled, "But for me, it belongs to you, Your Majesty." The king laughed happily, "So how about you? Which stars are yours?" "I do not have a star, Your Majesty. A born-slave like me cannot be a star until death."
The king smiled and pointed to the sky, "See that star beside the Polaris? The smaller one. From now on, that is your star!"
Yeongsil, felt surprised and happy, replied, "How could a man of humble birth like me own a star, Your Majesty?" The king said, "Class does not matter. What matters is that we look at the same sky and share a dream. In my eyes, these countless stars are my people."
The king's words so touched Yeongsil; thus, he intended firmly to help the king's dream come true. He started to make an alphabet for the country, as the king wished. However, some jealous officers reported Yeongsil's inventions to the Ming emperor. Feeling afraid of the Joseon kingdom's growing power, the Ming emperor soon commanded to destroy the invention and catch Yeongsil. The friendship between the king and the scientist was challenged.
The king then plotted a strategy to save Yeongsil. Yeongsil was happy to meet the king again. His dream is to be always with the king, together forever. However, he knew that the king's dream is much more important than his dream. He also knew that to achieve the king's dream, he should sacrifice his dream. There was no choice. Looking at the king's face for the last time, he whispered, "Please realize your dream, Your Majesty."
In 1442, Yeongsil received a severe punishment of 80 flogs and disappeared. Two years later, the king's dreams came true: the first Korean astronomical almanac was compiled, and the Korean alphabet was made public in 1446.
The movie has brought me some points to ponder. First, everybody can have a dream. No matter what we are now and what we were in the past, we can have a better future. Even a slave such as Yeongsil can be the greatest scientist of his time. So, how about we free people? We can reach the impossible as well, or even more. So do not give up.
Next, while some people may laugh at our dreams, always remember that God has given us parents, friends, and loved ones who support us, just like the king of Joseon, who had a loyal, supportive friend like Yeongsil. Appreciate anyone who supports you, and do not take it for granted.
Third, while big dreams are not easy to reach, surprisingly, God has given us the power to create our destiny through our continuous efforts and prayers.
I remember a guy who is the leader of international students on my campus in Beijing. One day he texted on the Wechat group, "Doing my Ph.D. degree is so difficult and frustrating; I do my research alone, my supervisors do not help me at all, my teachers do not care about what I am enduring, journals keep rejecting my papers, reviewers keep criticizing and let my confidence down. So why should I help others?"
I replied to him, "Yes, it is true; we are Ph.D. scholars who do everything alone. Every time we get the rejection from the journals, it seems that nobody cares; we cry alone. However, Allah is with us. Allah gives us full power to accomplish our tasks by ourselves without depending on anyone but Him. Therefore, do not be mean to other people. We should help people to make the world happier and to get rewards from Allah. If we make others happy, Allah will make us happier. If we help people reach their dreams, Allah will make it easy in everything we do for our dreams."
The guy then replied to me nicely, and we became good friends. Alhamdulillah.
Never give up on your dreams, and never forget God, who helps us reach our dreams. Without obeying Allah, of course, we can reach our dreams, but only for this temporary Dunya, not for the eternal Akhirah. Only with Allah's help, even the forbidden dream can come true. As Allah said, "Call upon me, I will respond to you," "Remember me, I will remember you," and, "If you are grateful to me, I will give you more." Let's be brave to have a 'forbidden' dream, be grateful for every ease that God makes for us, and achieve more.
*Elie Molly, author of the book "Dare To Dream."
To connect with the author and know more about her books, visit: https://eliemolly.wixsite.com/website
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