[Opinion] Climbing Down the Mountain

It is a lot harder to climb up a mountain to climb down, but still they say `Watch your steps as you go downhill.` It means you must be careful because there are more accidents on an easy downhill. Mountain climbers, whether they are professional or not, should know this simple fact. Having enjoyed the moment of victory at the peak, you are now loosened up and more vulnerable to an accident. Not long ago, there was news that an old couple was killed in an accident on their way back from a mountain peak.

▷Experts explain that the way you climb up must be different from the way you climb down. When you go up, your heart feels heavy pressure and when you go down, it is your knee joints. So people who have a problem with the heart or the knee must be very careful. Even you have a strong heart and knees, you had better take an S shape route instead of going straight up. On your way down, put your feet on soft soil avoiding hard rocks. Watching former presidents enjoying a high approval rating at first and facing harsh criticism later in their term, we often wonder whether mountain climbing tells the story of our life. With the economy that has its own up and down trend, we must be careful not to take a steep route. After all, soft-landing designed to cushion a shock is the goal of every economic policy.

▷Even beginners feel the greatest joy of climbing when they reach a peak. That is why our hearts are filled with expectations as we make every little step toward the peak. Presidency, being the summit for every power seekers, is the very source of the will and courage to fight. But when you go up hurriedly, you will soon lose your strength even before you reach the top. When you rush to wield your power, it will only backfire. ˝There have been a flurry of audit and inspection whenever a new government came in power, and people might see it just as a happening,˝ said President Roh during a meeting with top presidential aids. He might have worried that hastened steps would backfire.

▷Many politicians like mountain climbing. Then they often compare climbing with the way things go, implying their thoughts inside. Former president Kim Young-sam, who also likes scaling mountains, said at the inauguration ceremony, “I repeatedly told Kim Dae-jung that the five-year term passes by so fast and that he should be careful on the downhill…” We might question whether YS is qualified to give DJ advice, but whoever says so, it must be worth listening to carefully.

Park Young-kyun, Editorial Writer, parkyk@donga.com