Q1. Please briefly introduce yourself!
Hello, I am Choi Ji-in, a volunteer at MAP in the second half of 2022 and a graduate student majoring in law.
Q2. Please tell us why you applied to MAP.
I am very interested in promoting human rights and want to work in a human rights field in the future, but I realized that I had studied human rights only through books. I thought it was time for field experience, so I started volunteering.
Q3. What do you think our society needs most right now to become a better society?
A ‘that is just how they are’ attitude. Many people apply their own standards too strongly when looking at others, and that often comes across to the other person as a human rights violation, large or small. In the world there are similar people but no identical people, so if we look at one another with the attitude of ‘that is just how that person is’, I think many occasions of someone being hurt would decrease. Of course, I am not saying we should respect things where right and wrong are clearly distinguishable, such as crime or hatred. I hope there will be more light-hearted views toward things that are dignified without any right or wrong, such as appearance, identity and values.
Q4. What gives you your own small but certain happiness?
Buying a can of apple-flavored beer, going to an independent cinema and watching a diversity film or a classic masterpiece alone. There was a time when I lived without even two hours to give to myself, and I often took myself to the theater then so that I would not fall into self-pity. When I found a film that suited me perfectly, I felt on my way home as if I were carrying a treasure. I even feel like a cinephile, which feels kind of cool. Even now, when my days are too busy or I am feeling down, I go to the cinema alone to find treasure.
Q5. Finally, what kind of ‘change’ do you want to bring about through your work at MAP?
To be honest, I wonder what kind of change I could bring about in such a short period of activity. I just want to do my share properly without being a burden… But I think a huge change will happen inside me! Since I have stepped into a new world, I plan to feel it fully, keep a diligent record of my activities, and steadily build up many things inside and out.
