#work showcase

While we are in Korea, Professor Ahn has decided that we will go to the GreenPlugged Festival. This is a festival that has been held in Seoul for the past four years and its purpose is to raise money to continue efforts of making the city more environmentally friendly.

What is the medium through which this festival delivers its beautiful message and promotes its glorious cause? ... MUSIC! What better way is there to get a generation of young people filled with ideas and energy to mobilize and forward a cause? As a spokesperson from the very generation this festival is aimed toward, I must say that music has been the foundation of many conversations that have ultimately led to many of the amazing and strong friendships in my life. There are fewer feelings greater than being in an unfamiliar place or an uncomfortable situation and realizing that the person next to you owns the album of your favorite artist. 

When you attend a concert, you feel such a connection with the people around you, simply because they love something that you love. Music breaks down the walls that separate us. Music is a tool of love and understanding. Compare GreenPlugged with SXSW, Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella and Woodstock. All of these brought and bring people from all walks of life together and connects them in a way that is almost magical. When you go to a concert or a music festival, you don't expect to be stuck in an isolated bubble. You expect to have your personal space invaded, to have random conversations with people you may never have approached in daily life, to share an experience, to escape for a while. 

Despite whatever differences there are between South Korea and America, everyone shares a love for music. The GreenPlugged festival will be a way to demonstrate common universality between countries. Yes, there are differences in fashion, etiquette, food, history, but there are certain aspects about human culture that apply to everyone. We are all people. Though it is important to recognize cultural differences, as a world traveler, we must also recognize that we are all in fact of the same species. 

Going to the GreenPlugged festival in May, I will expect to see a crowd full of teenagers and young adults enjoying good music and supporting an important cause. Our generation is charged with dealing with the damage of past mistakes and shaping the future. The world is truly in our hands, as it is with every new generation of young people. This was true with those who attended the 1969 Woodstock festival in New York and it will continue with those who attend GreenPlugged 2013 in Seoul. Music is universal, forever.