How about respect? or do we mean charity? Apparently the North Korean masses are very poor as the MEN exercise their testosterone and go military. following the example of many American leaders.
Thank you. Naive comes from the same root as nativity..birth. We need a birthing of Universal Love as part of the world dialogue. The letter would have had more integrity for me if Kim had not been attacked verbally.
It seems important in creating balance today to speak of, to promote Love of All of Humanity in public discourse. We hear the opposite daily.
Hurray for the courage of the authors to speak up for unity and universal understanding. Hurray for courageous naivety.
2
This radical, brave essay should be required reading for our president, our joint chief's of staff, all cabinet members and everyone in congress. Maybe we'll surprise ourselves and a few brave souls from the above list, will take these words to heart.
4
It is a message worth delivering to Kim Jong-un. The value or futility of it will be decided not here in the comments section. Kim Jong-un's response, or lack of one, will be the only indicator. We'll see.
In the meantime, change the title to An Open Letter of Love to Donald Trump and deliver it to the White House. He needs to hear the same message. Maybe more so, given the power he wields especially over the vulnerable.
4
The irony here is that Asian nations are notorious for prejudice against blacks.
7
The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. You write this letter and I don't think it is treasonous. It's your opinion and you have a right to have your opinion and, more importantly, express it in public. However, you are absolutely right when you say the letter is absurd and useless.
6
" I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.”
The beauty of executing someone with anti-aircraft guns or nerve toxin applied to the face.
The need to starve millions.
The feelings that anyone who is a possible threat to one's absolute authority needs to be promptly killed.
Yes, Kim Jong-un is human. As human as Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Assad, Papa Doc. Yes, hate the sin, love the sinner. What about justice?
14
Not to criticize the authors but other than placing the letter in the Times difficult to see a purpose to the prose. MLK directed his charges at oppression with words and action and the communality of mankind but this piece has it seems no center; certainly not one Kim Jong-un will be able to find.
It does reflect the disconnect between human emotion and the Halls of Power but that is of little interest to Leaders unless it threatens the structure – not currently a concern on either side.
2
I despise the rhetoric emerging from our government - it pains me to think that this is my representation in the world. And yet - this open letter is the passively naive Yin to its overly bombastic Yang. It is cliche to ask this, but I'll go ahead and put forth the gold standard anyway - how does such a ridiculous letter to Hitler or Stalin go anyway? I maintain that it is simultaneously possible to reject Trump and his ilk without absorbing their whataboutist technique and proposing relativist arguments comparing our own terrible past and strained present with the current starvation and willful imprisonment of an entire nation for decades.
7
Trump is dangerous and toxic - and not just with regards to North Korea.
This being said, would the authors have appealed to ISIS leaders with the same message of love and the same emphasis on the state of racism and discrimination in America?
The North Korean regime is guilty of crimes - against its own people - exponentially more heinous, if less spectacular, than that fanatic cult.
If the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, "love" is no exception.
5
This guy fed his uncle to vicious hounds... and starved his people on the opinion that capitalism is evil... his hate for the United States didn't just pop up when Trump was elected, either. Also Gandhi was outwardly Nationalist and Racist.
2
What's next, a love letter to Jeffrey Dahmer? Loving the victims doesn't require loving their torturer.
5
Was this reprinted from the Onion? How can you dare compare our nation to a North Korea that starves its' own citizens, imprisons them in modern gulags, and threatens nuclear war? Quite simply, this entire piece is, to put it in polite terms, a crock.
10
Our "dear" country has a history that "red people, Indians" and black people shudder at.
1
First reaction: love the DPRK?
Second reaction: What childish pablum.
Third reaction: Hey, the world is at stake. What's the harm?
3
Easy-peasy. The DPRK give up nuclear weapons, the USA gives up guns. Problems solved.
2
Dear Kim,
Can I call you Kim? Our president is more nuts than you. He is more ignorant than you. He is more reckless than you. As oppressive as your regime is, our leader is inspired by dictators and despots like you. No offense Kim. Can you just chill for a bit until we take care of our problem? It won't be long now. Remember Kim, meanwhile, back at the ranch Mueller keeps grinding away.
Thanks - best to you and yours during the holidays.
Armo
7
Dear Chairman Kim Jong-un,
We are a young Nation led by a President in his golden years, and you are a young Leader at the head of an ancient Civilization. Yet there is something that the People of American will always pursue and it is a wish for a better understanding of our Neighbors, not always with love, but with sensibility and a search for greater wisdom between our Countries and Cultures across the borders of the Universe. All in the name of Courage and Valor; All for the sake of our next Generation.
3
It would be more convincing if it were written from inside a North Korean prison camp. Or maybe less. Hmm.
4
Kim Jong-Un is no mad dog. He's doing what most people born into the environment and upbringing he was would do. It's an Eichmann in Jerusalem situation, just pre-Jerusalem. People acting like he invented the system his grandfather made.
That said, sometimes its better to bring about a resolution because to delay only makes the ending that much worse. Imagine if China had known 20 years ago it would face this situation today: surely they would have done anything to avoid it. It is in choosing the devil we don't know yet that "hope springs eternal" becomes a curse. This love is a distraction; it adds little value and defers the abusive today to an idealist's someday. How does anyone imagine the languishing in NK gets better in the next 10 years if no one does anything about it? Are we really imagining a happy ending to this story?
This kind of love is really just escapism because we don't want the horrible thing we all know has to happen eventually to truly come; and the longer we wait, it just gets worse and worse and worse. More people in NK starve and are murdered. More weapons capability is developed. The only way out is if Kim Jong-Un turns out to not just be an average man, but a truly exceptional person able to unravel the system of average people from the inside. Really willing to bet the next generation on that long shot? Because the last two lost.
1
"There are many here in the United States who will say that this letter is absurd, useless, even treasonous."
Absurd? Probably. Treasonous , not a bit!!
Love can be the strongest force for peace or useless where it will be perceived as weakness.
I'm afraid, in this case, it's the latter.
3
I am not very sure if this letter was really addressed to Mr. Kim Jong-un or to Mr. Trump.
1
I would love to hear his reply.
2
I began this essay thinking "What has the NYtimes come to?" I finished it full of admiration and respect for David Kyuman Kim, George Nancy, & whoever decided to publish this. I feel alive with new purpose and direction as an active member of the resistance.
This is radical and brilliant. Thank you so much.
3
I have never before read a love letter that exuded so much. . . hatred
3
It feels deeply refreshing the Times has given space to this crucial message, one of the most important to grace the newspaper.
As always when a piece is provocative, the comments are interesting. What the comments boil down to is that this small planet has been living for some time with a new reality, the potential to do ourselves in, presenting a stark choice between the power of fear that saturates some of the comments and openness to act out of the power of love that informs others.
Even on the level of conventional war, the total devastation that U.S. forces under General Curtis LeMay visited upon North Korea sixty years ago, even if our leaders thought it an appropriate response to aggression, smacked of the same racist dehumanization that is also part of our domestic story.
It was none other than Curtis LeMay who urged JFK to attack Cuba during the Missile Crisis of 1962, which almost certainly would have resulted in nuclear apocalypse.
The world is in a race between education and catastrophe. Were Hitler alive today and in possession of nuclear weapons on the level of the U.S. arsenal, we can only hope he might be restrained by the possibility of omnicidal nuclear winter if not by an understanding that all children are alike around the world.
To know that all humans face the possibility of our destruction together is to begin to understand that the need for love to orient international and domestic relations, far from being naive, is the soul of realism.
2
Any attempt to interact with Kim Jong-un without discussing the Juche ideology that is central to the North Korean cult is a meaningless exercise.
1
The Smith Family in Los Angeles joins these writers and sends our love to Kim Jong-Un and the good people of North Korea. May peace and love find them and may we one day welcome them to our home as long lost friends.
3
Ask the starving, fleeing, censored people of North Korea if love will fix their lack of food, lack of information, and prevent their political executions.
2
Dear Kim Jong - un:
I am writing to say that you are more than capable of love if you so choose to accept the letter from David Kyuman Kim and George Yancy. After all, your are highly educated, a European education starting in Grade 9. You are in fact, a physicist something to be proud of. You understand the physics behind the nuclear weapons both of our countries have. Why not build upon your high intelligence and show us all other ways we can grow. You are married and have three young children. I can't prove this to you, no one can, but you have much to offer the world and also to your family. Nuclear power is strong, but love of family, love for this beautiful blue spinning orb we all live on is far more powerful and positive. It is really our only eternity. Anything else is ashes. Short term ashes.
3
Dealing with Kim Jong Un requires a balance. I have grave difficulties understanding how expressions of love are going to deal with Kim, or would have dealt with Hitler, Ghengis Kahn, or even Putin. People who rely solely on love and peace also often end up literally as martyrs. Emotionally that may be soul stirring, but a dead martyr doesn't help much if he was the guy you expected to be defending the fort.
A firm hand, diplomacy, and moderately painful sanctions to enforce the point is the truly humane sort of approach that provides a balance between the safety of the rest of the world and Kim's deranged challenges and advances in producing a nuclear weapons capability. There is little doubt that the next step in his crazy program is for a nuclear air burst, which is dangerous for its spread of nuclear material as well as breaking an impasse on above ground weapons testing that has persisted for decades. If it can be avoided, it should be.
On the other hand, the US and its recent pronouncements of "fire and fury" is the utterly insane babbling of a schoolyard bully. Trump has no understanding of how dangerous it is to back someone like Kim into a corner in which he finds himself trapped with no recourse but nuclear war to defend himself an his regime. Having backed a cat into a corner, my shredded arms are proof that a tiny little animal can do a great deal of damage if he is not subdued with calm caution.
2
@DGP Cluck
A little hard on Kim as a leader of a nation that saw 20 % or more of its population fall to American bombs and napalm in the American War as they call it; viewed as a War Crime by many. Kim knows the world of U.S. régime change and see nuclear armament as deterrent; a problem looking for a solution. These authors view him as one of mankind and that is a start. A cat he is not.
The Kims from Il-Sung thru Jong-Il and now Jong-Un are not now and have never been interested in "love". They have only been interested in power and the death and destruction of anything or anyone standing in their way. Their goals have been to conquer or kill.
3
It was an expansion of vision, a stretch of near and far horizons where I saw at our Global Speakers' Club, representatives of Africa, facing those of Asia at our table. The grace and gentleness of the first in harmony with the courtesy and discipline of the latter. Both powerful, united with different cultures, sharing the same goals.
We will support you, Africa tells this American. Past work, we will meet you downtown in New York on Monday, as the champion for our Club. There will be a competition. Why? What have I done for this honor? Africa replies that I have won our internal test of table topics. But I only asked a question! I protest. Japan smiles encouragingly and hands this American a document of 500 possible questions that the Judge may ask of the competitors.
Let me tell you that we never discuss politics, religion or sex to be blunt about it. It is all about 'Unity' and pulling each other through to do better.
Now. Here is America sending love to Kim Jong-un and it will not be surprising if he laughs. Perhaps it will soothe this young leader's feathers, and rather than crying, thanking David Kyuman Kim and George Yancy for trying to be pacifying.
This American lost, by the way, at the competition. Africa and Asia were very kind about this, and even apologized for my being so insular. Let us hope this open letter is not interpreted as an insult.
Wishing peace between the Leaders of North Korea and America, may the force be with you.
Leaders of Human Rights have for many, many decades called for laove and peace with North Korea. We also call for responsibility within North Koreas to end the U.N. documented "crimes against humanity" by the North Korea dictatorship and the nuclear bomb and EMP threats by the North Korea leadership. That is also our responsibility to call for such change, on behalf of the human rights of the North Korea people and the world.
Just plain WOW. If everyone understood what is written here the entire world would be different. Love your enemy. Imagine. You can say they are dreamers, but they aren't the only ones.
Where are the "christians" who live hatred? Where are all the "good" people who don't know anything about real love? Everywhere. Who of the "evangelicals" voted for Trump? Maybe all of them? Where is love as the solution to most of the egregious problems facing the world? All around equally available.
Spiritual love which knows no boundaries and is unconditional --irrational? To many it seems so, but in the end, it is the only rational course if we are to save the planet and its inhabitants.
Spiritual love is well described by St. Paul. It is gracious, it is kind, forgiving, forbearing. It is patient, humble, generous, noble, and trusting. It is honest, caring, persistent and present. It encompasses and redirects anger (and prevents violence) about injustice. It addresses fear by recognizing that fear is the unknown made to be evil. Communication casts out darkness. If I harm you, in the end I also harm myself. Simple, true, and very powerful. If I benefit, so do you and so does everyone else. Basic, unfailing reality as long as I am not filled with hatred.
Thank you for this. Thank you to the authors for having written it and thank you to the NYT for printing it. Really. T H A N K Y O U.
4
No, this is not a letter of naivete or appeasement. Love is, indeed, the answer. But if we feel we cannot give what we do not have at the moment, at least let's allow a climate of tolerance, and finding points of common interest. The U.S., via several Secretaries of State, did state where it comes from, where it stands: "the United States has no friends; only interests". A poor showing, for sure, but a start nonetheless, if we can find agreement in solidarity, as we may want to go beyond tribalism, and embrace each other's rich diversity, find points of confluence concordant with human and humane social needs common across the world. We have currently an unscrupulous narcissist at the helm, intent in sowing fear, hate and division at home, and no appetite for diplomacy abroad. But North Koreans must rest assured that this is not a feeling shared by educated and reasonable individuals, as they know that world peace is of the essence, so to enjoy life, however brief, without discriminating from a 'callous heart'.
Evangelicals know the power of love and sponsor the only private University in the DPRK, bringing love every hour of every day to youth who appreciate it very much. This is Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Check it out. More power to them!
Proud to know you, David- and grateful that this collegially written piece has made it into the mass media. We are being fed a steady diet of belligerence, violence, prejudice and backward-ness. Thank you for lifting up Love. It is our natural state and what we all need for the hard work of healing and rebuilding civil society, and saving our planet.
2
What a refreshing letter to read this day! Disciplined, beautiful, and brave.
Thank you!
And please send one to the leaders and people of Iran as well;
then to every nation state on earth.
You have given expression to the root cause, the final meaning and purpose of Our Humanity. There can be no more sensible foundation from which to relate to any Other. It is the true and beautiful dream of all people.
May human beings hear it!
5
This letter is well-written and very noble, but who are the authors...? They write with an authority that implies a level of personal involvement in official diplomatic relations between the U.S. and North Korea. But based on the short bios at the end of the letter, these guys are civilian academics. KJU might read this letter, but then he'll immediately investigate the authors' background and come to the conclusion that this note is a nicety from a couple of (enlightened) academics, not a representation of American public opinion.
So... hug it out?
I do seem to remember, now that you mention it, that was Metternich's go-to strategy for dealing with international power struggles and crises.
/sarcasm
1
Thank you for this beautiful letter.
3
Great tell Kim Jong-Un that we will give him a hug if he stops his only way of defending himself and his regime. That will totally work!
In all seriousness, Kim is not, and will not ever be a reasonable man. He enslaves his country and treats all races and ethnicities like trash, believe in all sense that he is a benevolent god and all must worship and perish before him. I don't doubt for a second that if the US ever ended their alliance with South Korea, that Kim would immediately order the destruction of both the people and cities. He is a criminal to the world, and must die, even if a peace agreement is proposed. He has done too much harm and must be punished like any other human being on this planet. This article excuses the mass imprisonment of generations that are yet to be born, essentially promoting peace over justice.
Fighting is human nature and always will be. Peace is just a door stop to conflict, it always comes loose and fails to hold back due to friction.
This is not a letter of love. This is a novella of love at best. Anyway, the people of North Korea deserve the leaders they have just as we, sadly, deserve our administration as well.
The people of NK don't deserve their leader. They've been robbed of dignity.
The people of the U.S. deserve their leaders. They sold their dignity to the lowest bidder.
1
the lowest bidder was Hillary.
This article is dangerous and naive about the reality of the world. Peace and order are not the natural state of things, and they must be maintained through diligent enforcement.
Sadly, I feel many in our country would opt to pacify dictators in favor of standing up for what the western world stands for.
I know their hearts are in the right place but this is a bit over the top.
2
Conflict with NK is a whole bunch of noise. No one stands to gain from the conflict. Everyone, it seems, stands to gain from the noise. I understand how Kim gains - he gets to reinforce his ideology at home. But that trump can seem tough b/c he threatens a much smaller and both economically and militarily much weaker country is beyond me, but yet he does.
On the other hand, what's going on in the middle east is really troubling and terribly murky. Media doesn't seem to know what's going on and since they get their information from others, it likely means people are running scared.
This has been on the minds of a lot of us, and I am glad to see this message manifest and sent.
2
Had I not just finished reading Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son (a Pulitzer Prize-winning must-read for both of you) I may have had at least an inkling of hope that what you propose is possible. But alas, now I must conclude it isn't.
Fine letter, but very much misdirected. Kim Jong-Un does not need your love, nor any of ours for that matter. Our hearts should instead lie in solidarity with the oppressed and dispossessed of his country and ours. War is easy, almost a game, for those with power. It is the rest of us who foot the bill. Peace, when it comes, will come from below.
1
Mr. Kim: “These heroic figures have been exceptions to the insidious rule of an American legacy of white supremacy and imperialism that has left the least among us in utter despair.”
The wording of this sentence does not show a lot of love to the American people. The expression “white supremacy” has so much baggage. Using this term so loosely is irresponsible and not at all constructive.
Strangely, with all of this talk of love, the letter sounds angry.
4
The Love sculpture in the photo is a pop art slogan that evokes very little of the warmth that real love does. As much as I wanted to embrace this love letter to Kim Jong-un, I simply couldn't.
The beautiful words of Mahatma Gandhi quoted here, were not exactly practiced by the great man himself who was arrogant and an unrepentant misogynist and had this to say about violence. " It is better to be violent if there is violence in our hearts than to put on the cloak of non violence to cover impotence."
He was no saint. No human being is. This open letter of love doesn't ring true for the same reason the words of saints long dead don't. Fine and beautiful words feel good, but how did those who spoke them act in the world? Jesus did no wrong as far as we are told by his disciples, but it didn't take long for their followers to make a mockery of his most preciously held precepts because of life in the real world.
You may imagine you love Kim Jung-un but until you can face him after he has had your brother torn to bits in a fusillade of bullets for purely political reasons, and say to him in all honesty, "I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings," it's all just fine and noble words on a page.
What we need more than anything in the world right now is honesty. Aspiring to the kind of impossible saintly love demanded here doesn't feel honest to me. It's a lovely fairy tale, that's all.
2
“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
Why have we gone so far away from turning the other cheek? First, do no harm! Even if we lose our material goods or trade advantages, we retain our souls.
3
I'm all for the sentiments Kim and Yancy expressed. But meanwhile, the problems of the world still need to be fixed by people willing to grapple with the unpleasant details, not just lofty rhetoric. I think this open letter is actually both less controversial and less interesting than Kim and Yancy believe.
3
True, but they are not sitting on their thumbs, and it might be fair to say that it is addressed to the People of these two Nations who are facing circumstances beyond their control.
Nice try at deflection, but we know this not treason because we have free speech in America. I just wonder what's next for you clowns. A love letter to Duterte? Rehabilitation of Hitler? Or is this a parody of the bleeding heart ultra-liberal position that every monster deserves love? As a left-of-center academic, I'm embarrassed.
16
You simply do not understand any of what is written here because you do not have the experience to do so. Your point of view has prevailed for thousands of years and look where it has gotten us all. Near nuclear war, again.
You can forgive without forgetting. You can accept without judgment even though you see the terrible wrongs done, in a spirit of tolerance. This is much harder than hating. Hating is the cheap, fast, easy way to respond, except it simply doesn't work.
The reader/comment writer , “G”, who earlier wished the writers “bon voyage” indicating that Kim Jong-in would welcome them, is a symptom of the knee-jerk, “my candidate” right-or-wrong disease that our whole country is stuck in. Let’s recall that President Ronald Reagan is alleged to have created the ground for cold-war conflict resolution by reminding “Grandfather” Gorbachev of his humanity at Reykjavik. As someone who has spent a lifetime in negotiations and conflict-resolution, including in war zones, I can tell you from first hand experience that very often an entrenched, bitter, angry, despotic leader can be brought to meaningful negotiation by a creating a context of clear mutual respect and understanding of the other’s basic humanity. That Kim Jong-Un is almost assuredly a complete despot who murders, including his own family members, means that you never trust him. But it does not mean that you do not potentially engage with him to understand his needs and desires, and attempt to negotiate based on common interests, and ongoing verification of keeping commitments. My reading of history indicates that when we act in that fashion, the world community backs our leadership. And when we engage in childish war-of-words antics like “rocket-man” tweets, we justifiably lose the respect of our enemies, and the respect and support of our friends.
8
Wait, can you offer an example in which "an entrenched, bitter, angry, despotic leader" decided to make sense?
Yes. Khmer Rouge generals were brought to the bargaining table in a peace negotiation based on shared interests. Same for former Contra leaders in Honduras/Nicaragua. Also for former FARC leaders in Columbia. Same for former FMLN Comandantes in El Salvador. And even in the case of Arafat (entrenched, bitter, angry and largely dictatorial ) and Begin at Camp David, Carter laid the groundwork for each to recognize the other's legitimacy based fundamentally on the common ground of the historic national aspirations of each group--in other words, their shared humanity.
It is funny. Or not. That I saw the photo at the top of the article and thought that somehow the LOVE sculpture had been deemed inappropriate by someone and was being taken down.
The article, or letter, to my eyes feels like some equivalent of the Stockholm syndrome.
12
Give peace a chance.
9
From start to finish I was waiting for the irony to become obvious. It never did, so it is either VERY deep in hiding or the writers are actually serious.
Well, even a tyrant and a mass murderer needs someone to love him, I guess.
18
Powerful words of peace and humanity. And you are absolutely right, it is easier to hate than love, and the message from you both, and the American people is correct, we do not hate you. We do not want to kill you. We do not want to be killed either. Forget the rhetoric of a man filled with hate who ascended our presidency and by mostly foul means.
He only speaks for himself, and for the handful of war mongerers who stand with him. He does not speak for most Americans, or the ones he refuses to represent in this depraved administration. We are speaking for ourselves.
9
Indeed.
The people of North Korea, as are the people of the world, our brothers and sisters.
My vision is that in a backing away from armed aggression, humanity goes further and creates a refined mechanism for outlawing war as a means of conflict resolution.
In denuclearizing North Korea and the entire Korean peninsula, let's go further and denuclearize the world. The United Nations should evolve or be replaced with a functional body is entirely focused on maintaining world peace and solving conflicts that have devolved into violent confrontation.
Violence is an addiction. In the run up to a rock bottom, an addict hits the accelerator. Let that be the case now and let our brinkmanship end in intervention.
Climate change will test us all. It will either bring conflicts over resources, or a unification of the human race for our basic survival. This is inevitable. Currently, a large swath of our culture are still in denial, but that doesn't matter. They can deny. It's still going to happen.
From our mistakes we gain our greatest lessons. The site of broken bone heals stronger around the break. Let us take a lesson from our biology.
Let Kim Jong Un come to Mara Largo for a slice of chocolate cake, no less than three scoops of ice cream.
Or somehow keep this thing at a stasis until after the impeachment. In 2021 Biden will have his hands full.
10
While I applaud the courageous vision shown by the authors, let us not lose sight of the fact that North Korea is ruled by a crazy megalomaniac who murders his opponents with poison, executes people with artillery guns, and lets many of the people of North Korea starve so that he can hold onto power. I find it interesting that the leader of such a country is fat while most of its citizens are rail thin due to lack of food. One wonders if the authors would have made a similar entreaty to Adolph Hitler in 1939 as he started invading Europe.
9
We are--each and every one of us--
fundamentally connected.
In the age of nuclear arms,
one cannot escape the responsibility
of being our brother's keeper.
If you don't understand the love, fair enough,
but please at least come to grips with the science.
Ask not whose flag is on that ICBM,
if it's going to toll, it will toll for thee.
6
I am sure Trump would agree with you if Kim-Jong-un would simply tweet that he believes Trump is the greatest.
5
If only such a letter had been written to Hitler or Stalin, they would have immediately stopped their mass murder. All they needed was a hug, right?
Seriously, Kim is someone who will send the entire extended family, grandparents and children, to the labor camps for transgressions of one person. He executed his brother. How an entire nation came to be engulfed in mass insanity is an interesting question, best answered by speculating from the safety of our cozy homes in the USA.
14
Maybe if after WWI the treaty of Versailles had shown a little more compassion and love for the German people, Hitler would not have succeeded in rising to power.
Maybe Hitler found it easy to stoke anger and mistrust against the English and French because they had been so punitive against the Germans.
2
Saddam Hussein ridded his country completely of weapons of mass destruction, doing exactly what America asked him to do, yet we invaded his country, killed him, killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and left the place in shambles and far worse off than it was with him in power.
Muammar Gaddafi ceased his nuclear weapons program and actually began cooperating with our CIA. In return, America financed and managed his overthrow and death, leaving the country of Libya in far worse shape than it was when he led this country.
Kim Jong-un will never relinquish his nuclear weapons under any circumstances. And given recent American history, why would a leader of any country engage in negotiations with the United States to dismantle their weaponry? We have become duplicitous and deceptive like the enemies we criticize. We signed the Paris Climate Accord, then we backed out, we signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Iran and our President is now backing out of that deal.
America, not North Korea, is the most dangerous, unpredictable and untrustworthy country in the world. Having served in uniform to defend this country, I hate making that conclusion, but facts are facts.
I am quite certain Kim Jong-un does not know the meaning of the word "love," nor does he care to understand. If Americans truly loved this country and this world, for a start we should try to become keepers of our word when dealing with the rest of the world.
21
In Iraq today the majority Shia run the country for just about the first time forever. Because of that idiotic war on false pretenses.
Not in America's national interest or the Sunni but it would be nice if those who feigned concern for others as part of insulting the US could at least recognize that the majority population of Iraq is better off than it was and glad of it, as are the Kurds. What with the feigned concern for others and all.
Holy Moly. What a bottomless crock of Kumbaya. How "The Stone" has been diminished.
27
A "nice" essay, but remember that Gandhi also said that if we show Hitler our compassion, it would melt his heart.
JD
9
Yes, love solves all. Until it doesn't.
9
An act of courage.
5
Amen. Thank you.
5
I think the scariest thing to Kim Jong-un would be for his people to get the truth. If they knew we don't want war with them, that we're not even thinking about them, then they would have to rise up against Kim. I wish we could get them the real information instead of their 24/7 propaganda. The US should have its hackers try to take down their information system so those people could hear some truth. If they saw our media they would not be afraid
8
Unfortunately if the United States were to do such a thing as take down the propoganda and actually manage to convince people of the truth, Kim Jong-Un would most certainly unleash his full nuclear capability on whoever is closest, having nothing left to lose.
Similar to Art, so does Writing to provoke, then hopefully invoke debate and conversation. For some this is "Guerrilla Art" at it's finest. You were moved to write and denounce it's provisions. Ahh.. this is the stuff that can induce change my friends both for and against. Perhaps "Love" isn't the word you like because it conjures up a special feeling reserved for special people and if you are a U.S. person, then you "love" things, ideas, dreams and concepts. Foreigners do not Love "things" as I learned in Italy and France. They Love people. They have regard and honor and respect and "like" things. I believe our professors are using the term in a broader sense... to love. to understand. to listen. I'm unsure I would except "cherish with warm consideration". Haven't you heard the expression "Keep your friends close, Keep your enemies closer." The ONLY way into your enemies' territory and to get to know them is to offer an olive leaf and tread lightly, respectfully, graciously all the while learning, listening, role modeling. All these elements takes great Self-Love for only the the person who shows great self-control are those with great self-love. Know ones self before being able to know anyone else, least of all one's enemies. In the end of years, perhaps decades of learning and role modeling what respectful listening and negotiating looks like, perhaps one's enemy will rest at bay and stop targeting those they feel should perish under their simple-minded will.
9
So much talk if love while freely throwing out the term “white supremacists” that paints half of America as tainted by racism. Where is the love? This piece reminds me of the words of possibly George Orwell “We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us."
25
I too noticed the essay seemed to exchange one set of biases for another set. We all have our bias, but I would like to think that writing an essay on this theme, I would have done a better job of hiding them.
1
There is disconnect between your first sentence and the last one. Are you saying white supremacists are the "rough men who stand ready in the night" to protect everyone else?
I’ve found with friendships that what can bring two people from different communities together is when each has been rejected in some way by his community.
3
As hatred and fear erupt in places like Vegas and a church in Texas, the spirit of this message is one I would send to those on the other side of the political divide in our country – me being blue, I recognize the humanity, the struggle, the injustice that has occurred to you, on the “red” side, just as I hope you will see that, to one degree or another – we have all been misused by the system. Approaching each other with Love is the only way through.
43
Recognizing (simplistically) people being "misused by the system" and favoring communication between legitimate political factions within our society is a far cry from the pretense that loving others will affect murderous dictators abroad and murderous psychopaths at home. Remember "peace in our time"? The history of philosophical ideals is not the same thing as the history of actual events. Sad that Trumpists and faux conservatives are not the only ones who ignore the real world.
5
That's all lovely. But as previous cults of personality have shown, there is no hope. You are wasting your time.
Back to Height-Ashbury of the sixties Love Love Love. One of mankind’s redeeming features when and if it occurs. But it needs a forerunner of Understanding to endure past the initial rush, and there is little of that coming from the media that shapes our lives. Can we understand Kim and the forces that shape that land? South Korea was a brutal murdering regime that slowly transformed into a corrupt corporate controlled ‘democracy’ into client state seeking its own identify under President Moon surrounded by untrustworthy neighbors with historical sins a plenty. Kim’s regime has its own reasons for existence and America is central. Who will tell the story?
It is unfortunately sometimes a very thin line between "love" and "appeasement." It is always tempting to see in someone else what one wants to see, not what actually is there, especially if that "someone else" is a government ruled by (literally, IMHO) psychopaths.
Unfortunately for all of us, the people who now hold the strings of power in North Korea do not exhibit proper regard for the sanctity of human life – not in their own country; not anywhere. Such men are quite willing to throw their entire nation into the maw of a war that they themselves (re-)started. They have, in times past, been deceptive and cunning – cunning enough to secure nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles under the subterfuge of being legitimate heads-of-state wanting to "defend themselves." Now, they reveal themselves to be quite willing to attack: to fire the first missiles in a war that they cannot expect to win.
Thus, while I sincerely praise your boldness and sincerity, I must also chide you for your naïveté. If we truly love the people of other countries, we must be willing to stand firmly against governments who have subjugated their own citizens to suit their own incomprehensible purposes. As, IMHO, has been done here for about the last fifty years.
20
if it were love, Trump would get it too.
if it is blame America appeasement, he won't
simple test to tell the difference. Yancy is dull but predictable.
To remind, we can love someone without liking them.
Common humanity requires such.
5
In a word: BRAVO!
Love trumps hate every time.
It even trumps Trump.
"For in this world, hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone is healed.
This is the ancient law, immutable and inexhaustible." Shakyamuni Buddha
15
There are some Muslems in Burma desperately need your trump card. Make haste!
You have the finest of intentions and motives, but in the harsh reality of North Korea's situation, this letter, if actually delivered to Kim Jong-Un, would have exactly the OPPOSITE effect from what you desire. It would Increase the threat of war. Kim's entire worldview can be summed up in a single word: "Survival." All his murderous, obscene, and brutal actions are aimed to that one goal. As a corollary, then, any action that could be viewed as upsetting that savage balance is viewed as a Threat - hence the obsession on obtaining nuclear weapons, seen as a guarantee against not specifically the United States, but against Regime Change: "because it means to lay down the sword and stretch out your hands, your arms, your hearts, to each other." Kim knows, like centuries of dictators before him, that the odds of his survival are in direct proportion to his willingness to kill; kill Americans, kill North Koreans, kill anyone who might be a threat.
In summary, asking Kim to "lay down the sword and stretch out your hands?" Good luck with that.
9
How easily, notes LaRochefoucauld, we bear the miseries of others. In this case, the miseries of North Korean political prisoners and starvation victims.
11
Do you love every person you appreciate? Probably not
So while Dennis Rodman might do this job
Let us keep our brains switched on
1
Do the authors realize this guy is a mass murderer?
47
These writers" naivete is absolutely beyond comparison.
You may be right but who cares. He murders his own people just as the Stalin regime did (before the creation of the East European block).
In spite of all the applause for supposedly "realistic" militarism in these comments, if we survive this, it will be because someone, somewhere, believed in love.
4
Thank you sirs, for this message of boundless compassion at a time when fear seems to direct all our decisions. May your words open closed hearts.
15
That is the most inspiring thing I have read in a while. Thanks for being a bright light in a dark world.
14
Love is a radical approach to our problems, but a sensible one. I hope this letter gets widespread recognition and achieves at least a modicum of improvement in North Korean-American relations.
37
I love this, and have been thinking such things a for a while Thank you.
12
Trump has said that there is advantage in being unpredictable. Well, if he wants to surprise Kim Jong-un, this would be the best possible way to do it.
2
Thank you for this brave letter. While reading it I thrilled at the hope that your spark would ignite into at least a small flame of compassion. The responses so far show how difficult the path is and how far we have to go. I am a practitioner in the Buddhist tradition and our work is the same. The essential teaching of all great spiritual traditions is that our evolution and salvation come only from living with an open heart.
28
I am copying this and sending to many. It is a most hopeful piece. Our current direction is fruitless and fatal... "If we don't change our direction, we'll end up where we're headed."
6
The Washington Post has a wonderful article on Hiroshima and how they recovered after the A bomb and how they are working toward peace. Maybe Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump should take a joint visit there and see what that devastation really looked like.
31
Correction. It was the BBC I believe.
2
Loving does not require closing one's eyes to the nature of the loved. Kim Jong-un is a mad dog. While you may love a mad dog, you can't expect it not to bite you if it has the chance. Love of every person requires protecting the innocent rather than making allowances for the evil.
12
"Loving does not require closing one's eyes to the nature of the loved."
Yes, it does: "...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." 1 Co. 13:5
Otherwise, none of us would stand a chance. When God sent his Son to die in our place, he closed his eyes to our sinful nature. All of us, including Kim Jon-Un.
So, if Kim Jong Un obliterated your spouse with a surface to surface missile from a few yards away, and made you watch, would you still send this letter?
24
That's the true nature of love. When you experience the full forgiveness of God in your life, you understand this. You understand, for example, what Rwandans did in the wake of that horrible genocide.
1
I don’t have the words to express my appreciation and gratitude for this open letter. It caught me off guard as you don’t normally see articles in MSM from people that are “woke”. This letter is beautifully written and from the heart. I believe that one day, hopefully sooner than later, more people will be “awake” enough to see and feel Love. Most will say they have love, in families, friends, etc. Not many will say they have love for their enemies, but that is they key. Can you not love your enemy with the same heart you love your family? The answer is of course Yes! Families, Enemies, Friends, ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS. We all need and want Love. Maybe, if we show LOVE to people we may receive LOVE back and develop a new “woke” way of thinking.
Again, thank you for this open letter, I love it.
24
Kim Jon Un killed his own uncle, and he killed his own brother with the deadliest chemical agent known, in a crowded airport full of innocent people. He has no regard for human life. What makes you think showing him love will change him? Some people are truly evil, and it is deadly to think otherwise.
16
Thank you both for the courage and unconditional love shared in this enlightening position. I applaud and admire you truly human approach to a problem we have created ourselves because of our imperial, male dominated, white supremacist stance. If only we as a country had the true sense of radical love required to achieve peace in the world, we wouldn't be saddled with the chaos we have elected and the threat from within as well as foreign. Your dream can be achieved if we all get behind it and believe it can be done.
6
In the main, I applaud this courageous, open challenge, first of all to the American people; then to Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Radical love, i.e., the choice to see others created in the image of the Creator, extending them mutual respect and good will, is the basis for civil society and the possibility for reciprocity, shared space and "peace".
Mr Yancy and Mr David Kim arise out of a clear minority opinion, appealing to the angel of our better nature, instead of the demons of our baser nature. Thank you to both. I'm listening and will send this message to my friends.
44
Obviously, you both have the best of intentions. However, this is like explaining Theology to any random DOG. Seriously.
35
Dear Professors Kim and Yancheng,
The moral calculus of Kim Jong-un requires tough love, currently being administered by the unlikeliest of foster fathers, our own mercurial leader. So I humbly suggest your redirecting your lovely message to the first fellow that has finally gotten a madman worrying about a bigger madman.
Love is truly a many splendored thing, but love coupled with fearlessness in the face of evil, well, that’s what really makes the world go round.
Affectionately,
S.A. Traina
7
Love is the answer to human problems?
Supposing a person can get some definite idea of what love is, and I admit to not being sure of what love is, and therefore I am not at all certain of being a loving person, I am still not sure love is much of an answer to human problems. Take the record historically of forms of love which are usually described in society. We have the love which appears in youth and which is connected to sex drive which is difficult to divorce from egotism. We have the love which the weak and often religious profess, the love which must be offered to the enemy, those who hate, but which historically has often been unmasked as another strategy for power--you disarm your enemy with love and thus gain an advantage. Take the often professed highest form of love, true disinterest, true turn the other cheek love: That amounts to entirely placing oneself at the mercy of others, and asks, the more noble the love, others to do what they cannot do themselves, thus ironically excluding them from true engagement with love; which is to say if others can really never turn the other cheek as you do, where does that leave them at end of your calculation with respect to them?
The only solution I have been able to imagine for the human race, one of avoiding hatred somewhat but not being love, is to somehow balance interests, much as musicians or players on a sports team operate in give and take, the system moving forward in a physics beyond concepts of love and hate.
5