Flapping the pure white wings gloriously with an olive branch in its mouth is a dove, a beautiful messenger of peace. However, describing a dove as a “beautiful” bird doesn’t sound quite right these days. Now often called dak-dool-gi, they are often ridiculed as dirty, polluting, and fat pest.

Living in the city, pigeons have survived until today by eating leftover food items from humans. No longer needing to run or fly to catch their food, they graciously peck their high-calorie foods off the floor. The result of doing so, is not so gracious as you can see in the photo. Yet, we can’t just laugh at these creatures, for we see ourselves in them. So as our rising generation enjoys better, more convenient and richer lives, at least in comparison to our elders, we are becoming bigger and unhealthier just like dak-dool-gi. But, in contrast with the pigeons, human beings have developed shrewd reasoning and judgment capacities, along with the power to make well-informed choices. As familiar as he has become, this fat pigeon on the street doesn’t have to be our future.

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