Portrait of the patriot - Part 7

For his son’s 5th birthday, Pak bought a wristwatch at the Tong-il market in Pyongyang.

“You see this pointer moving around very quickly?” he asked his son. “That is you. It counts the seconds, because to you, every second in life counts.”

“This other, fatter pointer,” he continued, indicating the minute hand, “that’s your family -- your parents, your grandparents, your uncles and aunts, your teachers, your neighbours. This hand moves much more slowly. By the time you have gone all the way around the circle, your family has moved only from one mark to the next.

“This shorter pointer here, the hour hand, is the slowest. But it is the most important of the three. This is your country. If you pay too close attention, you won’t see it moving at all. The best way is to just go about your business. Keep moving at your own pace. Don’t wait for the minute hand or the hour hand to catch up. And when you’ve almost forgotten where it was last time you looked, look again, and you’ll see it moved while you weren’t watching.”

Lifting his son onto his lap, Pak Kim Li whispered into his ear: “Let me tell you the most important secret about this watch: If the second hand stops moving, the hour hand will stop moving as well. If you want to serve your country, you must be sure never to stand still.”