Crown Prince Sado spent his last eight days in a large wooden chest.  The summer sun beat down on the box that acted as his execution device.  Such was the penalty for his excesses and his own wanton cruelty.

Traditionally, an English gentleman was a gentleman by virtue of good breeding.  The son of a gentleman was fit for all of the offices of a gentleman.  (It was said of civil service exams that “if a man is a gentleman, he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him.”)  Of course, there was the odd black sheep; a young man could occasionally bring shame upon himself and his family by exhibiting traits unfitting for a gentleman.

In a general sort of way, the same was true of Korean society under the Joseon Dynasty.  Their Confucian ideology placed great importance on social standing, which was almost wholly the result of birth.  The great lineage and reputation of Sado’s father, the king, heaped expectation upon the crown prince.  Perhaps the strain was more than he could bear.

Democratic Western society allows men from all backgrounds to become gentlemen.  Just as Eliza Doolittle became a proper lady through education and social training, a modern man from any station can become a gentleman.  Still the influence of one’s family (through both nature and nurture) has a profound effect on a man.

Sado’s son succeeded his grandfather.  Out of respect for his father, the young king dedicated a fortress and palace to Sado and relocated his remains.  At the fortress, Hwaseong, there is a large bell known as The Bell of Filial Piety.  Visitors are allowed to ring the bell (for a small donation) out of respect for their parents and in hopes of bringing happiness and harmony to their families.

When I rang the Bell of Filial Piety, the story of Sado, his father and his son became intertwined with my story, the legacy of my father and his father, and our shared cultural heritage.  One can never truly appreciate the full effect his parents have on his life, one can only be grateful.  (Unless one’s father locks him in a box and leaves him to die; in that case it seems difficult to accept the “it’s for your own good” argument.  Although one may accept “this hurts me more than it hurts you.”)