초4 짜리가 다니는 영어학원에서 매일 숙제를 내고 부모의 사인을 요구한다. 뭐 대충 "숙제 다했냐?" 묻고 "예!" 하면 그냥 사인한다. 벌써 어렵다. 하긴 1년 전에도 어려웠다. 영어와 담 쌓은 세월이 얼마인가? 애 앞에서 체면이 안선다. 그런데 애는 이제 제 수준보다 높은 교재를 공부하느라 헉헉대며 SOS를 보내온다. 학원의 욕심이 과하지. 맨날 level up, level up... 한번만 더 레벨업한다고 하면 학원 옮기겠다 엄포놓아야겠다.

다른 날은 교재 내용을 자세히 읽어보지 않았는데 오늘은 열심히 봤다.

심심한 사람들은 한 번 읽어보시라.

'Bloodied but Unbowed'

Often in life we have problems.

Bad things happen to us.

Sometimes we cause them, sometimes other people cause them.

Difficult times in one's life are painful to deal with.

But, they are part of being a human being.

There is a saying, "Bloodied but Unbowed."

This expression means that despite being hurt, you still have your pride.

You still can hold your head up without shame.

Sometimes, this can happen even though you lose a battle.

The key is if you are going to lose a battle, lose it with dignity and honor.

A good example of this is the events depicted in the movie "300."

Even though the soldiers of Sparta were very outnumbers, they fought very bravely.

They fought against the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae.

Even though they all died, they were able to successfully defend themselves while they could.

They died with honor.

They are a true example of the phrase, "bloodied but unbowed."