The Mobius Strip

This is a short Korean tale, where the author has tried to give a parallel between a situation in real life and a geometrical object, this time the Mobius strip (also see the author’s “The Klein Bottle”).

The story begins with a Math professor’s lecture, where he explains the Möbius strip to his students. Then it cuts to a rural setting. Two men, who have gotten swindled by a crooked broker into selling their houses at extremely low prices, seek revenge and repayment. After they confront the broker, one of the men decides to leave and face life as it comes while the other goes on to murder the broker. Finally, the story switches back to the professor, who exhorts his students:

“Ask yourselves whether there exists a solid whose inner and outer parts can’t be distinguished. Imagine a solid where you can’t divide inner and outer - mobius-type solid. The universe, infinite, endless, we can’t seem to tell its inside from the outside. This simple mobius strip conceals many truths. It will gradually become clear to you that human knowledge is often put to extraordinary evil uses. Make absolutely sure that you never compromise your knowledge for the sake of self interest.”