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Ways to meet 2017

Posted January. 02, 2017 07:12,   

Updated January. 02, 2017 07:22

한국어

Monk Hyemin, author of a famous essay “Things You See When You Pause,” recently told a story that happened while studying in the U.S. on a TV show. He had a group task and volunteered to take the most difficult part when assigning roles for the group work. He said that he thought other students would volunteer and take turns in doing the hardest part next time as he set an example this time. He was wrong. They began to land him with burdensome tasks whenever a group assignment was given. He could not say no and had to deal with everything he had been given. He told that his senior gave him an advice by saying, “Be good to yourself!”

“I’m 97 and the happiest days of my life were when I was with people," Kim Hyung-suk, veteran philosopher and professor emeritus of philosophy at Yonsei University, once told an interview about his book “After living 100 years." "Something I left has piled up and became a legacy. Long lasting memories were the ones that I carried others’ burdens," the professor emeritus said. "I was happy when I shared concerns of young people, Christians, politicians, and others.”

I set my goals for new year to make efforts to "love myself" and to "carry other’s burdens" as much as possible. They may seem to conflict each other but we know that the secret to have a healthy mind is to maintain a balance between the two without excess or deficiency as a healthy body requires a balanced intake of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In the past, I have always confused which was right between ‘knowledge is power’ and ‘ignorance is bliss.’ I finally came to accept the two contradicting phrases altogether and felt that I grew up. I spent the last day of 2016 and embraced a new year with the unsettled mind due to a leader, who was lack of confidence and was swayed by others, and selfish elites, who were blinded by their selfish interests and desires. Their fell from grace made me realize the meaning of having a sound mind and an upright character.

The British government produced a motivational poster, "Keep Calm & Carry On," in preparation for the World War II and when the fate of the nation hanged by a thread in order to relieve its people. We now have many presidential candidates, some on their own and some recommended by others. So far, no one tell us, “From now on, we will take the fight. Keep calm and carry on.” There is a saying that deep seawater sources are purified after a typhoon. A typhoon has just passed away South Korea. Hope that the nation can enjoy such luck.



mskoh119@donga.com