[K-Women Talk] Knots of Time and New Beginnings

[Asia Economy] We stand once again before a new time. 365 days, 8,760 hours unfold before us. It is astonishing and wise that we have set the hours of a day and defined 12 months as a year, creating markers and knots in the infinite flow of time. Human civilization made a revolutionary leap forward with the creation of the calendar. In agrarian societies, to decide when to sow seeds and when to harvest, it was necessary to determine specific periods within the infinite passage of time. This became possible through long-term observation and analysis of the recurring lengths of years and months, rainfall, and river water levels rising and falling. The birth of the calendar allowed the results of experts' observations to be shared by all. Although the existence of calendars is now taken for granted, considering the long history of humanity, the appearance of calendars that enabled us to understand the flow of time and to plan and achieve things is not that ancient.

When the New Year arrives, everyone hangs a new calendar on the wall and plans how to spend the coming year. Even if repetitive, some feel excitement at a new start, while others feel tension. Especially in 2022, instability increased due to the Ukraine war and rapid interest rate hikes caused by severe inflation, and the outlook for the 2023 economy is predominantly pessimistic. Collins English Dictionary editors even selected "perma-crisis" as the word of the year for 2022. Despite these global macro changes, from an individual perspective, the new year is a time when new plans can be made and efforts to achieve them can be undertaken. For those who want to reset past times, it is an opportunity to firmly press the reset button and change direction. Thus, New Year's morning is a time of opportunity to start anew and to breathe strength into oneself to overcome challenges.

At this time of year, I set my own goals for the year. Some years require significant achievements, others require overcoming major hurdles. Some years bring no special changes. Even so, I set lifestyle goals that can help me grow. The more specific the goals, such as reading an English newspaper aloud daily or doing squats at least three times a week, the higher the likelihood of achieving them. When family or acquaintances gather, I declare my New Year's goals. I know from experience that the more you declare your goals, the stronger your execution becomes. It is said that it is not the successful who are happy, but those who are growing. Growth here does not only mean grand achievements. Reading new books and meeting new people are also growth. As we age, those who maintain curiosity and create a new self different from yesterday are the ones who grow.

The New Year is the Year of the Rabbit, a symbol of cleverness and wisdom. Although the internal and external conditions surrounding us are not easy and uncertainties are great, humanity has continuously developed and grown even during the long periods of enduring winter without calendars or time markers, not knowing when spring would come. If we strive daily to grow ourselves with the cleverness and diligence of the rabbit, by the end of the year, we will find ourselves having come quite far.

Kim Kyung-sun, Former Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family