[One Thousand Characters a Day] A Passing Score of 60 Is Enough in Life <4>

Editor's NoteWhat would be the passing score or cutoff line in life? People often emphasize that we should strive for a perfect score of 100 and, once we choose a path, we must walk it steadily without distraction. However, lawyer Kim Tae-min says that in life, just surpassing 60 points is enough, and we should freely wander and fail. He is still searching for what he truly wants. He does not fix his dreams as a final form but changes them frequently. And he asks readers this: "Does the phrase that defines me have to be just one? Is it necessary to fix the idea of a dream into a single frame? Moreover, the person I am now is not even the person I once wished to be." Word count: 742.

In my 20s and 30s, I wandered painfully without any capacity or will to prepare for the future. I thought it was too late, resented and blamed myself for giving up safe choices and taking reckless challenges. But I know that because I went through all those hardships, I was able to spend my 40s with a relatively stronger heart. And I gained the capacity to prepare and work hard for the future.

Now that I have just passed the middle of my life, I don’t know if it will be a big hit or a total failure. In my 20s and 30s, I was sure it was a failure, but my 40s seem to be at least a moderate success. Of course, I know that current evaluations are meaningless. What is certain is that even if you live as hard as others, you will only break even, but if you survive after going through a different process and working hard, the reward is unimaginably great.

Many people hope for and prepare for early retirement, but I want to work long and healthily. I still have many things I want to do and believe I can become anything. Ten years ago, I never imagined I would become a lawyer or even write a book like I am today. I don’t know what I will be ten years from now. But I can prepare.

If I were to draw my life as a graph, it would start very low and be expressed with ups and downs. I haven’t even hit a peak. But what is clear is that it is still trending upward. Although a bit later than others, like an actor who eventually reaches their prime and shows a more splendid side, I am preparing diligently every day.

- Kim Tae-min, Life’s Cutoff Line Is Enough at 60 Points, Melight, 14,000 KRW