[One Sip of a Book] Study as a Form of Asceticism... Uprooting and Drying Out Oneself

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the essence of an entire book, while others immediately resonate with readers and create a point of contact with the book. Here, we introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books.

"To read and explore as a free human being is to take on the wonderful responsibility of allowing oneself to change."

The author of this book explains intellectual activity to readers in this way. He once led a promising life as a philosopher and educator. From childhood, he was filled with intellectual curiosity and immersed himself in the world of academia, enjoying freedom. However, at some point in middle age, he became disillusioned with the academic world he belonged to, seeing it as a place where hierarchy and competition were rampant and where the 'love of learning' was betrayed. After more than 20 years as both a student and professor, he left academia and found refuge in a religious community deep in the forests of eastern Canada. There, through assigned tasks, labor, and service, he reflected on the 'small and ordinary life of a human being.' This book is the result of those meditations. It shares profound insights on 'study' and 'learning' as pathways to self-reflection that cannot be measured by metrics such as productivity or success.

For those whose true worth has not been recognized in social life due to power struggles and hasty judgments, study restores their denied value. This is why an intellectual life is the source of dignity. <p.103>

To read and explore as a free adult is to take on the wonderful responsibility of allowing oneself to change. If the change that occurs were always positive, then reading and reflection would carry no risk, and the meaning of freedom of thought would not weigh as heavily as it does now. <p.133>

To practice a love of learning is to escape from the worst self within us and become a better version of ourselves, to reach for something better when we encounter what is insufficient. <p.155>

When we focus on something good, or something better than before, we reveal our personal dignity while also laying the groundwork for what I call 'communion'?a deep human connection. Political and social life tends to diminish humans by confining them to societal expectations, with usefulness as the primary standard. However, an intellectual life opens up new ways of forming relationships based on criteria other than usefulness. In an intellectual life, new human relationships are formed based on mutual respect among people who share common goals. <pp.163-164>

Humanistic learning has the power to foster a special and rare human connection, going a step beyond the usual empathy that arises from joint work or shared goals. Such bonds break down barriers between social classes, racial groups, and people of all ages and genders. <p.171>

What use is an intellectual life? It serves as a refuge from suffering, reminds us of our personal dignity, and is a source of insight and understanding, a garden where human aspirations grow. An intellectual life is like a hollow in a wall, where those who enter can momentarily step back from immediate disputes, broaden their perspective, and recall the universal heritage of humanity they have inherited. Considering all these facts, learning may not be humanity's only virtue, but it is certainly a core one. <pp.175-176>

Learning is inherently meaningful because humans are, by nature, beings who seek to know, beings who seek to love, or both. <p.178>

An intellectual life is a form of asceticism and self-cultivation; just as sunlight, soil, and seeds are needed to grow plants, it inevitably involves uprooting and drying out parts of ourselves. <p.183>

When we shrink into the mere social roles assigned to us, when we become cogs in the machine of achievement, when we are oppressed or imprisoned, or when we live in a society rife with selfish falsehoods, the true value of a life of study is revealed. Such a life exposes the human being in a way that cannot be reduced to contributions to the economy, society, or politics. <p.296>

Ambition is dangerous not because it is selfish, but because it can be superficial. The thrill of being recognized by others, the pleasure of receiving favor, the joy of standing out above all?these sensations keep us stuck on the surface and can prevent us from reaching the true virtues that lie beyond. <p.298>

If study is essentially about going beyond the surface, reaching deeper, questioning outward appearances, and yearning for more than what seems obvious, then it has little to do with what is commonly called 'knowledge.' Today, so-called 'knowledge' is simply the absorption of correct opinions. <p.299>

Radiant and Useless Study | Written by Zena Hitz | Translated by Park Dasom | Etre | 344 pages | 22,000 KRW