[Book Sip] People Change... We Need Room to Embrace Life's Chances

"Find yourself." "Do what you love." The author challenges these contemporary trends. He emphasizes that what you love, your true self, individuality, society, and the world are never fixed in a single form. He urges readers to let go of the idea that goals are unchanging and instead adopt an attitude open to chance. For example, imagine being diagnosed with cancer. When faced with a terminal prognosis, your perspective on the world is no longer the same as before. It is not the world that has changed, but you yourself. The author explains that this is what it means to "know." For a person to change means that your former self dies and is born again; repeating this process is what learning and the journey of life are all about.

Humans constantly change, whether they like it or not. No one knows how they will change. When you change, what is precious to you will also change. Therefore, it is necessary to leave part of your life open so that you can accept unexpected chances. <pp. 40-41>

"If you want to do what you love, you have no choice but to love what you have to do." It took me more than ten years to reach this conclusion. (...) As you sincerely face what you must do, you discover which parts you like and which you do not. That discovery is a significant lesson in life. <pp. 97-98>

When you change, the world appears subtly different. To exaggerate a bit, the whole world changes. That is what makes it interesting. Encounters with the unknown are actually encounters with a new self, not with a strange environment. Meeting a new self is not the same as "searching for your identity." If you misunderstand this, you will struggle to find a fixed, unchanging self in unfamiliar environments. Creating yourself is the process of changing yourself. You do not have to go abroad to do this. You can enjoy the joy of meeting a new self wherever you are. <p. 105>

If you are tired of dealing with people, it is better to interact with something other than people. It is because you are dealing with living people that doubt comes to dominate your mind. (...) Listen to the birds while quietly working with your hands and touching the soil. Just notice that it feels good. <pp. 142-143>

Describing artificial intelligence as becoming similar to humans means forgetting that humans are inherently flexible beings. It is not that machines are becoming more human-like, but rather that humans are becoming more like inflexible machines. Despite being capable of flexibility, modern people are increasingly failing to exercise it. <pp. 180-181>

When a child is born, you realize something anew. A child is not born with a specific purpose. Human life is the same. Although many people try to discuss the meaning or purpose of life, we do not live for a particular purpose. When you are absorbed in daily life, you do not have time for such thoughts. Not knowing how your life will turn out, or why you must live, is what life is. You cannot know how a child will grow up either. However, living in a city makes you forget such obvious truths. <p. 200>

When you immerse yourself in nature, the rules of nature resonate with the rules within your own body. Then you come to know things that you could never understand by thinking alone. Whether understanding nature or living things, I believe that the essence of "knowing" lies in this resonance. The same is true for human relationships. Resonance is important. (...) I resonate with my cat at home. "I am working, but are you sleeping?" "What are you doing now?" Even without words, I am always communicating with my cat through resonance. <pp. 216-217>

What Can We Say We Know | Written by Yoro Takeshi | Translated by Choi Hwayeon | Gimmyoungsa | 228 pages | 17,800 KRW