[W Forum] A Life Together, Not Alone

'Is it too late?' It is still early dawn. Fortunately. It seems I just closed my eyes for a moment. Looking at the clock again, it is a little past 5 a.m. My head feels heavy. 'Should I sleep a little more? Or exercise in the morning and then go to work?' 'What should I wear? Who will I meet today?' Although my body is lying down, it feels like the day has already started.

From 8 a.m., the full-scale work meetings begin without fail. If I don’t concentrate, I sometimes get confused with the contents of yesterday’s meetings. I have to think about whose support I need and how to persuade them. I haven’t even completed half of today’s tasks, but time is delayed because of phone calls. Suddenly, a work meeting is scheduled. The evening appointment time approaches. I feel nervous about the dinner with colleagues from another company with whom I have to work. Still, today I am less tired because I have less driving time. After the meal, I returned home. Although there is unfinished work, I will rest a bit and then turn on my laptop. Today, too, I end up dozing off on the sofa.

From Monday to Friday, the days go by similarly like a squirrel running on a wheel. Am I not living diligently but just pretending to live diligently? Trying to look ahead and move forward, I sometimes make the mistake of missing precious things around me. A racehorse wearing blinders that prevent it from glancing sideways can focus only ahead and run toward the finish line, but only after crossing the finish line will it hear the news that its closest friend running beside it fell and broke a leg. It will be too late to help.

I realized that I am missing something. I had forgotten how to empathize with others’ feelings. When a close friend shares their upset feelings or a child talks about fun things at school, I respond affirmatively, but sometimes I don’t really listen carefully in my mind. Some may say, ‘What’s so important about understanding others’ feelings?’ but whether among children playing tag in the playground or in a place discussing national affairs, without the effort to understand the other, the time and relationships become meaningless.

I heard a story about a Japanese photographer whose story was also made into a movie. He gained fame by taking photos that staged his clients’ dreams. For a client dreaming of becoming a successful businessman, he would shoot a scene in a magnificent office where the client, dressed splendidly, receives a business report from a secretary. Requests for ‘staged photos’ poured in. If he had just handled all the incoming requests, he would have risen as a famous photographer.

However, he realized that photos contain many people’s precious pasts, beautiful presents, and futures drawn in their hearts, and he pursued a completely different calling. He went to disaster areas struck by earthquakes and restored photos buried among abandoned belongings to find their owners. He traveled through dusty disaster zones, paying the restoration costs himself and finding owners for free. It was hard and not profitable. Although it was a choice far from making money and building fame, he welcomed warm days every day that money could never buy.

Through this photographer’s story, I want to prepare a life that is rich enough to share my heart with those around me rather than a life that just looks busy to achieve achievements recognized by others. I expect that if I listen carefully to those beside me and try to understand their hearts, a more abundant day will unfold.

Yoon Bo-won, Sales Executive, Hana Financial Investment Club1 WM Center

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.