[A Sip of a Book] How Much More Misery Must We Endure to Be Happy?

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

A poet, essayist, humanist, walker, and a person who reads and writes every day?the author. In this book, he contemplates various themes that constitute reality: body, food, love, misfortune, disaster, death, illness, weather, place, time, taste, others, customs, labor, insomnia, solitude, attitude, family, travel, nation, politics, and oblivion. For him, contemplation is like a daily walk. It is a ritual to spend a meaningful day while feeling that he lives in ever-changing weather, moods, and seasons. He has recorded those daily moments in this book.

How much more misfortune must one endure to become happy? What I know is that the spring when cherry blossoms fell has left, and after spring ends, summer soon approaches. Under the dazzling sunlight, we will squint our eyes and gaze at the lush forest and the shadows cast like spots on the ground. After washing the sweat-soaked body, when biting into a ripe peach, the sweet peach juice wets the corners of the mouth and drips down. We will savor the flavor and aroma of summer fruits and become intoxicated with happiness. Yet, how quickly do the bright flowers of spring and the light and brilliance of summer disappear? Happiness is possible not through possession but through the enjoyment of experience. - If Not Happy Now

The gods of summer whisper quietly. This summer happens only once. Summer happiness does not come twice. - Do You Like the Song "Summertime"?

Happiness is always a matter not of conditions but of the ability to savor the moment. Even those weighed down by misfortune can feel moments of happiness. Even in the same reality, happy people invent happiness, while unhappy people strangely brew misfortune. Happiness and misfortune are each a virtue and arise from parts of the elements one harbors. To those who grumble about the summer heat, I want to say: bite into a ripe peach or plum and feel the happiness that sweetness brings. Happiness depends on how often it is felt. - The Patience of Ordinary Things

An Afternoon Reading Emil Cioran | by Jang Seok-ju | Hyunamsa | 504 pages | 24,000 KRW

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