[One Thousand Characters a Day] Living Without Incident Even If Not Brilliant <3>

Editor's NoteLife is often made to easily confront the unwanted. But that does not mean we can just sit back and do nothing. We have the right to be happy, but we also have the duty to be happy. To fulfill that duty, we need the courage to face life. A life that faces rather than turns away is humble and harsh, yet it holds sincere lessons. Author Eoh Hyun, who wrote the essay ＜Even Without Radiance, I Live Without Incident＞, emphasizes, "The issue is how we accept and resolve the life we encounter," adding, "There is certainly a hidden lesson within pain, and discovering that lesson is one's own responsibility." Word count: 867.

Who decided that life must follow a certain order?

From the beginning, such an order was not an immutable law, yet at some point, we began living according to that framework. When we step outside that frame, it feels like a big mistake or falling behind, causing anxiety. I often used others' standards instead of my own, thinking that as long as I did as much as others, I wouldn't fall behind.

I looked at the young man who said he would study again after completing his military service. He must also understand how important university studies are to him, and that is probably why he does not want to just drift along carelessly.

His intention is good, but does he know that life does not always go as planned?

"Alright, do as you wish. It's your life... and you are responsible for it."

I said it casually, but watching him choose military service before university made me feel deeply uneasy and anxious. Still, I did not forget to emphasize responsibility. Though I said responsibility, beneath it lay the meaning of a penalty?that he would have to endure the difficulties that come later.

(Omitted)

Having lived, I realized that going first does not mean arriving first, nor is the meaning of life found in arrival.

I think the true meaning of life is to know how to enjoy the journey toward the destination. Isn't it more important to understand how happy and meaningful the path itself is to oneself?

Now, his journey has begun.

A small boat is set afloat on the deep blue sea, gazing toward the distant horizon.

No one knows where the destination will be.

The voyage has begun without knowing which city or which dock it will be. One thing is certain: the sea never rests. Sometimes it will approach him with fierce storms, other times with calm and beautiful ripples. He must endure all these changes entirely on his own.

- Eoh Hyun, ＜Even Without Radiance, I Live Without Incident＞, Munhak Gonggam, 13,500 KRW

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