[Current & Culture] What Sustains the Mind Is Physical Strength

Even Teachers and All of Us in Difficult Times
We Must Take Care of Our Bodies as Well as Our Minds

It seems that if you have the will, you can do anything. Whether it’s something you want to do or something you have to do, looking back after some time, it becomes something you managed to accomplish somehow. When I look at my calendar, I sometimes feel overwhelmed wondering how I will get everything done, but somehow, tomorrow’s me manages to pull through, and regardless of whether the work goes well or not, I grow a little bit.

Not long ago, I was invited along with my friend, writer Lee Wonjae, to a gathering of Korean language teachers in the Gyeongbuk region. During the book talk, he said, “Physical strength is important. Teachers also need to build stamina to endure.” Recently, teachers have been feeling a great sense of loss. There was a day when public education was paused, and my teacher friends participated in their own ways. I wondered how to encourage their spirits, but then thought, well, everyone already has plenty of will, whether from wanting to do something or having to do it. The mind supports the body, but the strength that supports the mind also comes from the body. When I call Lee Wonjae, he is often exercising. It seems like he is lifting something in a school gym or similar place. When I ask him why he works out so hard, he gives a short but similar answer: to live, to keep myself alive.

These days, I live a busy life. Writing books (as a writer), making books (as a publisher), selling books (as a bookstore operator), speaking (going on lectures), and sometimes driving for others, delivering packages, and even parenting. I leave Gangneung at dawn, go to Busan by lunchtime, then to Incheon in the evening, and the next morning I head to Gwangju for a lecture ? this is my daily routine. I believed I was enduring because I was doing what I wanted, but ultimately, this too depends on physical strength. Few people know this, but I am more confident in physical work than in writing. Even in high school, during physical fitness tests, I ranked first in three events in the entire school. Last year, while having a drink in my neighborhood, someone sitting next to me acted like they recognized me ? it turned out to be a high school classmate. After 20 years, we caught up on each other’s lives. He said he had gone on to study social sports science and was running a shop nearby. Next to him was a robust junior who was an active student in the same department. The conversation turned to how I was better at standing long jump than him, and eventually, a long jump contest was held as a bet for the drinks. I seemed to jump better than expected, so others came over to judge, and in the end, I won. Then the robust junior stood up determinedly and jumped, but I still won by about a hand’s length. It was an embarrassing sports event that happened late at night, but it made for a great drinking snack. I, at the age of forty, beat an active social sports science university student.

Trusting in that physical strength, I seem to be cutting down on sleep and holding on to time to keep working. However, not long ago, after giving two lectures, I was driving from Busan to Gangneung at 1 a.m., and there were moments when guardrails suddenly appeared right in front of me. I only arrived home in Gangneung around 6 a.m. It felt like my body was signaling that all my energy was drained, so I collapsed and lay down as soon as I got home.

The mental ease to work with a smile ultimately comes from physical strength. Lee Wonjae, who exercises to live, the teachers going through tough times, and you who must keep living ? take good care not only of your mind but also of your body. That is how you will endure a season of life well.

Kim Minseop, Social and Cultural Critic

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