[One Thousand Characters a Day] Reading Schopenhauer at Forty <1>

Editor's NoteThe age of forty is the golden period of life lived with the greatest passion and the time when one comes to realize that 'life is suffering.' If you are approaching forty or standing at a turning point in life, meet Arthur Schopenhauer, who lived proactively while acknowledging the limits of life. ＜Reading Schopenhauer at Forty＞ contains 30 philosophical reflections left by him that help people in their 40s today manage mental crises such as skepticism and loss. From Schopenhauer, you can learn how to relieve suffering, focus on your own life, cultivate self-esteem, understand the meaning of time and live wisely, and thus live happily. Word count: 935.

"There are two adversaries that block human happiness: suffering and boredom, and our lives can be said to oscillate between these two. Externally, poverty and deprivation cause suffering, while safety and excess cause boredom. Therefore, people of the lower class constantly fight the pain of poverty, whereas those in the wealthy and refined world wage battles against boredom."

Happiness and unhappiness are not objective entities but depend on the fickle emotions of humans. It is human nature to complain when lacking and to become weary when having too much. Deficiency is suffering, and excess is boredom. Hunger is painful to humans, but satiety is also unpleasant.

"The foundation of all desire is deficiency, lack, that is, suffering. Humans are fundamentally and essentially already in the grip of suffering."

(Omitted)

We must avoid both deficiency and excess of desire. Both extremes are unhappiness. One must choose the middle ground between deficiency and excess. A wise person does not look for the causes of happiness and unhappiness only outside but also within themselves. They do not blame their anguish on external conditions but try to change their perspective on their suffering and seek solutions. To overcome the inner emptiness that is the root of boredom, they pursue inner richness rather than external stimulation.

Nowadays, everyone desires economic independence and dreams of success and happiness. However, as Schopenhauer pointed out, over-satisfaction can also be the beginning of unhappiness. Before pouring your whole self into acquiring too much, it is necessary to remember that unhappiness lies at the extremes of desire. And one must manage desire well through constant study, reflection, and insight.

The happy person, according to Schopenhauer, is one who has enough wealth not to beg from others and possesses excellent mental strength to enjoy leisure time. For our happiness, not only must we be free from material deficiency, but we also need the wisdom to endure boredom, tedium, and dullness sufficiently.

- Kang Yong-su, ＜Reading Schopenhauer at Forty＞, Yuno Books, 17,000 KRW

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