Special / Column
Through the ways and events of the visible world, you come to deeply think about the invisible world and the will of God.
As If Serving God
One winter night, Martin, a shoemaker reading the Bible, heard God’s voice say, “I will visit you tomorrow, so watch the road carefully through your window.” The next day, filled with joy at the thought of welcoming God, he prepared warm tea and soup and spent the entire day watching the street. Yet no matter how long he waited, God did not appear. Instead, an elderly street cleaner shoveling snow, a woman shivering in the cold with a baby in her arms, and a boy being scolded by an old woman for stealing one of her apples appeared one after another. Martin served the street cleaner warm tea, offered soup and clothing to the woman and her baby, and intervened…
Advancing Toward an Assured Future
Before we begin anything, there is a mountain we must overcome: fear. Fear usually stems from uncertainty. When we cannot foresee the outcome of our actions, anxiety naturally sets in. We begin to wonder, “Will I really be able to do this?” and worry that things may not go according to plan. As a result, we seek help from various sources or repeatedly examine our decisions in an effort to assure ourselves that we have made the right choice. Yet change begins when we overcome fear and take the first step. Abraham set out for an unfamiliar land that God would show him, though he did not know where he was going. The priests stood before the surging Jordan River,…
Regret and Repentance
Everyone dreams of living without regrets, yet when we look back on our lives, we inevitably find things we wish we had done differently, whether many or few. Even if our lives have not been perfect, we might still feel that we have lived well if we can say that we have no regrets. Yet living such a life is by no means easy. Daniel Pink, a bestselling author and business thinker, collected and analyzed a wide range of regrets through a survey of approximately sixteen thousand people in 105 countries and compiled the “World Regret Report.” The report divides regret into four categories: regret over failing to build a stable foundation, regret over lacking the courage to seize opportunities…
A Person Who Forgives
In Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Stork,” the stork invited the fox to a meal and served the food in a narrow-necked jar, repaying the fox for having served the stork food on a flat plate. Just as the stork had previously been unable to eat, the fox could only gaze at the food and lick its lips. Although the story teaches the importance of considering another person’s circumstances, it is sometimes portrayed as a satisfying tale of revenge in which one repays another in kind. It may seem gratifying to make others suffer as much as they have made us suffer, but anger and hostility take a toll on our health. A racing pulse and rapid breathing when…
What Comes Into View When We Change Our Perspective
In a novel, the point of view depends on who tells the story and how it is told. When the narrator appears within the story, it is told in the first person. When the narrator remains outside the story, it is told in the third person. The point of view is further defined by whether the narrator is the protagonist, an observer, or an omniscient narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of every character. A story told from the first-person point of view of the protagonist can vividly reveal the protagonist’s inner world and draw readers deeply into the narrative. By contrast, the third-person omniscient point of view can portray the inner lives of both the protagonist and the…
The Habit of Loving
Birds that soar freely through the sky are admired for their natural ability to fly. Yet even a newly hatched bird must practice countless times before flying becomes effortless. Habits are formed in much the same way. Just as a young bird repeatedly flaps its wings, when we practice a behavior again and again until it becomes ingrained, we eventually begin to perform it naturally, without conscious thought. This has to do with the way the brain processes behavior. Just as we can reach our destination along a familiar route without consulting a map or consciously searching for the way, repeated behavior gradually requires less involvement from the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making. Instead, the basal ganglia1 become…
My Brother’s Keeper
Fan Li, a strategist of China’s late Spring and Autumn period, helped the king of Yue rescue the state from crisis. Yet having discerned the ruthless nature of power, he soon withdrew from public life and disappeared from view. He later settled in Tao, where he worked diligently and amassed great wealth. Then one day, he received unexpected news: his second son, who had gone to the state of Chu, had killed someone and was now imprisoned, awaiting execution. Fan Li summoned his third son and instructed him to load a cart with gold, travel to Chu, and save his older brother. When his eldest son heard of this, however, he insisted that such an important responsibility should fall to…
Her Only Concern
A mother was taking her son to kindergarten. She had stepped out of the car first, and just as her son set foot on the road, the ground suddenly gave way. The boy and the car plunged into a massive sinkhole. Though momentarily thrown off balance, the mother leaped into the hole without a second’s hesitation. She gave no thought to whether the ground might collapse further or whether the large truck teetering precariously at the edge might fall on them. This harrowing scene was captured on CCTV and reported by international media. A mother begins putting her child before herself even before the child is born. According to Donald Winnicott, an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst, a mother enters a…
The Proper Way to Breathe
Scuba diving is an activity in which divers wear underwater breathing equipment and enter the water to observe marine ecosystems. One of its most important safety rules is never to hold one’s breath. The deeper a diver descends, the greater the water pressure becomes, causing the volume of air to decrease.1 This places pressure on air-filled parts of the body, such as the ears and lungs. Holding one’s breath can interfere with the regulation of internal pressure and put one’s life at risk. Divers must therefore continue breathing deeply and steadily to equalize the pressure. When ascending to the surface, they must also breathe continuously and rise slowly to minimize the harmful effects of changes in pressure. 1. This is…
Even Through Fire and Water
As climate change intensifies, devastating wildfires and weather-related disasters such as typhoons and floods are occurring with increasing frequency throughout the world. The destructive force of fire and flood is immense, sweeping across everything in their path and engulfing entire areas in an instant. It is no wonder that they are described as “fire demons” and “water demons.” Even human beings, who regard themselves as the highest of all creatures, are powerless before the forces of nature. How much more helpless must animals be? Their instinct is to flee desperately from danger and seek a way to survive. Yet even in the midst of such danger, some creatures defy their instincts. A mother bird remains in her nest, brooding over…
Global Leaders Who Save the World
We can watch the World Cup held in Africa live on TV at home. With just one click of a button, we can access real-time news from every part of the world. One sneeze from an infected person can spread a virus to people on the opposite side of the world. If a powerful nation’s financial markets are unstable, it can cause chaos in global financial markets. The 21st century we are living in is truly a global age. National borders are gradually becoming meaningless, and people all around the world are easily able to get together. At this point in time, the world is looking for a supranational leader who is suitable for the global age. A narrow world,…
Before It Gets Too Late
The Four Things That Matter Most is a book written by Ira Byock, who has been in hospice care (a type of health care that helps terminally ill patients to spend their last moments of their lives in peace) for over four decades. In his book, he gives suggestion to terminally ill patients and their families. It is to say four phrases: “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you.” He came up with this after witnessing many cases that the patients and their family members regret later for not having confessed what was in their hearts. In fact, a man, who had not talked to his father for twenty years, let go of old hurts…
Beautiful Trace
If you cut the trunk of a tree and look at the cross section of the tree, you can see a pattern of concentric tree rings. Tree rings form when there are differences in growth speed as the weather changes. Between spring and summer, when cell division is vigorous, the wood texture inside the tree is soft and the color is bright, while cell division is slow starting from late summer or autumn, resulting in a hardened texture and a darker color. As such process repeats, a distinct pattern of tree rings is formed in the trunk of a tree. If you look at tree rings, you can tell not only the tree’s age but also what had happened during…
How to Not Repeat the Same Mistakes That Lead to Regrets
In September 2019, a bus suddenly stopped in downtown Seoul. The driver who stopped the bus asked the passengers to excuse him, and ran outside. It was to save a woman in her 60s who had fallen in the street. The woman had not recovered her consciousness although some other passersby had been trying to help her. The bus driver immediately started CPR on her. After a few minutes, she recovered her consciousness and started breathing again. Then the bus driver asked one of the passersby there to stay with her until the ambulance arrived, and he returned to his bus. The passengers were moved by the act of the driver who saved the woman’s life with quick thinking. The…
Letters from Prison
Jawaharlal Nehru fought for India’s independence together with Mahatma Gandhi, and later became India’s first prime minister. During the time when India was under British rule, he was imprisoned many times for resisting the colonial rule. Since he was imprisoned in Naini Prison, he wrote letters to his only daughter, Indira. He sent her about 190 letters for three years. Then what did he desperately want to say to his beloved daughter? “On your birthday you have been in the habit of receiving presents and good wishes. Good wishes you will still have in full measure, but what present can I send you from Naini Prison? My presents cannot be very material or solid.” Nehru made every endeavor in the…
What We Need to Save Lives
Mack Horton, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, received an email from one of his fans. According to the e-mail, skin cancer was suspected because a mole on his upper chest had become larger and darker than before. Horton went to the hospital immediately, and the doctor said that the mole could develop into melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops when melanocytes start to grow out of control. It is a deadly disease but has no symptoms, so you cannot accurately detect the disease unless you pay close attention to your skin. Thanks to his fan who sent him the e-mail with concern and care for him, he…
One Bun or Two Buns
The main character, a high school student, comes home after school and finds two red bean buns and a note his mom left on the kitchen table. “Share them with your younger sister. Have one each.” After reading the note, he eats one of the buns right away. However, he doesn’t feel satisfied with one and ends up eating the other, which was for his sister, despite his mom’s note. To remove the proof, he throws away his mom’s note in the trash can. After some time, his younger sister comes back home and finds the mom’s note thrown away. She gets angry, and an argument begins. The brother thinks it is a simple matter that will be solved if…
A Thankful Mind
Five people from Chongqing, China, who had never known each other, formed a music group. They had different professions and personalities such as doctor, housewife, and real estate salespeople, and were all ignorant of music. Nevertheless, holding guitar, bass, and maracas (a rhythm instrument) in their hands, they practiced hard for a performance, being coached by a professional music instructor. The band’s name was “One Man’s Band.” The members had a plan to play difficult songs like “Reborn” and “Feel Life.” The band’s name originated in the story of the members, who received corneas, kidneys, and liver from a donor who died a while ago. After hearing that the donor liked music and was at the forefront of public interest,…
Giving Love
Augustus, a short fairytale written by a German writer named Hermann Hesse, shows how the mind to receive love and the mind to give love influence our life. Born as a posthumous child, Augustus received love from everyone, growing up, as his mother expressed that wish to a mysterious old man. Since the boy only received love from others, he grew to be arrogant and heartless, committing all sorts of crimes; he even decided to give up on his life, getting bored of the love of other people and feeling life as uninteresting. At that moment, the old man appeared again to ask for his wish, and he wished to be able to love everyone else. The next day, he…
The Power to Begin
In the suburbs of Paris, the Duke of Des Esseintes reads a book by English novelist Charles Dickens and becomes fascinated with London. Inspired, he decides to embark on his very first journey. Excited, he dresses carefully, packs his bags, heads into the city, buys a London guidebook, and even enjoys a meal at an English-style restaurant to heighten the feeling of travel. However, after finishing his meal, hesitation overwhelms him. He begins to worry about the fatigue of traveling, the discomfort of unfamiliar beds, and the cold that might seep into his frail body. All the difficulties he might face on the road suddenly feel burdensome. “Why go through all that,” he thinks, “when I can enjoy a wonderful…