문화/창작

[Essay in My Heart] Health First and Happiness

2023.01.02

[Essay in My Heart]



Health First and Happiness




Time is more complex near the sea than in any other place, for in addition to the circling of the sun and the turning of     the seasons, the waves beat out the passage of time on the rocks and the tides rise and fall as a great clepsydra.

— John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat



The new year of 2023, the year of the black rabbit has finally dawned. We diligently exchanged New Year's greetings through social media. The most important part of New Year's greetings is the saying, "Have a lot of blessings in the New Year!"


Considering that the word 'Bok(: blessing)' means happiness, it can be seen that most people place great importance on pursuing happiness and living day by day. What exactly is happiness? How can I say I am happy?


While reading the newspaper today, I accidentally read a research article on 'happiness' in a daily newspaper, and there was a Harvard University research article on happiness that has been going on for an exceptionally long time from the 1930s to the present. After closely examining and analyzing the results of continuous observation and research of carefully selected groups of people, it was found that in order for a person to be happy, 'relationship' is an especially crucial factor in a person's happiness rather than factors such as money, fame, or education.


People who maintain good relationships between individuals and family members, in organized societies such as workplaces, in communities such as villages, and with friends experience less depression or anxiety than those who live in isolation and are therefore healthier. It has been scientifically proven to be very convincing.


Of course, in order for an individual to be happy, a proviso was required that the basic economic conditions or medical environment should be satisfied within a certain limit, but there is a problem with the conventional social wisdom that you will be happy if you graduate from a first-class school and live economically well.


As a necessary condition for such happiness, there is no doubt that health should be supported. My father always emphasized the importance of health throughout his life of fighting illness in his later years, practicing the four-character idiom '爲主健康' in calligraphy whenever he had a chance, and reminding him that health is one of the most important factors in life. I still remember clearly that he reminded me.


On the first day of this new year, my eldest brother in Korea sent me a calligraphy that my father wrote in 1975, ‘爲主健康’, and memories of the past came to mind again. I try to write ‘爲主健康’ character by character in calligraphy in order to catch my disordered mind and refresh my mind.


In order to maintain the health of the body and mind (considering it as a crucial factor to underpin a happy life), we need, of course, proper exercise, mindfulness, and a balanced diet. If you do what you love, be grateful every day, smile often, and think positively, think about whether you will become healthier and feel happier.


Citizens around the world have been afflicted with COVID for years, and watching and listening closely to the stories of countless people ending their lives, makes me think again about fundamental and important topics such as life and death, health, and happiness.


In the new year of 2023, I hope that all of you readers will live life vividly with the mindset of humbleness and that you will be able to spend the year in a healthy and happy way without letting go of your hopes even in various difficult circumstances.



Solti


January 1, 2023


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URL= https://www.ktown1st.com/blog/VALover/340556




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