As an editor, I often asked myself. “Where am I going? Where are we going?”
The Earth faces the destruction of ecology, landslides, global warming, an advance of an average age of 100 years, the development of iPads and smartphones, and an increase of migrant workers. In this changing world, where are we headed now?
Everything is changing and developing so rapidly. There are many people who are still suffering from thirst and hunger.
Who am I amid the waves of change and advancement? How should I live a life for which I have but one chance to live? In what way can I live each day as delightfully and fruitfully as possible? How can I lead a harmonious life with intimate human relationships and a satisfactory career?
If people have ever had such questions, it would be helpful to read “The Taste of Living,” a collection of Father Whang Chang-yeon’s 48 witty and refreshing lectures on happiness, and “Time for Me” by Notker Wolf, the current Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict in Germany.
Whang suggests 10 secrets to be happier: “Exercise, be grateful, make friends with those who can share with your heart, remove the TV from the living room, study, smile, treat yourself well, help neighbors in need, enjoy loneliness, and remain in God.”
To put these secrets into practice, we need to spare some time for myself and others as Wolf emphasizes. Then we will truly enjoy the taste of a true, joyful, and grateful life.
I was recently sad and depressed because of an unavoidable turn of events at work. I deeply appreciated reading those two books, but reality demanded much more than those messages. In spite of being a religious person who has to live “detachment and transcendence” in daily life, I felt my heart was broken and I was ashamed of myself; tears kept trickling my cheeks.
It's good that time comes and goes constantly; time heals wounds and toughens the heart. Sleeping and praying bring about healing and a new beginning. Everything is changing and developing. To become a full person, we have to go through various stages and experiences.
I have worked so hard and devoted myself as an editor for 10 years. Day in and day out, I concentrated on editorials and translating. It was very demanding and challenging, sometimes beyond my limit. But I enjoyed the work so much that I almost became a workaholic. I did my best to accept the opportunity given to me as a special and generous gift from above; I regarded my mission as a gift awarded by God's providence.
During those 10 years, I served as a chief editor for two years and I was at the top of my career. During those years, I felt God took care of me and guided my way. Then, all of a sudden, without further expectation, the situation was turned upside down with the reorganization of the provincial government. What a surprise for me to be appointed as a member of quite a different team!
Being a person who can easily immerse in and concentrate on one field only, I had a hard time overcoming the emotional impact. For those 10 years, I was becoming a professional through experience, a little at a time. At the same time, I also realized the danger of being attached to the editorial job and losing a sense of balance in my daily life.
Being an editor is something like digging up hidden treasures in the field. To present the healing, spiritual, inspiring, and helpful messages, an editor tries his or her best to polish the stained pearl in the manuscript with the belief that it will one day touch, heal, and give hope to the heart of recipients.
Even though I recognized the necessity of having various experiences so as not to become a person of narrow views, I couldn't but shed tears. Even waking up very early in the morning, I found tears flowing in my heart. It seemed that God was testing me to see if I was still willing to follow him.
Life comes and goes constantly. I am just walking on and on, crying and smiling at the same time. I'll walk until I'm free and live the present moment to the fullest.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2021/10/162_92209.html?RD
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ August 5, 2011
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