"Forties, Let's Go to the Forest!" Does it sound like a catchphrase? It's the title of a book recently published by Pauline. What does it mean to go to the forest? Why should people in their 40s go to the forest? Going to the forest means departing from the daily routines in search of your spiritual self.
In this age of uncertainty and anxiety, religious people are expected to be the light and hope of society. Many people in this world suffer from depression, cancer, war, and poverty.
Jeong Da-bin committed suicide recently. It is said that she was depressed. I wonder whether she had a mentor. If she had somebody with whom she could talk heart to heart, she could have overcome the situation. But it's too late now.
I wanted to commit suicide when I graduated from high school. I felt I was a failure; I couldn't enter the university immediately, and I lost a friend. I wanted to drown, so I walked along the river embankment. But I couldn't die because I was afraid of falling into the water.
I lay down in the room for several days, and the world seemed to fall upon me. My health was poor as well. A miracle happened to me, and the supernatural power empowered my life. That's why I began my life again, and I have walked so far with heartfelt gratitude.
In this age of high technology and information, we can enjoy our lives to the fullest. It's ironic that ultramodern people feel gloomy and frustrated. Depression and suicide reveal that money is not everything.
We can do quite a lot of things by the time we are in our 30s or 40s. Questions of identity arise. Am I walking all right? Who am I? Am I doing well? Where am I going?
'Forties, Let's Go to the Forest,' written by six middle-aged women, including Gong Sun-ok and Ahn Mi-kyoung, provides some answers to these fundamental questions. Each of the six authors contributed their views and experience. Each story, related to marriage and identity, is interesting and easy to read.
The 40s are traditionally called the age free from vacillation in Korea. Do you think people in their 40s have a sense of balance in life? I think they should, but the reality is different. The age of 40 is the climax of life, but it brings about various crises.
In this book, Kim Hye-yun says that the secret to overcoming these crises is to fear God, to put God into the center of life, and to follow his will.
Gong Sun-ok encourages readers to appreciate the reality of getting old without wearing a mask. The power comes from appreciating reality as it is, without complaining or running away.
We had a publishing commemorative meeting for 'Forties, Let's Go to the Forest,' and I had to fetch a writer from Chunchon for the ceremony. She had an operation just a week ago, but she accepted our invitation.
On the way to Seoul, we talked about various things. She likes to experience things before writing about them, she said. She describes vividly what she has experienced and observed. Whatever she writes, she presents life itself, without covering up the reality or exaggerating it. It seems that she has a harsh life. I feel sorry for her, but I think her reality is the source of her writing.
We can't escape from reality because we live in this world. We want to go to the spiritual forest and take rest there for a while, but reality demands endurance and waiting. Appreciating and enjoying reality as it gives us inspiration and consolation.
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Feb. 20, 2007
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