Better

"A person who takes advantage of every moment of his or her life to become a better person, one who is better able to contribute to the happiness of others, can die in peace."

Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk

What's left?

A lesson learned from South Korea, a country that has been focusing on economic growth in the past decades. This is a story told in the form of a novel by Shin Kyung-sook about a society that moves from a poor country to the world 13th largest economy in a short period of time.

Here is a link to the article covering Shin Kyung-sook's work in the NYTimes

So, the question is: whether there is anything lost in this triumphant economic fairy tale? Similar to the U.S., South Korea society has seen a widening disparity between the rich and the poor. But that is not the end of the story. Another sad loss falls on the generation that pushes their kids to get good education so these kids can have better lives than their parents. Now, these kids are adults who get caught up in the hypercompetitive circus and have no time to take care of their aging parents. These parents, after spending most of their savings on their children's education, are left to spend the little time left in nursing homes.

As countries focus their attention on economic growth, we end up losing "human-to-human relationship" that sustain all of our lives. Isn't this sad? 

Between Light and Dark

Every once in a while, we may get caught at an in-between place. I'll call this in-between place "Between Light and Dark".

We often have a sense of fear of an unknown when we move from a place of "light" to a place of "dark".

On the other hand, we often have a sense of excitement, or a sense of re-born when we move from a place of "dark" to a place of "light".

Pulling the Plug

Pulling the plug.... the end is getting near

Pulling the plug... out of cruelty?

Pulling the plug... out of compassion?

Pulling the plug...I wish I have a say

Conversation

Walking...Searching.... There, I found you. "Boo", you said. I said "Good Morning". You said "Good Afternoon".

I asked you what you want to be when you grow up. You used to say "I want to be an elephant." But now, you said "I want to be a car." "Why?", I asked. "Because I don't have to work.", You said...

Connecting

What does it take for us to connect to others who, on a surface, are very different from us? Sometimes, people surprise us with their sincere generosity that seems to come from their beautiful hearts and their kindness to someone they hardly know.

Fallen Leaves

Fallen leaves ... Where are you from?

Fallen leaves ... Where are you going?