In an age of overflowing anxiety and deepening empathy fatigue
What kind of existence should we become now?

How should we live amidst the wavering ethics, crumbling trust, and the language of polarized confrontation and defense?
Author Kim Ji-soo's "Dignified People" suggests "dignity" as a virtue after "affection" with the good advice to "become a dignified being to others."
The dignity we are talking about here is not simply politeness or composure.
It is an attitude of recognizing that each person is the other's salvation narrative and calmly taking responsibility for it.
Life is unpredictable, and sometimes it's so hard that you want to turn away, but the courage to not back down even in those moments, the attitude to not stop at affection and to listen to the pain of others until the end - the sum of all of these is 'dignity.'
A person who can bear his own weight and carefully support the weight of others.
"The Righteous People" is a portrait of such people and a record of their attitude toward life.
Through in-depth interviews with 14 domestic and international artists and humanists, we will encounter scenes from life where we support each other.

Observing countless people's lives through the window of interviews, I've found that the most powerful force that can sustain us through time is the awareness of being a responsible being.
Immersion aesthetically elevates time, but awareness as a responsible being expands time ethically.
From the moment people decided to take a little more responsibility because they saw more, saw further, or imagined it that way, they went a little further.
… In that way, the pain, time, patience, and responsibility of being ‘upright’ are connected by the thread of causality.
And the starting point of that meaning is ‘trying to be a respectful person to others.’
The beautiful and profound layers of dignity begin with the ability to imagine a time of order that lies further than the painful times that seem absurd right now.
--- From the "Prologue"

Some philosophers have even described birth as being 'thrown into the world'.
It's depressing because I was thrown in without choosing.
However, the being thrown in that way is not a single being, but a ‘being together.’
The basic emotions we face are anxiety and gloom, but if we give and receive positive influence in our relationships, the 'evil power of anxiety' is significantly weakened.
Conversely, if life is not fulfilling, we are held in the grip of fate and fall into the swamp of depression like a cycle.
So God recommends.
Try to be a 'dignified being to others' at least once.
--- p.22

The first verse of a song is half the story.
If you start well, it will go well until the end.
If you can't control your strength at the beginning, you'll end up lost.
The song "Evergreen" is a song that requires you to sing at a high pitch, so it's really hard to start singing it without letting up.
As if exerting strength, I pull back slightly… .
In the end, I think both singing and life are lifelong exercises in letting go of strength.
So the best song is humming.
A song I sing alone without anyone listening… .
That's the most alive song I've ever heard.
--- p.52

Having your own language, your own world, is a struggle.
So, when I was young and saw my peers, German and Austrian composers, doing well, I wasn't jealous.
I was like, "I'm glad I got that time to do my thing while they're in the spotlight."
--- p.90

I always want to give up.
I wanted to give up yesterday and I wanted to give up this morning too.
It's just that my will to not give up is a little stronger.
Even though I tell myself to quit 65 days out of 365, I hold on for 300 days.
--- p.104

Even though the world may seem shiny, it's all nothing special.
If you are not satisfied and compare, there is nothing you can do.
Don't be too good at something and don't be too eager to find something that works.
If there's something you like, do it.
If you are too focused on showing off, you will only end up hurting your pride and being hurt.
If you do what you like, you won't get hurt even if you stop doing it.
Because I still have self-esteem
--- p.
176

In moments where resolution is required, some kind of 'leap' is required.
The reason is that you are in the dark about what the outcome of your decision will be.
--- p.212

Living is a struggle anyway.
Even if you achieve what you want, the pain and problems continue.
Because there is no such thing as a problem-free life.
So we have to ask:
What kind of pain can I endure?
What kind of suffering is worth it to me?
Good habits and routines are patterns that we take for granted and automatically create for our brains to turn off the pain.
And when I don't have the power to make decisions, the best thing I can do is just shut off and do what I have to do.
--- p.230

Trying to stay motivated by clinging to worthless things doesn't help.
Success isn't something you can achieve simply by continuing to do something.
In order to continue doing worthwhile things, you need to stop doing worthless things as quickly as possible.
Because time and energy are limited.
--- p.250

No one knows your life better than you.
No one can write my obituary better than I can.
Becoming your own biographer exposes you to both the humiliations and the glories that only you have ever known.
Just write down the little things we experienced before it's too late.
Even if you're twenty and death feels so far away, start now.
Your life story doesn't exist until you write it.
It's okay if there are spelling mistakes or details are missed.
The more you use it, the more it accumulates and the better it gets.

--- p.350