Prologue To you who are embarking on a journey to find the language of life

Literary critic Lee Eo-ryeong
Believe that good people win

Author Pascal Brückner
Living is loving

Management thinker Charles Handy
The most important thing in life is friends.

Attorney Kang Geum-sil
Don't oppress anyone

Fashion designer Jang Myung-sook (Milanonna)
Stumbling blocks eventually become stepping stones.

biologist Bernd Heinrich
Always take one step at a time

futurist Daniel Pink
Regret makes us more human

Psychology professor Paul Bloom
Hardship is a precious ingredient for a fulfilling life.

Author Susan Cain
The default emotion is comfortable sadness.

Author Doris Mertin
Excellence is not perfection

Journalist Amanda Ripley
Let go of the illusion that you can persuade others.

Journalist Malcolm Gladwell
Open your heart and meet others

Copywriter Tomohiro Sawada
I don't mind working to create a comfortable world for myself.

Management thinker Simon Sinek
You have to play endless games to become a stronger player.

Dr. Kelly Harding
Kindness is amplified and contagious.

Psychologist's name: Trout Tarr
The greatest achievement is friendship.

Designer Akira Minagawa
Experience is nothing to be wasted

Author Lee Min-jin
It's okay to live as a turtle


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An interviewer who connects the world with better language.
Kim Ji-soo tells
A 'Great Dialogue' with Eastern and Western Wise Men

The more turbulent life becomes, the more people look for those who have gone before them so as not to get lost.
Every time that happens, there is a piece of writing that fills my heart with words that are just right for the right time.
It is 'Kim Ji-soo's Interstellar (hereafter 'Interstellar')' which has accumulated 23 million views.
Author Kim Ji-soo is a journalist with 28 years of experience, and his interview series 'Interstellar', which he has been running since 2015, has earned the trust and love of millions of readers.
《Great Conversations: In Search of the Language of Life》 is a collection of interviews with 18 prominent figures from various fields, brimming with their curiosity, romance, and wisdom about life.
The event features a large number of prominent intellectuals and experts, including Lee Eo-ryeong (literary critic), Pascal Brückner (novelist and philosopher), and Charles Handy (management thinker), as well as notable intellectuals and experts such as Lee Min-jin (writer), Daniel Pink (futurist), Paul Bloom (psychology professor), and Susan Cain (writer).
The message conveyed by each interviewee resonates with our lives as we live in the same era.


This book faithfully captures the universal and authentic way we relate to work, people, and life, and the attitude of discovering wonder in the ordinary. It focuses on finding authentic meaning in a complex and ever-changing world.
The 18 interviews advocate messages of empathy, respect, and solidarity, such as “Believe that good always wins,” “The most important thing in life is friends,” and “We must play a game that is sustainable and together, not a finite game.”
In the end, he puts an emphasis on himself living his life step by step, and gives everyone a keyword to feel and think about as the 'main character of life'.

This book is also a source of comfort and courage for those who feel scattered and alienated in a society that is prevalent in individualism, growth-first thinking, and blindly obsessed with 'positivity.'
This book is broad in scope, as it gathers together various languages ​​that connect 'me' with the world, regardless of boundaries such as East or West, gender, or age.
The deep and affectionate conversations with 18 "wise men of the East and the West," completed with Kim Ji-soo's unique lyrical and insightful questions and unvarnished and honest answers, shine even brighter the longer you look into them.

The waves of trembling beings meet
A sight that creates a great resonance

As beings of trembling, we can never ignore the waves of others who 'shiver' in the cold.
When I honestly expose myself to the world as a shaken, naked me, the world resonates with that weakness.
This is the truth I have learned from interviewing countless wise men.

“Be weak to go together.”
_From the prologue

The expressions of the interviewees, who share their experiences and insights gained while developing their own expertise in different fields, are somewhat similar.
As readers read The Great Conversation, they experience the voice that answers the question again, and then echoing back from somewhere else.
When Professor Lee Eo-ryeong opened the door to the “Great Conversation” by emphasizing the humanity inherent in people by saying, “Believe that good people win,” author Lee Min-jin responded, “I believe that good wins over evil.
He concludes by saying, “I believe most people are doing their best.”

There is no sweet message like “It’s okay, it’ll be okay” that everyone used to shout out in unison throughout the ages.
However, words that understand the true nature of life, such as “Not all wounds need to be healed (Susan Cain)” and “Suffering is a precious ingredient for a fulfilling life (Paul Bloom)” and “Open your heart and meet others (Malcolm Gladwell)”, and words that give opportunities to those who have fallen, gently hold the hands of lonely people and lead them.
The language of truth that does not deceive life and me, and the language of respect that does not try to teach, remain warm throughout the book.
In "Great Conversation," author Kim Ji-soo's postscript was added at the end of each interview.
As we read about how the 'seeds of words' planted in the hearts of the wise men blossomed over time and resonated with my own tremors, we witness movements both small and great.
This is finally the 'era of essence'.
Honest and sincere actions and words lift up a wavering and hesitant heart and speak with strength.


“You will always be afraid and worried.
When I think about the future, I too am afraid.
But if you reveal yourself to yourself and others, you will feel much better.
If you remember where you came from, you will be better off.
As you work toward your goals, acknowledge what you desire, and be vulnerable if necessary! This will help you along the way.”
_Writer Lee Min-jin

For an indestructible life
Finding the language of life

In the age of self-branding, people have been working tirelessly to become unique and irreplaceable.
The overabundance of positivity that surrounds us has made anything possible, while also creating depressed people and dropouts.
The winner's game is over.
Simon Sinek, a world-renowned management thinker, said, “In today’s world of extreme volatility, complexity, and ambiguity, neither a set finish line nor an immediate winner is important.
We experience more and more infinite games in our daily lives” (p. 291), suggesting that we should become flexible and solid players, and Charles Handy, an intellectual of the times who was interviewed while lying in bed at the end of his life, also emphasized that “humans are not ‘resources’ to be managed, but subjects with autonomy, and we must encourage and help each other and live together at every sharp corner” (p. 74).

The 18 interviewees who took part in this great intellectual journey were not special because they were exceptional.
What they have in common is that they listen to others, ask for help when they are in need, express gratitude, and generously show their love.
Through gentle and affectionate conversations with them, we fearlessly embark on the path of coexistence rather than individual survival.
Join us on this wonderful journey!