“Why don’t we ask questions about the great wall called death?”

46 Gifts for a Dignified Life, Revealed by Death!
The last line of philosophy that humanities bestselling author Kim Jong-won learned from death!

"The Last Question" contains the insights into life that author Kim Jong-won realized through conversations about life and death with Rilke, Kant, Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Schopenhauer, and Goethe over the past 20 years.
The author spent over 1,000 hours conversing and reflecting with six of the world's greatest philosophers, constantly striving to bring their words and writings into line with our current world.
The author, after deep contemplation, encounters 'death' and finally realizes life, and asks us:
Why don't we question the great wall of death? The only constant truth in life is that everyone eventually dies.
The author says that only when we face death head-on can we find the answer to the question, "How should we live?"
This book is the enlightenment of Kim Jong-won, who learned by bowing his head to death, and is a 'one-liner of philosophy' left by philosophers of the century that you must encounter at least once in your life.
A single line of philosophy written in 46 questions is a guide to life left by philosophers of the century, and it becomes a 'hope' that opens the door to another world for us who are wavering, not knowing the purpose and method of life.

Everyone has questions brewing inside them, but no one can give them a proper answer.
Because for fermentation to produce good results, clear questions and wise answers are needed.
---From "Why Don't We Question the Great Wall of Death?"

As we live, we may be betrayed or suffer losses from people we trusted.
But that's not shameful.
Let us remember that what is truly shameful is not being able to give freely to those who are precious to us.
If we just remember that, we can all live unwaveringly, holding on to our life's purpose to the end.
---From "Do you have the ability to give freely?"

Don't complain or give up easily because the problem isn't solved. Instead, wait with a determined mind.
Because the time I spent will ultimately give me the gift of color that will distinguish me from others.
---From "Why do we live in a world where people have disappeared?"

Life is a series of choices.
Choices made without properly defining your life purpose are likely to be regretted in retrospect.
Throughout our lives, we think we've made countless choices, but looking back, we realize that very few of them were 100% of our own free will.
Rather, you come to realize the sad truth that you have been living your life for others instead of choosing what you really want for petty reasons.
---From "How many times in life have you had the experience of making a clear choice?"

Crying for yourself is not such a big deal.
Because everyone sheds tears when they are having a hard time.
But it is truly difficult to shed tears and empathize with the pain and sorrow of someone other than one's own.
Because it is an emotion that cannot be known unless you love.
Ultimately, what he emphasizes is pure love.
Crying for someone is like confessing that you love them.
---From "Have you ever cried for someone else as if it were your own?"

“Any pain that doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger.
So we all need the courage to endure loneliness.
“Because that’s how you can become stronger.”
“Well, what kind of life does that specifically refer to?”
“It’s simple.
You need the courage to remain alone even when thousands of people leave you, and the courage to set out on a journey alone even when thousands of people remain.
Staying and leaving, although the directions are different, both require great courage.
Because it is a life that only those who can give themselves courage can live.”
---From "Why Do I Exist?"

As is often the case in the world, opposites connect.
In other words, it means that there is no need to pay special attention to it.
Such situations can also lead to the realization that people at opposite ends of the spectrum, and in between, are more likely to be the ones who truly care about you.
People who don't necessarily express their good intentions or expect any reward, but always keep that space, are more likely to be the ones who truly care for and love me.
If you don't love someone, you can't show yourself and give them support and attention for so long.
The person who stays still for the longest time and watches me consistently is the most precious.
When I look at the world and people with that kind of thought, my heart becomes a little more peaceful.
---From "Why Don't You Empty Your Pockets Full of Trash?"

Choosing one means abandoning the other.
Because we gave up one thing, we were able to choose the other, so choosing is essentially giving up.
If you can't throw it away, you can't choose.
We used to think we couldn't throw things away, but we lived our lives easily throwing things away every day.
Even someone who can teleport can never walk two paths at the same time.
---From "What Did You Throw Away Yesterday?"

There is no life where you can keep running without stopping until the end, and there is no need to do so.
It's also good to give your boiling passion a break.
Anyone can write endlessly, but stopping and leaving blank spaces is a courageous choice that only those who know their purpose in life can make.
---From "What is the reason for living without stopping?"

Whatever it is, if it is the right way of life for you, you must have the courage to walk that path.
We must learn the 'language of life' that ascends while endlessly looking at nature that spreads its life out into the sky and make it our own.
Through this, we can expand our world like nature.
The wonder begins there.
---From "Why is life beautiful?"

So what he emphasized was that humans must use every means possible to ensure that they do not lose their sense of beauty.
---From "Do you have your own way to maintain inner beauty?"

“Don’t think that time is always waiting for you.
It is a huge mistake to think that even if you walk lazily, you will eventually reach your destination.
If you don't give it your all every day, you won't get any rewards from each day, and at the same time, you won't be able to reach your ultimate goal.
If we compare this whole process to life, it would be like this:
“If you have shown yourself endlessly rising, now you must show yourself quietly falling.” Only those who have risen well every day can also descend well every day.”

---From "Have you ever put your hands together for things that disappear?"