Happiness is not something that is given
Our personal lives are what we create.

I will be your 'friend in life' at the crossroads of life.
Professor Kim Hyung-seok's latest book

“I am turning 106 this year, and each year feels as precious as the past ten years,” confesses the author, who places the greatest value in life on happiness and love.
“That happiness is not just given, it is created by our personal lives,” he says.
A life of character is a life of service and love, without greed.
This book is a compilation of the author's many writings, with a selection of gem-like proverbs, and a new essay at the end of each chapter that fits the theme.
As I copy down one proverb from the book each day and reflect on it, the heart and life of a philosopher who dreamed of becoming more beautiful and happy than anyone else quietly settles into my heart.
If we live our lives without caring for our own character and are guided by our nature, happiness will run away and we will only leave ugly traces behind.
I hope this book will be a good friend to those who want to live a dignified life.

Happiness is
It comes from good and beautiful human relationships.

In search of something more eternal
It happens in the process.

--- p.12

Many people are unhappy
I think it comes from outside.

Those people are also happy
I think it's something that someone else brought to me.

But the misfortune given from outside
Change it into a condition of happiness
A person who shares happiness with his neighbors
He is a truly happy person.

Happiness never comes without proper effort.
It's not something that comes for free.

--- p.19

Having lived for over 100 years
I came to the conclusion that 'what I did for myself was not worth anything.'

With people all my life
The things we do to support and love each other
Remain happy.

--- p.20

Don't make possessions the purpose of life.

Don't own, give to the world.

What's more important than possessions
Develop your character
It is about living a fulfilling life.

--- p.29

Life is not about going to death
It is going towards completion.

Death does not take everything away
It completes life and leaves it behind after death.

Welcoming the sunset of life
When you face the twilight of your life
A life with no home to return to
You must not become an orphan.

--- p.
40

Toil without love is a burden of pain,
Love and suffering bring happiness.

That's life.

--- p.50

love someone or
As long as I can give love
There is no loss of self.

Humans through love
Discovering yourself,
To achieve self-fulfillment
Because it is done.

--- p.61

When you ask, 'What will you leave behind?'
The answer is 'a life of sharing love.'

There is nothing greater than that.

--- p.64

Hardship enriches life,
Expanding love for neighbors,
More truthful
Promising eternal life
It is a prerequisite for hope.

--- p.78

As much as a person who doesn't know gratitude
There are no unhappy people,
Than the person who can be more grateful
There is no happy person.
--- p.90

Modern people are the third competitor
You're missing out on the competition of love.

The religious teachings of love
For more people
It is a competition of serving humanity.

--- p.175

The criteria for evaluating a worthwhile life are
'How many people do they think they are human?
Helping you live happily
It is in 'Did you give it?'

--- p.185

The justice that supports equality is
Love for humanity,
When love elevates the order of justice
True equality is achieved.

Justice is by love
Because it is completed.

--- p.198

It was before and after liberation.
I happened to read an article by a French philosopher.
A man was driving a Cadillac (a luxury car at the time) through the streets of Paris.
Young people who see it say, “What kind of guy drives such a fancy car?
“Get him out of the car and get rid of the car.”
If someone were to drive a Cadillac in New York, what would onlookers say?
Young black people also say, “Hey, that’s cool.
“I want to ride it someday too,” he says with envy.
It is a story that points out the differences between the young generation in France who are steeped in communism and the youth in the United States.


About 5 years later.
In the spring of 1950, world-famous theologian Emil Brunner came to our country and gave a lecture at the Methodist Church.
To summarize the lecture, it was like this.


“When I was in Europe, I met many adults and young people who believed in Marxist ideology.
The social value they emphasized and forced upon us was justice for equality.
I have seen many people who believe that justice requires the compromise of freedom, and that for an ideal society of equality, struggle and revolution are needed rather than the order of love.
However, I had a premonition that the communist regime, which denied the values ​​of freedom and love, would soon reach its limit.
After finishing his professorship in Europe, he went to the United States.
He continues to hold the position of professor of theology to this day.
America values ​​freedom more than justice.
When asked what justice is, the answer is 'How can we ensure that more people have the freedom to be happy?'
However, a society without justice, the subject of equality, is not perfect.
The gap between rich and poor is widening, economic disparity is shaping the value of human life, and the value of work is being evaluated based on the level of compensation.
The class differences between white and black society can no longer be tolerated.
Equality and justice can be byproducts of a society where there is freedom and love.
Justice, freedom, and love are essential values ​​for human survival.
The conclusion we can draw is that when love reaches the level of humanity, justice demands love, and freedom accepts mercy and love.
Because the tree of love can bear the fruits of both freedom and equality.
If we look at the undercurrent of world history, humanism is both a starting point and a future-oriented one.
“Humanism is the spirit of humanity.”

Another 10 years or so later.
It was when I was staying at Harvard University.
I still remember a line from Reinhold Niebuhr, a world-renowned theologian and historical critic, during a lecture.
“You are taking possession of the economic wealth inherited from your ancestors and predecessors.
If we remain stuck in the mindset that 'this wealth has been given to us, and is a gift for our happiness and enjoyment,' we cannot hope for the future of America.
That wealth should be shared with the poor countries and people of the world.
“If all those countries grow into developed nations with equal wealth, America will have the honor of assuming a broader global leadership role,” he said.
Isn't it the spirit of that religious leader that has maintained America's status to this day?

--- pp.214-216