Do you want to live a happy old age?
If you want to embrace a longer life and enjoy the second half of your life full of vitality,
Change your perspective on the second half of life
Break free from negative stereotypes about aging!

If you're halfway through your life, this is a must-read book about "aging"!
For the remaining half of your life, prepare thoroughly and enter the second half of your life with a proper mindset. Meet the eight doors that signal the beginning of a new life! As you pass through each door, you'll have the opportunity to see things with a new perspective, confront your inner self, and reflect!

By introducing the attitude toward aging through eight doors, we provide information, comfort, and a time of reflection for those who wish to understand more deeply and experience the mystery of the second half of life.

More people than ever are entering the second half of their lives.
This is because the average life expectancy is steadily increasing.
We will live much longer than our parents and grandparents.
As life's opportunities increase by a few years, or even by a few decades, so do the blessings of life.
But we don't seem ready to live faithfully through this extended time.
There is a lack of tolerance to respect and value the elderly.
As we grow older, we don't have many opportunities to learn how to become wise, actively participate in society, and live a fulfilling life.
So even if life expectancy increases, we may end up spending the latter half of our lives thinking only about aging, disease, despair, and death.
If we want to embrace a longer life and live a vibrant second half of our lives, we must consciously shift our perspective on the latter half of life.
Now is the time.
Even seeing the rising suicide rate among seniors makes us realize the need for change.
As life gets more challenging, we need to learn from older people and share their life lessons to elevate our lives.

--- From the "Prologue"

Historically, thresholds and doors have served as symbolic passageways to new worlds.
They are imprinted on the human psyche, signaling the possibility of new lives, new experiences, or new identities.
It also provides an opportunity for communication between different worlds, such as the secular and the sacred, the inner and the outer, the subject and the object, the visible and the invisible, the real world and the world of dreams.
There is a symbolic difference between a threshold and a door.
The threshold suggests a time and place where change, learning, and integration occur, while the door signifies the verification that must be done before working on the threshold and the device that guards the inside and outside of the door.
A door is sometimes perceived as a place for rituals, a sacred place, a sacred ground, or a passageway to spiritually significant change.
When we reach that “door,” the deepest archetypal emotions rise to the surface.
We instinctively know that we must let go of the familiar, prepare to step through the door, and open our hearts to the unknown.
Once you pass through the door, there is no going back.
Once you open the door and stand on the threshold, you must begin to change.

--- p.27∼28

At the end of each question, there are reflections and practices to help you stay true to the fairy's words.
Reflection is a common way of gaining reflective wisdom used around the world.
When you reflect, you will gain new insights that will allow you to learn from your experiences, question them, and reevaluate them, allowing you to make choices you hadn't considered before.
Journaling is a time-honored method of reflection and a wonderful tool for noticing what's happening in the moment.
You may find it quite helpful to keep brief notes or records of any insights that come to you during your reflection.
According to world spiritual traditions, practice expands our consciousness and facilitates transformation by enabling us to develop, transform, strengthen, and focus our practice.
Whenever you want to learn something new or make a change, you must practice it consciously and consistently.
Just as you learned to walk, write, and speak through practice, you can transform yourself at any time through the power of change.
Practice must be active, dynamic and rigorous.
When you consistently practice based on reflection and can distinguish between what works and what doesn't, your practice becomes more than just a reflection or an exercise in intellectual understanding.
Practice refers to the daily actions that support change and provide discipline to integrate and strengthen new values, skills, and character.
In this way, reflection and practice are essential elements for cultivating and embodying wisdom in the second half of life.
--- p.51∼53

The Silver Gate heralds the mystery of new beginnings and adventure.
We have come to this door many times throughout our lives.
The silver gate, shining and reflecting things, reveals the luminous, spiritual, and fascinating nature of all the experiences we have yet to experience.
Even if you arrive at this door later in life, if you only associate old age with illness, loss, depression, despair, and death, you will inevitably turn back.
In fact, this period is a new opportunity to look back on the knowledge and wisdom we have accumulated over time.
This mystical silver door, shining like a mirror, invites us to reflect on our own nature as we already know it and pushes us to embark on a long journey toward our true selves.

--- p.57

The white picket gate you encounter in the second half of your life is the gate of organization.
Our values ​​and identities move from doing to being, from preparation to harvest, from acquisition to inheritance, from ambition to meaning, from 'I' to 'we.'
Here, we must shatter the empty peace that our previous roles have given us and reveal our true faces, so that we can integrate and express the faces of children, youth, middle-aged people, and old people, as well as our true, original faces.
Experiencing childlike wonder, awe, and curiosity can help you maintain a childlike appearance, no matter your age.
When we have the face of a young man, our face glows with the appearance of a boy or girl.
Young people are fascinated by the fire of creation and the spirit of adventure.
Also, the body is very sensual and sexually interested.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged face can appear in someone who is experienced, trustworthy, and responsible.
And the face of old age contains a beauty engraved over a long period of time, revealing a mysterious and rich wisdom.
Furthermore, it represents a grandeur that combines strength, softness, and delicacy.
We often find in the face of a newborn the wisdom that can be seen in the face of an old man.
This shows that the original face is existence itself and the original spiritual nature.

--- p.85∼86

Many traditional cultures teach that forming meaningful relationships with others is the most rigorous spiritual practice we can undertake.
In human relationships, we face both easy-to-accept natures and difficult-to-accept natures.
Through this, we learn the ability to love, forgive, and respect others.
At the door of black and white, you are faced with both positive and negative shadows.
A positive shadow is made up of positive aspects and talents that have not yet been fully revealed.
Negative shadows are those that judge or acknowledge themselves negatively.
It is made up of the appearance of not trying to do something.
What are the positive and negative aspects of yourself that you're reluctant to accept? What are the positive aspects of others you wish you could emulate, and what are the negative aspects you wish others had? As we age, we must embrace both these negative and positive aspects of ourselves.
Carl Jung said that every relationship is a crucible of trials that reveal the light and dark sides of ourselves to each other and illuminate the gifts of learning and practice.
He also said in “Memory, Dream, Thought” that “to face a person with a shadow is to show that person light.”
Connecting with each other like this gives us the opportunity to shine our light on each other.
The second half of life requires different love depending on the relationship.
This love should not control or possess others, nor should it allow itself to be controlled or possessed.
--- p.127∼128

The eight doors emphasize the sharpness of time and the need to integrate all of our life's experiences.
At each door, we went through a process of specific tasks, challenges, gifts, reflections, and practices.
They provided us with the structure we need to identify and reevaluate what and whom we value, and what truly matters to us.
And it showed us what we have tried to fix, re-try, and make right in life, and what longings we have yet to fulfill.
What door has evoked unexpected emotions, dreams, memories, longings, or a sense of calling in you? Which door has been the most inspiring, challenging, or surprising? Perhaps there are some that you would like to return to for greater inspiration or deeper work.
You may want to experience each door with friends or family.
As you experience each door, what changes or actions do you want to take based on the results you encounter? How can you live a meaningful life in the time you have left? What important things can you still do for others? What is the most important thing we should remember at the end of this journey? The philosopher Emerson said:
Whether it's giving birth to a healthy child, leaving a small garden, or a better social environment, leaving this world a little better place.
If you can make one person breathe a little easier, that's true success.

--- From "Epilogue"