Sometimes we choose unhappiness over happiness.
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Description
Book Introduction
Cumulative sales of 15 million copies
A new essay by bestselling author Kim Jin-myeong
A book compiled by author Kim Jin-myeong, containing his thoughts and experiences throughout his life.
Why did the author publish this book before writing Goguryeo, his lifelong homework?
I really want to tell this story to people living in this era.
Don't be obsessed with success.
Even failure has its own philosophy.
Sometimes we choose unhappiness over happiness.
“Beasts and insects are instinctively selfish, but humans have overcome that instinct and live a life of ‘altruism’ that goes beyond ‘selfishness.’
Humans are also happy when they solve human problems.
The homework is to find the meaning and value of life.
Humans do not necessarily pursue only happiness.
Sometimes misfortune is better, if that makes sense.
It is the human being who thinks that a hungry Socrates is better than a happy pig.
And it is books that enable humans to rise above beasts and insects.”
- 2021.01.20.
From an interview with the Reading Newspaper
"The opposite of inner strength is outer strength.
He studies well, has a pretty face, is knowledgeable, and has a high status.
These are the things.
In our society, everyone is running towards it.
But this alone cannot make humans happy.
Rather, the more external strength you gain, the more your inner self breaks down.
To make a lot of money, you sometimes have to live exaggeratedly and sometimes falsely.
This is usually how you gain external strength.
Inner strength is the opposite.
Sincerity, earnestness, goodness, filial piety, justice.
“Anyone can have these things if they put their mind to it.”
“To have inner strength, you must first become aware of it.
It's about looking at the world.
It is a process of seeing and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of external and internal strength.
And you have to choose the path you want to take in life.
Even if I'm not rich, if I feel like I can push forward with what I believe is right, then I can live that kind of life.
This requires the cognitive ability to read and judge the world on one's own, and this can only be developed through reading.
So, the first condition for developing inner strength is reading.”
- 2013.07.02.
From an interview on Channel Yes
“Books are not simply a collection of knowledge and information.
The spirit of the writer is contained in the book.
You can learn, evaluate, and compare yourself with this spirit.
Even though they are the same knowledge and information, the Internet and books are different.
The Internet is truly rootless knowledge.
The book is arranged to reflect the author's perspective.
Reading is an act of developing inner strength.
This is different from money, status, knowledge, looks, and power, which we consider important.
It refers to seriousness, sincerity, nobility, justice, goodness, sacrifice, filial piety, etc.
This is something that is very necessary for humans.
- 2015.09.23.
From an interview with JoongAng Ilbo
A new essay by bestselling author Kim Jin-myeong
A book compiled by author Kim Jin-myeong, containing his thoughts and experiences throughout his life.
Why did the author publish this book before writing Goguryeo, his lifelong homework?
I really want to tell this story to people living in this era.
Don't be obsessed with success.
Even failure has its own philosophy.
Sometimes we choose unhappiness over happiness.
“Beasts and insects are instinctively selfish, but humans have overcome that instinct and live a life of ‘altruism’ that goes beyond ‘selfishness.’
Humans are also happy when they solve human problems.
The homework is to find the meaning and value of life.
Humans do not necessarily pursue only happiness.
Sometimes misfortune is better, if that makes sense.
It is the human being who thinks that a hungry Socrates is better than a happy pig.
And it is books that enable humans to rise above beasts and insects.”
- 2021.01.20.
From an interview with the Reading Newspaper
"The opposite of inner strength is outer strength.
He studies well, has a pretty face, is knowledgeable, and has a high status.
These are the things.
In our society, everyone is running towards it.
But this alone cannot make humans happy.
Rather, the more external strength you gain, the more your inner self breaks down.
To make a lot of money, you sometimes have to live exaggeratedly and sometimes falsely.
This is usually how you gain external strength.
Inner strength is the opposite.
Sincerity, earnestness, goodness, filial piety, justice.
“Anyone can have these things if they put their mind to it.”
“To have inner strength, you must first become aware of it.
It's about looking at the world.
It is a process of seeing and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of external and internal strength.
And you have to choose the path you want to take in life.
Even if I'm not rich, if I feel like I can push forward with what I believe is right, then I can live that kind of life.
This requires the cognitive ability to read and judge the world on one's own, and this can only be developed through reading.
So, the first condition for developing inner strength is reading.”
- 2013.07.02.
From an interview on Channel Yes
“Books are not simply a collection of knowledge and information.
The spirit of the writer is contained in the book.
You can learn, evaluate, and compare yourself with this spirit.
Even though they are the same knowledge and information, the Internet and books are different.
The Internet is truly rootless knowledge.
The book is arranged to reflect the author's perspective.
Reading is an act of developing inner strength.
This is different from money, status, knowledge, looks, and power, which we consider important.
It refers to seriousness, sincerity, nobility, justice, goodness, sacrifice, filial piety, etc.
This is something that is very necessary for humans.
- 2015.09.23.
From an interview with JoongAng Ilbo
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
1.
Develop your inner strength
Mother's mixer
Dream of success
Memories of poor days
Memories of the Choir
Mother-in-law's refrigerator
The day I went to the army
Conditions for confession
Hongik University Police Station
A recommendation for reading
The power of humanities
The power of pagers
2.
Sometimes we choose unhappiness over happiness.
Ahn Jung-geun's mother
Humans contribute to human history by their very existence.
Two different teachings
The first sentence of a famous novel
The way to Songgwangsa Temple
Selfish genes and altruistic sacrifice
A moment of evolution and challenge for humanity
A society without tragedy
Buddha
Three Secrets to Living Well in the World
3.
They were beautiful
The Taoist I Met
There is no patent
Young people of Yeongwol
The 33rd Military Police Corps members that day
Nagano Sensei
President Maeng
The most comfortable face in the world
Ssangyong Restaurant
What sin did I commit in my past life?
High priest of Haeinsa Temple
Some two people
math teacher
The road to Daecheongbong
Baekunam Hermitage of Tongdosa Temple
Goodbye Baikal
Japan, let's go together
Afghan
4.
In search of stories in history
Come back, Dreamy Garden
Hamheung tea ceremony
Korean identity
Ezo Report
Confucius's agony
What happened to Prince Yangnyeong?
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (1)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (2)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (3)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (4)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (5)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (1)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (2)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (3)
5.
In the flow of time
Deoksugung Stone Wall Road
Do you know Jecheon?
Why I Write 『Goguryeo』
Develop your inner strength
Mother's mixer
Dream of success
Memories of poor days
Memories of the Choir
Mother-in-law's refrigerator
The day I went to the army
Conditions for confession
Hongik University Police Station
A recommendation for reading
The power of humanities
The power of pagers
2.
Sometimes we choose unhappiness over happiness.
Ahn Jung-geun's mother
Humans contribute to human history by their very existence.
Two different teachings
The first sentence of a famous novel
The way to Songgwangsa Temple
Selfish genes and altruistic sacrifice
A moment of evolution and challenge for humanity
A society without tragedy
Buddha
Three Secrets to Living Well in the World
3.
They were beautiful
The Taoist I Met
There is no patent
Young people of Yeongwol
The 33rd Military Police Corps members that day
Nagano Sensei
President Maeng
The most comfortable face in the world
Ssangyong Restaurant
What sin did I commit in my past life?
High priest of Haeinsa Temple
Some two people
math teacher
The road to Daecheongbong
Baekunam Hermitage of Tongdosa Temple
Goodbye Baikal
Japan, let's go together
Afghan
4.
In search of stories in history
Come back, Dreamy Garden
Hamheung tea ceremony
Korean identity
Ezo Report
Confucius's agony
What happened to Prince Yangnyeong?
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (1)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (2)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (3)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (4)
The Truth About the Gwanggaeto Stele (5)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (1)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (2)
Why did Kim Jae-gyu abandon Namsan and go to the Army Headquarters? (3)
5.
In the flow of time
Deoksugung Stone Wall Road
Do you know Jecheon?
Why I Write 『Goguryeo』
Publisher's Review
The first essay by Kim Jin-myeong, a representative writer of the Republic of Korea, "Sometimes I Choose Unhappiness Instead of Happiness," has been published by Itabooks.
This book, which weaves together the author's experiences and feelings throughout his life into five strands, will serve as a strange yet welcome window for readers to contemplate the strength within themselves, thanks to the profound insight of Kim Jin-myeong, who has written numerous bestselling novels across various subjects and fields.
"Sometimes, we choose unhappiness over happiness," a phrase that may sound boring at first, but is like a truth that sustains our lives, is melted into interesting and meaningful anecdotes, guiding readers on a path of thought in a friendly and interesting way.
Developing inner strength through reading and reflection.
Achieving accomplishments in a broader sense, rather than focusing solely on success and fame.
Sometimes it's better to choose unhappiness over happiness.
Building beautiful relationships and walking together with others.
Kim Jin-myeong asks us to take a different path from the one we have now: “Isn’t there perhaps another path in our lives, which are filled with endless competition?”
Readers who answer these questions while reading the book will find themselves exploring values by joining the author's deep anguish over the meaning of life.
Where do humans come from and where do they go?
How should I live?
How can we find meaning in life?
In this book, the author constantly ponders how to live.
As an example, he points out that the gravitational force of the moon, which even the greatest intellectuals of the time could not understand, is now taught in elementary education, through the famous anecdote that Aristotle, the great philosopher known as the teacher of mankind, drowned in the sea because he could not explain to his students why waves crash.
Since humans need a long time to solve homework, we can pass on sufficient meaning to future generations by simply living our lives diligently without being impatient.
“Human life itself has meaning.
“Just living and experiencing the world can be a way to pass on knowledge to future generations.”
But why is our life, which should be enough just to survive, so empty?
Could it be due to the inevitable lack of empathy and loss of transcendent values stemming from the ever-rapid changes in our world? The author points out the coldness of our society.
“Our society is becoming increasingly shallow as we live our daily lives devoid of any genuine empathy or affection.”
We need to break away from the situation where we have countless conversations every day, but the more we talk, the more lonely we become.
Humans have meaning in themselves, but a life lived alone without others is empty.
Author Jinmyeong Kim has captivated the public for a long time through his novels.
Through this new essay, he conveys what he truly wanted to say to his readers.
The sorrows and joys and sorrows of the people I met while living my life,
Through the anecdotes of great people, we can discover a sublime spiritual world that transcends instinct.
The lives and human nature of various people I met while writing,
The preciousness of history that we have forgotten,
A quest for transcendent values that connect the past and present.
I open this book with a light yet serious heart and hope that you will definitely read it.
This book, which weaves together the author's experiences and feelings throughout his life into five strands, will serve as a strange yet welcome window for readers to contemplate the strength within themselves, thanks to the profound insight of Kim Jin-myeong, who has written numerous bestselling novels across various subjects and fields.
"Sometimes, we choose unhappiness over happiness," a phrase that may sound boring at first, but is like a truth that sustains our lives, is melted into interesting and meaningful anecdotes, guiding readers on a path of thought in a friendly and interesting way.
Developing inner strength through reading and reflection.
Achieving accomplishments in a broader sense, rather than focusing solely on success and fame.
Sometimes it's better to choose unhappiness over happiness.
Building beautiful relationships and walking together with others.
Kim Jin-myeong asks us to take a different path from the one we have now: “Isn’t there perhaps another path in our lives, which are filled with endless competition?”
Readers who answer these questions while reading the book will find themselves exploring values by joining the author's deep anguish over the meaning of life.
Where do humans come from and where do they go?
How should I live?
How can we find meaning in life?
In this book, the author constantly ponders how to live.
As an example, he points out that the gravitational force of the moon, which even the greatest intellectuals of the time could not understand, is now taught in elementary education, through the famous anecdote that Aristotle, the great philosopher known as the teacher of mankind, drowned in the sea because he could not explain to his students why waves crash.
Since humans need a long time to solve homework, we can pass on sufficient meaning to future generations by simply living our lives diligently without being impatient.
“Human life itself has meaning.
“Just living and experiencing the world can be a way to pass on knowledge to future generations.”
But why is our life, which should be enough just to survive, so empty?
Could it be due to the inevitable lack of empathy and loss of transcendent values stemming from the ever-rapid changes in our world? The author points out the coldness of our society.
“Our society is becoming increasingly shallow as we live our daily lives devoid of any genuine empathy or affection.”
We need to break away from the situation where we have countless conversations every day, but the more we talk, the more lonely we become.
Humans have meaning in themselves, but a life lived alone without others is empty.
Author Jinmyeong Kim has captivated the public for a long time through his novels.
Through this new essay, he conveys what he truly wanted to say to his readers.
The sorrows and joys and sorrows of the people I met while living my life,
Through the anecdotes of great people, we can discover a sublime spiritual world that transcends instinct.
The lives and human nature of various people I met while writing,
The preciousness of history that we have forgotten,
A quest for transcendent values that connect the past and present.
I open this book with a light yet serious heart and hope that you will definitely read it.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Publication date: July 28, 2022
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 284 pages | 356g | 124*188*20mm
- ISBN13: 9791167763204
- ISBN10: 1167763203
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