Part 1: Philosophy, My Life 101: Caring for Myself and Reading the World (Jinmin Lee)
A list of recommended books for you - please read them!

Part 2 Novels and Stories: As if Living a Thousand Years (Ha Seong-ran)
A list of recommended books for you - please read them!

Part 3: Disability, the World Beyond Difference: Living with "Different" People (Baek Jeong-yeon)
A list of recommended books for you - please read them!

Part 4: Language and Life: Building My World with My Language (Kim Mi-so)
A list of recommended books for you - please read them!

What kind of 'learning' do you need right now?
"My Study Story" by a philosopher, novelist, social entrepreneur, and linguist

The amount of studying that needs to be done in the limited time each day never decreases.
Once you've achieved your target grades, once you're close to getting into your desired university, will you finally feel relieved? What if neither of those things works out? The reality is that we're pressed for time, but often times, the feeling of emptiness grows.
Is it because we need to quickly and coolly recognize the fierce college entrance exam race where everyone is everyone's competitor?
Or, perhaps they are not really interested in studying and are unsure of what to do, but are just doing their homework and solving problems because of the adults' advice and nagging.


“In fact, studying is not easy.
But it's not that difficult." This obvious irony seems to be what leaves most people at a loss.
Well then, let's change the sentence slightly.
“Actually, studying isn’t fun.
But it's not that it's not fun." It's also an obvious irony.
Ultimately, the definition of 'study' is extremely relative and personal depending on the person and the situation, but it is so absolute that it overwhelms us by being lumped together into one value.
There is a lot of good information out there that suggests methods and directions for studying, such as 'how' to study and 'why' to study, but the actual chemistry between 'me' and 'grades' feels close but distant.
Could I, someone like me, find the learning I need in life through studying? Indeed?

"If you ask what use is studying in life?" is a book that discusses "one thing you must study in life" through the theme of humanities.
Four authors—political philosopher Lee Jin-min, novelist Ha Seong-ran, social entrepreneur and social worker Baek Jeong-yeon, and linguist Kim Mi-so—tell their own stories and share their own lessons learned for living in an honest and engaging way.
For those of you who are busy, let me start by saying that this book may not have an immediate effect on your grades.
The process of finding out what studying is and what its use is cannot be easy or quick.
In that sense, how about taking a closer look at the ‘humanities’ written in the book’s subtitle?
Humanities, which are studies of humans, by humans, and for humans, are the most common learning.
We are humans, not AI.
Family, friends, and neighbors are (still mostly) human, and we all live in a world that humans discover, ruin, and then try to rebuild.


So, can we live tomorrow without understanding humanity? When we feel disgusted by someone who looks different from us, when we feel jealousy and hatred toward someone more accomplished than us, when we don't understand why we seek out novels or poetry, when we wonder why we should study languages ​​when a translator can do it for us... We must recognize that what we see, hear, and think isn't the whole story.
Observing our surroundings, experiencing all the joys and sorrows of life, and accepting the world outside of ourselves with a friendly heart all begin with an attitude of studying the world.


I hope that through "What Use is Studying in Life?", you will discover a new and curious understanding of the many and varied meanings of studying.
Before starting the main text, the door to each theme is opened through the 'Checklist' and 'Laying the Foundation for Studying' section, and at the end of the main text, the 'Books, Recommended Reading!' section introduces a list of books carefully selected by each author for readers.
I confidently recommend that you spend time reading this book, and it will not be wasted on your life.


Philosophy - Literature - Difference and Respect (Disability) - Language and the World
I'm starting a humanities class to find the one thing I need in my life!

In Part 1, “Philosophy, My Life 101: Caring for Myself and Reading the World,” we meet the story of political philosopher Jinmin Lee.


Author Lee Jin-min studied political philosophy in Korea and the United States, and now lives in a rural German village, reading, writing, and giving lectures.
It's not like "I'd die without it, like money or Wi-Fi," nor is it "my favorite food, like naengmyeon or tteokbokki," yet philosophy is considered essential, or even essential, to living! Author Lee Jin-min argues, "The utility of philosophy lies precisely in its attitude of questioning its utility." (p. 14)


As we live, we encounter philosophy that is close to us in more diverse forms and shapes than we might think.
Philosophy is embedded in the classroom, in the lyrics of your favorite songs, and even in famous movies.
The author says that we are “fundamentally ignorant beings” and that “not only is the world around me ignorant, but there is also a lot of ignorance within me.”
And this is a natural course of action in a rapidly changing world.
So, let's not miss the author's delightful advice on why we really need philosophy in our lives.


Part 2, 'Novels and Stories: As if Living a Thousand Years', continues with the story of novelist Ha Seong-ran.


Author Ha Seong-ran begins her story by confessing that although she has been writing novels for nearly 30 years, she is always embarrassed when faced with introducing herself.
The sentence the author carefully handed over was 'a person who sees and hears'.
“Seeing and listening is harder than you think.
When faced with a sight that is 'unbearable to look at', it is easy to close our eyes and turn away.
It takes will as well as affection to see it.
“The same goes for listening.” (Page 49) The years of dignified quietude that have passed since he became one of the representative novelists of Korean literature are fully reflected in every word of the story.


You've probably heard this phrase before: "I'm sitting here writing a novel!"
Novels are often dismissed as 'outrageous lies' or 'empty stories'.
Is literature really the subject that universities adjust departments for lack of future prospects and that adults worry about whether their children's career paths and futures will be promising?
The author emphasizes that “reading stories should be a part of life.”
Becoming someone else and empathizing with someone.
This would be an important attitude to not be trapped in my world (dogmatism and stubbornness) through literature.


Four themes of humanities
Let's cultivate a life of self-reliance, tolerance and consideration, and understanding of the world!

Part 3, “A World Beyond Disability and Difference: Living with ‘Different’ People,” tells the story of Baek Jeong-yeon, a social entrepreneur and social worker.


The author, who majored in social welfare, has worked in the field of welfare for the disabled for a long time.
After working as a social worker for 15 years, he decided to start his own business and is currently running a social enterprise called ‘Sosohan Sotong’, which provides easy-to-understand information for people with developmental disabilities and other information-disadvantaged groups.
It's difficult to set a standard because 'easy' feels different to each person.
This is because more people than you might think try to fit a minority answer into the majority answer.
Respecting a person's human rights means respecting that person as he or she is.


Depending on how and with whom you live, people will become slightly different.
Living with her husband, a spinal cord injury patient who uses a wheelchair, the author is exposed to the daily lives of people with disabilities who face discrimination.
“Discrimination continues today, and tomorrow we may discover another form of discrimination,” but the author continues to speak out today, “standing beside the rejected body.”
Everyone has the right to be respected as an equal human being.
It's not about anyone's special talent or ability, it's just a matter of putting your mind to it.
Because difference and discrimination are just a hair's breadth apart.


In Part 4, “Language and Life: How to Create My World with My Language,” we meet the story of linguist Kim Mi-so.


Author Kim Mi-so loves stories and loves to immerse herself in and float between languages.
Wait, what does it mean to enjoy being lost not in language but in the "between" of language? Perhaps there's a hint in the author's words: "Language always crosses borders" (p. 131).
The author, who happened to enter the English Education department instead of the Korean Education department, fell into the world of a new language. After graduating, he lived in the United States for six years and Japan for five years, and ended up in a valley between three languages.


The author, whose interesting background includes being a “Korean who teaches English in Japan,” uses the terms “first language” and “second language” to describe the world of language, rather than using the terms “native language” and “foreign language.”
Because I need to shift the focus from the country to myself to establish my own linguistic world.
But these days, there has been a big change in the world of language.
'Translators' and 'artificial intelligence' are replacing people's second language learning.
Of course, communicating with a translation app is easy and convenient, but going beyond that is difficult.
The author emphasizes that the process of discovering “what I like and what kind of learner I am” is a valuable experience that one encounters when studying a language directly.