Living a Moral Life

 "Living a Moral Life"

Lately, I've been feeling a lot of stress personally. As someone in the planning department, I find myself inundated with external documents, work reports, and the daily barrage of A4 papers fluttering in like leaves in the wind. Thankfully, my team members support each other with their assigned tasks, but I can't help but wonder if I'd go crazy if I had to do it all alone. Sometimes, the tranquility of everyday life feels awkward to me. I can't shake the feeling of unease, like something is about to burst at any moment, and I worry about myself in those moments. I think most working individuals might share similar sentiments, even if their lives look different on the surface. Occasionally, I find myself daydreaming about handing in my resignation and taking a break. I fantasize about building a small house in a quiet countryside, sitting in a sunlit living room, reading books, and writing. I wonder if I could survive by lecturing and consulting based on the expertise I've gained from my years of work. But then, the fleeting thoughts are quickly dispelled by the reality of the regular child support payments I need to make.

In the midst of these thoughts, I ponder what it truly means to live a serene life. It's about maintaining inner peace every day, even amidst the hustle and bustle of work, and having the clarity of mind to make decisions without being clouded by anxiety. Ideally, my family would be in good health and we'd spend our days laughing and enjoying each other's company. While the challenges of making ends meet shouldn't be too daunting, we should be able to get by without too much difficulty.

"Are there even people like this in South Korea?"

Yet, what intrigues me more is why the affluent lifestyles of citizens in Nordic countries, Australia, New Zealand, and other developed nations seem unattainable for us. Additionally, I envy the citizens of developing countries with low GDP but high happiness indexes. From this perspective, I believe the low happiness index among South Koreans is partially the responsibility of the government. Of course, happiness is ultimately an individual's choice. However, the government also bears responsibility for pressuring citizens into competition and growth through education, media, and other means. Stamp of approval for those who excel in the desired skills of the nation—Korean, English, and math—is equated with success, while those who don't are branded as losers. The nation shouldn't force its citizens into growth. The nation exists for the happiness of its people. The government shouldn't coerce citizens into giving up their right to pursue happiness for the sake of national growth.

What are the alternatives? Change the college entrance exam system and evaluate English proficiency instead of academic credentials when hiring public servants... Will this make the people happier? What's the point of being smart? In a society where leaders can't distinguish between public and private, knowledge may actually exacerbate the unhappiness of the masses. The laws of this world—Einstein's energy equation, Newton's law of inertia, the ideal gas law, the laws of force, the laws of magnetism...—are very simple. They describe the laws of the earth in just a few words.

I see life in the same light. Looking at what adults have been saying all along reinforces this belief. The truth is that "law and order, morality lead to happiness for the people." As I mentioned earlier, the correlation between GDP and happiness is not absolute. What we need right now is a country that strives to be moral and ethical. Politicians who aspire to be moral and ethical. It's the moral values that Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, and other sages have always talked about...

There's a story about a believer who prayed to God for a hundred days. "Oh Lord Almighty!... And wash away the hatred and resentment in my heart." In response, God, exhausted and annoyed, answered after a hundred days with an irritated voice, "Read the Bible again. Haven't I already told you... Why can't you understand?"

If you were to entrust someone with the key to your home, what would you consider the most important quality?