The Ideal Yeoshik
Dear reader,
Due to the nature of the quarantine, I've spent a lot of time on my own either working, reading or procrastinating. Not sure if I mentioned this in my last post, but I believe that there's a silver lining to the virus.
As was said by the musician Grebenshikov, "don't pay so much attention to your boredom. Look inside yourself, as it's one of the most fascinating things you could see" (naturally I'm paraphrasing). So, based of these words, the quarantine presents a unique opportunity, possibly the first in decades and the last for decades to come, where people can look at who they are, see what they want in life and who they want to be.
I'm saying this, because I believe that the luxury of being with yourself, thinking about who you are and who you want to be is usually swept under the constant worries of the everyday and we never address it, since there are more urgent tasks at hand. At first glance, this seems logical; it's a question that can be addressed at any point in your life whilst the issues such as deadlines, stress at work and tensions with the people who are close to you.
However, I believe that this is a way of living that doesn't provide as much happiness and satisfaction with life, because (and I'm using Seneca's analogy here) even though you can get to the other shore through storms and gales, the voyage will be less pleasant than the one across calm waters. Seneca's other shore is ones death, however let's step away from that concept, as I don't wish to talk about our mortality here. The key concept is that there are different ways of living your life, with varying degrees of enjoyment. I believe that knowing our motivations and what we strive for is an important factor to calming the storms, as it removes some of the sub-conscious questioning of ourselves and gives us a sense of purpose.
Now dear reader, I'm going to indulge myself and discuss what would be the ideal Yeoshik:
1. Wake-up early, yet feel happy
2. Always have something to look forward to throughout the day, even if it's something small
3. Feel good about my body and mind as well as the work I do
4. Feel good about the people who I'm surrounded with
5. Always act with honour, but also always with humour
Now I recognise that this is a pure ideal and that I am unlikely to achieve it within my lifetime. There are many factors that are outside of my control, but because something is impossible is no reason not to strive for it, as the good it brings along the way is enough.
The first point I've been trying to achieve for most of my life at this point, but I was always undermined by my bad habits such as internet addiction and reading.
The second point is more of a state of mind which I never really addresssed before, yet I believe is appealing.
The third one entails a constant process of conscious self-improvement, which I wasn't able to achieve due to a lack of will.
Fourth one is only very partially controlled by me, however the key take away is a process of a constant search for people who are "my people", rather than just complacently sticking with the ones I have.
Finally, acting with honour is one that stayed with me ever since I've started reading old novels and other adventure books, but one that is starting to stick more as I'm reading 'Letters about Good' by Lihachev, as it made me think about the me who's at the end of my line and their conscious. Humour is also of great importance, as it always brightens my and someone's elses day more than any new possession could.
In conclusion, reader, if you found something of interest to you, I'm happy that I could provide you with something. If not, then I say fair enough. This is a weird sort of diary I've, for potentially reasons of pride, decided to do in a public but anonymous manner. If you are to come back, I'll then see you later. Otherwise, have a good time of the day!
Sincerely,
Yeoshik
Due to the nature of the quarantine, I've spent a lot of time on my own either working, reading or procrastinating. Not sure if I mentioned this in my last post, but I believe that there's a silver lining to the virus.
As was said by the musician Grebenshikov, "don't pay so much attention to your boredom. Look inside yourself, as it's one of the most fascinating things you could see" (naturally I'm paraphrasing). So, based of these words, the quarantine presents a unique opportunity, possibly the first in decades and the last for decades to come, where people can look at who they are, see what they want in life and who they want to be.
I'm saying this, because I believe that the luxury of being with yourself, thinking about who you are and who you want to be is usually swept under the constant worries of the everyday and we never address it, since there are more urgent tasks at hand. At first glance, this seems logical; it's a question that can be addressed at any point in your life whilst the issues such as deadlines, stress at work and tensions with the people who are close to you.
However, I believe that this is a way of living that doesn't provide as much happiness and satisfaction with life, because (and I'm using Seneca's analogy here) even though you can get to the other shore through storms and gales, the voyage will be less pleasant than the one across calm waters. Seneca's other shore is ones death, however let's step away from that concept, as I don't wish to talk about our mortality here. The key concept is that there are different ways of living your life, with varying degrees of enjoyment. I believe that knowing our motivations and what we strive for is an important factor to calming the storms, as it removes some of the sub-conscious questioning of ourselves and gives us a sense of purpose.
Now dear reader, I'm going to indulge myself and discuss what would be the ideal Yeoshik:
1. Wake-up early, yet feel happy
2. Always have something to look forward to throughout the day, even if it's something small
3. Feel good about my body and mind as well as the work I do
4. Feel good about the people who I'm surrounded with
5. Always act with honour, but also always with humour
Now I recognise that this is a pure ideal and that I am unlikely to achieve it within my lifetime. There are many factors that are outside of my control, but because something is impossible is no reason not to strive for it, as the good it brings along the way is enough.
The first point I've been trying to achieve for most of my life at this point, but I was always undermined by my bad habits such as internet addiction and reading.
The second point is more of a state of mind which I never really addresssed before, yet I believe is appealing.
The third one entails a constant process of conscious self-improvement, which I wasn't able to achieve due to a lack of will.
Fourth one is only very partially controlled by me, however the key take away is a process of a constant search for people who are "my people", rather than just complacently sticking with the ones I have.
Finally, acting with honour is one that stayed with me ever since I've started reading old novels and other adventure books, but one that is starting to stick more as I'm reading 'Letters about Good' by Lihachev, as it made me think about the me who's at the end of my line and their conscious. Humour is also of great importance, as it always brightens my and someone's elses day more than any new possession could.
In conclusion, reader, if you found something of interest to you, I'm happy that I could provide you with something. If not, then I say fair enough. This is a weird sort of diary I've, for potentially reasons of pride, decided to do in a public but anonymous manner. If you are to come back, I'll then see you later. Otherwise, have a good time of the day!
Sincerely,
Yeoshik
Comments
Post a Comment