뉴스레터

You are gone,

leaving behind

so many cries and so much loss

Still, there must be tomorrow for us

A storm should rage in every heart

that now shatters the weariness of history

The distance between humans

Such great songs of life

Overcome here stained with grief

The year changes once again

“On One New Year's Eve”

Han Seung-heon

This is the time when we recall an illustrated poem hung at home during childhood. As the New Year dawns, we ponder many things. These likely include some remorse we may feel about how nothing has been achieved while time has gone by so fast, as well as our resolutions to live a better and more meaningful life this year. These will take a similar form for everyone, of all ages and countries.

Documents have many writings recording sentiments about the quick passing of time. In his poem “Passing the Night in the Open Air outside of the Castle in Sangju on New Year's Eve”, Su Dongpo described the liquor drunk on New Year's Day as the pitiable feeling of drinking later than young people in the order of age.

There was also a state exam featuring the following content during the reign of Gwanghaegun in the Joseon period.

“Everyone is delighted with the coming of the New Year during childhood, but what is the reason that everyone feels sad as he or she grows old? Tell me what you think about their remorse over the passage of time.”

In his response to Gwanghaegun's question, Lee Myeong-han (1595-1645) stated, “The sorry feeling about the passage of the year is the feeling sorry about aging,” and concurrently expressed his differing resolve. If you continue to endeavor with passion for learning without faltering, you can ill afford to feel sorry about the passing of time and about aging.

“So I stay on alert, based on this. 'Time flies so fast like so, and never stays with me. The saints hated not to do things worthy of praise from others even until the time of their death. If there is nothing worth seeing while alive and there is nothing to be passed down after death, what difference is there from the plants and trees withering?'”

The resolutions made in the New Year are the wish to change oneself with the goal of new things according to their own desire. The changes are not only a sorry feeling about aging, but we rather set a new course in accordance with our age, the time, and social changes. That is “Susibyeonyeok”.

As with the natural world, all of the actions of people will inevitably change. It is learning that delves into the principles of change in the world of nature and of humans. This is true of the humanities dealing with people, as well as the social and natural sciences. Historical studies are all the more so.

Looking back on the history of humankind, there is some things that change drastically, like a revolution; in general, if smaller changes are gathered, it will trigger a major change. Dig deeper into a drastic change, and you will find that countless little changes are involved in it. As the seasons change and as the tiny energy of yang within the energy of yin in a cold winter grows little by little to become spring, all things change when the time comes. Changes in human affairs also require a “will to change”, just like all things changing according to time. Change does not begin if you keep still. Even a tiny change must be attempted to take even one step forward. This is applied to human affairs, organizations, and history. “Zhou yi”, who compiled the principles of change, explains this with “there is always a way out.” “Yi (易, change) is about something that changes by need, is applied after changing, and endures after application.” However, what endures after changing finds needs with the further passage of time. There is an evil even in the “Law of Dynasty” that means nothing can be changed. Around that time, many reformers and politicians (Wang Anshi, Kang Youwei, Yi I, Park Eun-sik, etc.) insisted on “modification” reforms. We have seen this phenomenon in history many times.

However, such changes require much time and perseverance. In his book “The Bloody History of the Korean Independence Movement”, Park Eun-sik, who had been active in the ethnic movement through historical studies, exemplified two opposite cases regarding the attitude of acting in an independence movement. They are Yugong yishan (愚公移山) and Kuafu zhuri (夸父逐日), both in the Tangwen (湯問) volume of “Liezi (列子)”. Yugong (“foolish man”) began the task of moving a big mountain himself, and accomplished it at last by letting his future generations inherit the task; in contrast, Kuafu competed against the sun, relying solely on his own power and courage, only to die of thirst. Park Eun-sik said that even the independence movement should be carried out with the attitude of “Yugong yishan”. I believe that the change and innovation that we are trying to achieve will have to be like that. The systems and practices of all organizations must change according to circumstances. This is certainly the time for all of us, as well as our Foundation, to head for change, even by a little bit. In the New Year, I hope that we will attempt things that we have not yet experienced and obtain results, and that we will reduce regrettable things by even a little bit with the dawn of another New Year.

As this is the Year of the Rat, Gyeongja, I am reminded of the phrase “Taesanmyeongdongseoilpil (泰山鳴動鼠一匹)”. You may think that you could barely move a rat even if a great mountain shakes, but conversely, even a rat may not move unless a great mountain is shaken. We can judge the results later, but I hope that this will be one year during which we can dream a dream grand enough to look for changes that would make a great mountain cry and shake.

New Year's Day 2020, Year of Gyeongja,

Northeast Asian History Foundation president Kim Do-hyung