Let’s Accept Things As They Are

I’m trying to refrain from self-censorship and accept myself as I am. For example, instead of “I don’t mix easily with others,” saying “I prefer having deep relationships with a small number of people.” Instead of “I’m a boring person,” saying “I’m someone who prefers a regular life.”

There are people who repeatedly talk about their own shortcomings or complexes with their own mouths. I used to be like that too. “I have a bit of a prince-syndrome tendency…”, “I’m not very meticulous…”, “I’m not good at memorizing things.” Of course, being aware of one’s own traits is important. But how one comes to accept those traits seems even more important. Perceiving your own traits as flaws and openly talking about them to others isn’t cool.

I want to perceive my own traits positively and live in a way that makes the most of my strengths. As the old saying goes, it’s not wrong, it’s just different.

The same goes for groups. In Korea, there’s a tendency to perceive things that are distinctly Korean in a negative light. Words like “kimchi” or “doenjang” (fermented soybean paste) are used to express negative images of Koreans, as in “kimchi-nyeo” or “doenjang-nyeo.” “Joseon” is used to reveal the dark sides of Korean society, as in “Hell Joseon” or “Joseon-com.” I feel that there’s an implicit tendency to look down on Korea as a nation.

Of course, Korea has many aspects that make life tough, and there are plenty of social problems. But there are definitely aspects that are well-organized and comfortable to live with. When traveling through Europe or the U.S., there’s more than one or two moments where I think, “Korea is a paradise compared to this…” I hope a tendency develops to accept the characteristics of Korea as they are and to view the country in a more positive light.