Pukyong National University

'Who are you suffering from? Read the meaning of that pain.'
A review of <Pukyong CEO Happiness Humanities Concert> Lecture 73rd, Professor Jeong Ho-seung

△ Poet Jeong Ho-seung is giving a lecture. ⓒPhoto by Lee Sung-jae (PR team)

At 7:00 am, the lecturer at the 73rd lecture of the Pukyong CEO Happy Humanities Concert held at Somin Hall on the 2nd floor of the Pukyong National University was Mr. Jeong.

He is Korea's representative poet, who has been celebrating his 43rd year of literary career this year. He is the poet who has written about 1,000 poems so far, including poem 「Lonely because I'm a human」 and his 13th poem, which will be released in January next year.

In order to share 'the most valuable value in life', the introduced his poem was 'Travel'.

Let's read.

Travel

- Jeong Ho-seung

The only place a person can travel is the heart of a man.
Still where people can travel
Only the heart of loved ones.
So dear, leave.
Leave and never come back.
Eagles flying in the expanse of the snow mountain
Until they peck my heart slowly
My pecked heart becomes dust
Until it's blown by the wind
Don't come back.
Where people can travel
It is only the heart of man.

Mr. Jeong said, “'Where' do we travel in life on a small star called the earth? It is the heart of man.”

"So what do we travel to find in the other person's mind?" he asked and replied, "It is love.” and added, "We travel in search of the love in the heart of a person"

“But finding love is painful. It is painful if the person I love doesn't love me.” he said.

Jeong introduced the world's richest man Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in an interview saying that 'being loved by a close person is a true success'. "I was shocked by what they said that being rich and socially high is truly a success, not a person who is successful, but loved by a close person."

It is true that the subjective success that succeeds with the standard of love rather than the social, conventional, objective general success, and who lives a life full of love from family, friends and neighbors is true success.

But that's not easy. The more you love, the more pain comes. Jeong even said, “Love and pain are the same word.”

"As stars shine through the darkness, we need pain like hate and hate to realize true love in life." he said.

“Pain comes especially from the closest and most beloved,” he said. “If you don't love, it's not painful. There is no love without pain.”

Jeong says, “Pain means alive. Pain exists to beautify my existence.”

How can you be less painful when you are in pain?

In response, the poet told the story of the Austrian psychiatrist Victor Planckell, who showed his victory in human dignity at Nazi concentration camps.

'Pain is no longer pain when it finds its meaning. There is no meaningless pain. -Victor Flank’

Victor Planckell said he survived the camp and testified to mankind of Nazi brutality as suffering.
 
Jeong said, “I suffered a lot. The pain was something that caused me to write a poem. My poem is a flower of pain.” If there was no pain, there was no attempt.

He said that comparing life with others is also a cause of pain.

“My life is as beautiful as my life. "Why don't you see the beauty of my life? Why do you see the beauty of another life?"

'Choose love when relationships are difficult – Henry Nowen'

It is said to have been written by the poet on his computer login screen.

"We cannot exist apart from relationships. The problem is that relationships are often worse than good,” he said. “When you have a difficult relationship, hate or hate is painful, and love is happy. I have no choice but to love indefinitely.”

“I don't blame the other person for choosing love, even though I choose to love it. Don't pay attention to your choices. My choice is important. It is important that I choose love. ”

What if you are still in pain?

He gave his poems as if comforting the audience.

Shattered

- Jeong Ho-seong

The clay Buddha
bought from Lumbini
fell to the floor and shattered.
Arms to Arms, legs to Legs
Neck to neck, toes to toes
It was shattered.
Bend down
Take out the glue that was put in the drawer
The Buddha said
as he kindly stroked my poor head
trying not to break all the time.
When things shattered
You can get shattered pieces
When I shattered
I can live as pieces

To be perfect is pain. Why do we not try to break? Buddha scolds us like that. 'If you are shattered, why do you worry about shattering?' This poem is the 'only one', among the 1,000 poems. Jeong said, “When I am in pain, I feel comfortable reading this poem.” <Pukyong Today>


△ View of Somin Hall, where a lecture is being held.