Dancing in the Storm

I am going to tell you a really hard story today. I don’t know how many people will agree with me because this is so difficult in reality. However, I am sure that this story is worth discussing.

There is my favorite quote. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene.

Humans inevitably face situations which they cannot control in their lives. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a failure in an important test or interview, we face a myriad of storms, big and small. Obviously, even memorizing multiplication tables in elementary school would have been a great pain when we were young. The reason is that there is a limit to human ability. We can’t live our whole lives without dying, know what others are thinking, or ask companies or universities to change the results of exams. We won’t even be able to remove the concept of multiplication tables from this world.

In these situations, we experience frustration, helplessness, and great sadness. Often, we firmly believe that after this storm, our lives will be happy. We think that the only reason we are unhappy is because of this storm. We’re used to say “I’ll be happy to enter university,” “I’ll be happy to get over this disease,” and “I’ll be happy to get a job and make money.” This is an attitude that values result over the process of work. However, our lives don’t end just by achieving something. Life is a process. Moreover, we inevitably continue to encounter tough situations. That’s why when one worry is solved, another emerges.

Therefore, we should practice dancing in the rain, wearing boots and raincoats. I actually experienced the effects of this. When I was 20 years old, I failed the university exam. I studied for the Korean SAT again for a year. At that time, I also heard that one of my family members had a serious illness. Then I found this quote from a book. And I tried to dance in the storm of failure and family struggle. I tried to accept the process itself as a life and feel happy in the process. I thought I would like to be happy every day rather than thinking I can be happy only when this hardship is over. I tried to enjoy studying itself, brainwashed myself that it was fun, and it really worked. Also, I tried to express more affection to my sick family than usual. As a result, although my family’s illness has not been fully healed yet, I was able to spend time with my family and make joyful memories. At the same time, I could get excellent results on the Korean SAT. I strongly believe that the results came out well because the process was enjoyable. At that time, I felt that I could be satisfied with any result.

Above all, now I have confidence that I can enjoy even when I have a hard time. Of course, tough situations are still very perplexing and scary. Therefore, even with repeated practice, this is a very difficult job. However, your sad feelings are not wrong. I hope you are sick and sad enough when you have a hard time. Because it is a natural thing. Then study how to dance in the storm. It is also helpful to think separately between emotions and actions.

If one just waits for the storm to pass, his or her life will be over before he or she knows it, for our lives are stormy in themselves.