[FOUNTAIN]Turtles live better
Published: 28 Dec. 2005, 21:59
The year 2005 saw a series of advances and retreats, but eventually went forward steadily. Earning more money and achieving a higher social status does not mean that we have advanced. If we can welcome the New Year with comfort and expectation, couldn’t we say this year was successful?
People who think like this may be similar to turtles. Although they are slow, turtles are focused on their goals. It is a mark of concentration. Their footsteps, sight and goal are aligned and stable.
However, the hare’s mind is on its competitors. Although it runs forward, it keeps looking around. Even if it is running ahead of the competition, the hare is impatient. Its footsteps and sight crisscross each other and it does not have a goal in the distance. Life without a goal is shaky and consumed by a fear of being outrun by others.
Turtle-style humanity shines more brightly in a society where the law of the jungle and the winner-gets-all mentality dominates the social order. Not everyone can be winners. Whether the person will belong to the minority of winners or the majority of losers, turtle-style humanity generates happiness. A person like the hare would be unhappy even in victory. People with turtle style humanity look forward to the future even when they lose.
Turtle-style humanity develops when one realizes the great productivity of time. We can make money or create better quality products by investing time. However, in reverse, it is hard to earn time with money or products.
Consider the concept of a value management triangle of time, money and quality. It is hard to satisfy all three values at once ― one must sacrifice at least one of them. To an individual, the value with the highest elasticity is time. When costs are limited and it is hard to lower the quality, there is no other choice but to offer one’s time.
Taking time to prepare, perform a process and constantly move forward ― this is the attitude for putting one’s time into something. The legend of speed, which is about making high quality products at a low cost in a short amount of time is unrealistic. Hwang Woo-suk’s stem cell incident and the National Intelligence Service’s wiretapping case were the result of trying to do something quickly.
The price for not sacrificing our time is huge. We must be humble before time. This is where turtle-style humanity blooms. Ours is an age where excessive competition incites hare-like humanity. How about opening your mind a little, so there would be a place for the turtle?
by Chun Young-gi
The writer is a deputy political news editor at the JoongAng Ilbo.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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