In this blog post, we’ll explore what personal dreams and happiness mean in the midst of endless competition and reflect on the balance between social success and true happiness.
This is a story from a children’s book. It begins in the trash can of a living room. Inside the trash can lay a piece of glass that had been shattered to pieces by a baseball a few days earlier. The living room was neatly organized, with all the furniture and decorations in their proper places. Yet even in this seemingly perfect space, there are objects that get thrown away once they are no longer needed. The yellow vase scolded the glass shard, saying, “You’re the one who’s useless now. You’re just trash!” Seeing how the others wouldn’t even let anyone touch it, the glass shard felt dejected. It wondered if it had truly become a worthless thing. Amid the living room’s dazzling decorations, the glass shard seemed to shrink and look even more forlorn. But because there was hope, it did not grieve. The glass shard never lost faith that it could be reused in some way. Deep in its heart, there was hope that another opportunity was waiting for it somewhere.
Then one day, a man wearing a hat placed this glass shard into a sack containing other glass shards, and the glass shard set off for an unknown destination. Even as it moved to an unfamiliar place, the glass shard had no idea where it was going, but deep down, it felt a sense of anticipation for a new beginning. And together with the other shards, this glass shard became a clear, transparent glass bottle. Having become a glass bottle and once again bathed in the light of the world, the glass shard was able to forget the despair it had felt when it was discarded. This new form gave it new meaning and value.
This story is included in a children’s book titled *Do I Have to Have a Dream?*. The heartwarming ending—in which the glass shard, though discarded as trash and scorned by other objects, never lost its dream and eventually became a shining glass bottle—emphasizes the importance of dreams to children. The message of this story contains an important lesson that not only children but everyone in the world should remember. Dreams are the driving force that propels people forward and give them the strength to find light even in life’s darkest moments.
However, Korean society imposes dreams on these children in a slightly different way. When these children grow up to become teenagers, the goal that schools and society impose on them is college. This is because the logic goes that one must get good grades to attend a good university, and only by attending a good university can one secure a good job and earn more money. Schools teach students that failing to attend a good university will lead to disaster and ruin their lives. From a young age, students are thrust into relentless competition to meet these social expectations, and in the process, they often lose sight of their true dreams and aspirations. Students’ 12 years of schooling are focused solely on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and it is common for students to study for several more years just to achieve a better CSAT score.
The primary goal of our education system is college admission, followed by employment. Just when they manage to escape the competition over academic pedigree, they must jump into the competition for jobs while still in college. The goal of getting into a good university has been replaced by the goal of landing a good job, and college students are fervently building up their credentials. The reality for today’s college students is that they manage their GPAs, attend language training programs, rush to participate in contests, and even undergo plastic surgery to project a favorable image in job interviews. Just as attending a prestigious university was once the top priority, working for a renowned conglomerate has once again become everyone’s primary goal. Society constantly presents new goals, leaving individuals no time to reflect on their true values and desires.
Even after securing a job, the studying never ends. The demand for working adults studying after work is so high that the term “salary student” has emerged. From learning English to acquiring second languages like Chinese and Japanese, and taking countless certification exams—the list goes on. People work hard to avoid falling behind others and pull all-nighters to secure good performance evaluations and get promoted. In bookstores, self-help books like *20s: Go Crazy for Studying!*, *30s: Go Crazy for Studying Again!*, and *40s: Go Crazy for Studying Once More!* urge people to relentlessly hone themselves. However, amid this craze for self-improvement, the effort to find true happiness in life is pushed to the sidelines. People rush toward material success and social status, yet they lack deep reflection on what awaits them at the end of that journey.
Yet no one is happy. A prime example is the fact that South Korea has held the dubious distinction of having the highest suicide rate among OECD countries for several years. In 2022, South Korea maintained its top ranking with 25.2 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, far exceeding the OECD average. The statistic that 47.2% of deaths among those in their 20s are due to suicide is deeply distressing. Stories of middle and high school students, who have a bright future ahead of them, attempting suicide by jumping from heights due to despair over their grades are all too common.
This reality compels us to deeply reflect on whether the values and goals our society pursues are truly the right ones. Is it really desirable to sacrifice everything for the sole goal of social success, while ignoring individual happiness and quality of life? Many people point to structural problems within our society as the root cause of these shameful statistics. They criticize a society that forces everyone to constantly hone themselves just to survive and secure even a slightly more stable life. Modern society is fundamentally competitive; by winning, one can gain more, and by earning others’ recognition, one can rise to stardom. The material rewards that come with victory are also one of the reasons many people engage in competition.
In an era of convergence where new industries rise and fall daily and span various academic disciplines, the range of work an individual can pursue is endlessly diverse. The uniform culture of competition that pervades Korean society is a direct obstacle to the expression of individual creativity and personality. It is difficult to provide opportunities to those who possess exceptional talent in a specific field and take joy in their work when using a standard that applies equally to everyone. Even if such talented individuals discover their gifts, numerous obstacles stand in their way as they quietly pursue their path.
Furthermore, I would like to ask each individual engaged in this competition: Must receiving material rewards and social recognition truly be the top priority in life? Is it really right to evaluate people using the same yardstick to determine who is better or worse than others? Are people truly giving these matters sufficient thought as they engage in endless competition? I dare say no.
These questions are crucial topics we must ask ourselves. From an individual perspective, there are many reasons why getting into a good university, landing a job at a prestigious company, or earning a lot of money should not be the ultimate goal in life. This is because the relative happiness gained from achieving such goals does not last very long. After being admitted to a prestigious university, one will jump into the competition to secure a job at a top company, and in this sense, the competition we face is endless. Even if one chooses a career with promising prospects and high earnings, the material rewards gained through such means are temporary and not eternal.
It is also worth noting that many people living the lives others dream of actually suffer from mental anguish, struggle with depression, or even choose suicide. For instance, there are frequent reports of students at Seoul National University making such tragic choices every year. If, as many high school students dream, attending a top-tier university truly opens up far better opportunities and guarantees a higher quality of life than for those who do not, then it is difficult to understand why these students would choose suicide.
Ultimately, we must reevaluate what is truly important in life. There is a saying that if you do not live thoughtfully, you will end up thinking as you live. The direction of one’s life is determined by the thoughts one holds while living, and if one does not steer one’s life in the desired direction, one’s thinking becomes bound by one’s current way of life. The material wealth and social status that many people dream of are not eternal. Nor do they bring infinite satisfaction. There are people who are unhappy despite possessing such things, and among them, some suffer from extreme depression and even take their own lives. We must remember that social success and material wealth do not guarantee ultimate happiness in life. This is undoubtedly a point that those who envy what others have and continue their endless competition today must seriously consider.
