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 with a trash can in the living room of a house. Inside the trash can lay a piece of glass that had been shattered to pieces a few days earlier by a baseball. The living room was neat and tidy, 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. A yellow vase scolded the shard of glass, saying, “You’re the one who’s useless now. You’re just trash!” And seeing how the other items didn’t even want to be touched, the shard of glass grew disheartened. It asked itself if it had truly become a useless thing. Amid the living room’s dazzling decorations, the shard of glass seemed to grow smaller and more forlorn. But because there was hope, it did not grieve. The glass shard had not lost faith that it could be reused in some way. Deep in its heart, hope took root that another opportunity was waiting for it somewhere.
Then one day, a man wearing a low-slung 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 was transported to an unfamiliar place, the piece of glass 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 pieces, it became a clear, transparent glass bottle. Now that it had become a glass bottle and was once again bathed in the light of the world, the piece of glass 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 Really Have to Have a Dream?*. The heartwarming ending—in which the glass shard, though discarded as trash and looked down upon 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 belief is 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 get into 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 sometimes 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 higher CSAT score.
The primary goal of our education system is college admission, followed by employment. Just when they are about 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 is replaced by the goal of landing a good job, and college students go all out to build up their résumés. The reality for today’s college students is that they manage their GPAs, attend language study abroad programs, scramble to participate in contests, and even undergo plastic surgery to project a favorable image during job interviews. Just as attending a prestigious university was once the top priority, working for a renowned large corporation has once again become everyone’s top priority. Society constantly presents new goals, leaving individuals no time to reflect on their true values and desires.
Even after finding a job, the studying never ends. The demand for after-work classes among working professionals is so high that the term “salary student” has even been coined. From studying English to learning second languages such as Chinese and Japanese, to taking exams for countless professional certifications—the list goes on. People work hard to avoid falling behind others and pull all-nighters to earn good performance evaluations and secure promotions. In bookstores, self-help books like *“In Your 20s, Go Crazy for Studying!”*, *“In Your 30s, Go Crazy for Studying Again!”*, and *“In Your 40s, Go Crazy for Studying Once More!”* relentlessly urge people to keep honing themselves without rest. However, amid this craze for self-improvement, the effort to find true happiness in life is pushed to the sidelines. People race 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’s suicide rate stood at 25.2 per 100,000 people, far exceeding the OECD average and maintaining its top ranking. The statistic that 47.2% of deaths among people in their 20s are due to suicide is particularly heartbreaking. Stories of middle and high school students—who should have bright futures 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 winning are also one of the reasons many people engage in competition.
In an era of convergence—where new industries rise and fall by the day and disciplines blur—the range of work an individual can pursue is endlessly diverse. The uniform, competitive culture prevalent in Korean society is a direct obstacle to the expression of individual creativity and uniqueness. When a single standard is applied to everyone, it becomes difficult to provide opportunities to those who possess exceptional talent in a specific field and take joy in their work. 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 whether they are better or worse than others? Are people truly giving these matters sufficient thought as they engage in this endless competition? I would venture to say no.
These questions are important issues we must ask ourselves. From an individual perspective, there are many reasons why getting into a good university, landing a job at a good 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 plunge 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 a path are temporary and not eternal.
Another point worth noting is that many people living the lives others dream of actually suffer from mental anguish, struggle with depression, or even choose to take their own lives. For example, 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: “If you do not live thoughtfully, you will think 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 are those who suffer from extreme depression and take their own lives. We must remember that social success and material wealth do not guarantee ultimate happiness in life. This is certainly a point that those who envy what others have and continue their endless competition today should give serious thought to.
