(C) Pixabay

"A publisher offered to publish my book, and when I wrote, 'Would you buy it if I publish a book?' a person commented earnestly. The gist was this: 'I won't buy it. I have piles of books to read even without yours.' 'How honest and decisive this comment is. It was something they could have just passed over in silence, but they spoke truthfully, regardless of whether it hurt the other person. I immediately BLOCKED! this person. Why does someone busy reading books read a Facebook post? I felt the chilling resolve that they would tolerate free content, but absolutely not pay for it. In a world overflowing with reading material besides my own writing, there's no need to push people to read it. Even good-hearted me chooses my friends carefully. Sometimes silence is charity.'"

This is the writing of a certain person. I don't know who the writer is, but they must be a poet, essayist, or novelist.

There was a small 'Ding!' a resonant feeling. "I won't buy it," followed by "I immediately BLOCKED! them"? Just not looking would have sufficed. Severing ties is the easy way out.

Seeing the sentence, "Even good-hearted me chooses my friends carefully. Sometimes silence is charity," it seems the writer was quite disappointed. In other words, they must have felt resentful and vexed. If so, "BLOCKED!" was likely a punishment for the perceived transgression. Yet, saying, "Sometimes silence is charity," sounds somewhat contradictory.

But after making that decisive 'BLOCK!,' did this person never once think, 'Was that a bit too much?'

In any case, I lack the resolve to 'immediately BLOCK!' someone. It's difficult for me to believe that I know everything and am judging correctly. If I keep a slightly vexing person around, it might turn out I misunderstood, or they might do better if they feel apologetic.

However, I did delete a friend's phone number a long time ago. Every call from him was a request for a favor. I'm not a great person, but it's not hard to help out with things I know, so I used to listen well. Sometimes it took quite a bit of time. I had also received help from him once. Then one day, I thought, 'He'll treat me to a meal sometime,' but that day never came.

We often treat people too casually, thinking, 'It's okay because they're a close friend.' This is different from being comfortable with one another. When you frequently receive small gifts from a friend who gives them often, it becomes familiar, and it's easy to mistake that you can omit expressions of gratitude. A relationship is sustained by give and take. If you have a friend you can ask favors of, a friend you can confide your heart to, that is a successful life. Such friends are treasures. That's why they should be respected and cherished even more. Yet, we often overlook what is right under our nose.

Occasionally, there are people who say, "Let's meet up, let's grab a meal." Literally, an encounter without ulterior motives, a light meeting to share a meal and a glass of soju. But I often put it off. There are teachers and seniors I was grateful to. So many years have passed, and I've forgotten them without ever checking in. Some of them have passed away in the interim. I realize how true the saying 'Out of sight, out of mind' is. How happy would they be if I checked in when I don't need a favor? I feel 'I shouldn't be like this,' but on the other hand, I think, 'Let's just live simply.' Am I getting old, or just lazy?

I want to take photos of the scenery that catches my eye while walking down an unfamiliar country road and buy some of the produce left by the roadside. I want to photograph the yellow rice fields before the autumn harvest is over, but I'm procrastinating on that too. If I miss this chance, I have to wait another year. To take good photos, the composition needs to be good, so I bought a small drone. I bought a multi-thousand-won one, thinking of it as the cost of one bulgogi meal. Once I master it, I plan to take and share artistic-like photos.

When someone I haven't heard from in a while suddenly contacts me, I think, 'What's the matter?' For that reason, I should also start making calls once in a while instead of letting time pile up. Just because I thought of them, to ask if everything is okay, or to say, "The sky is chillingly blue, and it made me think of you." This autumn, the weather is good, making it a great time to meet. I should start by reaching out to the friends closest to me.

I am reminded of the poem, 'Yuè Yè Yì Shè Dì' (月夜憶舍弟, Thinking of my Younger Brothers on a Moonlight Night), written by the 'Sage of Poetry,' Du Fu (杜甫), as he wandered the frontier during the An Lushan Rebellion, missing his hometown and family. It was composed around this time of year. How wonderful it is that we, who are like family, can meet anytime.

戍鼓斷人行 (Shù gǔ duàn rén xíng) - The drums of the garrison halt the movement of people 秋邊一雁聲 (Qiū biān yī yàn shēng) - On the autumn border, the cry of a lone wild goose 露從今夜白 (Lù cóng jīn yè bái) - The dew tonight is exceptionally white 月是故鄕明 (Yuè shì gù xiāng míng) - This moon must shine brightly over my hometown

That moon will illuminate my hometown, but because I cannot go there, it is a hometown I miss even more. Since my parents are gone, the cozy hometown has also vanished. Where should I go? I pick up the phone. Before I get BLOCKED!

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]