Learning this wisdom from the tree, and sharing these stories, it's difficult to 'put them aside'. Difficult as going from being young, having a job, money, and returning to the ordinary and being old. All our energy was expended. The images of us doing Botox to get rid of wrinkles on our faces, looking for various ways to rejuvenate, and struggling to get a better job come to us in images that contrast with the natural scenery of the forest.

The forest we create shows its splendor from the outside, but the roots are shallow and we don't know when it will collapse. We must remember that when the leaves drop all their nutrients go down to the roots, the trees stand firmer and that letting go is never death. When a tree sends all its nutrients to its roots, it looks like a dead tree. This is because the moisture in the body of the tree is expelled to prepare for the severe cold of winter. Now is the time to learn from the tree.

If we try to keep everything within the boundaries we have made it will soon come to an end; if we put our heads together and find a way to live together across borders the light of hope will lead us.

The nun has lived with the soil for ten years, so her face is full of blemishes, and her skin is dark even when she doesn't work in the sun. When she goes home on vacation, her mother sighs. Of the five daughters, the youngest has the most wrinkles and blemishes on her face.

The nuns look at her face and say, "The sun has kissed her!" She likes to hear the expression. It makes her feel good to think of the traces of the sun on her face. She is happy when there are traces of grass on her hands and traces of dirt under her nails. Signs of the time she spends with nature remain in her heart. Those who care for nature enter into nature. This principle of giving that makes us live is what we call love so we live in love.

When we live in harmony with the earth it becomes like a mother's lifeline. This principle of giving that makes us live, is what we call 'love'. So we live in love. Because in everything there are traces of the love that God has given. If she lives a little longer like this, she wonders whether she will come to know that giving is the way to live?

The autumn rain has stopped and the sky is really blue like a lake. Red dragonflies roam in groups against the backdrop of the deep sky. He thinks this is all thanks to COVID-19. The sky is clear everywhere, the number of planes in the sky has decreased and we no longer, since the start of COVID-19, hear much about fine dust polluted air.

He also thinks COVID-19 is our teacher. He looks back on his life using freely the limited resources of the earth for his convenience, comfort, and entertainment. He worries that if we go back to the past relying on vaccines and treatments will we be handing over a healthy world to the next generation?

It's been a while since he last saw two old friends due to the COVID-19. This was possible because everyone was vaccinated. A friend who used to work as a manager of a large corporation is now living alone in a one-room area for the poor, with a monthly rent of 300 dollars. He also undergoes kidney dialysis at the hospital three times a week. In the past, he was unable to receive basic livelihood benefits because he had a wife and children, but the law has changed, and even if there are dependents, he receives 255 dollars a month, and then another 255 dollars is added as a disability benefit receiving a total of 510 dollars. Another friend who is retiring from a small business is washing dishes in the kitchen of a restaurant for 8 hours a day, earning, $1,557 the minimum wage guaranteed by the country.

The lawyer had many dreams when he was in school, studied hard, went to a good university, and lived well, but the years passed very quickly. His friends are now walking the downhill road of old age but thanks to the fact that they quickly grasped the meaning of life and were able to let go of all their regrets and greed they are in peace.

Last night, the three of them drank two bottles of soju and four cans of makolli until the closing time of 10 pm, a drinking party giving thanks for the 'benefits of social welfare'.

When he read the newspaper this morning, he saw an article on meritocracy and the common good. Ten years ago, Michael Sandel's book: Justicebecame a bestseller. The 'Illusion of Being Fair', and the arrogance of meritocracy prevents us from feeling responsible for the common good. Competency-ism thinks this is fair, but it is a big mistake to think: "I am successful because I was capable and it is natural for those who have lost in competition to have it rough."

Even if a fair test is given to students who get help from expensive tutors and students who have to work part-time for their families without tutors, the results are not just. If we go one step further, there is no such thing as 'fairness' in the first place, since the ability to study, physical condition, and artistic talent are different from birth. If the starting line is different, but only meritocracy is fairness, how are the poor people supposed to live? This is where the higher value of the 'common good' is needed.

My friend, who is good at English and graduated from a good university, ate and lived well according to his abilities when he was young, but now he is old and ill and has left his family, so he becomes incompetent and lives on the social pension provided for the common good. Another friend, thanks to the minimum wage system, can wash dishes and receive the government minimum wage.

In the past, some young people spent their lives working for the socially disadvantaged: workers and the poor. At times it was very unfair because they went to jail and even died though they were doing what was right and good. However, their dedication to the common good enabled my friends whom I met last evening to gain some peace of mind in their old age.

That's right. It's not a meritocracy based on the illusion of fairness, but living together working always for the common good.

In February, the district head stopped the construction, ignoring all procedures, because some residents protested due to the smell, and noise, in residential areas. In July, the court decided to suspend the execution of the administrative order to suspend construction on the grounds of "damage that is difficult to recover will occur."

Decisions by the court and the National Human Rights Commission have been made, but nothing has changed. At first, some residents only took issue with the smell and noise, but as a nationwide xenophobia group joined, the hate and discrimination against Muslims began to be expressed in extreme and explicit forms. Protests against the construction are frequently held, and in front of the construction site there is a space for opponents to make construction impossible, and banners with provocative words such as "terrorism" and "murder" even surround the walls of the residences of Muslim families.

As construction is not underway, "there is a concern that damage that is difficult to recover from" is becoming a reality. Looking at the Muslim hate banners, the wounds in the hearts of Muslim children are getting deeper and deeper. There is a serious invasion of religious freedom that denies places for worship, and religious leaders, as well as related authorities, remain silent. Why did this happen? What should I do?

Three years ago, when the Yemeni refugee situation occurred, the lawyer visited Jejudo. When he asked an official from a religious organization that was supporting refugees about his despair, he shared hope. He said, "When believers first distributed clothes to refugees at the church, they told them to put their clothes on and stand at a distance to take them. But after we began talking to one another things began to change.

Not long ago, a broadcasting station aired a documentary about the situation in Gangneung, which ordered all migrant workers to undergo mandatory COVID-19 inspections and to undergo frequent inspections to work. The broadcast focused on Gangneung residents living with migrants. Now these people are living together. When I thought of this, I felt at ease. At first, I thought I was going to die of anxiety... . Different words and different looks make people weird... . When I try to understand, it's all the same... . We live together, can we live alone?

An overseas broadcaster covered the story of a mosque in one of the cities, and Muslims and Korean residents coexisting with each other. There were conflicts and frictions, but there was a process of communicating and resolving them. There was a story about a resident who had a preconceived notion that all Muslims were associated with terrorists but had changed. "Isnt there a reason God made us in different ways? Just as a rainbow is more beautiful than one color, I hope that different colors will harmonize to create a more beautiful society."

Anything new to anyone can be awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes scary. However, such feelings do not necessarily lead to exclusion and stigma, hatred, and discrimination. There is still a need for many people to continue to advocate for human rights. The call for the correct role of the government and the media must also continue.

However, above all else, there must be a process of living together, communicating, and empathizing with residents from different backgrounds. Instead of pretending not to know the other considered 'outside' and not wanting to understand, one needs to approach the other knowing they are 'by our side' and desiring to know them.

South Korea is aging faster than any other developed country. At a time when social care needs to be emphasized, the government's announcement to introduce "smart speaking machines," "AI robots," and "remote rehabilitation therapy" is absurd. Even if it is not during the COVID-19 period, what we need is the human touch and human care. We need first of all to throw away the delusion that care can be digitized.

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