Selfness
In whatever workplace, if you have your own "selfness," you can work in your own way in any environment.
So that anyone can tell at a glance that you were the one who did it — in whatever work you do, the fingerprint of your own "selfness" has to be clearly left behind.
(...abridged)
A life or a work life of the vague stance "whatever's good is good"..
(...abridged)
Before your distinctive points are worn away by the organization and other people, you have to carve yourself, by yourself, with a chisel and mallet.
What you love as the chisel, what you are good at as the mallet — and everything happening around you should be used as the force that strikes chisel and mallet.
(...abridged)
"What is your selfness?"
Unitas Brand
From "Selfness into Us-ness, Us-ness into Selfness"
October 2012 issue
Going through many experiences with organizational life, you run into all kinds of different "common sense" and standards. You also brush up against relative feelings and resonances. Because of that, it takes no short amount of time to adapt.
There are two approaches. Become the person who just pretends not to know and takes things in, or hold your own standard and keep your own character.
At first, I chose the latter. But Korean society wanted the former. Even if outwardly it did not say so, their attitude wanted the former. As time went by, "whatever's good is good" and "do not stake your life on trivial things" started to make sense. And before I knew it, I stopped reacting sensitively to most matters, and I, too, took on the same attitude. Because it felt more grown-up, and it also felt like caring for the community. For the sake of being at peace with everyone.
But reading this text, I briefly came to reflect on that series of compromises. Selfness... without it, is not everyday life essentially meaningless? Am I not becoming an existence that feels no warmth at all? Looking back at that time and at my own attitude, I feel nothing but regret.
