"Hello, I'm Dokgeo-norin, which means someone who has fun living alone.".
The Reed's Meditation, a Rustling Monologue (Episodes 1-5) (Episode 2) The Bird, Jealousy Toward Lightness
To those who briefly stay and then leave me, I willingly offer my shoulder.
A small guest arrived, waking me from the afternoon's languor. It was a sparrow, who said he had traveled from a faraway place. He gently landed atop my head to briefly catch his breath. Even with his light weight, my slender waist bent quite heavily. Feeling his small feet tightly grip my stalk, I quietly waited for his story.
"Hey, Mr. Reed. Isn't it suffocating to always stand in one spot? You have to fly freely like me and see the world to know the true taste of life!" The sparrow puffed out his chest triumphantly. In his eyes, I, rooted in one place, must have seemed foolish and stubborn. Supporting his weight, I rustled softly.
"It would be a lie to say I don't envy your freedom. However, in this spot, I see things that you cannot." "What on earth do you see? It's nothing but the mud at your feet and the flowing river, is it not?" "I hear the breath of the earth, and I listen to the song of the water. I feel the seasons change as they brush against my body, and I feel my connection to countless roots. You 'see' many landscapes, but I 'live' one."
The sparrow just tilted his head, seeming not to understand my words. He is accustomed to skimming swiftly over the surface of the world. He will never know the world's inner flesh, which only one who is deeply rooted can know. Humans are the same. They wander endlessly to see more, to experience more. But they do not know how to look at what's right beneath their feet, into the depths of their own inner selves.
After a short rest, the sparrow flew off abruptly without a word of thanks. As he left, my once-heavy waist straightened again, and I felt a light sense of liberation. For a moment, feeling the touch of the wind caressing the spot where he had sat, I thought to myself. Yes, it is enough for me to be a shoulder for someone to briefly rest upon. The weight of everything that has rested on me has made me who I am today. Rather than being jealous of their lightness, I was grateful for my own silent presence.
My Thoughts! A profound experience is more important than a glamorous journey (pyeon-ryeok). When you stand firm in your place, the deeper meanings of the world will finally come to you. Trust in your roots. Sometimes, to stand still is the fastest path, and to hold one's ground is the greatest courage.
