Prologue The Irony of Existence
We are all born to be filled with something. Just as an empty can is filled with coffee, we are filled with dreams, desires, goals, and relationships.
But here lies the paradox. The real story begins not when we are filled, but when we are emptied.
The 72 hours since leaving the factory, the time I was full, was merely a 'standby' state. The time I shone on the display shelf was only a time of 'potential.' Real life begins the moment the seal is broken, the contents flow out, and the vessel becomes utterly empty.
This series starts with a single question: "Is being emptied an end, or a beginning?"
Over 24 hours, the empty can will pass through five places: a convenience store bench, a trash can, a recycling bin, a collection truck, and a recycling plant. In each place, the empty can meets new beings and realizes new truths.
The most important realization is this: The being that is 'I' is not the contents, but the 'form' that held them.
The same is true for you. What defines you is not what you hold inside, but the vessel that is you. And that vessel only reveals its true form when it is emptied.
Now, shall we follow the empty can? The journey of an empty can's experience of being emptied in a single day. Within it lies the story of us all.
"Only by being completely emptied can one be completely renewed."
(Episode 1) The End of Fullness, The Beginning of Emptiness
5:00 AM. I was born on a conveyor belt. To be precise, I was 'manufactured.' I came into the world on the automated line of a massive factory, among aluminum cans being produced at a rate of 50 per second. From being molded by intense heat, cooled by cold water, to the moment I was filled with premium cold brew coffee. The entire process took exactly 8.3 seconds.
"Serial number 2025-10-05-KS-239, status normal." A mechanical sound confirmed my existence. Status normal. Perfect form, perfect seal, perfect volume of 175ml. I was a product that passed inspection.
And then, I was filled. A dark brown liquid filled my body. I felt its weight. I felt a sense of presence. 'Ah, I am useful,' I thought. Because from the moment I was filled, I had value.
During the eight-hour truck ride to the city, I asked the veteran can next to me. "Senior, where are we going?" "To a convenience store. Our first home." "And after that?" "We are held in someone's hand... and then we are emptied." "Emptied?" A chill ran through me. What did it mean to be emptied? It had only been nine hours since I was filled, and already I was hearing about being emptied. "Don't be scared. That is our destiny." The senior can spoke calmly, but I couldn't understand. If I was born to be filled, why did I have to be emptied?
The convenience store refrigerator was cold and bright. Fluorescent lights and LEDs shone on me. People passed by beyond the glass door. Some glanced at me and walked away, some checked the price tag and shook their heads, and some picked me up only to put me back down.
Three days passed. I was still on the shelf. The cans in the front row were taken one by one, but being in the back, I was constantly pushed back. 'When will I be chosen?' That thought was on my mind one Monday morning.
A hand opened the refrigerator door. A man, who looked to be in his 30s. A tired face, a wrinkled dress shirt, a slightly loosened tie. His hand hesitated, then grabbed me. "I wonder if this will be any good." He mumbled to himself. I felt the coldness in his hand. No, his hand was colder than I was.
The sound of the barcode being scanned. Beep. "That's 2,800 won." "Please insert your card here." With the mechanical sounds, I was placed in a plastic bag. It was warm outside. No, the refrigerator had just been too cold. I felt the outside air for the first time. This is the beginning.
The man carried me to his office. He took the elevator to the 12th floor. He placed me on his desk and turned on his computer. He checked his emails. He answered a call. He checked his meeting schedule.
And 30 minutes later, he opened me. Click! Pssht! The sound of the tab being pulled. In that instant, I was connected to the outside world for the first time. My sealed mouth was opened, and air flowed in. "Ugh, it's bitter." The man grimaced after one sip. But he kept drinking. One sip, two sips, three sips. I became lighter and lighter. And I realized. 'Ah, so this is what it feels like to be emptied.'
It was strange. I was clearly losing something, yet I didn't feel wronged. Instead, I felt a peculiar sense of accomplishment. 'I am being used right now. I am fulfilling my purpose.' When I was full, I had potential value. But in the moment of being emptied, I became actual value. Waking someone up in the morning, helping someone endure a Monday, and soothing someone's fatigue, even if just a little.
But the man didn't finish it. With about 5ml left, he took a call and hurriedly stood up. He grabbed me and left the office. He went down the elevator. And then he placed me on a bench in front of the convenience store and ran off. "Wait, I'm not yet..." But he didn't hear. No, he couldn't hear.
I was left alone on the bench. 98% empty. The sunlight was harsh. The wind blew. People passed by. And I thought. 'Now... what am I?' Am I a coffee can, a piece of trash, or something in between? When I was full, it was clear. I was a premium cold brew. But now? It was from that moment. That my real story began.
Next Episode Preview: Episode 2 'The Class Society Inside a Trash Can'
#AnEmptyCansDay #PhilosophyOfEmptiness #Prologue #EverydayPhilosophy #MeaningOfExistence
My Thoughts! We spend our whole lives trying to be filled with something. With success, with money, with love, with recognition. But the empty can shows us something. True value is generated not when we are full, but when we are emptied by fulfilling our role. If you have let something go, it is not a failure. It is you, having fulfilled your role.
