Is there a profession that begins with death?
This Douban 9.1-point Korean drama "I Am a Relic Sorter" takes us into a profession of "living to die".
A boy lay painfully on the narrow bed with his legs in his arms, slowly closing his eyes and gradually losing his life. Among his relics, there is a work permit, a passbook, a box of unopened instant noodles ...
When everyone thought that the boy had died unexpectedly because he could not be treated in time, Koru and his father, who were the relic sorters, used these small relics to restore the boy's short life for everyone:
He is industrious and patient, even if he is injured at work, he does not dare to say it, for fear of losing his job;
He struggled to earn money, relying on instant noodles and rice balls every day, and deposited all his money in the bank for his deaf parents;
He worked tirelessly, thrifting on food and clothing, so that he could have knee surgery on his mother, cataract surgery on his father...
If you've ever been touched by this TV series, then don't miss the book "Relic Sorter". It is based on real people and real events, and the Korean author Kim Wan, himself, is a relic sorter and has many years of experience in sorting out relics. This book is not only a memoir of the author's career, but also a collection of the author's discussion of death and the meaning of life, and is a rare series of "death education".
As soon as it was listed, it occupied the top spot in the list of major books in South Korea, selling more than 36,000 copies in ten days, and was selected as the book of the year by the yes24 website, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is a phenomenon bestseller in South Korea in 2020.
In this book, you will follow in the footsteps of a relic arranger and enter the world of the dead. From their relics, together with the author, try to piece together their past lives, happy, unfortunate, sad, helpless... Then find the meaning of life, the value of existence.
The true story of a man who "made a living from death"
As we mentioned at the beginning, the author Jin Guan was a relic sorter. However, Jin Quan did not start this profession at the beginning. Before becoming a relic sorter, he was a writer and often traveled to Japan to conduct interviews and write. Ever since he came into contact with the profession of "relic sorter" in Japan, he has fallen into the thought of death and life.
The author of this book, relics finisher Jin Finish
It was this unusual experience in Japan that gave Jin a clearer plan for the future. After returning to Korea, he decided to become a relic sorter and also founded a special cleaning service company "Hardworks".
Kim finishes at work
Every story in this book comes from Jin Quan's personal experience.
From his many years of career, he carefully selected the most powerful 13 special site cleanup records, plus 11 deep thinking essays, which showed the professionalism of a relics arranger to the greatest extent, as well as his exploration of life and death.
For example, the author once described a tent girl. The place where a girl lived in her home was not a bed, but a tent. She lived, slept, and read in a tent, and there were several wine bottles outside the tent. There are no televisions, no washing machines, not even the dressers that women use most often.
Another example is a woman in her thirties who sorted all the garbage before committing suicide, using a blowtorch lamp when there was a little fire in the metal garbage bin; the paper bin had the wrapping paper of the stove; and the plastic garbage bin contained the red lid on the gas can.
The author uses his own personal experience to paint us a shocking picture: a tent girl abandoned by society, a girl who adheres to the moral bottom line before death.
Perhaps, this is the most powerful thing about this book! Putting a bloody reality in front of everyone makes people have to think and face this real and cruel society.
Cover of the original Korean version of "Cleaning up the Room of the Dead"
Cover of the Taiwan edition
In the relics, look for the meaning of life
What will we do with the relics of the deceased?
The father used his wife's relics to build a "mother's memorial" for his children. He treasured the clothes his wife had worn, the rope she had tied, the notes she had written, and the certificates she had passed.
He hopes that through these inconspicuous relics, he will piece together for the child what his mother once looked like: hard work, frugality, self-motivation, love for home...
In the book, the author Jin Guan is also such a person. In his eyes, everything left by the deceased is the best proof that they have ever come to this world.
For example, in the article "To Dear Yingmin", Yingmin's shoe box retains many letters, postcards, cards, etc., as well as the playful and cute words "To Dear Yingmin", the old parents who wander near Yingmin's house, and the brother who cries silently in the room, all of which are evidence that Yingmin is loved.
For example, in the chapter "Go to a Place Full of Flowers, Sister", a lotus sister who is tormented by depression and does not take the form of a human, sleeps in a house like garbage, closing the door every day. After she committed suicide, several of her friends would come to her room every night to bring her a bouquet of flowers and light a vanilla. This flower means that she still has someone to care about and someone to love in her painful life.
Objects that seem bland to outsiders are given different meanings in the eyes of the author. Even the smallest relics contain different memory fragments, and from these fragments, we can piece together a short and unique life, which is enough to touch your and my living life!
Together with the author, we discover the meaning of the relic, portray the life of the deceased, and learn to cherish everything in front of us. Even humble little blessings are the imprint of what we love and be loved.
Living well is the greatest fear of death
Bai Yansong once said: "There has never been real death education in China." ”
Indeed it is.
In the Chinese tradition, "death" is a very taboo word. For example, children are not allowed to say the word "death" during the New Year; the number 4 is considered an unlucky number because of the harmonic "death"; young children are not allowed to visit the sick when the elderly are seriously ill.....
We avoid talking about death in our children, but forget that "life and death" do not exist independently, but complement each other. Only by truly understanding the meaning of "death" can we face "life" with a more positive attitude.
The author Jin Quan also conveys the same belief to us in the book: "When we face death and explore the meaning of death, we will find a clearer understanding of life and existence from the perspective of death." ”
In the book "Save You, Or Save Me", the author tells us the story of how a woman saw hope in life from death.
A woman once called the author and asked him if it was painful for him to burn charcoal to commit suicide. It turned out that the woman had already had suicidal thoughts, she prepared three pieces of coal and shochu, and drove the car into the remote mountains. Before taking her own life, she inadvertently saw the painful process of coal suicide shared by the author on the blog and hesitated.
It was this little hesitation that saved the woman's life in time. Fearing the pain of death, she chose to live well in this world.
I think this is the best meaning of "death"! Only by being in awe of death will you have the courage to live well.
The author once said: "The irony of people living is that they are always carrying death on their backs." "Before death comes, live your present life seriously and live your worth well."
Born to die, perhaps in the deepest darkness, our eyes will be truly opened to see what life is truly worth cherishing.
"No matter where we are, no matter who we are, just see each other often. Survive the lonely years of terminal illness together. I wanted to believe that when the sun came out, the snow would melt; when we held hands, loneliness would disappear. ”
Please enter the book "Relic Sorter", face the last journey of life with the author, say goodbye, and then, live well.