[On the Zarakgil] 1. Sunrise & Sunset

The year 2024 has begun. In the morning, I walked along the Zarakgil (=hiking trail) on Ansan (=Mt. An), Seoul, Korea. Last year, thanks to this trail, I was able to reach my daily average of 10,000 steps. It is the path that I am grateful for.

 

 

Today, as usual, I climbed up to Zarakgil as the sun was brightening after 7:00 a.m. Many people were already there, who came early to see the first sunrise of the new year. I was impressed that there are so many sun worshippers in Korea.

 

 

On the Zarakgil yesterday, I saw many flashlights hanging from the railing. I wondered what was going on, and it turned out that they were lights that had been turned on in advance for those who would climb Mt. An before dawn today.

 

 

I was wondering whether I could see the sunrise today because of the clouds in the sky. At around 7:40, however, the sun rose. The clouds were floating only in the mid-sky, and the southeast sky was clear. I could clearly see the bright red sun coming up slow but steady.

 

 

People were cheering in unison and taking pictures and videos with their cell phones. Then they quickly posted them here and there. It seemed so important for people to start the first day of the year with the sunrise. Of course it does.

 

I was more impressed by the people watching the sunrise than by the sunrise itself. There were many young people, some in groups, others in couples, standing side by side watching the sunrise. Thinking that I am already fully blessed, I wished good luck for them. May your wishes come true this year.

 

 

Watching the sun rise to my right, I continued my walk, and a thought occurred to me that the first sunrise of 2024 I just saw might be the last sunset of 2023 elsewhere on the planet.

 

 

I woke up in the morning, put on a thick hoodie, grabbed my muffler and gloves, and climbed the mountain. On the other side of the equator and the date line, someone might wear shorts or bikinis with bare feet, sitting in beach chairs with a beer in one hand and a cell phone in the other, and enjoy the last sunset of 2023.

 

Sunrise watchers here will probably, after sunrise, head down the mountain and have breakfast with a half bottle of soju and spicy bean sprout gukbap(=soup), while sunset watchers over there, after sunset, can gather around the table for dinner of wine and beef stew, or perhaps even jump right into bed.

 

 

What I see, hear, and feel might be totally on my own, and countless others would see, hear, and feel differently. It's not the first time that I thought about such things. That's what relativity is all about. When others do not think as I do, it's not that they are crazy, it's that I may be crazy.

 

 

Encountering specific such situations, however, I tend to forget about it. Judging others, I kept many people from my heart. On the Zarakgil today, I decided to stop this, shutting my mouth and listening to what others have to say.

 

 

Oh, I still have a New Year's wish on my own.

 

Please, please, please impeach him. Or, the whole country is going to collapse soon. (jc, 1/1/2024)