We All Shine On Our Stars

We all shine on our own stars.

The Twelve Life Lessons of President Lee Kwang-hyung, the Person Who Nurtures Dreams

One of the best ways to know a person's life, and one of the ways to best know the thoughts in a person's head, is to read the book that person wrote. It is also a shortcut to acquiring the wisdom of those who went before, a kind of metaverse (the author; a world where you can unfold imagination through text is also a metaverse, and I had thought so too). This book seeks to convey to us the things President Lee Kwang-hyung of KAIST realized over several decades within his own life.

One of the things I have been pondering lately is my children's education. I think there is no point in clinging to outdated educational methods in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But it is not easy, either, not to do the rote education that "everyone else" does. The ability to calculate, and to acquire and memorize accurate information, is likely to be replaced by AI. But what, and how, should we do? We can find hints through the path KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung has walked.

The question I throw out is my future. Let us ask questions ourselves and be able to answer them. Let us imagine the future and not criticize it. The size of your dream is the size of your life. Let us help children find their dreams. The size of your dream is the size of your life.

(p.131) The reason you must hold a big dream is that, by the size of the dream you hold, your life advances in an entirely different shape. If you are going to travel, would it not be far more interesting to set out with a map of the world than with a map of your neighborhood? Dreams make us strive, spur us on, and make us find our own way. A dream set high ultimately makes us reach that high place.

On the other hand, a person without a dream gives up and turns back even on the smoothest road. When it comes to dreams, there is no need to care too much about others' voices. More fearsome than a gap in intelligence is a gap in dreams. A dream is the very compass of life and a weapon for cutting through harsh reality.

We are all different, and all of us are precious, wonderful beings. Others, too, are precious and each has a different individuality. There is no need to become the same person. Let us be a better me than yesterday. I think my competitor is the me of yesterday. All of us can change as much as we want into the shape we want. Let us not say, "I am just this kind of person." What we need is the belief that we can change and ceaseless effort. There is no need to size ourselves up and lock ourselves in a frame.

How easy "living as we have always lived" is. There is no need to spend extra energy. Habits, too, are determined by the circuits of brain cells; as a brain-cell circuit is used repeatedly and its connections strengthen, the circuit operates almost automatically. Once this circuit is firmly set, every time a stimulus for it comes, electrical signals flow in that direction. Our bodies act in familiar ways to use less energy.

When you travel abroad, you can change your sleep habits in a few days. A habit of decades can be changed in a few days. Even a person who says "I am this kind of person" can do it; if you hold the belief that you can do it, even if the ability is not there at first, you will surely come to have the ability in the end. [Gandhi] Let us imagine, and grow the initiative in our own life.

Seven elements that shape the future: society, technology, environment, population, politics, economy, resources. The abstract paintings created by the AI "DeepDream" sold for 2,200 to 9,000 dollars each. In Japan, a novel written by an AI even passed the preliminary round of a science-fiction literary prize.

Ray Kurzweil, the world-renowned futurist and AI expert, predicts that by 2029 computers will fully possess human-level intelligence, and that by 2045 computers will reach the singularity, surpassing the sum total of human intelligence.

What is most needed in the AI era is the ability to live life proactively. Beyond mere coexistence, how much we understand and make use of it matters. Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies the freedom and power to choose one's own response. Our growth and happiness depend on our response. <『Man's Search for Meaning』> -psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. What I say today determines tomorrow.

The influence of language on real life has already been largely revealed in brain science. Even Bill Gates repeats every day, "Today, somehow, I feel great fortune will come to me." "I can do anything." The words we habitually use every day shape our emotions, and on this basis the brain moves. The decisions we make day by day are influenced by these emotions.

In recent research, it was thought that habits, once formed, are hard to change, but when positive stimuli are repeated, the neural circuits, too, are strengthened in a positive direction. When habits change, life changes. I am a person who can do anything, and no matter what happens, I must not blame myself. The one who best understands my struggling heart should be no one but myself.

On the other hand, unconditional optimism is delusion. The "Stockdale Paradox." When it comes to negative thinking, what is most problematic is the "inner critic." <『The Harvard Resilience Class』> How to wisely choose your time. A person who is always busy, who keeps "I'm so busy I could die" on their lips, is saying that they themselves do not manage their time properly. Saying you are busy does not help at all. Rather, by saying you are not busy, you come to act like a truly relaxed person. Pick only the important things to do, and do them with focus. "To choose time is to save time," Francis Bacon.

How will you use the chosen time? The best way to become a better me than yesterday is to study. Like clothes getting soaked by a light drizzle, study changes me. Do you want to change yourself as an adult? Is there a way to change my life? I think the only way to change myself is study. For a person who studies, any change is possible.

Moments of pausing are also necessary. Benjamin Franklin emphasized the "3-5-7-9 rule." Of the 24 hours in a day, 3 hours for reading, research and self-development, 5 hours including meals for leisure and hobbies, 7 hours of sleep, and 9 hours of work. In our lives, pausing and rest are absolutely necessary.

The person who knows how to give to others succeeds. A 10-year way of calculating to win people: "Act as if you are taking the loss." You must give 60 out of 100 for the other person to think it is fair. If you want to give a favorable impression, you must give at least 70. Since everyone thinks self-centeredly, you have to share as if you are taking a slight loss for the other person to consider it fair.

Nothing is solved by a confrontation frame. Look and think with a third frame that is neither "me" nor "you." For true communication, we acknowledge diverse differences on the premise of "being very different." When opinions differ, think of it as diversity, and deal with conflict through the aesthetics of waiting. The power of time is stronger than you think.

Wisdom comes from listening, and regret comes from speaking. Even though Professor Lee Kwang-hyung is not a person of outstanding eloquence or great humor, he radiates charm through warm interest. It can be called the sum of the books on immersion, habits, and brain science I have read recently. But in this book he shares not only theory but his own experience and tells of the things he has changed.

Through this book I set a direction for raising my child into an irreplaceable talent. An easy-to-read book. Rating ★4.5/5 Related books <『The Harvard Resilience Class』> <『Man's Search for Meaning』> <『The Harvard First Lecture Time Management Class』>

Topic 1. What should we do to become a self we will not regret 10 years from now? The author emphasizes "the power of questions." The very process of coming up with questions frees us from fixed ideas and lets us think new thoughts, and questions that seem absurd at first glance yet make you wonder whether they could really come true are precisely what becomes the seed for making a new future. To grow the power of questions, why don't we follow the author's "Mijon (the not-yet-existing) class"? Let us freely imagine things that do not exist now.

Think of things that would surely be good to have in future society, things that seem absurd but would be wonderful if they really came true. As the author says, perhaps our future is hidden within that imagined world.

Goal and discussion method

Goal: imagining things that do not exist now
Method: think about things that do not exist in this world → imagine things that would be good to have in future society, things that seem outrageous and absurd but would be wonderful if they truly happened → recall the future I hope for, which seems unrealistic right now → write the things you imagined as questions → share with one another and freely exchange opinions. Main points of discussion
Freely imagine things that are impossible, outrageous, and absurd
Train the way of imagining freely through questions

Pages 90-111, Chapter 4: The question I throw out becomes my future
The whole book

Topic 2. What is the biggest obstacle to turning today's dream into tomorrow's reality? The author points to "the habit of repeating negative thoughts." When the brain's frontal lobe receives a warning signal, it chooses negative or positive, and repeating one of these decisions becomes a habit. That is, the more you repeat negative thoughts, the more worry takes the lead even over small difficulties, and the behavior of settling or avoiding rather than challenging becomes a habit. The author's prescription for this is "praise." Voluntary praise that I give myself after becoming an adult is precisely the shortcut that strengthens the circuit of positivity and brings fortune into life, he says.

When was the last time you praised yourself? What were the words of praise you gave yourself? Write down a single word praising yourself. Goal and discussion method

Goal: praising myself
Method: recall a recent experience of praising myself → recall, down to the very smallest things, what I think I did well lately → write five or more words praising today's me → take turns saying aloud words praising myself → cheer one another on and freely exchange opinions. Specific examples
During lunch break, instead of chatting at a cafe, I took a walk while listening to an audiobook
I sent a message of support to a friend struggling because of a workplace superior
I scanned a list of courses to see what study would be good for my future
To make time for reading, I canceled my Netflix subscription

Main points of discussion

Practice praising a me who is a little better than yesterday, five or more times a day
Train to strengthen the positive circuit in my life through praise

Pages 220-243, Chapter 10: The algorithm of luck, as told by a scientist
The whole book

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