On washing the dishes

By Kim Jin-hyun

One of my favorite chores is to wash the dishes. Every morning, I wash them for over 30 minutes due to my wife’s opulent cooking habits. The work makes me happy rather than irritated, because I know how to do it effectively.

Fifteen years ago, I had the chance to take a life-altering spiritual program.

One of the programs was to wash dishes. Even though I experienced it for the first time, it was fun and exciting.

The process was that I remove leftovers on the dishes and classify all of them as similar. Then, I soak them in warm water and wait for five minutes or so. I wash the dishes with a cleaner and dry them on the drier.

This practice helped me not only understand my lifestyle, but also induced divergent thinking.

For example, before washing the dishes, if anyone knows how to remove food residue on them and to classify well, it is helpful for any worker to reduce time and energy. This kind of method can be done everywhere by showing a system, “the order of priority."

Second, it is effective to soak the dishes in warm water for a few minutes to clean off dirt. This, for quick-tempered Koreans, is not only helpful to have in mind, “wait and do it," but also to maintain a comfortable human relationship.

Lastly, as I would wash them while I was immersed in my thoughts, I realized that I didn’t clean them effectively. As I recognized what I am, I began to observe and feel their diverse shapes and colors through water. This kind of stimulus and response helped me finish my job very quickly.

Nowadays, we Koreans say, "We can see as much as we know." It means that as anyone learns new information and applies it to their lives, their boundary becomes broader.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates built a high school in Philadelphia, and donated it to the city. His only wish was that school master should be named as a chief learner instead of a principal.

His attitude that a principal should be a learner is common in Confucian culture, especially in Korea. Even the message, “the deceased was a learner." has been inscribed on every tomb of old men.

It means that our ancestors have considered attitude of learning as one of the most valuable.

The meaning of the word “learner" is to accept rather than to teach something. But I hope to expand it with my thinking. Namely, As a way of catching the present time; as a wise man said, “Listen carefully, observe well, and respond effectively."

By doing so, he or she can be an enlivening person as well as a learner.

As a way of practicing it, 30 minutes’ physical activity everyday and 30 minutes’ of reading can lead to a wonderful life.

Nowadays, our competitive society is forcing citizens to live with hardship, desire, or impulses hidden in unconsciousness. This negative lifestyle prevents them from expressing emotions, dreams, or imagination. This inverted pattern of life causes them to live in the past rather than the present. As a result, everyone has been weakened or exhausted rather than improved or opened.

Nevertheless, the more chances to recognize our identity, the more easily we can awaken our lifestyle and grasp our boundaries. At the moment, we will have more opportunities to perceive ourselves to be masters of our lives, proactive and creative.

In that point, it was an awakening for me to wash the dish every day in order to understand and respond to my life positively.

Men, don’t be afraid of washing the dishes, but try to enjoy it!

The writer is an English teacher at Yeosu High School in South Jeolla Province. His email address is shinykim60@hanmail.net.