TV show sheds new light on ex-minister Rhyu's 'On Ways of Living'
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Rhyu Si-min’s “On Ways of Living” / Courtesy of The Road to Thought
By Kim jae-heun
Riding on the popularity of tvN’s new show “Dictionary of Useless General Knowledge,” politician-turned-writer Rhyu Si-min’s book “On Ways of Living” joined the top 10 bestseller list this week.
Rhyu wrote the book in March 2013 when he became a full-time writer. It did not gain much popularity then. But it has grabbed attention four years later when the former environment minister became the host of the popular variety series that hit a 6.6 percent average rating on the cable TV channel.
Rhyu has written 15 books, including his most recent “What is a Nation,” published this year. But his bestselling book is “On Ways of Living.”
In the prologue, the writer confesses he was unsure of publishing a book based on his experiences.
The other 14 books stretched his knowledge in various fields of his expertise, including economics, history and politics. Rhyu called himself a “knowledge retailer,” who scraps together useful information to simplify, quote and interpret it in an easier way for readers.
But Rhyu felt uncomfortable revealing his thoughts and feelings experienced through 55 years of his life.
“The work was not easy and I underwent trial and error from the first draft,” Rhyu wrote in the prologue. “I’ve published many books before, but I have never edited this much. I barely revealed my personal feelings in my writing directly and I was not used to it.”
Scenes from tvN's popular variety show "Dictionary of Useless General Knowledge" / Courtesy of tvN
Ultimately, Rhyu thinks it was the right decision to publish the book as it provided a chance for him to face his true feelings and gain the courage to reveal them. He said the book had helped him find the life he truly wanted to live as a happy person.
Rhyu admits that many of his readers are in their 20s and 30s, but “On Ways of Living” is a good recommendation for people at his age, too.
“What am I? Who am I and how should I live and die? What is a meaningful life and what is the secret to a successful life? What do we need in living a happy life or a life with dignity?” he writes.
Rhyu believes the answers to all the questions apply to people in their 50s and 60s, who are closer to death than birth.
In this 340-page work, Rhyu does not preach ethics or urge one to do their duty. Instead of elucidating thoughts or a philosophy to uphold the “right” world, he overlooks his life and talks about how to look and deal with the happiness and pain of life, as well as injustice and irrationality.
Rhyu’s personal story includes his career as an activist and politician and what he felt during the 18th presidential election and when former President Park Geun-hye disbanded the Unified Progressive Party that he founded in 2012.
The former minister tells what thoughts and emotions have dominated his life and what made him leave the political scene.
Perhaps the book took a long time to become a bestseller because people now want to hear more from Rhyu as an extension of “Dictionary of Useless General Knowledge.” The book could be seen as a written version of that.