VOL.70/2024.05

My Favorite Book, Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan

2024.05.07

“Reading maketh a full man,” said Sir Francis Bacon years ago. The saying still holds true. Reading for leisure and pleasure is a good habit. It instructs us in our youth and comforts us in our old age. Sometimes, reading brings about a revolutionary change in a person’s outlook. Particularly in these days of mechanical existence, when people have hardly any time to attend meetings, the best source of acquiring religious and general knowledge is books that can be easily browsed wherever a person finds time to spare. For a long time, I, too, have developed this habit of reading books. I like reading books of different genres. Very recently, I read the famous book by Cheon Myeong-Kwan, Whale (Munhakdongne). Since then, it has become one of my favourite books. This is one book that would keep me glued to it for hours together.

I was just not able to leave the book at any point as every page was proving to be even better than the previous one. The book covers many aspects of life: journey, love, life, revenge, etc. It inspires people to think positively. Success, however small or delayed it is, is better than no success at all. This book is an inspiration for those who feel that they have missed many opportunities in the earlier part of their life. Such people, when they look back, regret their inability to make use of the opportunities that are presented before them. This book gives a ray of hope to all those dejected people by emphasizing that it is never too late in life to achieve one’s goal. This book gives us the importance of time. Time is the most precious thing in the world. But only a few people realize the real value of time. In this modern world, slight delays cause great losses. In many instances, delays become dangerous, too. If a minor clash arises among the people of a particular locality and the government’s action is delayed, it may grow into a riot. Prompt action would have nipped the problem in the bud. If a situation demands immediate action, appropriate action should be taken to ensure that the situation does not go out of control. Any amount of delayed action will not improve things. There is a famous saying, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” A delayed action is useless and dangerous.
It consists of numerous pieces of advice dealing with universal wisdom, in my opinion. Whale is a very inspirational story with many important and memorable messages. Cheon Myeong-Kwan shows that it is best for you to take the opportunity to live life to the fullest. It has certainly changed my perspective towards life and helped me live my life in a better way.

Written by MUHAMMAD SHAMIM.S. (Reader of K-Book Trends)