I AM ART: Soo Kyung Kim

This afternoon, my doctor, who also practices chiropractic care and specializes in helping with trapped emotions, gave me a wake-up call. He said, “Soo, your body is under stress, and it’s causing insomnia because you’re feeling guilty about not meeting your goals on time.” I hadn’t fully grasped how much my constant drive to push myself was affecting my well-being. His insights brought to mind a passage from Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s I May Be Wrong, which offers a powerful reminder to let go of perfection and be kinder to ourselves. Björn’s words, “It would do all of us good to bear in mind that we’re doing the best we can. Others are doing the best they can, too,” struck a deep chord with me. His reflections, shaped by his experiences as a monk, emphasize self-compassion and acceptance. They remind us that life doesn’t need to be flawless to be meaningful—a lesson I’m slowly learning to embrace. By easing up on the pressure to be perfect, I’m discovering the value of focusing on do...

  Early in the morning, when it barely felt like morning, I found myself returning to the book I left off reading the night before. With just a few pages left, I was eager to savor every word, even carrying the story into my dreams.  After finishing The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. While many parts touched my heart, there's one in particular that I want to focus on here. From Dmitri's Defense: The Legacy of Fetyukovich, Moscow's Renowned Lawyer; "Let the son stand before his father and ask him, ‘Father, tell me, why must I love you? Father, show me that I must love you,’ and if that father is able to answer him and show him good reason, we have a real, normal, parental relation, not resting on mystical prejudice, but on a rational, responsible, and strictly humanitarian basis."    While reading The Brothers Karamazov , one passage struck me deeply. It questions the assumption that being a father naturally creates a bon...