What It Means to Be a Student of Gujoron

By Kim Dong-ryul · Original publication: May 6, 2020

Original: https://gujoron.com/xe/notice/1199055

Gujoron's approach to education is different. Real education is not the acquisition of knowledge. Its method is to join an unfolding event: to entrust yourself to a powerful current of energy. Birds ride the wind, fish ride the waves, and human beings ride civilization. You must plunge into the water and learn to move with its current.

In the beginning came the event of the universe's birth. Some 3.7 billion years ago, life emerged on Earth. Fifteen thousand years ago, human civilization was set in motion. Now, in the twenty-first century, another event is approaching. A great leap is taking place: humanity is beginning to share knowledge, breathe, and move as a single living organism.

Once a ship leaves port, there is no turning back. You must become part of its voyage. We must set a great event in motion and enter its flow. What matters is whose side you stand on. Stand on the side of God, truth, history, civilization, and society. Knowledge can be shared; the problem is language. If our languages differ, we cannot share what we know.

If we are heading in different directions, we cannot communicate. We must move side by side in one direction and bring our language into alignment. Real education means traveling together within an event, becoming colleagues, and sharing knowledge. To become a student of Gujoron is to join the great event of human civilization's progress and help build a structure for decision-making led by the Gujoron movement.

It means joining Gujoron's voyage. The group's direction and coordination with your colleagues matter; personal moral virtue is not the issue. What matters is challenging the world and drawing out energy. We cannot work together because we lack energy; we lack energy because we fail to meet; and we fail to meet because something stands in the way.

Only from the summit of Jirisan can you see the summit of Deogyusan. You must reach a commanding position to remove what obstructs you. You are obstructed because you are subordinate to something. Many events are unfolding, and your entanglement in them holds you back. There are broad roads and narrow roads. Belonging to a narrow road prevents you from reaching the broad one. You must find your own way out.

Rationalism or pragmatism? Pragmatists are obstructed by their practical concerns.

Absolutism or relativism? Relativists are obstructed by their relativity.

Monism or pluralism? Pluralists are obstructed by their plurality.

Progressivism or conservatism? Conservatives are obstructed by what they seek to preserve.

A student of Confucius or a follower of Laozi? Followers of Laozi are obstructed by their techniques for getting along in the world.

Reason or instinct? Those who follow instinct are obstructed by it.

A leader or a subordinate? Subordinates are obstructed by having to play the subordinate's role.

The greater vehicle or the lesser vehicle? The lesser vehicle is obstructed by its narrow scope.

Yulgok or Toegye? Toegye the moralist is obstructed by his moral rules.

A person of the world or a provincial pedant? The pedant is obstructed by rigid provincial customs.

A person of civilization or a tribesperson? The tribesperson is obstructed by tribal customs.

These choices are linked. Choose one correctly and the others follow in succession. The essential point is to remain unobstructed. You can see it at a glance: the first path has fewer obstructions, the second many. The absolute cuts off the opposing counterpart; the relative must deal with one counterpart after another. Choose the path without obstructions.

A person of conviction who sacrifices for the group out of loyalty can decide without hesitation. A schemer who first calculates their own share is held back by that calculation. Water cannot flow when its passage is blocked; it stagnates and rots. There is a right path and a wrong path. The right path is unobstructed, so you meet the people you need to meet. When you meet them, your hormones change.

The wrong path is narrow, a path of following others, and therefore obstructed. You cannot make decisions. Only by reaching an unobstructed path can you undertake great things with your colleagues. Transmitting knowledge comes later; building a structure for decision-making comes first. Then we can share knowledge, align our language, and each bring forward what we know.

When you meet God one to one, unobstructed by instinct, custom, supernatural fantasies, tribal loyalties, or greed, you can become a student of Gujoron and remain loyal to your colleagues. You do not need a good reputation. Become someone who interacts closely with the center of humanity. That becomes possible when you step onto the broad road and cease to be obstructed.