Soo-ja Jung's Poetry Column The Height or Depth of Solitary Pleasure

The Hall of Solitary Joy and Moonlit Pavilion
stand atop a cliff
yet since ancient times there has been no path ascending there.
Who could it be—dwelling as a hermit upon that towering cliff,
who shattered the way down? (Jung-gwon Cho, "Hall of Solitary Joy" complete)

Alone again. Living separately, as if in self-imposed isolation. After prolonged distancing, the world's distances too have grown brittle for long. Throughout this time, many relationships maintained out of habit—whether liked or disliked—have been considerably reduced.

COVID-19's grip is truly strong. Particularly against new variants and their spread, there seems to be no effective measure yet. With repeated cycles of loosening and tightening quarantine measures, everyone is exhausted. Just when we might catch our breath, a variant that even breaks through vaccines emerges, and again "masks are the answer." It feels distant—when we might finally meet without masks, laugh, and chatter freely.

Solitary Joy—must we seek more solitary pleasure, like poetry? In truth, solitary joy has long been an exalted state of dreams. When worldly matters grew chaotic, one would say "sweep it away!"—and the Hall of Solitary Joy was the highest place of self-pleasure. It was like the realm of masters who retreat into their own spiritual dwelling and open a world unto themselves. Or it was wandering alone, high and deep, as if having relinquished all worldly concerns and living in another world entirely, in desirelessness.

Such solitary joy is not for everyone. Yet now, playing alone is necessary. Though we cannot hope to be "one who shattered the way down" like in the poem, we must contrive solitary pleasures within the secular world to survive. Fortunately, in a world that once dismissed living alone with contempt, we have now developed ways of solitary play and living. From the so-called solo dining to solo watching films, solo drinking, solo traveling—solitary pleasures grow daily wherever one looks. With the rapid increase in single-person households, the very lifestyle itself—from appliances to food—is changing.

Yet somewhere in all this, the loneliness that clings like soot cannot be entirely shaken off. Since human life has long been bound together with others, laughing and weeping—it cannot be otherwise. That is why, even in such a grave time of isolation, people seek meetings where human warmth is shared, and some even enjoy daytime drinking. Not everyone can establish their own Hall of Solitary Joy and, being alone, enjoy superiority and contentment in a higher realm of existence.

The last summer heat has already passed, and the touch of the wind has changed. Soon autumn will come, and I am thrilled—yet I slump at the fact that we remain in war against COVID. But if humanity marshals the strength by which it has fought countless diseases and reached this day, COVID too shall soon be vanquished. In the meantime, we must invent more solitary pleasures and endure this distance called isolation. Let us not be defeated by any variant!