Order and disorder

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최종수정 : 2006-11-30 00:00

By Lee Sung Kim

The universe consists of order and disorder; life is also just the same.
That's the providence of nature -Anon

When I was young, I often looked up at the numberless stars in the dark blue, autumn sky, while dreaming of great things. Watching those numerous stars keeping order in the universe, I was full of awe and wonder.
Suppose some senseless stars decided to get out of order and wished to move to a different place - what would happen to the universe then? Isn't it wonderful that all the elements in space maintain their positions so that there is perfect order all the time?
There is a perfect order in nature. After the heavy rain, the sun shines again.
This is the same in life. Happiness comes after unhappiness. Life and death, misfortune and luck go together.
The ancient Chinese philosopher Laotze is credited with creating the belief system represented by the yin-yang symbol. According to this philosophy, the world consists of yin (dark) and yang (light). The world is of disorder and order.
There is a famous fable based on the Old Testament. At the time of rain and flood, Good went to Noah to ask for help. Noah told Good that only a pair (Good and Bad) would be allowed on the ark. So Good, disguised as a man, went back into the world. Good returned to the ark with Bad, and together, went aboard the ark. Ever since, Good and Bad have co-existed in this world.
In the literary world, order and disorder go together in harmony. For example, love and hatred, happiness and sadness and war and peace are common themes that go hand in hand. A bad person is punished, while a good person is rewarded. In this way, the story ends.
Life imitates fiction. We encounter happiness, as well as many unbearable challenges in life. I firmly believe that if we live with hope and courage, we will eventually have joy and happiness without fail.