"Don't Just Try to Win"... Comedian Jang Yong's Life Question

[Financial News] Comedian Jang Yong, who is so passionate about rock-paper-scissors that he serves as chairman of the Korea Rock-Paper-Scissors Association, has published his first essay, 'Life Is in My Hands'.
People often regard victory as a necessary condition for happiness. They believe that one must defeat others to be happy, and to do so, one must go faster, possess more, and climb higher than others. If so, are those who seize victory every time truly living happy lives? It is a question that is difficult to answer with certainty.
Jang Yong, who has long studied rock-paper-scissors to find the answer to this question, realized through the countless games he has played that no matter how densely he fills his life with experiences of victory, it does not necessarily guarantee a happy life. This book captures an attitude toward life found in the cycle of the three hands—rock, paper, and scissors. The author, too, tried various hands in life in an attempt to change his destiny, but he picked up his pen to convey the realization he gained after numerous defeats.
The core focus of this book is the "draw." A draw is not defeat or surrender. It is the skill of a mature relationship in which one does not insist that only one's own hand is correct, but sometimes acknowledges the other person's hand, allowing different people to achieve balance and create the next opportunity. To those exhausted by endless competition, the author conveys the gentle comfort and practical solutions for life offered by the three hands of rock, paper, and scissors.
In the prologue, the author states, "We may have studied only victory for too long," adding, "While books on success abound, it is difficult to find books on draws." He continues, "Looking back, our lives have been closer to draws than to victories," and emphasizes, "In relationships with family, colleagues, and friends, we must not try to defeat one another. A relationship is truly preserved and sustained when we acknowledge each other and look forward to meeting again the next day."
The book likens relationships between people to the Korean dish Skate, Pork, and Kimchi Combo. The author states, "Relationships with people are perhaps similar," adding, "When you first meet, you feel unfamiliar with each other, clash, and misunderstand one another, but if you endure that uncomfortable time together, the relationship changes." He continues, "The time of conflict we experience may not be a time of decay that destroys each other, but rather a time of fermentation in which we accept one another," and says, "Just as skate gains its distinctive flavor by enduring time, people also deepen as they pass through it."
The insight into the essence of rock-paper-scissors also draws attention. The author explains, "The purpose of rock-paper-scissors is not victory in the first place," adding, "In reality, it is closer to a device for ending a contest quickly." He continues, "It is not about subjugating someone, but about making a decision without ruining the relationship," noting, "That is why grudges do not linger in rock-paper-scissors. When one round ends, you laugh and start the next one."
The author also emphasizes that "there is no absolute winner in rock-paper-scissors," stating that "the essence of this simple game lies not in the superiority or inferiority of power, but in the order of circulation." He explains, "Just as rock appears when scissors step aside, and paper takes its place when rock steps aside, winning and losing are not the end, but merely signals calling for the next turn."
Author Jang Yong is a comedian, MC, and poet. He graduated from the Department of Theater Directing at Seoul Institute of the Arts and made his debut through the MBC Comedian Contest. For more than 19 years, he hosted the segment "Jang Yong's Unity, Victory, Loyalty" on MBC Radio's Women’s Generation, sharing the lives, joys, sorrows, and emotions of countless people. Fascinated by the principles of rock-paper-scissors and its philosophy of peace, he currently serves as chairman of the Korea Rock-Paper-Scissors Association.

[email protected] Reporter Jeong Myeong-jin