Interview with my role model
Since I was a little girl, my dad was the love of my life. Wherever he went, I followed him and loved spending time together. His friends always envied him because I was the only daughter among others to give a good-night kiss even after becoming a teenager. Like this, I was my dad's little angel and he was my role model. However, after entering university, I have felt that I did not have much opportunity to communicate with my dad and I got curious about his life. I thought it was going to be a great chance to get to know him even more. Therefore, I have interviewed him with several questions.
The interview started with the first question, "What is the most important thing in your life?" The answer was not immediate. A deep sigh and a little frown on his face made me worry if he did not like my question. After a few minutes of consideration, he answered very discreetly. "I think the most important thing in life is health, no doubt." I continued asking why he thinks health is the most important among many other things. He mainly related his answer to work. He sighed and said that one should be healthy in order to work hard or achieve their goals. He also added that there is a limitation in working harder than others and fulfilling their goals if he or she had a health problem. And if there is not enough energy to do one's job, it will be very frustrating.
Since he emphasized the importance of health so much, I became curious of what made him think that way. Without the need to even ask, he began telling his story. "It all started when we came back to Korea after working in the United States for 5 years." One day, when he went to the hospital to get a checkup, he found out that he did not have a healthy liver. The doctor requested him to get enough rest and emphasized that he should not get stressed out. However, this was a difficult instruction to follow because he was just about to become an executive of the company that he has been working in for a long time. In addition, he was more than sure that the coworkers would not appreciate a person who cannot fulfill his job in earnest. This diagnosis was especially shocking for my dad because he thought that at this age, he must be in a position that can fully support his family. Due to this thought of his, putting health before work was very difficult. Therefore, he took some time off from work and was hospitalized for further treatment. Getting enough rest for a month was not that easy, though. Instead of feeling relief, he kept worrying about how he could support our family. Therefore, after one month of rest, he jumped into the front line of work with a handicap. Fortunately, he was able to get into a medium enterprise with the recommendation of others. It was renowned for a semiconductor company. He also assumed an important position as a plant manager and helped the growth of the company.
However, the fundamental problem was not solved. Every time he visited the doctor, the doctor kept on pointing out that he should get enough rest. However, that was not the type of person that the boss or company wanted. My dad took a deep breath and sighed again. Maybe it was such a frustrating situation for him to think of. He continued talking. "I thought that, if I cannot stop worrying about balancing health and work, why not just start my own business? That way, I can manage my health and work hard without having to mind others." This was a very clever idea. He had doubts but he never gave up and developed his company year by year and made it successful.
After hearing his story, I asked him, "What were some of the biggest changes that you had to make in order to manage your health?" While I was waiting for his answer, I was able read regret, sorrow, and frustration from his face. "There are mainly two things that I tried hard to change. First of all, I stopped drinking. As a breadwinner, I thought that risking my health was a sin, especially since I had a great goal. Second of all, I tried very hard to operate my company in a way that minimizes the stress. Within the boundary of the company, I tried to work efficiently rather than working long hours. It was quite easier than I thought it would be, though. I think it was because I was used to the field of work due to the experiences in my past. As a result, my company was able to grow gradually and steadily."
Even though what my dad answered can be seemed as two small changes, I was able to understand how difficult it would have been for him to stop drinking, especially because now I am old enough to drink. Thus, I asked him, "So, what were the difficulties that followed?" He answered, "The biggest problem was that health problem always acted as an obstacle in what I was trying to achieve. I was not able to go to long-distance business trips freely. Also, I had to send an attorney at company gatherings or meetings. This was a critical problem because as a CEO of the company, I had to communicate with the employees and clients. It was difficult to express ideas in the most effective ways." I was worried about the company's situation now, since he told me that not being able to attend meetings or gatherings because he could not drink was a pivotal problem
"So, how are things now?" He answered, "10 years have passed after I founded the company. Now, everything is stable also the company accomplished great growth. Now I have my own system and now there is no problem in developing and operating my company. This does not mean I do not have limitations now. I still do. I have to readjust my hopes or aspirations to the reality. However, I am still trying hard and I wish that someday I can work without restrictions. Well, this is pretty much the end of my story. I hope that you really keep in mind that health is the most important part in your life. There are so many things that you cannot do when you become sick. And watching people go ahead while you are just sitting still because of health problems is such a heart-breaking process. I wish you do not have to worry about falling behind just because you are not healthy enough to work harder than others. Thus, I want you to take care of your health starting from now on. Even though you feel too lazy or busy to work out in the gym, you should try the best you can. I will always be behind you and encourage you with love."
After the interview, I was so touched by my father's love. As opposed to my childhood when I was even closer to my dad than my mom, recently, I was getting the idea that we were gradually drifting away from each other. And because my dad was a person who is too shy to express his love very frequently, it was good to know that he still cares about me so much. In addition, I felt so embarrassed. Embarrassed of myself. I knew that he is a great person who gives his greatest effort for his family, but I have never imagined that it would have been such a difficult process. He sacrificed the most important thing in his life just because he is a fantastic father who felt the greatest responsibility to support the family as the head of the household. Now I love him even more and I decided to try even harder to become a better daughter and student.
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