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If you don't want to go to nursing home - Written by Kim Hyung-seok I am living well past 100 years old. And I still sleep in my own house, make breakfast in my kitchen, and look at the mailbox with my name written on it every day. Many people ask me this. Professor Kim Hyung-seok, how was it possible to live alone for so long? I'll be honest with you. It's not because I'm a particularly strong person, nor is it because I'm lucky. I just realized one thing early on. The moment a person goes to a nursing home is not due to a sudden accident or the start of it in the hospital. It starts in a much quieter place. Today, I postponed going out because I was too lazy, canceled plans to meet people tomorrow because it was raining, and then I started to make decisions thinking someone would do this for me. Life gradually begins to shrink little by little, without anyone knowing, and above all, without even realizing it. I have seen that image countless times in my long life. Clearly healthy and clearly living well in their own homes, at the moment when they suddenly become people who are no longer the masters of their lives. So, I have a very simple rule in my life. I made three things. It is not big. It's not grand either. But these three things... Even now, when I'm over a hundred years old... That is the reason I was able to protect my life with my own hands. Perhaps your old age... It's a story that could be completely changed. The way to protect your life begins now. Only those who go outside can protect their own lives. This is the first habit I've maintained throughout my life. I... Every time I talk about this story. I always say this. * The first habit is, It's going out of the house every day. As people age, they naturally spend more time at home. Initially, It's for a very trivial reason. Today I'm a bit tired, and tomorrow the weather isn't good, so I don't have any particular reason to go out. If I keep postponing it for a day and another day, at some point the world outside my house will stop calling me. I have seen that sight countless times in my long life. Even in the neighborhood where I lived for a long time, I always used to slowly walk to the local store in the morning. There was a neighbor. There wasn't anything special going on. It was just an ordinary day where I bought a loaf of bread, had a little talk about the weather with the shop owner, and then returned home. But from one day... He was nowhere to be seen. It was about a week ago. After a month passed, and eventually, he stopped coming out of the house. The reason is... It wasn't special. It was because my legs had become a little weak. But the bigger reason is... There was one separate. Because I haven't been outside for a long time, I became afraid to go out again. My body is also weakening. The mind has also lost confidence. Eventually, he had to leave home after only a few years. It wasn't because I left on my own, but because I could no longer live alone. Watching that, I clearly realized one thing. The fact is that human independence does not suddenly disappear one day. Very quietly, And it disappears very slowly. So I made a very simple rule for myself. It's not because my body is completely healthy. It's not because of any special circumstances. If it's a day when I can stand, I must definitely... I'm going out of the house. There's no need to go far. If there's no need to, then. Simply walking slowly to the end of the alley and then returning is enough. It's less for exercise than for exercise. It's an action to give more to myself. I am still here. I still... I am living my life. As you get older, The world is increasingly trying to push us into our homes. But we ourselves... As long as we open the door and step outside, our lives are still not yet... It remains by our side. How about you guys? Do you still breathe outside air every day these days? Or did the world start to drift away from one day? I hope you'll ask yourself this question at least once. Because people's lives begin to shrink. The first moment, Because it's the day we don't open that very door. And the second habit I have maintained throughout my life continues right here. People do not only disappear from within the house. Even when a person's voice disappears, life quietly begins to shrink. A person is... If you stay indoors for a long time, It starts to disappear. However, Quieter and faster, Make people disappear. There is something to make. * Second habit, It's a life where I communicate with someone every day through my voice. One of the biggest changes I've felt over the long years is that... It was the sound of the house. In my younger days, I was at home. There was always a sound. The sound of footsteps, the sound of doors opening and closing, someone calling out, trivial questions. Those sounds were not special, but they had the power to keep people alive. But as you get older... Those sounds... They disappear one by one. Sometimes the person you lived with passes away first, and your children... Each person will live their own life. The house is still the same. The sound inside the house is... It gradually decreases. I have lived through such times as well, living for a long time. There are times when the house feels too quiet. There are no steps or need to call anyone. Just the quiet air. This is the remaining house. At that time, a person has very strange thoughts. The thought that I might be an unnecessary person now, that thought very slowly weakens a person's heart. And when your heart weakens, people gradually become more and more like the world. I won't be able to go out. Because I feel there is no reason to meet someone or to speak to them. So I told myself... I made another rule. At least once a day, I make sure to talk to someone. No grand conversation is needed. It's good to greet people you encounter in the neighborhood or have a brief conversation at the store. The important thing is... Not the content of the words, but... It is a human voice. The human voice is... It's not just a simple sound. That is proof that we are still in the world. There is one thing I have observed in my long life. Loneliness is not just about hurting the heart. Loneliness weakens a person's body, and... It also slows down thinking. And ultimately... The entirety of a person's life It makes it smaller. I think many people only go to nursing homes because of illness. However, many cases I've seen were a bit different. When there was no one left to remember that person's voice, life began to shrink drastically. So, I try not to lose my voice in my daily life. Even a very brief conversation is fine. That one word can bring someone back to the world. Because it connects. These days, you all... Who to talk to? Are you sharing? To no one for a day. Isn't it true that the days when you don't speak to them are increasing? A person is... Before your body weakens, you first become quiet in the world. And... The longer that silence lasts, Life shrinks faster. So, what I've been protecting... There is a third habit. It is precisely about deciding one's own life. When does a person lose their life? Many people think it's time for their health to deteriorate significantly. However, what I have realized after living through the long years is... It's a little different. * The third habit, Even a small decision It's a life lived by oneself. Human independence does not suddenly disappear one day. It begins to disappear little by little, starting from a very small crystal. Who will take your place today? After eating the meal they had set, Who will do it for tomorrow? They set the appointment time, and then someone else starts setting the schedule for the day. Initially, it was... It feels like help. Because it seems convenient and less labor is being put in by someone else. But that's how my decision was made. From the moment it shrinks My existence is... It begins to disappear. From now on I decide my life, Let's protect my health and live a happy life. Let's all go!