I am currently working as a freelancer with flexible time to manage my tendency to feel anxious. I have always believed that as long as I have barley, I am fine with anything. However, as I get older, I realize that the range of jobs I can choose from is narrowing. Now, I am contemplating whether to learn specialized skills even at this point. To learn a skill, I have to endure various stressful environments and the risk of safety accidents. I am worried about whether I can handle my anxiety well. Is learning a skill to prepare for the future society a wise choice? I feel lost about how to envision a future life where I can make a living while managing my anxiety well. I would appreciate some wise words from a monk. Thank you. But why are you worried about safety accidents when learning a skill? Well, I am currently thinking about learning electrical skills.

Instead of just learning electrical technology, if you want to live by learning technology, you should also fix faucets, unclog sewer holes, repair electricity, fix windows, and so on. It's not a bad thing to have various skills in various aspects of daily life. If you have skills in various technologies that occur in daily life, you can buy a house in a quiet rural area, repair it, ride a truck, deliver extensions there, and inform the locals with certifications. If you have one side or two sides of a brick within an hour, there is no need for a deity. Nowadays, there are not many young people in rural areas, mostly grandparents. So, if you have skills in various technologies that occur in daily life, you can buy a house in a quiet rural area, repair it, ride a truck, deliver extensions there, and inform the locals with certifications.

There are many miscellaneous tasks, but no people. Also, if you call someone, it's very expensive. So, it can be a service to help the elderly. If you don't take any money, it's volunteering. If you take money at a low price, it's also volunteering. And when you call, you need to respond quickly. For example, even if you win in this kind of technology, no matter how much automation or computers there are, you can still make a living. Because labor costs are too expensive now. In countries like the United States, it's like that. So, various jobs will disappear, and each individual will have all kinds of extensions. Because calling people costs a lot of money. So, they repair everything themselves. But if I look around at all these extensions in each house, it's a strict waste. It's too expensive to repair, so this kind of thing happens. That's why I will have those extensions in each house.

No, one person has it and if you ask for it a little cheaper like this, then you don't have to do it publicly. That's the kind of thing. But since the labor cost is too high, now everything is done by oneself. However, accidents like that can happen, such as injuring a finger or something like that. But those safety accidents are not fatal accidents. Worrying about such safety accidents is due to anxiety. So, as a freelancer, you write articles, episodes, about the episodes of the grandmothers who went to fix them, sometimes eat with them, sometimes fix them, and eat again. Since one has anxiety, if you do it like that, it will keep causing mental conflicts. That's okay. In my opinion, no matter what you do, it should be fine. Even if automation is advanced, there are still little things that require human hands.

Samsung Electronics, a very advanced company, holds digital events. However, even though everything is automated, people are still needed to oversee things. Our lives require human touch. Specialized technology is now essential, and tasks that used to require expertise are being taken over by AI automation systems. While a single specialized skill may lose its job to automation, knowing various simple skills and miscellaneous tasks can be valuable for the future. As my generation ages, even though younger generations may focus on urban areas, the elderly population in rural areas is increasing. The elderly may struggle with such issues and may face physical difficulties.

A horse can't do it, and for example, creating a good job in a new profession is a niche strategy. You can also see it this way. But, if you learn about electricity and work for a specialized electrical company, dealing with high-voltage lines, there is a risk of accidents. However, everyday electrical accidents, such as fatal accidents, don't happen. Yes, ask more questions. Actually, the things you mentioned are things I've heard in other lectures, so I also dreamed of that. I thought about going to the countryside to learn about electricity, interior design, carpentry, or something like that and start working. I thought that I should start with electricity because to properly learn electrical skills, I need to start by working on electrical construction sites. Many people have told me that.

I realized that I have never tried working on that construction site before, and now I'm worried if I can do it well. I started to worry about this. But if I have never tried it once, how can I do it well? Of course, you have to go through the process of not being able to do it before you can do it well. How can you do it well from the beginning? As you go and make mistakes, you will eventually be able to do it well. These days, if you go to the countryside, there are still many things needed in people's daily lives, like looking at wallpapers or small things like that, not necessarily professional interior design. And because labor costs are high, if we have income now, most of it goes to the first thing, which is rent, the second is for maintenance costs, and the third is for food expenses. But if you are in a rural area, you will have fewer expenses like that, especially if you own a private house, the expenses will not be much, and then there is the yard.

Even if you raise at least a little in the morning like this, there is almost no need to go to the market. Therefore, reducing expenses can also be seen as a wisdom of life. Especially these days, as prices rise, small things add up to big expenses. But from that perspective, it's not something you can do by going down. If you have anxiety and find it difficult to live where there are many people, if you have certain physical or mental characteristics, that can also be a way. That's what I can say. Yes, I understand. Listening to the monk's words, I once again found hope and realized the path I should take, so I am still planning and preparing to go to the countryside with a lighter heart. I think I can challenge technology with a more relaxed mind. So, whether you go to the countryside or the city, it's not wrong to hear what the monk says.

Whether you get married or not, it's up to you to decide. Don't say things like you went after listening to a monk's advice. A monk is someone who doesn't interfere in other people's lives. So, there's no need to worry about that. Even if you go to the countryside, there's nothing to worry about. You still have to make a living. I'm telling you this now. Even if artificial intelligence develops, there's nothing to worry about. There will still be things to do. It's natural to have to make a living. If you just want to live by eating, you can do that. When you get older, you can receive a pension and live however you want. The problem is whether you spend a lot or spend little. If you live frugally, you have nothing to worry about. Thank you.

1991. 미래 사회를 대비하여 기술을 배우는 게 현명한 선택일까요?

법륜 스님 공식 유튜브 채널입니다. 
법륜 스님과 대화 속에서 개인의 고민을 풀어가는 유튜브 공식 채널입니다.
[생방송 즉문즉설] 매주 금요일 저녁 7시 30분

Official YouTube channel of Ven. Pomnyun Sunim. This is the official channel where personal concerns are addressed through conversations with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.
[Live Dharma Q&As] Every Friday evening at 7:30pm(KST)


1991. 미래 사회를 대비하여 기술을 배우는 게 현명한 선택일까요?

Scripts