Hello, I am Yoo Seong-ho from the Department of Law at Seoul National University. Have you ever seen the movie Coco? It's an animated film that was released in 2017. The reason I bring this up today is that Coco is set against the backdrop of Mexico's traditional holiday, the Day of the Dead. I thought it was necessary to mention this film in connection with themes of death. Last time, when I introduced the movie The Bucket List, I promised not to spoil it, but I ended up revealing everything, which was a bit embarrassing. However, I really want you to see this movie, so I will provide a full overview of the story without giving away any spoilers. 

First, the protagonist is a 12-year-old boy named Miguel, who is a cheerful child from Mexico. He loves music so much that he carries a guitar around and dreams of becoming a musician. However, the atmosphere in his household is...

Music is completely out of reach. Miguel's great-grandfather had said he would pursue music, but he just left. So when Miguel says he wants to make music, there's a very negative atmosphere. And Miguel's great-grandmother, whose name is Coco, is strict because she knows about it. Then one day, the Day of the Dead arrives. The Day of the Dead is a day for honoring the deceased. Miguel actually had a favorite singer. Ernesto was a singer who had huge hits and was very famous, remembered by many, but he was deceased. As Miguel admired him, he went to visit his grave and ended up stealing a guitar. This leads him to enter the world of the dead. There, he accidentally meets a person named Taro, who is alive.

Miguel asks Hector to take his photo to the world of the living to help him return to the world where people exist, in exchange for not being forgotten. In the world of the dead, being forgotten means the complete dissolution of existence. In that realm, a deceased person's existence is maintained when someone living remembers them and holds them dear. However, it seems that Hector is on the verge of being forgotten. Therefore, he asks Miguel to take his photo and find someone in the world of the living who can remember him. As Miguel, the boy, travels through the land of the dead with Toto, he starts to wonder if Hector is perhaps his famous ancestor, Ernesto, a great singer. He feels that there are similarities between them, and he develops a sense of familiarity, which leads him to think this way.

So, I thought about it, but here the movie's biggest twist occurs. Should I mention this? The fact is that the seemingly insignificant person who was helping him was actually his grandfather. Another surprising fact is that Ernesto, the famous singer, was actually a friend of his grandfather's. He killed his grandfather to steal his song and continued to succeed with it; he was a bad person. Miguel realizes that his true grandfather is Hector, and the song he loved, the person he looked up to, was actually his grandfather. He exposes Ernesto's wrongdoings and brings Hector's photo into the world of the living so that he won't be forgotten. Here, there's a scene that really resonates emotionally, involving Madame Coco, his great-grandmother.

Coco's father was forgotten. Hector will not be forgotten because Coco's great-grandmother has now recorded everything, and little by little, she is starting to forget. At that time, Miguel showcases his musical talent by singing a song that his father used to sing to his great-grandmother when he was a child, helping her remember. In fact, the family hated the father so much that they got rid of all the photos, and no one remembered him. However, by bringing back the photo, Coco's great-grandmother recalls the love she had for her father, and his descendants ensure that he is not forgotten, allowing his spirit to thrive in the world of the dead. The conclusion is a happy ending. If I put it this way, it sounds like a children's animation with a happy ending. Honestly, I had no idea about the story when I watched it.

Even if you know the story, there’s something that resonates in your heart every time you watch it. This narrative contains various themes, primarily family and memory. It emphasizes how crucial the bonds of family are in our lives. Additionally, Miguel's ability to protect both music and family stems from the memories of his grandmother, who remembered Hector, and the love of his daughter. Death is an inevitable part of life, and it raises fundamental questions about how we will be remembered and what legacy we will leave behind. Therefore, the conclusion I want to share today is about how I will position myself after death, or how I will be remembered. It’s okay to be forgotten; many people often...

Should it really be remembered? If you say so, forgetting can also be good. However, with the countless social media posts on hard drives, it is certainly more difficult to forget. But depending on the person, one might consider how they will be remembered. For example, as a good father, a good mother, a good son, a good husband, a good wife, a kind neighbor, a great boss, or an outstanding employee. You can think about how you want to position yourself or how you will be remembered based on your values. So, what can we do for this? First, I think it's important to consider what we want to leave behind. In fact, everyone talks about money; whether we watch YouTube or television, everything revolves around it.

People are talking about money. Right now, it seems like we only discuss money, which makes us think about what kind of people we will become, how we will position ourselves, and how we will be remembered. When we think about what we want to leave behind, we often only consider money. Many are focused on accumulating wealth, like having hundreds of millions, and they think about things like buying cryptocurrencies. While that may be important, it shouldn't be the only focus. Living a life so oriented around money prevents us from deeply reflecting on how we want to position ourselves. Therefore, we need to consider what we will leave behind. There may be people we want to leave our love for, reflecting on how deeply we have loved them. Additionally, by conveying my good intentions, I hope that the recipients will also share a good heart with the world.

In order to live well and to have a more clever and smart mindset, I think it would be very beneficial to show the act of reading books. Ultimately, what position we take and what we leave behind will be determined by our values and principles. If we consider what we will do according to our values and principles, I believe that, first and foremost, we need to think about relationships and communication. If we want to leave behind love and respect, we cannot sufficiently convey what we want to leave without relationships and communication. The people we admire and those we consider great are actually the ones who have guided me and led me to where I am today. For example, my parents and teachers, as well as many others around me. Without these people, it would have been difficult for me to come this far, and their boundless love and support have been essential.

Their willingness to concede, their sacrifices, much like parents, have brought us here. I think it's important to feel gratitude towards them and to hold a deep appreciation for the love around us. Another aspect is not being afraid to take on challenges to leave a mark in life. In fact, when we engage in any task, there's often a sense of anxiety. Some people, wanting everything to be perfect, don’t even attempt it. Others may refrain from trying because they fear embarrassment, or they might feel that there's nothing to gain and prefer the comfort of their current situation. There can be over a hundred excuses for these reasons. The truth is, I can explain much more about why I remain still than about why I should move. However, if we don’t take on these challenges, we cannot establish any positioning for ourselves. So, what then?

If we muster a little courage and take small challenges one by one, a life where we cannot move forward or walk steadily feels like an unhappy life. Therefore, I want to emphasize that in order to position ourselves and leave a mark, we need to take a step forward and face challenges. 

Another thing is when I think about how I want to be remembered, what I need is sharing and generosity. When we talk about sharing, many people think of things like the 100 million won Honor Society or celebrities who donate a lot, but sharing and generosity are not limited to those actions. There are times when we feel like we are at a loss when doing something, but if we recognize that something is necessary for someone else, being willing to give up something for that person can also be seen as sharing and generosity. Additionally, small acts of kindness...

Although it's a small amount, taking a step in the direction you believe is right can also be considered a form of sharing and kindness. In fact, this is not an easy task. Do you know the name Yu Il-han? Young people may not be familiar with him, but he is the founder of Yuhan Corporation. His life was filled with great challenges and personal efforts, and through that, he built Yuhan Corporation into a strong and leading pharmaceutical company. If you were in his position, what would you do? Would you pass it on to your eldest son and ensure the prosperity of the company? That in itself is commendable. Running a business and helping others is also admirable. However, this person chose to share the pharmaceutical company, which he built throughout his life to create medicines for people, as a public asset. This is not an easy decision to make.

Because when I look at the life this person has lived, it has been a life of constant sharing, even until the very end. I think what is even more remarkable is the family who allowed this. Among the people I have seen, there are those who want to donate their considerable wealth to public causes for their greater purpose, but their children have filed lawsuits, causing confusion and disarray. I understand that as a son, he might think of it as his own, so I get that perspective. However, the family of this unique teacher transcends these issues; they are a great representation of sharing, giving, and donating. Ultimately, I believe that how we are remembered and what position we take is something we must address while we are still alive, rather than being strict and harsh with children and then acting differently just before death.

To the children, Dad loved you and wanted to be a good father. You may know this in your heart, but most of you might not accept it. Depending on how I act now, he will be remembered as a certain kind of person, even if he doesn't explicitly say it at the end. In the movie Coco, the reason his memory could be preserved was that Miguel sang the song that he had sung for his daughter, which confirmed his love. Similarly, I think it would be good for us to reflect more deeply on what kind of person we want to be in our lives and to make an effort toward that. Some may think that what I'm saying is cliché, but isn't the obvious often the truth?

I have the thought of wanting to improve my life, and I encourage you to deeply consider what you want to leave behind and how you will position yourself as a person. Thank you for listening to my long story.

살아생전 해야 하는 일ㅣ법의학자가 말하는 죽기 전에 꼭 해야할 일 Ep.9

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