Last Saturday, I had a chance to visit my school to congratulate some of my dearest G12 friends on their graduation.

Lots of hugs, handshakes, "Where are you going next?", and "Go on, you're gonna be late!"

Seriously, just a year ago I was on that stage getting my high school diploma. What has happened since then?

Fresh high-school graduate Heedong was passionate. Curious. Wanted to make a difference. Couldn't wait to prove that there was more education than school and "college". He was hungry for wisdom.

He wrote,

"That's why I consider this gap year I'm about to take as a chance to develop wisdom by being more attentive to what God may have in plan for me."

A Google search, a Wikipedia skim, click "Nicholas Maxwell", click "From Knowledge to Wisdom" – there it was, the answer to my grand inquiry: What is wisdom?

I liked this definition. To "realize" means to know and actualize. It's one thing to know what's important and another to actually do it.

But realize what? That it's 6:22PM? No. Realize what matters in life.

B... but... how do I figure that out?

Most of us go with our gut. We follow our interests, live out our values, pursue what we think and feel is right for us. In that process we figure out what really matters.

Sometimes, though, circumstances change priorities. The thought of having to go to the military was that for me. More specifically – war. What if one day, war breaks out and I have to leave everything I've built up to that point – my career, family, home – to fight in a battlefield... and die?

Gauthier, my mentor, came in to help. He asked me where I grounded my identity. My dreams? Accomplishments? Possessions? Those are things that come and go. Why ground your identity on temporary things?

The thought of letting go of his dreams challenged the aspiring-tech-entrepreneur Heedong. The future was awaiting him: financial freedom, founding a revolutionary education system, a cozy house by the lake... All of it was stripped away by the thought of war, and rightly so. If I were to survive that kind of identity crisis, I had to ground myself on something solid, something... non-temporary.

What was left was my identity in Christ as a child of God. That this life I have is a gift. That I am loved by a God. That when I fall and go astray, Christ picks me up and says "It's alright Heedong, I got you."

That was lesson #1 of what is of value in life.

Lesson #2 was from realizing that the most valuable thing I'm taking away from my gap year is the deep relationships I've built with people. And I mean genuine, lifelong friendships with those younger and (way) older than me.

I've learned so much from their character, their outlook on life, and the way they love and care for each other. Special thanks Gauthier, Daisy, and Lauren, for being the 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to me.

They taught me lesson #2 of what is of value in life: loving relationships.

Now that it's been a year since my graduation, I guess this gap year's coming to an end. Looking ahead, I think Korea will be the next place for me.

I'm going to have to go back for military anyways, and why not familiarize myself with my own country before then? I'll be applying to Taejae University this June. Let's see how that goes!

I've shared lesson #1 (identity in Christ) and lesson #2 (loving relationships) of realizing what is of value in life. While these form the foundation, I also can't ignore the practical, everyday problems of living. The biggest one right now is making money.

I've thought a lot about what career path I should pursue. Startup founder, freelancer, building a micro-SaaS business. Even webtoon artist was on the list.

The way my brain's wired is definitely that of a programmer, so I'll probably do something tech-related. I'm not so much of a designer, so UI/UX isn't for me. I think automation and machine intelligence might be it. A practical program that does things for you. I like the idea. That's probably what I'll study in uni!