Between Openness and Responsibility — What Golf Has Taught Me / 열린 마음과 책임 사이 — 골프가 가르쳐준 거리

I’ve always thought of myself as an open-minded person.

I get along with people easily, and I can adapt to different situations without much effort.

But when I look at myself these days,
I realize I’ve become more introverted than I expected.

It wasn’t always like this.
When I was younger, I was completely extroverted.
I didn’t hesitate to start things.
Maybe because I didn’t know much, I was simply brave.

But as time passed,
and as I began to understand more about life and people,
I became quieter.

The reason is simple.
When I start something,
I feel responsible for seeing it through.

Because of that,
I don’t initiate things as often as I used to.

Golf is a good example.

When I suggest a round,
most people say yes right away.
But sometimes, the day before,
I can sense a slight hesitation in their voice or attitude.

And in that moment, I realize
maybe this wasn’t something they fully wanted.

After that,
I tend not to ask them again.

In Korea, golf isn’t just a sport.
It’s more like a shared commitment.

Four people align their schedules,
spend hours together,
and each person’s presence affects the whole group.

That’s why I take it seriously.

One day, on my way to the golf course,
I got into a car accident.

It wasn’t severe,
but it was definitely unexpected.

Still, I handled the situation quickly,
called my insurance,
and took a taxi to the course.

Then I played the round
as if nothing had happened.

Because I didn’t want my situation
to affect the day of the other three players.

Looking back,
I realize I’m a very responsible person.

And I’m proud of that.

But at the same time,
that sense of responsibility
can sometimes make things heavier than they need to be.

Even in moments that could be taken lightly,
I tend to set a standard first.

These days, though,
I’m learning something new.

To keep my sense of responsibility,
but delay my judgment just a little.

Not to define people too quickly
based on a single moment,
but to give things a bit more space.

Maybe being truly open-minded
doesn’t mean accepting everything right away,
but allowing yourself
a little more time before deciding.

Golf still teaches me a lot.

Not just about the swing,
but about distance—
between people,
and within myself.

KR Summary

나는 오픈마인드라고 생각했지만, 시간이 지나며 점점 더 신중하고 내향적인 사람이 되었다.

그 이유는 단순하다. 무언가를 시작하면 끝까지 책임져야 한다고 믿기 때문이다.

특히 골프를 통해, 약속과 책임이 얼마나 중요한지 깨닫게 되었고,
그로 인해 사람들과의 관계에서도 쉽게 먼저 나서지 않게 되었다.

하지만 최근에는 한 가지를 배우고 있다.
책임감은 유지하되, 사람에 대한 판단은 조금 늦추는 것.

진짜 오픈마인드는 모든 것을 받아들이는 것이 아니라,
조금 더 여유를 가지고 바라보는 태도일지도 모른다.                          

Fun golf with my friends at Haevich CC

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