Peter Bieri’s Self-Determination felt to me like a book that helps us look at life in a richer and more delicate way. It does not simply speak of living a life shaped by our own choices. Rather, it leads us toward expressing more precisely who we are, what we feel, and what we truly want.
While reading this book, I found myself thinking about coffee. We often end our impressions with a simple phrase like, “This coffee tastes good.” But if we look a little more closely, we can express it much more fully: “Its nutty character and gentle sweetness feel balanced and stable, and because the acidity does not stand out, it leaves a clear impression of milk chocolate.” Self-Determination seemed to suggest that life is much the same. To understand life more deeply, we should not let our emotions and experiences pass by in vague terms. We need to hold on to them with language that is more careful and more precise.
People from the Gyeongsang region are often known for speaking briefly and simply. I am much the same. Perhaps that is why this book led me to make a quiet resolution for this year: I want to express my thoughts and feelings a little more often, and a little more accurately. In that sense, it also connects to the reason I joined Trevari. Writing a book review is not simply about organizing the contents of a book. It is a process of drawing up, in my own language, the emotions that were stirred and the thoughts that surfaced through reading. In the end, writing a review is also a meaningful way to strengthen the power of expression.
A long time ago, I once went to Dangjin after deciding to spend time exploring myself because I wanted to know what kind of life I truly wanted. While reading this book, the feelings I had at that time came back to me. Memories I had long forgotten slowly resurfaced—writers I used to love, places I had traveled to, and people I had met along the way. Reading this book became more than just reading. It became a time of calling back memories and sensations that had been quietly resting within me.
There were also parts of the book that I could not fully understand all at once. But in a way, that was exactly why I liked it even more. Leaving certain sentences unresolved, returning to them a few days later, and slowly reflecting on them became a pleasure in itself. It reminded me that some sentences come to us more deeply when they are savored over time rather than consumed quickly.
One sentence on page 56 stayed with me for a long time:
“There are many different forms of expression through which one can come to know, ‘I am this kind of person too.’”
I loved this sentence because it reminded me of an attitude I once learned in a program called A Journey to Find Myself. We do not come to know ourselves only through dramatic realizations or clear conclusions. More often, we discover small clues by trying to remain awake to experience itself and by carefully observing the emotions and inner movements that follow. Those small clues accumulate over time, and little by little, they help us understand: this is the kind of person I am.
I also found myself thinking about the cover. Its bold red color seemed to send the reader a message: Be Bold. It felt as though it were telling us not to follow life passively, but to live with greater clarity and courage. The image of the tree on the cover also reminded me of human life. A seed takes root, passes through a long stretch of time, and finally becomes a tree. That process resembles a human life as well. Life is not completed all at once. It slowly takes shape through invisible stretches of time and countless choices.
For me, Self-Determination was not simply a book that says, “You must choose your own life.” Rather, it reminded me that in order to choose my life well, I must first know myself well. And in order to know myself well, I must be able to observe and express my emotions and experiences with care. That is why this book did not feel like merely a philosophical work. It felt more like a book that teaches the language needed to feel life more deeply and to live it more precisely.