Difficulty of Writing

 

I learned from my grandfather early in my childhood how to write with a brush. Holding a brush in a prison cell to write the epitaph for him I was overwhelmed by a series of his memories, accompanied by various thoughts and feelings outgrown over the years.

 

When I looked again at my writing a few days later, just nothing seemed to be right. Strokes were uneven, out of balance with one another, and many connections between characters looked awkward, out of proportion. Han Seok-bong could not have done worse without the lamplight. My mother's reproaching whispers ringed in my ears. I rewrote some parts and modified some others.

 

Brush writing gets ever more difficult as I put more and more effort in it. Is it because it also contains a course of life in it? I keep wondering if the real purpose of calligraphy is to learn the difficulty of writing.