A 102-year-old participant in a recent Gwangmyung Arrow training reminds us that, as long as we are alive, a new beginning remains possible.
On August 14th, sixty-eight people from South Korea gathered online for the 353rd Gwangmyung Arrow training. Among them was someone 102 years old.
When I heard this, I was deeply moved. At 102, this person still chose to participate in a deep and impactful energy training and meet a new possibility within.
Many of us begin limiting our lives long before we reach that age. We may tell ourselves that we are too old to change, that our habits have become permanent, or that the meaningful part of life is already behind us. Even when we want to begin something new, another voice may say, “Why start now?”
Age brings real changes to the body and our circumstances. We do not need to deny them. Yet, the number of years we have lived does not determine whether our consciousness can continue to grow.
Life Is Still Happening Now
Sometimes we think transformation belongs to the future. We will begin when we have more time, feel more confident, or know exactly what to do. Years pass while we wait for the right conditions.
But life does not happen someday. It happens now, through the choices we make in this moment.
As long as we are breathing, we can observe ourselves. We can become aware of a thought we have repeated for decades. We can release one resentment, speak one honest word, or choose one action that reflects the person we want to become.
The change may appear small from the outside. Inside us, it may be the beginning of an entirely new life.
This is one reason I have been reflecting deeply on what it means to die well. Dying well begins with living well. It means using the life we have, whether much or little remains, to move toward completion.
Completion does not require us to accomplish everything. It asks us to become more sincere, more loving, and more fully ourselves. It asks us to leave behind the energy of harmony rather than conflict and to use our lives in a way that benefits others and the earth.
Our Past Does Not Have to Decide Our Future
After living for many years, we naturally accumulate memories. Some give us wisdom and strength. Others become stories that confine us.
We may think, “I have always been this way,” “I tried before,” or “People like me cannot change.” When we repeat these thoughts, we dwell in memories instead of experiencing the energy of the present.
Our memories are part of us, but they are not the whole of us. Beneath our history is the original life energy that continues to move through the body. When we reconnect with that energy, we can experience ourselves before all the explanations and limitations.
Energy is always moving. Because it moves, change remains possible.
This is why I began sharing the Gwangmyung Arrow training. Gwangmyung means “bright light.” Through experiencing this light, we can strengthen our energy, release old patterns, and reconnect with the bright consciousness within us. During the central practice of the workshop, I send a concentrated current of bright, pure energy toward an energy center chosen by each participant. What they do with that energy is up to them. For many, the experience has opened the door to meaningful change.
I began sending Gwangmyung Arrows in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic kept us at home. Unable to travel or meet people in person, I thought deeply about what I could do. How could I continue helping people and the earth? Gwangmyung Arrow became the first major workshop I offered online.
I have continued offering it as the world has changed because our need for gwangmyung has not disappeared. We still need the strength to move beyond old patterns, discover new possibilities, and bring more light into the world.
Since the training began, more than 13,000 people around the world have participated. Each has come with a different body, history, and reason for being there. The recent 102-year-old participant reminded me that the hope for a new possibility can remain with us at any age.
Ask What Is Still Possible
Let us take a moment now to sit upright and feel our breathing. We can place both feet on the floor or sit comfortably with our legs crossed.
As we breathe in, let us feel that life is entering the body. As we breathe out, let us release the idea that our past has already decided our future.
Then we can quietly ask: If I believed it was not too late, what would I begin now?
We do not need to force an answer. We can simply feel the question in the body. Perhaps an image, memory, or quiet desire will arise. Perhaps we will only feel our breath. Whatever comes, let us receive it without judgment.
Then we can tell ourselves: I am alive now. I can still become new.
Becoming new does not mean rejecting the life we have lived. It means using everything we have experienced as material for greater wisdom, compassion, and contribution.
Our world needs people of every age who are willing to awaken. Peace will not be created only by the young, the powerful, or those who believe they have plenty of time. It will be created by anyone who chooses, in this moment, to bring more light into their thoughts, words, and actions.
We do not know how much time remains for any of us. But while we are here, we can continue to grow. We can continue to love. We can continue to create harmony and help the Earth.
Today is still part of our life. What will we begin with it?
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