๐ Introduction
Stress, anxiety, pressure, emotional exhaustion, emptiness, and dissatisfaction can quietly consume a personโs entire life.
Many people spend years chasing achievement, success, recognition, and external goals while internally feeling restless, overwhelmed, disconnected, and emotionally drained.
Even while appearing successful outwardly, internally they may struggle with fear, resentment, constant worry, anger, emotional fatigue, and the feeling that life itself lacks meaning.
This meditation testimonial shares the story of Sang Gi L., a career military officer who spent most of his life pursuing achievement, responsibility, discipline, and success.
Although he entered a military academy through tremendous effort and built a respected military career, internally he carried deep emptiness, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, dissatisfaction, and constant mental pressure.
Through meditation and honestly reflecting on himself, he gradually discovered the true source of his suffering and began letting go of self-centered thinking, resentment, anxiety, attachment, and the endless burden he had unknowingly carried for decades.
As he continued emptying his mind, his stress decreased, his relationships improved, his anger disappeared, and he discovered genuine peace, gratitude, hope, and freedom within himself.
This meditation testimonial beautifully shows how inner change can transform emptiness, stress, anxiety, pressure, and emotional suffering into clarity, peace, gratitude, hope, and a more meaningful life.
๐ฌ Meditation Testimonial: โFrom a Life of Emptiness to a Life of Hopeโ
By Sang Gi L. | Career Military Officer
I grew up in Chuncheon hearing people say that I came from a respectable family known for academic excellence.
My father was also a career military officer.
Although he struggled financially after retiring due to business failure, I always believed he was an admirable man in many ways โ simply someone who had encountered bad luck.
I studied intensely, entered a military academy through great effort, and afterward lived like a high-speed locomotive constantly racing forward.
As a cadet and later as an officer stationed near the front lines, I always tried to do my best.
But after reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel around the age of forty, an overwhelming feeling slowly began growing inside me:
โI need to stop and truly look at my own life.โ
๐ง๏ธ Outwardly Smiling, Inwardly Uncomfortable
My hair continued turning gray.
Even as my position rose higher, work only felt more exhausting.
I had spent my entire life chasing โsomething,โ yet I no longer even knew what that something was.
I had always believed I was competent and successful.
But in reality, I constantly encountered limitations in my career and often felt incapable of fully demonstrating my abilities.
Life began feeling empty and depressing.
Looking back, I realized I did not actually know why I was living or where my life was heading.
And strangely, I also noticed that there were many people around me whom I disliked or resented.
Even when smiling outwardly, inwardly I often felt deeply uncomfortable around others.
I disliked my superiorsโ instructions and leadership styles.
I also felt dissatisfied with the people working beneath me.
Even when tasks usually turned out fine in the end, I constantly worried about tomorrowโs reports and next monthโs responsibilities.
My mind could never rest.
If something uncomfortable happened with someone during the day, I would lie awake replaying it endlessly at night.
Because of that inner emptiness, I constantly searched for something enjoyable to distract myself.
I became obsessed with golf and tennis, practicing intensely because I wanted to outperform others and feel superior.
But the more I pursued pleasure, entertainment, and achievement, the larger my emptiness became.
At some point, I finally asked myself:
โWhy is living so exhausting?โ
โThis cannot truly be life.โ
And for the first time, I genuinely wanted to escape from that suffering.
๐ฑ Meditation Became the Only Real Hope
I thought about religion, spiritual practice, and saints.
But honestly, they all felt unrealistic to achieve while living ordinary life.
And even after decades of effort, there seemed to be no certainty of finding answers.
Then one day, I discovered a book about meditation in a library.
I read it immediately from beginning to end.
And the moment I finished, I thought:
โThis is it.โ
I began attending a nearby meditation center.
At the time, I held a highly important position during a critical promotion period, so my workload was intense.
But whenever I had even a little free time, I rushed to the meditation center.
There were several things I became absolutely certain about through meditation:
First
It diagnosed the emptiness and futility of human life with remarkable accuracy.
Second
It clearly explained how to discard the false, self-centered mind.
Third
It clearly described how a person lives after becoming free from that false mind.
I did not know whether I could truly become completely free and peaceful as described.
But one thing became certain:
โThis is the only path I can take.โ
๐ฟ Letting Go Was Not Easy
Meditation was not easy for me.
While others completed the first stage in a few weeks, I remained there for several months.
I felt frustrated.
My pride was deeply hurt.
At times, doubt even began creeping in.
But I could not give up.
Because if there were no hope here, then how could I continue living at all?
So I simply continued practicing exactly as instructed.
Then one day, something inside finally began opening.
The suffocating heaviness inside my heart suddenly started clearing away.
For the first time, I truly understood:
- what the mind is,
- what it means to cleanse the mind,
- and why life had always felt so painful.
I realized life itself had been an illusion created by my own mind.
I saw clearly that everything began from me.
And I finally understood:
โI do not need to continue carrying this burden of suffering.โ
โจ Gratitude Simply for Existing
Now, when I wake up in the morning, I feel grateful simply to exist.
There are no longer people I hate or cannot bear to see.
Instead, my heart gradually fills more and more with peace and happiness.
The person who once cared only about himself now naturally wants to help others and willingly moves his body to do so.
My anger and irritation have disappeared so completely that they are difficult even to find anymore.
When I close my eyes, I feel united with the entire universe.
My body often feels as light as if it could fly.
Even the people working under me seem to perform better now without needing harsh pressure or constant demands.
And strangely, more people naturally approach me.
Nothing feels overwhelmingly difficult anymore.
Perhaps because of that, I rarely even feel exhausted like before.
Although I continue growing older, my physical condition actually feels better now than it did years ago.
There are truly too many changes to fully describe.
Sometimes I wonder:
โWhat would my life look like if I had never practiced meditation?โ
And honestly, even imagining it feels terrifying.
๐ Reflect at Santa Clara Meditation
Many people silently struggle with stress, anxiety, pressure, emotional exhaustion, emptiness, anger, overthinking, dissatisfaction, and hopelessness.
At Santa Clara Meditation, people learn how to reflect on themselves, let go of painful thoughts and emotional burdens, and discover peace, gratitude, clarity, hope, and inner freedom through meditation.
If you are struggling with stress, emotional exhaustion, emptiness, or anxiety, meditation may help you discover lasting inner peace and meaningful change from within.
