[백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식>과 [파친코>의 저자 이민진

'Corruption, AI, ICE...': Yale Guest Speaker Lee Sounds Alarm On Trump's Shortcoming In Fiery Speech - YouTube

'Corruption, AI, ICE...': Yale Guest Speaker Lee Sounds Alarm On Trump's Shortcoming In Fiery Speech

Hook Global

161,696 views  Jul 7, 2026  #USPolitics #DonaldTrump #Yale

At Yale's Class Day ceremony, acclaimed author Min Jin Lee delivers a passionate speech reflecting on democracy, immigration, AI, inequality, and the challenges facing America. Her remarks on government, civil liberties, and the future of young generations have sparked widespread debate, making this one of the most talked-about speeches of the year.

#Yale #DonaldTrump #MinJinLee #USPolitics

00:00 Intro: Min Jin Lee Takes the Yale Stage

10:34 AI, ICE & America's Biggest Challenges

14:02 "Choose The Important Over The Urgent"

21:42 Personal Journey & Immigrant Experience

30:52 Fighting for Korean Studies at Yale

37:06 Confronting Bias in the Classroom

45:35 How One Yale Moment Inspired Pachinko

48:47 The Remark That Brought the Crowd to Its Feet

52:06 Life-Threatening Illness & A Second Chance

53:25 Closing Message of Resilience & Purpose

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<백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식>과 <파친코>의 저자 이민진, 예일대 졸업식에서 시간을 말하다

재외한인 사회와 이민자의 현실을 날카로우면서도 따뜻한 시선으로 그려내 온 소설가 이민진이 2026년 예일대학교 <클래스 데이>(Class Day) 연사로 단상에 올랐다. 호크 글로벌(Hook Global)이 공개한 연설 영상에서 이민진은 팬데믹, 기후 변화, 인공지능(AI), 이민세관집행국(ICE) 문제 등 다층적 위기에 직면한 이른바 <불안 세대>인 2026년 졸업생들을 향해 뜨거운 위로와 격려의 메시지를 던진다.

본 평론은 그가 제시한 두 가지 시간의 개념, 즉 <크로노스>(Kronos)와 <카이로스>(Chyros)를 중심으로 연설 내용을 요약하고 그 정치·사회적 의미를 분석하고자 한다.

요약: 두 가지 시간의 이분법과 삶의 주체성

1. 양적 시간(크로노스)과 질적 시간(카이로스)의 안경

이민진은 졸업생들에게 벤저민 프랭클린이 발명한 이중초점안경을 비유로 들며, 세상을 바라보는 두 가지 시간의 관점을 가질 것을 제안한다.

• 크로노스(Kronos): 시계로 측정할 수 있는 연속적이고 양적인 시간이다. 몇 세 안에 대학원을 졸업하고, 언제 결혼을 하며, 언제 아이를 가질 것인가와 같은 사회적 마감일(Deadline)과 궤를 같이하며 흔히 고성취자들을 불안하게 만드는 요인이 된다.

• 카이로스(Chyros): 기회나 전략적 개방, 혹은 신성하게 정해진 계절을 뜻하는 질적이고 결정적인 시간이다. 인생의 전환점이나 깨달음의 순간이 이에 해당한다.

2. 예일대 시절의 시련과 카이로스의 발견

그는 자신의 대학 시절이 결코 순탄치 않았음을 고백한다. 평범한 학점, 청천벽력 같았던 만성 B형 간염 진단과 20~30대에 간암으로 사망할 수 있다는 시한부 선고는 그를 크로노스의 압박 속에 가두었다.

그러나 그 암울했던 시기의 경험들은 도리어 결정적 순간인 <카이로스>로 전환되었다.

• 학내 편견에 대한 저항: 한국 학과 설치를 위해 200통의 편지를 돌려 결국 예일대에 한국어 강좌를 개설해 낸 경험, 그리고 아시아인에 대한 편견을 가진 역사학과 교수에게 <교수님이 글을 읽을 줄 모르는 것>이라 일갈하며 맞선 사건은 그에게 주체적 시민으로서의 용기를 심어주었다.

• 문학적 이정표가 된 마스터즈 티: 대학 시절 우연히 참석한 강연(Master's tea)에서 일본 내 재일 한인(자이니치) 청소년이 차별을 견디지 못하고 투신했다는 비극적인 이야기를 들은 순간은, 이후 30년 동안 매달려 세계적 베스트셀러가 된 소설 <파친코>를 집필하게 만든 결정적 카이로스였다.

평론: 불안의 시대를 돌파하는 거북이의 연대기

1. 거대 담론과 개인 서사의 유기적 결합

이민진의 이번 연설이 지닌 가장 큰 미덕은 거대하고 시급한 미국 사회의 문제들(AI, 이민 정책, 민주주의의 위기 등)을 한 개인의 지극히 사적이고 세밀한 이민자 서사와 완벽하게 결합했다는 점에 있다. 뉴욕 코리아타운의 200평방피트짜리 작은 보석상에서 주 6일을 일하던 부모 밑에서 자란 아시아계 여대생이 느꼈을 소외감과 공포는, 오늘날 거대한 시스템의 변화 앞에서 무력감을 느끼는 졸업생들의 보편적 불안과 공명한다.

2. <급한 것> 대신 <중요한 것>을 선택하는 용기

현대 자본주의와 테크 플랫폼은 끊임없이 문자 메시지나 알림을 통해 우리에게 <급한 일>(Urgent)을 처리하라고 종용하며 중독을 유발한다. 이민진은 이에 맞서 <급한 것보다 중요한 것(Important)을 선택하라>는 명제를 제시한다. 26세에 고연봉의 변호사를 그만두고 소설가가 되기 위해 첫 책을 내기까지 12년, 두 번째 책인 <파친코>를 내기까지 또다시 10년을 견뎌낸 그의 삶 자체가 이 명제의 증명이다. 아버지가 그에게 붙여주었다는 <거북이>라는 별명처럼, 속도와 효율성만을 강조하는 시대에 그는 느리지만 본질적인 것에 집중하는 삶의 가치를 옹호한다.

3. 상처를 기억의 증거로 전환하는 역사적 태도

연설 중 그가 강조한 <영수증을 보관하라(Keep your receipts)>라는 말은 중의적인 의미를 지닌다. 이는 대학 기록 보관소에 남아있던 한국학 개설 청원 편지들처럼 역사적 증거를 확보하라는 뜻이기도 하지만, 자신이 겪은 차별, 모욕, 가스라이팅뿐만 아니라 낯선 이들이 베푼 친절과 격려까지도 모두 삶의 자양분으로 삼으라는 뜻이다. 그는 자신을 향한 학내의 살해 협박과 비난 속에서도 연대해 준 대학 주방 직원의 치킨 캐서롤 요리를 기억하며, 인간적인 복원력(Resilience)이 어디서 오는지를 웅변한다.

결론: 시간이 선사하는 구원과 지혜

이민진은 시간을 적이 아닌 친구이자 스승으로 바라볼 때, 세상이 강요하는 시급한 혼돈 속에서도 흔들리지 않는 명석함(Clearsighted)을 유지할 수 있다고 말한다. 그의 연설은 단순히 명문대 졸업생들을 향한 덕담을 넘어, 유한한 삶(크로노스) 속에서 가치 있는 순간(카이로스)을 포착해 내고 그것을 역사와 문학의 언어로 승화시켜 온 한 지성인의 엄숙하고도 뜨거운 인생 고백록이다. 불안을 이겨내고 스스로 삶의 역사가가 되라는 그의 메시지는 이 시대를 살아가는 모든 이들에게 묵직한 울림을 준다.

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다음은 민진 리(Min Jin Lee)의 예일대 Class Day 2026 연설 <요약+평론>입니다. 첨부 파일 제목은 “Yale Guest Speaker Lee Sounds Alarm On Trump's Shortcoming”이지만, 실제 연설의 중심은 트럼프 비판만이 아니라 <시간, 이민자 경험, 차별, 한국학, 문학적 소명, 민주주의 위기>를 하나로 묶은 졸업 연설입니다. 예일대 공식 보도도 이 연설의 핵심을 “Time is our teacher”, 즉 시간에 대한 성찰로 정리했습니다.

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1. 연설의 핵심 메시지

민진 리의 연설은 한 문장으로 줄이면 이렇습니다.

<긴박한 것보다 중요한 것을 선택하라.>

그녀는 2026년 졸업생들이 겪어온 시대를 매우 어둡게 묘사한다. 팬데믹, 전쟁, 총기난사, 산불, 기후변화, 인플레이션, 투표권 약화, AI, attention economy, 경제적 불평등, 주거난, 신자유주의, 권위주의, ICE, DOGE, 생식권 후퇴, 의료 불평등, 실업과 불완전 고용, 정부 부패, 과학 연구 예산 삭감, 지역 언론과 전통 미디어의 붕괴 등을 한꺼번에 열거한다.

이 대목 때문에 영상 제목은 “트럼프의 결함에 경고했다”는 식으로 정치적 제목을 붙였지만, 실제 연설은 특정 정치인 하나를 공격하는 연설이라기보다, 미국 사회 전체가 청년 세대에게 부과한 역사적 압박을 진단하는 연설이다. 그녀는 젊은 세대를 “anxious generation”, 즉 불안한 세대라고 부르기보다, “adaptive generation”, 곧 적응하는 세대라고 부른다. 이것이 연설의 중요한 전환이다. 불안은 약점이 아니라, 현실을 정확히 감지한 결과라는 것이다.

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2. 크로노스와 카이로스

연설의 중심 개념은 고대 그리스어의 두 시간 개념이다.

<크로노스>는 측정 가능한 시간이다. 시계 시간, 나이, 졸업 연도, 취업 시점, 결혼 시점, 출산 시점, 성공의 마감기한 같은 것이다. 고성취자들은 대개 크로노스의 압박 속에서 산다.

<카이로스>는 질적 시간이다. 결정적 순간, 기회, 깨달음, 전환점, 신학적으로 말하면 “때가 찬 순간”이다.

민진 리는 졸업생들에게 “시간의 이중초점 안경”을 쓰라고 말한다. 가까운 시간을 보는 크로노스의 시야와, 먼 의미를 보는 카이로스의 시야를 함께 가져야 한다는 뜻이다. 예일대 공식 보도 역시 이 연설을 “삶의 복잡성 앞에서 시간에 대한 섬세한 관점을 가지라”는 조언으로 정리한다.

이 부분이 연설의 철학적 핵심이다. 현대인은 너무 자주 “급한 것”에 반응한다. 문자 메시지, DM, 뉴스 속보, 정치적 공포, SNS의 분노, AI의 속도, 경제적 경쟁은 모두 urgent하다. 그러나 urgent하다고 해서 important한 것은 아니다. 민진 리가 말하는 성숙은 급박함의 소음 속에서 중요한 것을 구별하는 능력이다.

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3. 자신의 실패와 느림을 이야기하는 방식

연설 초반부에서 그녀는 매우 솔직하게 자기 실패를 말한다. 예일 재학 중 성적이 뛰어나지 않았고, 조각 수업에서 C, 현대 중국사에서 C+를 받았다고 농담한다. 역사학자가 되고 싶었지만 성적과 교수 지원이 부족해 박사과정에 갈 수 없었다. 졸업 당시에는 미래가 밝다고 느낀 것이 아니라, 오히려 자신의 한계를 생각했다고 말한다.

그녀는 자신을 “느린 사람”으로 묘사한다. 말도 늦게 배웠고, 친구 사귀는 것도 늦었고, 글쓰기도 늦었다. 첫 소설 <백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식>(Free Food for Millionaires)은 38세에, <파친코>(Pachinko)는 48세에 나왔다. 세 번째 소설 <American Hagwon>은 58세가 되는 해 가을에 나온다고 한다. 예일대는 그녀가 1990년 예일대를 졸업한 역사학 전공자이며, 세계적으로 인정받는 소설가이자 에세이스트라고 소개한다.

이 자기서사는 흔한 성공담과 다르다. “나는 결국 성공했으니 너희도 열심히 하라”가 아니다. 오히려 “그때 실패처럼 보였던 것이 나중에는 카이로스였다”는 메시지다. 실패, 지연, 모욕, 병, 소외가 모두 낭비가 아니었다는 것이다.

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4. 이민자 가족의 경험

연설에서 가장 따뜻한 부분은 부모 이야기다. 그녀는 1976년, 일곱 살 때 가족과 함께 한국에서 미국으로 이민했다. 부모는 뉴욕 코리아타운의 작은 도매 장신구 가게에서 일했다. 방학 때 그녀와 자매들도 그 가게에서 일했다. 예일 입학 첫날 아버지는 그녀를 뉴헤이븐까지 데려다주고 짐을 내려준 뒤 곧바로 다시 일하러 갔다. 어머니는 가게를 지켜야 했기 때문에 오지 못했다.

이 장면은 단순한 가족 회상이 아니다. 그것은 미국 엘리트 대학의 화려한 졸업식 뒤에 보이지 않는 이민 노동의 세계가 있다는 지적이다. 예일대라는 특권 공간에 들어온 한 한국계 이민자 학생은 자신만 들어온 것이 아니라, 부모의 장시간 노동, 침묵, 희생, 문화적 소외를 함께 가지고 들어온다.

졸업식에 부모가 함께 앉아 있다는 현재의 장면은 그래서 강한 카이로스가 된다. 36년이라는 크로노스가 지나서야 그 의미가 완성된 것이다.

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5. 예일대 한국학 투쟁

연설의 가장 역사적으로 중요한 부분은 한국학 이야기다. 민진 리는 1988년 예일대에 한국사, 한국어, 한국 문학, 한국 종교 관련 강좌가 사실상 없었다고 말한다. 세계적 동아시아 연구 대학이라고 하면서도 한국은 거의 보이지 않았다.

그녀는 “한국전쟁과 냉전을 이해하려면 한국사를 알아야 하지 않는가”라고 묻는다. 딘 러스크와 찰스 본스틸이 1945년 8월 한반도의 38선 분할을 제안했고, 3만 5천 명 이상의 미군이 한국전쟁에서 사망했으니, 한국의 분단은 한국사일 뿐 아니라 미국사이기도 하다는 것이다.

이 대목은 매우 중요하다. 그녀는 한국학을 “소수민족 정체성 과목”으로 요구한 것이 아니다. 한국학은 세계사, 냉전사, 미국사의 핵심이라는 주장을 한 것이다. 그래서 학생들과 부모들에게 편지를 보내게 했고, 그 결과 1990년 가을 예일대에 한국어 수업이 시작되었다. 예일대 공식 Class Day 안내도 이 행사가 졸업생들의 회고와 저명 연사의 연설로 구성되는 오래된 전통이라고 설명한다. 그 전통적 무대에서 그녀가 한국학 부재를 말한 것은 상징적이다.

이 부분은 한국 독자에게 특히 울림이 크다. 미국 명문대에서조차 한국은 오랫동안 “중국과 일본 사이의 빈칸”으로 취급되었다. 민진 리는 바로 그 빈칸을 메우려 한 학생운동의 경험을 말한다.

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6. 인종적 편견과 교수 권력

연설의 가장 날카로운 부분은 예일대 수업에서 겪은 차별 이야기다. 한국사 수업에서 그녀는 중간고사 F를 받았다. 교수는 거의 설명도 없이 “Ah me, what’s to say?”라는 식의 모욕적 코멘트만 남겼다. 그녀가 성별·민족별 성적 분포를 요구하자, 한국계 학생들에게 낮은 점수가 집중되어 있었다는 사실이 드러난다. 교수는 아시아계 학생들이 수학·과학 전공자라 역사 글쓰기를 못했을 것이라고 추정했다. 그러나 그는 학생들의 전공조차 제대로 알지 못했다.

또 다른 역사 수업에서는 그녀의 글에 C를 주고, 영어가 제2언어이니 보충 지도를 받으라고 했다. 그러나 동시에 그녀는 영어학과의 블라인드 심사에서 논픽션상과 소설상을 받았다. 바로 이 모순 속에서 그녀는 유명한 말을 한다.

<교수님, 제가 글을 못 쓰는 것이 아니라 교수님이 읽을 줄 모르는 것입니다.>

이 말이 연설에서 청중의 강한 반응을 얻은 이유는 분명하다. 그것은 단순한 통쾌한 반격이 아니다. 소수자 학생이 엘리트 기관 안에서 경험하는 “평가의 폭력”을 정면으로 드러낸 말이다. 교수의 평가는 객관적 권위처럼 보이지만, 그 안에는 인종적 선입견, 언어 편견, 제도적 권력이 숨어 있을 수 있다.

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7. <파친코>의 씨앗

연설에서 가장 문학적으로 중요한 장면은 재일조선인 소년의 자살 이야기다. 예일의 한 티 모임에서 백인 미국인 선교사가 일본의 가난한 한국인들에 대해 이야기했고, 그중 한 13세 재일조선인 소년이 졸업 후 건물 옥상에서 뛰어내렸다는 이야기를 들려준다. 그의 졸업앨범에는 “돌아가라”, “김치 냄새난다”, “죽어라” 같은 말들이 적혀 있었다.

민진 리는 그 이야기를 잊지 못했고, 그 한 시간이 훗날 <파친코>를 쓰게 한 씨앗이 되었다고 말한다. 그녀의 표현대로 “대학 생활 4년 중 한 시간”이 수십 년의 문학적 탐구로 이어진 것이다.

여기서 카이로스 개념이 가장 설득력을 얻는다. 인생의 중요한 순간은 당시에는 반드시 거창하게 보이지 않는다. 한 강연, 한 이야기, 한 모욕, 한 친절이 나중에 한 사람의 삶 전체를 바꿀 수 있다.

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8. 병과 죽음의 시간

민진 리는 대학 시절 만성 B형 간염 보균자였고, 의사로부터 젊은 나이에 간암에 걸릴 가능성이 크다는 말을 들었다. 32세에는 간경변이 생겼고, 인터페론 치료를 받았다. 머리가 빠지고, 구토와 설사로 집 밖에 나갈 수 없을 만큼 고통스러웠지만 결국 완치되었다고 말한다.

이 병의 경험은 그녀의 시간 철학을 추상적 교훈이 아니라 실존적 고백으로 만든다. “시간은 적”이 아니라 “친구”라는 마지막 메시지는 그래서 가볍지 않다. 죽음의 가능성을 실제로 겪은 사람이 말하는 시간의 우정이다.

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9. 정치적 의미

영상 제목은 “트럼프의 결함에 경고”라고 되어 있지만, 이것은 다소 자극적인 제목이다. 물론 연설에는 트럼프 시대 미국을 겨냥한 비판이 있다. ICE, 투표권 파괴, 정부 부패, 권위주의, 생식권 후퇴, 과학 연구 삭감 등은 2026년 미국 정치 현실과 직접 연결된다. 그러나 연설의 구조는 반트럼프 연설이 아니라, 민주주의적 시민성의 연설이다.

민진 리가 말하는 시민성은 세 가지다.

첫째, 중요한 것을 보라.
둘째, 기록과 증거를 남겨라.
셋째, 불의한 평가 앞에서 침묵하지 말라.

그녀가 “keep your receipts”라고 말한 것은 단순한 농담이 아니다. 역사는 집단 기억이지만, 증거에 근거한 해석이라는 말과 연결된다. 민주주의가 무너질 때 가장 먼저 파괴되는 것은 사실, 기록, 언론, 연구, 제도적 기억이다. 따라서 영수증, 편지, 문서, 기록은 시민적 저항의 재료가 된다.

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10. 평론

이 연설의 강점은 개인적 회고와 공적 비판을 자연스럽게 연결한다는 점이다. 졸업 연설은 흔히 낙관적 조언, 성공담, 유머로 끝난다. 그러나 민진 리는 훨씬 무거운 내용을 말한다. 질병, 차별, 죽음의 위협, 부모의 노동, 한국학의 부재, 재일조선인의 고통, 미국 민주주의의 위기까지 모두 끌어온다. 그런데도 연설은 절망적이지 않다. 오히려 “흔들리지 말라”는 격려로 끝난다.

또 하나의 장점은 한국계 미국인의 경험을 보편적 주제로 확장한 점이다. 그녀는 “나도 차별받았다”는 피해 서사에 머물지 않는다. 자신의 경험을 통해 제도, 지식, 역사, 언어, 평가, 권력의 문제를 말한다. 이 점에서 연설은 매우 사회학적이다.

다만 약점도 있다. 정치적 쟁점들이 초반에 너무 많이 열거되기 때문에, 그 각각에 대한 분석은 깊지 않다. AI, ICE, DOGE, 언론 붕괴, 권위주의, 과학 연구 삭감이 모두 중요한 문제이지만, 연설의 시간 안에서는 하나하나 설명되지 않는다. 따라서 보수적 청중이나 중도적 청중에게는 “정치적 구호를 나열했다”는 인상을 줄 수도 있다. 하지만 졸업 연설이라는 장르를 고려하면, 그 목적은 정책 분석이 아니라 시대감각의 제시다.

가장 인상적인 것은 그녀의 윤리다. 그녀는 원한을 말하지만 원한에 머물지 않는다. 자신을 무시한 교수들, 자신에게 상처를 준 사람들, 죽음의 공포까지도 나중에는 자기 삶을 준비시킨 것이라고 해석한다. 그러나 이것은 불의를 정당화하는 용서가 아니다. 불의는 불의대로 명명하고, 동시에 그것을 삶의 재료로 바꾸는 태도다.

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결론

민진 리의 예일대 연설은 단순한 졸업 축사가 아니다. 그것은 한국계 이민자의 자기서사이며, 미국 엘리트 교육기관에 대한 내부 비판이며, 한국학의 필요성에 대한 증언이며, 민주주의 위기 시대의 시민적 권고다.

핵심은 이것이다.

<급한 것에 끌려가지 말고, 중요한 것을 보라. 시간은 적이 아니라 스승이다. 그리고 삶의 어두운 순간조차 낭비되지 않게 하라.>

이 연설은 세진님이 관심을 가져온 <동아시아의 평화와 화해>라는 주제와도 깊이 연결됩니다. 특히 재일조선인 소년의 이야기에서 <파친코>로 이어지는 대목은, 기억되지 않은 고통이 문학과 역사 인식으로 전환되는 순간이라고 할 수 있습니다.

===

Transcript

Chapter 1: Intro: Min Jin Lee Takes the Yale Stage

0:00I have been thinking about what your generation has experienced and is experiencing.

0:088 secondsa pandemic, deadly invasions and wars, mass school shootings,

0:1717 secondswildfires, climate change, inflation, the destruction of voting rights,

0:2525 secondsAI, clip economies, attention economies, the incitification

0:3333 secondsof tech platforms, rampant economic inequality,

0:4040 secondslack of affordable housing, the rise of neoliberalism and authoritarianism.

0:5252 secondsAnd then there's ICE.

0:5757 secondsPresident McInness, trustees of the Yale Corporation, Dean Lewis, Provost Strobble, heads and deans of the

1:061 minute, 6 secondsresidential colleges, Professor Allison Coleman, class day committee members Isa, Maya, Sarah, and Kevin.

1:251 minute, 25 secondsfaculty, administration, and staff.

1:271 minute, 27 secondsThank you, class of 2026 for your gracious invitation.

1:331 minute, 33 secondsAnd class of 2026, congratulations.

1:431 minute, 43 secondsI can take it for you. Very good.

1:501 minute, 50 secondsLet us acknowledge together the sacrifice, the dedication and love of your parents, family members, guardians, and friends.

2:032 minutes, 3 secondsWe hold in our hearts every person who could not be here today because of work,

2:122 minutes, 12 secondsillness, financial circumstances, or military service.

2:172 minutes, 17 secondsIn the past decade,

2:292 minutes, 29 secondsI have lost two of my It started fast today.

2:472 minutes, 47 secondsI lost two of my brilliant college roommates before they turned 50.

2:542 minutes, 54 secondsYanuan Joe, Davenport, class of 1990.

3:043 minutes, 4 secondsKoska Kubsella, Trumbull 1990.

3:133 minutes, 13 secondsThis past December, we lost the environmental journalist Tatiana Schllober Trumbull, class of 12,

3:243 minutes, 24 secondswho served as the editor and chief of the Yale Herald.

3:323 minutes, 32 secondsamong us gathered today.

3:353 minutes, 35 secondsWe have lost too many too soon.

3:413 minutes, 41 secondsHowever, may their lives and love shine through these beautiful graduates.

3:513 minutes, 51 secondson class day of 1990.

3:543 minutes, 54 secondsI was sitting where you're seated and I was set to go to law school at Georgetown.

4:034 minutes, 3 secondsI don't know how I got in. No, truly.

4:084 minutes, 8 secondsIn preparation for this speech, I revisited my mediocre transcript.

4:154 minutes, 15 secondsI had far more B's than A's.

4:194 minutes, 19 secondsAs evidence, I will share that I got a C in sculpture

4:364 minutes, 36 secondsand a C plus in modern Chinese history.

4:434 minutes, 43 secondsSome of you will graduate suma cumlaude magna [ __ ] laad or [ __ ] laad.

4:524 minutes, 52 secondsMy friend Neil and I used to joke that we graduated. Thank you lad.

5:155 minutes, 15 secondsI feel seen. Okay.

5:215 minutes, 21 secondsIn your seat, I was not thinking about the brightness of my future, but rather my limits.

5:315 minutes, 31 secondsIt had not been my plan to go to law school. I was a history major and I had wanted

5:405 minutes, 40 secondsI had wanted to become a history professor but I didn't have the grades or the faculty support to get a PhD.

5:505 minutes, 50 secondsAnd also at Yale I learned that I had a very serious liver disease.

5:565 minutes, 56 secondsAnd on my class day I felt disillusioned with my political ideals.

6:046 minutes, 4 secondsbetrayed by my own body, alienated from some of my classmates, and I felt ready to leave campus.

6:156 minutes, 15 secondsAbove all, I wondered if I had wasted my four valuable years at Yale.

6:266 minutes, 26 secondsI went to law school. I got a job as a lawyer at a firm in Manhattan.

6:326 minutes, 32 secondsAnd after working for only two years, I quit my highpaying job to write fiction.

6:506 minutes, 50 secondsI was 26 years old. I had no idea how to write a novel. So it turned out that I had gone into the wrong profession.

7:027 minutes, 2 secondsSo obviously I had chosen the wrong major. So I would have to start at square one.

7:107 minutes, 10 secondsAgain I asked myself had I squandered another five years of my life.

7:207 minutes, 20 secondsAnd from that moment on, it took me another 12 years to publish my debut

7:277 minutes, 27 secondsnovel, Free Food for Millionaires. And I was 38 years old. And when I was sitting in your chair, that was like a hundred.

7:427 minutes, 42 secondsMy second novel, Pachenko, came out when I was 48. That's like 110.

7:507 minutes, 50 secondsSo that's another decade.

7:537 minutes, 53 secondsHowever, I had gotten the study the whole idea to study the Koreans in Japan when I was in college. So off and on.

8:018 minutes, 1 secondI've been working on that book for almost 30 years.

8:078 minutes, 7 secondsMy third novel, American Hogwan, will come out in the fall when I will turn 58.

8:228 minutes, 22 secondsI look good, right?

8:408 minutes, 40 secondsI love the class of 2026.

8:488 minutes, 48 secondsAnd when young writers when young writers ask me how should I become a novelist

8:568 minutes, 56 secondsout of due consideration for their precious youth my first thought is shouldn't they be

9:039 minutes, 3 secondsasking somebody else someone who is far more efficient and productive

9:119 minutes, 11 secondsso for most of my life, I have felt there was something really wrong with me.

9:189 minutes, 18 secondsI was too slow. I was slow to learn how to talk. I was slow to learn how to make friends. I was a slow learner.

9:289 minutes, 28 secondsI even take twice as long to eat my meals than most people.

9:369 minutes, 36 secondsThree decades, three novels. And I'm not a fast writer. And as a child, my father

9:439 minutes, 43 secondshad named me turtle because of my pace.

9:509 minutes, 50 secondsAt Yale, I did not know how to find mentors.

9:569 minutes, 56 secondsI was not tapped by any societies or clubs.

10:0110 minutes, 1 secondI said and wrote things which upset important people.

10:0810 minutes, 8 secondsAnd I was

10:1910 minutes, 19 secondsAnd I was so dumb or naive that I didn't know who was important in the world.

10:2810 minutes, 28 secondsAnd it turned out that all the important people knew each other.

Chapter 2: AI, ICE & America's Biggest Challenges

10:3510 minutes, 35 secondsSo if you made trouble, and I did, everyone important

10:4210 minutes, 42 secondsor who aspired to be important avoided you.

10:4810 minutes, 48 secondsSo it can be reasonably argued that I did not use my time well in college and that I had missed my opportunities.

10:5910 minutes, 59 secondsand class of 2026.

11:0211 minutes, 2 secondsSince last May, when I received the invitation from President McInness,

11:0911 minutes, 9 secondsI have been thinking about you every single day.

11:1511 minutes, 15 secondsI have been thinking about what your generation has experienced and is experiencing.

11:2411 minutes, 24 secondsa pandemic, deadly invasions and wars, mass school shootings,

11:3311 minutes, 33 secondswildfires, climate change, inflation, the destruction of voting rights,

11:4011 minutes, 40 secondsAI, clip economies, attention economies, the incitification

11:4811 minutes, 48 secondsof tech platforms, rampant economic inequality,

11:5511 minutes, 55 secondslack of affordable housing, the rise of neoliberalism and authoritarianism.

12:0712 minutes, 7 secondsAnd then there's ICE

12:1712 minutes, 17 secondsand Doge, the loss of reproductive rights,

12:2812 minutes, 28 secondshealthc care inequality, the spectre of unemployment and undermployment.

12:3812 minutes, 38 secondsgovernment corruption, the drastic cuts to scientific research,

12:4612 minutes, 46 secondsthe death of local news, and the loss of legacy media.

12:5212 minutes, 52 secondsThe loss of cherished ideals and hard one constitutional liberties for all

12:5912 minutes, 59 secondspeople, but especially for members of historically oppressed communities. and

13:0513 minutes, 5 secondsthe rise of distrust in each other as we approach our national semi-kin

13:1313 minutes, 13 secondscentennial and now the hanto virus.

13:2013 minutes, 20 secondsGood [ __ ] grief.

13:3113 minutes, 31 secondsYou are the so-called anxious generation, a label I have been considering.

13:4113 minutes, 41 secondsTo me, you are rightfully agrieved. You have been forced to be alert.

13:5013 minutes, 50 secondsNo, you have been forced to be hyper vigilant.

13:5413 minutes, 54 secondsAnd you deserve credit for being the adaptive generation.

Chapter 3: Choose The Important Over The Urgent

14:0814 minutes, 8 secondsThe more we're made aware, the more we may be shaken.

14:1414 minutes, 14 secondsBut in our most difficult trials, you and I cannot afford to panic.

14:2514 minutes, 25 secondsRather, we need to make sober decisions by being steady and clearsighted.

14:3414 minutes, 34 secondsBut how?

14:3714 minutes, 37 secondsOften I'm asked, what advice do I have for young people? And I share this

14:4414 minutes, 44 secondsprecept which has carried me through every difficult question.

14:5214 minutes, 52 secondsChoose the important over the urgent.

14:5814 minutes, 58 secondsChoose the important over the urgent.

15:0315 minutes, 3 secondsA text message or a DM may seem urgent, but rarely is it important.

15:1215 minutes, 12 secondsAny addictive impulse feels urgent, but you know it isn't important. And too often it will lead to our demise.

15:2415 minutes, 24 secondsSo fine, you say. So we know when something isn't urgent, but then how do you know it's important?

15:3415 minutes, 34 secondsAnd for me, I started to see what is important when I began to understand the concept of time.

15:4615 minutes, 46 secondsThe ancient Greeks, that's right, Greeks.

15:5015 minutes, 50 secondsThe ancient Greeks have two words for time.

15:5515 minutes, 55 secondsKronos and Chyros.

16:0016 minutesWith these two words, I wanted to create a set of task glasses,

16:0616 minutes, 6 secondsa pair of time bif focals, so you can have two perspectives both near and far.

16:1616 minutes, 16 secondsI want to take a moment to note that Benjamin Franklin,

16:3916 minutes, 39 secondsthe namesake of our young residential college.

16:4916 minutes, 49 secondswho who received an honorary master's degree

16:5716 minutes, 57 secondsin Yale in 1753 is credited for having invented the bifocals.

17:0817 minutes, 8 secondsI wanted to drop some knowledge for Benjamin Franklin.

17:1817 minutes, 18 secondsIn our era when rapid change is our constant, I want you to have these time bif focals

17:2717 minutes, 27 secondsfor you to either wear around your neck like a middle-aged writer or to carry in

17:3317 minutes, 33 secondsyour breast pocket like a secret tool so that whenever you face an unfamiliar situation

17:4217 minutes, 42 secondsor experience something you may not understand, you can put them on as the author and historian of your life.

17:5517 minutes, 55 secondsThe first ancient Greek word Kronos is a word for time and that could be

18:0218 minutes, 2 secondsmeasured like clock time. If I said 20 minutes isn't enough time for lunch, that time would be Kronos.

18:1618 minutes, 16 secondsKronos is the spine of storytelling.

18:2018 minutes, 20 secondsWhen a story starts, the clock starts. As the author of your life, you know that Kronos is ticking.

18:3218 minutes, 32 secondsThe second ancient Greek word for time is chyros which means the opportune time,

18:4118 minutes, 41 secondsa strategic opening or in theology a divinely appointed season.

18:5118 minutes, 51 secondsSo when you see the romantic partner of your life, of your dreams,

18:5818 minutes, 58 secondsand you sense the right time to approach them, we're talking about chyros.

19:0619 minutes, 6 secondsThe plural of chyros is chairoy. Each life is filled with cyroy.

19:1619 minutes, 16 secondsKronos quantitative that's measurable time. Chyros qualitative opportune time.

19:2619 minutes, 26 secondsClass of 2026, I imagine that each of you is familiar with the pressure of Kronos.

19:3519 minutes, 35 secondsNearly all high achievers are Kronos people.

19:4119 minutes, 41 secondsWill I finish graduate school in 6 years? before I turn 30, will I have enough money in the bank? When will I get a partner? Will I give birth to a

19:4919 minutes, 49 secondschild before 40? Perhaps you have a five-year plan or a 10-year plan.

19:5519 minutes, 55 secondsI can imagine that each of you is made hopeful and anxious by these Kronos related

20:0520 minutes, 5 secondswishes because often there are benchmarks with the attendant deadlines.

20:1220 minutes, 12 secondsThe compound word deadline even reminds us deadline with mortality.

20:2020 minutes, 20 secondsWe can feel the movement of the clock.

20:2420 minutes, 24 secondsIn Homer's The Odyssey, I think we have a classicist here.

20:3320 minutes, 33 secondsChyros occurs when the hero Odysius takes any decisive action.

20:4020 minutes, 40 secondsWhen he tricks a monster, he outwits the sirens and finds his way home to his family.

20:4920 minutes, 49 secondsIn a theological context, Kyros tells you what matters and when.

20:5820 minutes, 58 secondsAnd some of you may be familiar with the verses from Ecclesiastes.

21:0321 minutes, 3 secondsThere is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

21:1321 minutes, 13 secondsA time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot.

21:2321 minutes, 23 secondsThat time in time to uproot is chyros.

21:3021 minutes, 30 secondsGraduating from college and going to the next stage of your life is Chyros.

21:3721 minutes, 37 secondsYou and I are here in Chyros.

Chapter 4: Personal Journey & Immigrant Experience

21:4221 minutes, 42 secondsAnd as an author, it's my job to have lots of Cairo. The main character, and

21:5121 minutes, 51 secondsI'm feeling a lot of main character energy here, must have big wishes. overcome

21:5921 minutes, 59 secondschallenging obstacles and be transformed by Cairoy.

22:0622 minutes, 6 secondsWhen you're the author, you have to know ahead of the reader what those essential

22:1222 minutes, 12 secondstransformative moments should be so the reader keeps turning the pages.

22:2022 minutes, 20 secondsHowever, in real life, when you're the main character, not always obvious what's critical.

22:2922 minutes, 29 secondsSo, when I put on my dual perspective time glasses to review my college years,

22:3922 minutes, 39 secondswhat seemed deeply painful or even insignificant were actually cyroy.

22:5022 minutes, 50 seconds50 years ago in 1976, I immigrated to this country with my family when I was seven.

23:0423 minutes, 4 secondsThank you. It was the year of the bicesentennial.

23:0923 minutes, 9 secondsThen 10 years later, in the fall of 1986, I entered old campus for my first day at Yale.

23:2023 minutes, 20 secondsI was 17 because I was born in November and young for Scorpio's in the house.

23:3223 minutes, 32 secondsI was born in November and I was really young for my class.

23:3623 minutes, 36 secondsI wore large horn rim glasses that slid down my nose. I wore no makeup and my

23:4523 minutes, 45 secondshair was bobbed short, cut by my mother at home in the kitchen near the sink

23:5323 minutes, 53 secondswith a large, thin towel draped over my shoulders. I did not have much of a wardrobe.

24:0224 minutes, 2 secondsI was so proud to own one pink and white rugby shirt from Land's End, which I thought would be preppy enough for Yale.

24:1324 minutes, 13 secondsLater, I got a job as a sales clerk in a downtown

24:2024 minutes, 20 secondsNew Haven at Ann Taylor to improve my clothing options and to fit in.

24:2824 minutes, 28 secondsMy mother and father worked in Manhattan's Korea town in a tiny wholesale jewelry store, maybe 200

24:3724 minutes, 37 secondssquare feet, and they sold inexpensive costume jewelry to small shop owners in

24:4524 minutes, 45 secondsthe New York area and to street peddlers who sold their wares on card tables at a markup near the subway stations.

24:5624 minutes, 56 secondsGrowing up and during college breaks, my sisters and I worked at our parents' store.

25:0425 minutes, 4 secondsYale was the school of my dreams.

25:0825 minutes, 8 secondsI wanted to go to Yale because in high school, my favorite writer was Sinclair Lewis.

25:1725 minutes, 17 secondsThat's one person. That's good.

25:2025 minutes, 20 secondsHe is remembered, if remembered at all, for his social novels, Main Street, Babbot, Aerosmith, Dodsworth, and It Can't Happen Here.

25:3225 minutes, 32 secondsBack then, there was no internet or Wikipedia. But in the back flap of my

25:3825 minutes, 38 secondslibrary books, Lewis's biography mentioned this college. And I wondered

25:4825 minutes, 48 secondswhat he had learned at this school to write such important

25:5525 minutes, 55 secondsnovels about social history and politics.

26:0126 minutes, 1 secondI applied early, got deferred.

26:0626 minutes, 6 secondsand then eventually was accepted through regular admissions. In April 1986,

26:1426 minutes, 14 secondsI graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, the greatest high school in the world,

26:2226 minutes, 22 secondsand became a member of the class of 1990, and was assigned to Trumbull College,

26:3426 minutes, 34 secondsthe greatest residential college. A gal

26:4326 minutes, 43 secondsWhen I arrived on campus, I sort of expected that Sinclair Lewis would be here. He was not. He had graduated in 1908.

26:5626 minutes, 56 secondsOn my first day at Yale, my father took time off from work and my mother stayed

27:0327 minutes, 3 secondsbehind to watch the store. They worked six days a week and they could not close to shop because their rent was high and

27:1227 minutes, 12 secondstheir customers who had limited resources and replenish their stock daily needed them to remain open.

27:2327 minutes, 23 secondsI wonder how many of you might have had family members or friends who could not

27:2927 minutes, 29 secondscome today because they're back home tending to their stores or restaurants.

27:3627 minutes, 36 secondsor taking care of a family member.

27:3927 minutes, 39 secondsMy father drove me to New Haven, helped me unload the car to my room in Jery Hall,

27:5127 minutes, 51 secondsthen went right back to work.

27:5427 minutes, 54 secondsAnd when I graduated in 1990, I did not ask my parents to attend class

28:0228 minutes, 2 secondsday because I didn't want to bother them with driving at night or having to stay at a hotel.

28:1128 minutes, 11 secondsIt seemed like too much to ask my parents to use up two days for one graduation.

28:2028 minutes, 20 secondsThey attended commencement, but not class day.

28:2528 minutes, 25 secondsHowever, my parents are here this afternoon.

28:4228 minutes, 42 secondsOn your class day, it may take 36 years

28:5428 minutes, 54 secondsKronos. But it all works out. Chyros.

29:0029 minutesMy parents did not know what I did at school. Nothing. They were not involved in my classes or my major. They just trusted that I would figure it out.

29:1229 minutes, 12 secondsAnd in my sophomore year, I decided to major in history.

29:1929 minutes, 19 secondsIn the summer, in the summer between my first and second year at Yale, I went to Korea to

29:2829 minutes, 28 secondsstudy the Korean language at Jans University, my mother's alma mater.

29:3429 minutes, 34 secondsWhen I returned to Yale, I wanted to learn more about Korea.

29:4029 minutes, 40 secondsI took the only class that I could, which was a college seminar at Davenport

29:4629 minutes, 46 secondstaught by Duck

29:5929 minutes, 59 secondstaught by Dr. Hung Chun Co, who founded the East Rock Institute.

30:0830 minutes, 8 secondsShe's 96 years old and she's here today.

30:2330 minutes, 23 secondsIt was the only class. There was nothing else. Yell was supposedly worldrenowned

30:2930 minutes, 29 secondsfor its East Asian studies. But in 1988, I could not find any department course

30:3830 minutes, 38 secondson Korean history, language, religion or literature. Nothing.

30:4630 minutes, 46 secondsHow could any history or political science major understand the Cold War without knowing the history of Korea?

Chapter 5: Fighting for Korean Studies at Yale

30:5830 minutes, 58 secondsTwo American men, Dean Rusk and Charles Bonsteel, both only 36 years old.

31:0831 minutes, 8 secondsThey had never been to Korea, but they had proposed the division of the peninsula at the 38th parallel in August of 1945.

31:2031 minutes, 20 secondsOver 35,000 American soldiers died in the Korean War.

31:2731 minutes, 27 secondsThe Division of Korea is also American history.

31:4231 minutes, 42 secondsI wanted a better education. So I decided to do something.

31:4831 minutes, 48 secondsChyros Dr. Co said that for years Yale students had been trying to get at least the Korean language off the ground.

32:0032 minutesShe introduced me to a senior Harry Nom Berkeley class of 88.

32:1732 minutes, 17 secondsHarry would be so proud.

32:2032 minutes, 20 secondsSo, in my sophomore year, I decided to start up the Korea Studies Task Force.

32:2732 minutes, 27 secondsHarry kindly attended meetings and served as co-chair of this task force

32:3432 minutes, 34 secondsbefore graduating in a few months. I wrote several letters. I drafted a formal letter to the chair of the East

32:4232 minutes, 42 secondsAsian Studies Department asking for classes relating to Korea studies. Then

32:4932 minutes, 49 secondsI asked a friend at the Yale Divinity School to translate the letter into Korean.

32:5732 minutes, 57 secondsI went to Tao and I photocopied the letters. I bought stamps for 200

33:0433 minutes, 4 secondsenvelopes with my own money. Then I called a meeting and gathered students

33:1133 minutes, 11 secondsand leaders from different student organizations who would support Korea studies. And at the meeting I asked 200

33:2033 minutes, 20 secondsstudents to send the letters to their parents and then to ask their parents to send

33:2933 minutes, 29 secondsthe letters to the college administration and they did.

33:3633 minutes, 36 secondsYale parents are very special.

33:4633 minutes, 46 secondsThings started to change.

33:4933 minutes, 49 secondsParents sent those letters to then President Beno Schmidt and some added

33:5633 minutes, 56 secondsfierce arguments of their own. I know because I read dozens of them when I visited the archives two months ago.

34:0634 minutes, 6 secondshere. I want to thank Mike Lstein and Jeannie Lori, the university archavists

34:1334 minutes, 13 secondsfor for finding boxes of these letters.

34:2334 minutes, 23 secondsHistory is our collective memory, but it is interpretation based on evidence.

34:3134 minutes, 31 secondsYale had been saving these primary documents. So, class of 2026, keep your receipts.

34:4334 minutes, 43 secondsIn the fall of my junior year,

34:5034 minutes, 50 secondsstudents and parents sent those letters and the school announced that the Korean language would be taught the following year in the fall of 1990.

35:0235 minutes, 2 secondsA generous parent had pledged $100,000 to seed a three-year pilot program for the Korean language.

35:1435 minutes, 14 secondsHarry Nam already graduated, so he couldn't benefit from the language classes and neither would I because I

35:2335 minutes, 23 secondsthe classes would start the year I graduated.

35:2835 minutes, 28 secondsThe Korean language classes started in Yale in the fall of 1990.

35:3535 minutes, 35 secondsThey have been taught continuously for 36 years.

35:4835 minutes, 48 secondsOut of the 55 languages that are taught at Yale, Korean language is the fifth largest language program by enrollment.

36:0136 minutes, 1 secondand the second most popular Asian language at Yale after Chinese.

36:1036 minutes, 10 secondsThe Korea Studies Task Force had asked for history classes as well.

36:1636 minutes, 16 secondsAnd in my junior year, I learned that Yale's first Korean history class would be taught in the spring. I signed up right away.

36:2836 minutes, 28 secondsAnd then I got sick.

36:3136 minutes, 31 secondsIn high school, I had donated blood and the Red Cross had written me a letter

36:3936 minutes, 39 secondssaying that I was a chronic hepatitis B carrier, so I should never give blood.

36:4736 minutes, 47 secondsIn high school, I was asymptomatic, so I didn't think much of it. But during the winter of my junior year, it turned out that I was infected.

37:0037 minutesGradually, I recovered from the symptoms, but the doctor at Yale New Haven Hospital told me that it was more

Chapter 6: Confronting Bias in the Classroom

37:0837 minutes, 8 secondsthan likely that I would get liver cancer in my 20s or early 30s.

37:1637 minutes, 16 secondsI dropped two classes so I could stay in school, but I kept Korean history.

37:2437 minutes, 24 secondsI did not know how much time I had. Kronos.

37:3037 minutes, 30 secondsIn the spring of 1989, a Yale history professor, a renowned authority in Japanese

37:3937 minutes, 39 secondshistory, taught the Korean history class.

37:4437 minutes, 44 seconds60 students enrolled and I was overjoyed to take the class

37:5137 minutes, 51 secondswhich I fought to have. I attended every class. I asked questions and I studied hard.

38:0038 minutesWhen I took the midterm exam, the professor failed me.

38:0638 minutes, 6 secondsOn the blue book, at the end of the handwritten essay test, the grade was F.

38:1438 minutes, 14 secondsand he wrote the words, "Ah me, what's to say?" That was the extent of his comments.

38:2538 minutes, 25 secondsNo rubric, no guidance, and no respect.

38:3138 minutes, 31 secondsChyros, what would I do?

38:3738 minutes, 37 secondsAfter the midterm exams were handed out, several students were visibly upset.

38:4338 minutes, 43 secondsI learned that many of the students who had failed or gotten poor marks were of Korean descent.

38:5338 minutes, 53 secondsI raised my hand in front of the whole class and I asked the professor for a

39:0039 minutesgender and ethnic breakdown of the grading.

39:1039 minutes, 10 secondsChyros.

39:1239 minutes, 12 secondsAt the outset of the next class meeting, the professor wrote out the grading data on the chalkboard

39:2039 minutes, 20 secondsfocusing on gender and who was ethnically Korean, which was over half the class.

39:2839 minutes, 28 seconds15 students of Korean descent or almost half of all the Koreans received marks

39:3639 minutes, 36 secondsof C or below. and he failed five ethnically Korean students.

39:4339 minutes, 43 secondsAfter he gave out the grades, he speculated that the reason why so many

39:4939 minutes, 49 secondsAsians had gotten C's, D's, or failed was because most Asians were math and

39:5839 minutes, 58 secondsscience majors who do not know how to write a history midterm.

40:0740 minutes, 7 secondsI was a history major, [ __ ]

40:2240 minutes, 22 secondsChyros. I wrote a letter to the Yale Herald.

40:2940 minutes, 29 secondsThen the Yell Observer broke down the data and reported that the professor did not know what our majors were. And it

40:3840 minutes, 38 secondswas indeed incorrect to assume that just because you're Asian, that you were in fact a math or science major.

40:4940 minutes, 49 secondsThe Yell Observer reported that it was incorrect to assume that math or science

40:5540 minutes, 55 secondsmajors did not know how to write history midterms or that a person in an Asian

41:0241 minutes, 2 secondsbody should naturally know the history of her ancestors.

41:1041 minutes, 10 secondsAfter I wrote that letter to the Yale Herald, a fellow KoreanAmerican student

41:1741 minutes, 17 secondswrote a letter defending the professor and called me paranoid.

41:2641 minutes, 26 secondsAnother student wrote that I was a politically correct terrorist.

41:3341 minutes, 33 secondsI felt so stupid for having started the Korean studies task force

41:4041 minutes, 40 secondsand I was ashamed at having campaigned for a Korean history class.

41:4741 minutes, 47 secondsI had publicly disagreed with a powerful professor in the department of my major

41:5641 minutes, 56 secondswhich was not a strategically good decision.

42:0142 minutes, 1 secondAnd not soon after, I received a death threat in the mail, which I brought to the campus police because I was frightened.

42:1442 minutes, 14 secondsHowever, from unexpected corners, I received profound care.

42:2242 minutes, 22 secondsI'm a Presbyterian, the granddaughter of a minister. But somehow I was connected to Rabbi James

42:3242 minutes, 32 secondsPondet, a university chaplain who wrote me an encouraging letter when he learned of the death threat.

42:4242 minutes, 42 secondsHe wrote, "Your capacity to express outrage makes you a valuable citizen.

42:5242 minutes, 52 secondsAlso, my dear friend Judy Solano, who worked as the grill cook at Trumbull

43:0043 minutesCollege Kitchen, invited me to her home and she cooked chicken casserole for me.

43:1043 minutes, 10 secondsJudy's here today.

43:1443 minutes, 14 secondsTheir kindness gave me the courage to remain enrolled in the class.

43:2643 minutes, 26 secondsThree of the six students who failed the midterm dropped the course. I stayed and received a B minus for my final grade in Korean history.

43:3743 minutes, 37 secondsThat same semester, the second semester of my junior year, the head of Trumbull College, who was also the university

43:4643 minutes, 46 secondschaplain, Harry Adams, invited me to attend what was then called a master's tea.

43:5543 minutes, 55 secondsThe college tea featured a white American missionary who served the poor Koreans in Japan.

44:0444 minutes, 4 secondsHe told a story about a 13-year-old boy, ethnically Korean child, who was born in

44:1144 minutes, 11 secondsJapan, after his middle school graduation.

44:1744 minutes, 17 secondsThe child went to the roof of his building and he jumped to his death.

44:2444 minutes, 24 secondsHis parents were devastated.

44:2844 minutes, 28 secondsThey did not know why he had committed suicide.

44:3344 minutes, 33 secondsSo they went through his things and discovered his middle school yearbook.

44:4044 minutes, 40 secondsAnd in this yearbook, his classmates had written, "Go back to where you belong.

44:5044 minutes, 50 secondsI hate you. You smell like kimchi." and his fellow classmates,

44:5744 minutes, 57 secondsother middle school children, had written the words, "Die, die, die." I would never forget the story.

45:1145 minutes, 11 secondsBefore that college te I had known nothing about the Koreans in Japan and

45:1845 minutes, 18 secondshow they struggled to survive in a colonial nation that had little use for them after the nation was defeated.

45:2945 minutes, 29 secondsThere were no classes about Koreans in Japan. But I resolved to learn more about it.

Chapter 7: How One Yale Moment Inspired Pachinko

45:3645 minutes, 36 secondsI resolved to do something about it.

45:4045 minutes, 40 secondsAnd my time at Yale had given me the valuable tools to teach myself the

45:4845 minutes, 48 secondsthings I needed to know because of that college tea.

45:5345 minutes, 53 secondsBecause of that college tea, one hour of four years,

46:0046 minutesI have been privileged to spend decades of my life trying to understand

46:0846 minutes, 8 secondsthe political nature of dehumanization.

46:1346 minutes, 13 secondsThe power of resistance, the beauty of human resilience, and the much needed grace of strangers.

46:2546 minutes, 25 secondsI wrote Pachenko because I went to a college tea.

46:3146 minutes, 31 secondsAt the end of my junior year, I submitted an essay I had written in a non-fiction seminar to the English department for prize consideration.

46:4346 minutes, 43 secondsThe class was taught by the incredible writing professor Fred Strey.

46:5046 minutes, 50 secondsAnd back then you had to submit your work without your name on it. And the professors from the English department

46:5946 minutes, 59 secondsjudged it. And at the end of May of 1989, I received a certificate in the mail. On blind submission, I had won the Henry P.

47:1347 minutes, 13 secondsWright prize for non-fiction for the best described article upon a

47:2047 minutes, 20 secondsprescribed subject, and it came with a check for $165, which was the first time I was ever paid for my writing.

47:3147 minutes, 31 secondsIn the fall of my senior year, I was lucky, so lucky to get into a hot

47:3847 minutes, 38 secondsAmerican seminar for history with another famous historian.

47:4547 minutes, 45 secondsFor my first paper, I wrote on Jane Adams's Hull House. I admired Jane Adams

47:5347 minutes, 53 secondsbecause she had helped poor European immigrants and led major social reforms in Chicago.

48:0348 minutes, 3 secondsThe professor gave me a C and when I went to see him during office hours, he said that I needed to get

48:1348 minutes, 13 secondsremedial help for my writing because English was my second language.

48:2248 minutes, 22 secondsThis was the second professor in my department who thought I was a foreigner

48:3048 minutes, 30 secondswho could not do well in the subject that I loved because I didn't know how to write or argue in English.

48:4348 minutes, 43 secondsHowever, the English department had just given me a prize for non-fiction.

Chapter 8: The Remark That Brought the Crowd to Its Feet

48:5548 minutes, 55 secondsan award judged by Yale professors with PhDs in English

49:0249 minutes, 2 secondswho did not know the identity of the writer.

49:0749 minutes, 7 secondsI was 20 years old and a doctor at Yale New Haven Hospital had already told me that I might die of liver cancer before turning 30.

49:2149 minutes, 21 secondsSo I waited until the professor finished speaking and I made a chyros decision.

49:3349 minutes, 33 secondsInformed by my limited Kronos, I knew I would not write another letter to the school newspaper.

49:4349 minutes, 43 secondsI faced that historian and I said, "Professor, it's not that I don't know how to write.

49:5449 minutes, 54 secondsIt's that you don't know how to read.

50:0350 minutes, 3 secondsI dropped that class.

50:0650 minutes, 6 secondsI completed the requirements of my major, but I decided not to apply to graduate school in history.

50:1550 minutes, 15 secondsI took more literature classes and college writing seminars.

50:2050 minutes, 20 secondsAnd in the second semester of my senior year, I submitted a short story again on blind submission for prize consideration to the English department.

50:3250 minutes, 32 secondsThis time, a work of fiction.

50:3650 minutes, 36 secondsOn commencement day, the day after class day, my fellow Trumbullians and I returned to Trumbull Courtyard.

50:4550 minutes, 45 secondsAnd when the awards were announced, I had won the V prize for fiction.

50:5250 minutes, 52 secondsAnother check for over $100.

50:5650 minutes, 56 secondsProfessors that I admired in the subject that I loved in the

51:0351 minutes, 3 secondsdepartment of my major told me that I was a middling student at

51:1051 minutes, 10 secondsbest and that I couldn't know how to write well.

51:1751 minutes, 17 secondsand professors who did not know me in the English department gave me prizes in non-fiction and fiction.

51:2751 minutes, 27 secondsClass of 2026, I want you to know this.

51:3551 minutes, 35 secondsI am grateful for all of it.

51:3951 minutes, 39 secondsthe unkindness, the misunderstandings as well as the encouragements,

51:4751 minutes, 47 secondsthe unexpected gracious recognition and the extraordinary tools of our Yale

51:5651 minutes, 56 secondseducation because all of it, all of it, the gaslighting,

52:0352 minutes, 3 secondsthe generosity, and the development of Your innate intellectual curiosity

Chapter 9: Life-Threatening Illness & A Second Chance

52:1252 minutes, 12 secondsprepared me for my life after graduation.

52:1852 minutes, 18 secondsRight after college, I went to law school. And right after law school, I married my husband Chris when I was 24.

52:2952 minutes, 29 secondsKronos.

52:3152 minutes, 31 secondsI met Chris when I went to a party with my friend Richard Reed. Timothy Dwight,

52:3852 minutes, 38 secondsclass of 90, Chyros.

52:4452 minutes, 44 secondsI practiced law for less than two years and I quit my job to write fiction.

52:5352 minutes, 53 secondsKnowing that my life would be severely curtailed, I decided that I would value my chyros.

53:0153 minutes, 1 secondMy husband and I had our son Sam when I was 29.

53:0753 minutes, 7 secondsWhen Sam was three years old, I developed liver cerosis,

53:1453 minutes, 14 secondsa significant risk factor for liver cancer.

53:1853 minutes, 18 secondsI was 32 years old. I never had a drop of alcohol.

Chapter 10: Closing Message of Resilience & Purpose

53:2553 minutes, 25 secondsThe Yale New Haven doctor, his prognosis came true like clockwork.

53:3353 minutes, 33 secondsChyros hit the fan.

53:3653 minutes, 36 secondsMy gastroentererologist in New York put me on an experimental trial of

53:4253 minutes, 42 secondsinterferon B. And for several months, I gave myself shots.

53:4953 minutes, 49 secondsAnd in that season of my life, I lost my hair.

53:5453 minutes, 54 secondsThe blood vessels in my face would break every time I sneezed or bent down to pick up something from the floor.

54:0354 minutes, 3 secondsI vomited and had diarrhea so badly that I could not leave the house.

54:0954 minutes, 9 secondsHowever, the drugs worked and I'm fully cured.

54:2454 minutes, 24 secondsMy doctor said it was a miracle. Chyros means opportune time.

54:3254 minutes, 32 secondsAnd you could interpret this to mean that like Homer's Odysius, you must always be decisive, always canny to figure out how to get home.

54:4554 minutes, 45 secondsI didn't live that way. If anything, I've learned that Cyros happened in spite of me,

54:5454 minutes, 54 secondsnot because of me. My part was to do what ordinary people can be expected to do.

55:0455 minutes, 4 secondsto address the important needs, to keep learning when you don't know things, to keep doing your share of the

55:1355 minutes, 13 secondswork, and to keep showing up.

55:1755 minutes, 17 secondsAn author may choose the Chyros moments for her characters, but not always for herself.

55:2655 minutes, 26 secondsA historian can look back and spot them to find meaning.

55:3255 minutes, 32 secondsFinally, I want to share the most surprising things that I have learned about time.

55:4255 minutes, 42 secondsTime is not your enemy.

55:4755 minutes, 47 secondsTime is your friend. Any dream that

55:5455 minutes, 54 secondsturns real will become complex and uncertain.

56:0456 minutes, 4 secondsAnd that is when you need to stare hard at it and struggle honestly.

56:1456 minutes, 14 secondsNothing nothing was wasted about your time here if you let the brightest

56:2356 minutes, 23 secondsand the darkest moments teach you to struggle better with truth.

56:3156 minutes, 31 secondsTime is our teacher and you class of 2026

56:3956 minutes, 39 secondswill not be shaken because you are well equipped for what lies ahead.

56:4856 minutes, 48 secondsClass of 2026, when you put on the bif focals of time,

56:5656 minutes, 56 secondsyou will see straight through the fog of confusion, the fear-mongering,

57:0457 minutes, 4 secondsand the anxietyprovoking chaos.

57:0857 minutes, 8 secondsThe world sometimes wants to shake us with its urgency.

57:1557 minutes, 15 secondsBut I want you to know that you can be steady, wise,

57:2157 minutes, 21 secondssober, and surefooted because you are better prepared

57:2857 minutes, 28 secondswhen you can see the truth and importance of that situation.

57:3557 minutes, 35 secondsClass of 2026, congratulations on your milestone achievement.

57:4357 minutes, 43 secondsWe are rooting for you. We are proud of you. Thank you.