VII. EpilogueAt five a.m. February 4th 1989, I received a telephone call from Park Yong-Ja, secretary to Sok Hon Ham, who told me of the demise of Sok Hon Ham. Within an hour, I was at Seoul University Hospital, where I found Sok Hon Ham's corpse. Although it was early dawn, several people had already gathered there. Faced with his death my mind began to wander through a labyrinth of reflections: Sok Hon Ham's life, his death, and my own life. Three hours later, I had handed in my resignation to the Korean National Railway, where I had worked for the last eight years as an engineer.
Three and a half years later (1992), as a history student, I wrote my BA thesis: Sok Hon Ham and Democracy in Korea, at the University of Essex in Britain. Five and a half years later (1994), I am writing my MA history thesis: Sok Hon Ham's Understanding of Taoism and Quakerism. This thesis is a small attempt to trace the great spirit of Sok Hon Ham.
Without this great man I would have remained an engineer working for the Korean National Railways for the rest of my life, nor would I have experienced different aspects of human society and come to write this thesis for my degree. I hope, as a drop of rain adds to the Pacific Ocean, my attempts to write of Sok Hon Ham's life may add to his legacy. If that is the case I will be delighted. Sok Hon Ham has been my everlasting inspiration at every moment in my life and will continue to be so from here to eternity.
