Starting the year of Eulsa on a bleak note

This year is the Year of the Eulsa. Last year, there were rumors that something ominous would happen politically, referring to the Eulsa Sahwa and the Eulsa Unwilling Treaty, and then martial law broke out. The first half of this year is shaping up to be a tumultuous time politically. Whatever the outcome, its political and economic impact is likely to be long-lasting—or I don’t think it will be long-lasting—but I think it will be an essential force for change, better, worse, or pain.

The Year of the Snake carries a powerful symbolism of a maze-like world with an outcome with no end in sight. Are we navigating the snake's winding, painful body on a path to a brighter future? Or are we being drawn into the mouth of the snake?

Snakes are unloved animals in our culture. Snakes are considered evil even in Christian civilization, which makes up half of Western civilization. However, in the other half, Hellenistic culture, they are surprisingly respected. On the Acropolis in Athens, a sacred snake lived in a cage. The symbol of Aesculapius, the god of medicine, was a staff with a snake coiled around it. Hermes' staff, the kerykeion, a symbol of paramedics, is also coiled with two snakes. Bronze snakes can be found at the feet of Athena statues, and snakes are often depicted in kitchen murals in Roman houses in Pompeii.

It also has a double meaning. The serpent's wisdom signifies cunning, while the forked tongue symbolizes the tongues of politicians and con artists. People hate cunning, yet they say you need it to navigate the world. Their cunning is evil, while our cunning is seen as strength. The forked tongue and double standards have become the justice of our society.

There is no sin in the words "snake" and "Eulsa." Our thoughts and actions shape our destiny. The situation Socrates lamented in the streets of Athens has unfolded in our time. Let’s hope 2025 will be the year we navigate this narrow passage like a snake.