유현(儒賢)의 교유를 통해 본 비대면 시대 인성계발 방안 - 이이, 성혼, 송익필의 삼현수간(三賢手簡)을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Focusing on Samhyeonsugan (三賢手簡), the letters of Yulgok Yi Yi, Woogye Seong Hon, and Gubong Song Ik-pil, as a solution to problems and difficulties that youths are facing in this untact era, this study has analyzed three sages’ ways of exchange and character cultivation in the contemporary ways of self-development (self-esteem, introspection), interpersonal relationship (empathy, consideration), and community consciousness (mutual living, coexistence) and then attempted to develop the ways of character development based on digital technology that is ‘new normal’ in this untact society. The untact era has come genuinely along with the continuance of the COVID-19 pandemic, increase of one-person households, and the age of the fourth industry. Accordingly, pending issues that have to be resolved urgently such as establishing self-identity, healing exhausted life, developing sociality, recovering interpersonal relationship, acquiring mature citizenship, and normalizing education have arisen. Hereupon, this researcher has tried to settle down difficulties and problems that youths are facing in this untact era through Confucian sages’ ways of untact association and character cultivation. Even when Yi Yi, Seong Hon, and Song Ik-pil were falling apart for long due to their official career, convalescence, or flight, they exchanged with letters for 35 years from the mid-20’s to the time when Yulgok died and Song Ik-pil became 60 years old. Even in the untact circumstances of exchanging letters, those three sages not only accumulated friendship loving and respecting each other but discussed the theories of Neo-Confucianism (性理說) and the theory of Li (禮論), influenced considerably the circles of Gihohak as true Confucians that had realized Teacher and Disciple Growing Together in the Process of Teaching and Learning (敎學相長) through the mutual exhibition of morality to recommend good deeds and promote national development, and contributed significantly to the history of Confucianism in Korea. Focusing on Samhyeonsugan, a collection of letters between the three sages, and examining their collections of works, too, complementarily, this author has attempted to find solutions to problems lying in youths’ establishment of self-identity, elimination of emotional depression, development of sociality, and cultivation of community consciousness in this untact society. To address the goal, this study excavated the cases of the three sages’ exchange and character cultivation and then divided them into personal, interpersonal, and community areas. In addition, classifying the materials into the constructs of personality in personal (self-esteem, introspection), interpersonal (empathy, consideration), and community (mutual living, coexistence) areas, this author sought materials for character development in this contemporary age. Finally, this researcher tried to extend it to the method of character development based on digital technology that is ‘new normal’ in this untact society.