Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned Europeans that "Putin will drag you into the war", adding that Ukraine faces its worst winter yet as Russia targets its infrastructure. You have said that affirming our finitude can ease vague fears such as nuclear war. With a major war being discussed again, how should individuals handle that anxiety, and what should societies do to prevent war?

This is vague from the perspective of a Korean. I want to say that those directly involved in a war would feel it as a very real danger. However, I think the attitude of affirming finitude essentially means accepting that humans can only live a physically finite span of time. We find meaning not just in continuing to live, but in many alternatives: protecting the values we cherish most, and leaving behind traces that we have lived. If we think with an accepting attitude, I believe we can step back and gain the room to reflect on what matters most to us.

However, I am well aware that this may come across as optimism born of a temperament insensitive to pain, and of a third-person view that does not face immediate anxiety. So instead of the generic phrase 'Don't be anxious,' I want to say: 'I too will do my best to prevent such a catastrophe.' I would say the role of society is to build a system that allows the resources it currently has to be used through the most efficient decision-making. Because I think war is not the best choice in nearly all cases, I believe that if we have a good system, that risk can also be lowered. Of course, we must also design the system well so that 'someone' does not profit from war.