Seventy is freedom, eighty is truth, ninety is emptiness, and a hundred is unity...
Confucius divided his life into stages by age. At fifteen, he aspired to learn; at thirty, he stood firm; at forty, he was not confused; at fifty, he understood the mandate of heaven; at sixty, he became compliant; and at seventy, he reached a state where he could follow his heart without overstepping the bounds.
七十而從心所欲 不踰矩.
Seventy is where desires align with the law.
Confucius's philosophy of life stops at seventy. It would have been hard for him to imagine a hundred-year lifespan as we know it today. So how can we express the life stages of eighty, ninety, and a hundred that he did not mention?
I would like to continue this way.
七十從心 八十歸眞 九十無我 百歲合天.
At seventy, one gains the heart; at eighty, one returns to the true self; at ninety, one lets go of the self; and at a hundred, one becomes one with heaven. Seventy is freedom, eighty is truth, ninety is emptiness, and a hundred is unity.
These four phrases came to mind while watching the '2026 Korea Legend 100-Year Golf Tournament' held on September 9 at the Seoul Hanyang Country Club.
On that day, elders who have lived through a significant era of modern Korean history stood on the field with their clubs. Kwon No-gap, chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation, is 96 years old; Yoon Se-young, founder of Taeyoung Group, and Lee Yong-man, former Minister of Finance, are both 93; Jeon Soon-pyo, chairman of CESCO, and Chu Heon-chul, former chairman of Seyang Shipping, are 91; and Kang Kyung-sik, former Deputy Prime Minister of Economy, is 90.
Following them were former Ambassador to Japan Yoo Heung-soo, 89; former chairman of Kim & Ael Kim Myung-ha, 88; and CJ Group chairman Son Kyung-sik, former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-chun, former Board of Audit and Inspection chairman Jeon Yoon-cheol, Seoul Hanyang CC chairman Jo Gap-joo, former president of the Korean Senior Citizens Association Lee Shim, and former mayor of Seoul Lee Sang-bae, all aged 87. Lee Jae-hoo, representative attorney at Kim & Chang, is 86; former Minister of Culture and Sports Kim Young-soo is 84; former National Assembly members Jeong Kyun-hwan and Kim Tae-rang are 83; and former chairman of the Korea Constitutional Society Jeong Dae-cheol and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Jong-hwan are 82.
Former chairman of the Korea National University of Arts No Seung-sook, singer Nam Jin, and former presidents of Korea University Ahn Yoon-dae and Lee Gi-soo are all 81, while former Minister of Justice Choi Kyung-won is 80.
In numbers, they are in their eighties and nineties. However, on that day at Seoul Hanyang CC, these numbers represented more than just age.
They represented a level of life.
Eighty is returning to truth.
People live in youth to gain something—status, wealth, and reputation. They run to get ahead and compete to rise higher. However, after turning eighty, the direction of life gradually changes. One begins to think about what to leave behind rather than what to gain, and one returns to their true self, shedding the titles and honors bestowed by the world.
八十歸眞, 眞而自然.
At eighty, one returns to truth, becoming genuine and natural.
Golf is no different. For young golfers, distance and scores matter, and they celebrate every birdie while discussing how many strokes they have reduced. However, golf at eighty is different. It becomes more important to walk with friends than to count strokes, and the joy of seeing a long-time friend's healthy face outweighs the thrill of a birdie. The gratitude for being able to stand on the field again on one's own two feet becomes more significant than the expensive driver.
Thus, golf at eighty is a return to people rather than scores.
It is the golf of returning to truth.
At ninety, one takes another step forward.
九十無我.
On that day, the field was graced by 96-year-old Kwon No-gap, 93-year-olds Yoon Se-young and Lee Yong-man, 91-year-olds Jeon Soon-pyo and Chu Heon-chul, and 90-year-old Kang Kyung-sik.
At that age, what more is there to prove? There is no need to defeat anyone or showcase one's status. Politics and fierce corporate competition are behind them. The titles of minister or chairman are merely names the world entrusted to them for a time.
On the field, everyone returns to being a golfer. They stand before a ball, look to the sky, read the wind, and tread on the grass.
無我而天地同流.
By emptying oneself, one flows with heaven and earth.
This is where golf resembles life. The deepest opponent in golf is not others but oneself. If one is greedy, the ball goes astray; by relaxing, one can hit farther. The same applies to life in old age. As one lets go of what they have clung to for a lifetime, they become freer.
Thus, golf at ninety is not competitive.
It is the golf of no self.
And finally, at a hundred.
百歲合天.
At a hundred, one becomes one with heaven.
What significance do wins and losses hold at a hundred? A heart that has been beating for nearly a century still beats, and with eyes that have seen the long years, one looks up at the sky again, grateful for the ability to tread on the grass with their own two feet.
百歲合天, 人天無間.
At a hundred, one becomes one with heaven, and there is no boundary between people and heaven.
The heaven referred to here does not denote a specific deity of any religion. It represents a transcendent space where Confucian heaven (天), Taoist nature (自然), Buddhist no-self (無我), and the humility of humans before the Creator can all converse.
The phrase 'becoming one with heaven' does not imply that humans become divine. It signifies shedding the layers of desire, honor, and possession that have surrounded them throughout their lives, returning to the original place of life and nature.
Thus, golf at a hundred is the golf of unity.
This tournament was particularly meaningful because it took place at Seoul Hanyang CC.
As people move toward a hundred, this place is also heading toward a century of Korean golf.
At the center of this is Jo Gap-joo, the chairman.
Born in 1939, he navigated the export scene of Korea's textile industry in his youth. During the industrialization era, he raced toward the global market and first picked up a golf club on the sandy banks of the Han River in Yeouido in 1973. After joining Seoul CC in 1981, he has been involved with golf for 45 years.
Now, well past eighty, his focus is not on leaving a grand legacy of his name.
It is about preserving the history of a hundred years.
He has built a new clubhouse, erected a Centennial Gate, and created a historical exhibition hall that captures the history of Korean golf. He is also working on compiling the '100-Year History of the Club.'
However, Jo's gaze is not solely fixed on the past. He believes that providing opportunities for the next generation of youth who will be responsible for the future of Korean golf is more meaningful than hosting another glamorous professional tournament for the centennial. This is why he aims to support scholarships for promising amateur players and promote youth amateur golf tournaments.
This embodies Jo Gap-joo's philosophy of centenarian living.
It is about remembering the past hundred years while preparing for the next hundred.
It is about giving back what one has enjoyed to the next generation.
Perhaps this is the path from returning to truth at eighty to letting go of self at ninety.
Thus, the centennial of Seoul Hanyang CC and the lives of centenarian golfers meet on the same fairway. On one side, elders in their eighties and nineties walk, while on the other, young golf aspirants pick up their first clubs.
It is a meeting of the old and the young on the same field.
That is tradition.
Tradition is not about placing the old in a museum. It is about leaving a path for the next generation to walk the road that the previous generation has traveled.
When we think about it, golf has a philosophy that resonates with Confucius's teachings.
Golf is a free sport, yet it is also one with strict rules. Even without an umpire following every move, players must declare penalties themselves and must not move the ball carelessly, even when no one is watching. Respecting one's companions, not harming nature, and adhering to the rules are essential.
從心所欲 不踰矩.
One can follow their heart's desires without overstepping the bounds.
Golf may well be the sport that embodies Confucius's teachings in practice.
As time passes, the meaning of golf also changes.
七十從心.
At seventy, one enjoys golf freely without overstepping the bounds.
八十歸眞.
At eighty, one returns to people beyond scores.
九十無我.
At ninety, one lets go of competition and greed.
百歲合天.
At a hundred, one becomes one with people, the field, the wind, and the sky.
Therefore, the final scorecard of a centenarian golfer may not need numbers. What matters is not how many strokes were played over eighteen holes, but how one has walked through their life.
In fact, this tournament emphasized respect for the elders and companionship over score competition. The oldest participant, 96-year-old Kwon No-gap, was awarded the 'Elder of the Year' award, and all participants received the 'Korea Legend Award.'
This may be the kind of recognition that befits the centenarian era.
What a person who has walked the long eighteen holes of life needs is not another trophy but respect for the years they have traversed.
South Korea is now fully entering the centenarian era.
If we view longevity merely as a process of aging and decline, then the eighties and nineties become times of loss. However, if we see aging as a process of shedding rather than losing, the landscape of life changes entirely.
At seventy, desires and rules reconcile; at eighty, one sheds pretense and returns to their true self; at ninety, one lets go of the last attachment to self. And at a hundred, one sheds the final boundary that separated them from heaven and earth.
Seventy is freedom. Eighty is truth. Ninety is emptiness. A hundred is unity.
Confucius stopped speaking at seventy.
Two thousand five hundred years later, we living in the centenarian era continue to write the sentences that follow.
七十從心 八十歸眞 九十無我 百歲合天.
We place a golf ball before us. We let go of greed. We lift our heads to read the wind. We gaze far at the trees and the sky.
And we walk again.
Centenarian golf is not merely the golf of those who live long.
It is the golf of those who age well, empty themselves beautifully, and return gracefully.
At seventy, we walk following our hearts; at eighty, we return to our original selves; at ninety, we walk while emptying ourselves.
And at a hundred, we finally walk with heaven.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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