DosanAhnChang-Ho
도산 안창호 · 島山 安昌浩
“Let us establish the basis of the success of our great and holy works on truth and righteousness and not fallacy and deceit.”
He was viewed as a politician, an activist of the independence movement, an educator, a revolutionist, a hero and even as a cautious, timid ordinary person.
No matter what type of person he portrayed and no matter what kind of situation he was in, the principle of sacrifice and selflessness was always with him.
도산 Dosan means Island Mountain.
島 도 Do · Island山 산 San · MountainDo San: Island Mountain
Near the Hawaiian Islands he coins his pen name, Dosan. (1902)
“One final ingredient which entered the mold that produced Dosan, the nationalist leader, was a sense of personal destiny as a leader, a pioneer, someone destined to stand out, and possibly, stand alone. This sense was reflected in his choice of his pen name when he observed the lonely splendor of the Hawaiian peaks towering from the vastness of the surrounding ocean.”
What he stood for
Dosan's four principal ideals could be described with one concept: sincerity.
務實
무실 · Mooshil
Truth
Always seek the truth.
力行
역행 · Yeokhaeng
Action
Act upon the truth.
忠義
충의 · Choongeui
Loyalty
Be loyal and trustworthy.
勇敢
용감 · Yonggam
Bravery
Have courage to uphold the truth.
Dosan didn't treat these as ideals to admire. He treated them as rules, and he held himself to them first.
Dosan Ahn Chang Ho's life is a clear example of right action and impeccable honesty. His leadership, love of his country and service to his countrymen were boldly sincere.
務實
무실 · Mooshil
Truth
Always seek the truth.
In October 1902, Dosan and Helen arrived in San Francisco with no money, no jobs and nowhere to go. His principles were tested before he had found work.
“With so much wealth around, the newlyweds had no money, no jobs, no place to go. One of the ten or so Korean ginseng traders offered Dosan an opportunity to work with him selling ginseng... Dosan refused: ‘It seems that you are selling Chinese ginseng as Korean ginseng for more money, and I cannot do that.’ Knowing Dosan, Heyron [Helen] was not surprised at his resolve: he would rather starve than use deception for gain.”
He would rather go hungry than sell a lie.
力行
역행 · Yeokhaeng
Action
Act upon the truth.
Knowing the truth wasn't enough for him. He organized. In 1905 he helped found the Kongnip Hyophoe in San Francisco, and in 1913 the Hungsadan, the Young Korean Academy, to turn Koreans into leaders.
Dosan created and helped in the founding of multiple organizations that helped Koreans everywhere. His principles set a standard that became the foundation of his great leadership.
忠義
충의 · Choongeui
Loyalty
Be loyal and trustworthy.
For Dosan, loyalty meant Korea first, even when it cost him his family. In 1926 he left Los Angeles to fight for Korea's independence. Helen raised their five children in California. He never came back.
勇敢
용감 · Yonggam
Bravery
Have courage to uphold the truth.
The Japanese arrested him six times. He was tortured many times but kept his secrets and protected his people.
There are two kinds of pain. The pain that hurts and the pain that alters. Dosan took all the hurt the Japanese inflicted on him. The Japanese never altered his love for Korea and his countrymen.
And he still told people to keep smiling:
“Of all the studies we undertake, the greatest study is learning how to harmonize the state of mind... Why? Because peace of mind brings the greatest happiness... One who struggles in difficult circumstances will need to study the art of inner peace the most. Always keep on smiling.”
He had no patience for those who looked away:
“Sometimes the person who is tolerant of the wrongdoer is actually worse than the wrongdoer.”
Philip Jaisohn knew him from the start. Dosan joined Jaisohn's Independence Association in 1897, at nineteen.
“Dosan Ahn Chang Ho was a man of high morals and very talented in organizing. An idealist in his thoughts and actions, yet he did not overlook the realities of daily living. He always was very devoted to his friends, but he did not tolerate those who defied principles that he regarded as sacred. He was kind hearted, but he did not compromise his principles. Dosan Ahn Chang Ho did not go to college, but he learned a great deal through his school experience. His wisdom, bravery and self discipline surpass those of anyone with a college diploma.”
Dosan believed that national independence would be possible when sufficient strength was built in various sectors and levels in society.
He thought the real base of that power was moral and ethical health. Without proper moral values, neither a powerful nation nor a capable individual could be achieved.
The strength that Dosan was talking about always had the individual as its core. This individual possessed much love of himself and for others and earnestly pursued human dignity and integrity.
Love of himself, and of others. Dosan put it in four characters:
애기애타
Love yourself, love others
Every principle on this page comes back to the one word he began with: sincerity. He put it most plainly of all:
“...Even if you die, there must be no lies.”
That is the standard we hold his name to, and everyone who uses it.