There is a saying, “After a storm comes the calm.” This means that things get better after a difficult event. However, there are some that feel that even after something awful occurs, nothing good will follow. They might argue that evil begets evil. As in Murphy’s Law, negative events can happen at the same time. In this sense, the Granite Tower (GT) asked four Korea University (KU) students what they think of the idiom, “After a storm comes the calm.”

Kim Joo-yeon ’18, International Studies

I think that the idiom, “After a storm comes the calm” can be applied to real life. Although hard times can cause us pain, we learn through moments of failure and frustration. By going through those experiences, we become stronger than ever before. However, those who only think negatively and do not try to face a difficult situation and overcome it cannot expect good events to follow. Thus, while I do believe that the idiom “After a storm comes the calm” is often true in reality, I think it depends on the individual.

Han Sae-bom ’17, Media and Communication

I think that the idiom is merely a phrase of support for people who are going through hard times. I do not believe that it is something that happens in real life because every incident is independent. For instance, in a game, even if I lose in the first round, my chances of winning in the next round would not be affected. In this way, no one can guarantee that a good event will follow an awful one. There are many examples in reality that disproves this idiom—for example, I have seen many people who suffer defeat after defeat in the job market.

Kim Do-ho ’15, Biotechnology

I think it depends on the way a person thinks. When people experience another awful event after they just had one, if they consider it as something that will pass, something better will eventually happen to them. On the other hand, if people get too hung up on their terrible experiences, they would think that something bad had happened to them again. In the past, I had a hard time maintaining a positive attitude, which caused me to think like the latter case.

Kim Seung-yoon ’13, Mechanical Engineering

It is true that idioms have life’s wisdom within them. However, I believe that idioms have a meaning that transcends mere wisdom in life. We all know the answer to the question, “After a storm comes the calm—or does it?” We know the futile truth that, after a terrible event, it is possible that misfortune might follow. However, people always crave hope—the futile truth means nothing to those who suffer awful events. They are able to maintain hope through idioms. That is why this idiom, whether it is true or not, has great meaning.