These are the lyrics to Younha’s song ‘Event Horizon’, which is said to be running backwards these days. ‘Event horizon’ is actually a very difficult scientific term. It refers to the boundary between a black hole and a non-black hole, that is, in general relativity, it refers to the space-time boundary beyond which it cannot interact with observers. The very end point into which particles that have arrived in the vicinity of a black hole in the vacuum of space are fearlessly sucked into it. The event horizon is the boundary of the zone where particles moving at the speed of light cannot escape into the infinity of space-time.
At the end of this song, singer Younha won #1 on Inkigayo. Here and there, we talk about the event horizon and come across words. As the artist sings about science, I think about black holes and the universe every day. ‘When I’m having a hard time, I think about how small I am in the universe.’ Only after I can enjoy science can I give advice to myself or to others, so I think the role of an artist is very important.
I reflect on the lyrics of the song. Everything in the world has meaning. Not only successes, but sometimes failures too. The ‘time that shines generously’ that appears in the lyrics of the song sometimes seems to disappear without a trace. Even if they are meaningless as things that have disappeared, in reality, they do not go anywhere and accumulate in us one by one. Life, work, and the logic of the world all seem the same.
It’s been a while now, but if you look at the movie Interstellar, you can see the appearance of a black hole that looks like it’s burning brilliantly. As real scientists take pictures of black holes, it turns out that this is not just a fiction from a movie, but a fiction based on truth. But I’m curious. How can the event horizon shine so brilliantly when it is an established theory that nothing can escape a black hole? Stephen Hawking’s idea was that some escaped even among the particles that went fearlessly to the side of a black hole. And those that escape are emitted in the form of radiant energy. It appears as a bright light to our eyes.
Looking at the virtual currency market these days, it seems to have descended into a black hole-like atmosphere that was only imaginary. The market and investors wave their hands at the mere mention of virtual currency and NFT. People who are already in this market face a moment when they fall into a sense of self-doubt even though they live every day with sincerity. The FTX crisis has now spread to BlockFi, Gemini, and Korean virtual currency exchange Gopax, and we cannot hide our confusion at the news of Wemix’s delisting.
But let’s look at the event horizon again. There are things that fall down the black hole beyond the event horizon, but aren’t there things that emit light with all their might outside?
Up are the rest of the words that I haven’t written yet. ‘This is not the end of each other, but a new street corner’. Younha said that thanks to this song, Inkigayo won the first position in 15 years. I hope the virtual currency market can face a sharp turn at a new street corner, not the end. As a member of this ecosystem, I sincerely support you so that all experiences that seem to have disappeared without meaning can become assets that create a mature market.
*This paper is my personal opinion and does not represent the position of IT Chosun.
Secretary Shin Ji-eun sjesje1004@gmail.com
He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international trade from Sogang University. He worked as an economic broadcaster and reporter for more than 10 years. She runs the YouTube ‘Shin Ji-eun’s Encyclopedia of Economics’ and has a book called ‘Lying Down and Eating Science’.
