A month ago, I read an article about Lee Bong-ju, one of the legendary marathoners in South Korea. He has been suffering from unknown pain since last year. Many doctors examined him to find a cure for his disease but have failed. Although his current situation is hopeless, he is eager to run again once he is fully recovered.

After reading the article, I thought of the similarities between Lee Bong-ju, Lance Armstrong, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Lance Armstrong is also an athlete like Lee Bong-ju. Despite taking performance enhancing drugs including testosterone and human growth hormones, he was a legendary road racing cyclist in the world. When he was in his prime, he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. The worst thing is the cancer had spread to other organs. Everyone said his athletic career was over; however, he proved them wrong. He strongly believed that his cancer was curable and he would one day become the best cyclist in the world. Per his wish, he overcame a tiny chance of recovering from the cancer and was back on the road with his bicycle. If he didn’t have an unfailing passion for cycling, it might have been impossible to recover from stage 3 cancer and successfully return as the world-classic cyclist.

Beethoven is one of the world’s most remarkable musicians. Everybody has heard about him at least once in their life. When he was in his prime like Lance Armstrong, he encountered serious hearing problems. For musicians, hearing is absolutely necessary, like painters needing to have good vision. As his hearing degraded, he fell into despair. He canceled a concert tour in Europe even though that was his livelihood. The anxiety that he could no longer play music was enough to make him lose everything. Unable to control himself and knowing when he would die, he wrote a letter just in case. We call it the “Heiligenstadt Testament.”

He says his honest feelings about losing his hearing and mentions how powerful music is for him. Surprisingly, as he wrote this note, he looked back on his life and vowed to cheer up and work hard. He simply could not give up music. Beethoven tried to make this work with a new approach.

Unlike his past music which was centered around theory, Beethoven crafted music with his thoughts, experiences, and situations; therefore, his music stood out, touching on various emotions.

Beethoven’s approach to music, expressing both joy and sorrow, has inspired and touched many peoples’ hearts. It was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of classical music.

If he gave up on his life because of deafness, who knows how classical music would have turned out. His unfailing passion for music inspired him to live again and caused a major change historically and personally. From Beethoven’s life learning experience, one may accomplish greatest achievement in the midst of darkness.

If you want to listen to Beethoven’s music, I highly recommend his fifth symphony. It reflects his willingness to overcome a painful life. If you are in a difficult situation or losing your eagerness in life, listen to his music. This will give you hope and the power to rise up again. Like Beethoven, Lee Bong-ju, and Lance Armstrong, the darkest spot might be a turning point of your life.


Lee In-hyun
Lee In-hyun is a classical pianist and author of award-winning book, “The Classic Class,” published in January 2021. She works both in Korea and the US. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She can be reached at inhyunlee85@gmail.com -- Ed.