If you consider believing in one’s destiny through the four pillars of destiny to be unscientific, or if you believe fate is already predetermined, you might inadvertently develop feelings of self-deprecation or resignation. Especially in an era like today, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, it’s easy to think that one’s future is decided from birth, debating concepts like ‘silver spoon’ and ‘dirt spoon’. It’s true that doubts arise about whether destiny studies can truly be considered an academic discipline in the 21st century. However, I picked up this book out of curiosity—wondering if there might be something worthwhile to learn from collecting and analyzing data on successful and fortunate individuals over a long period, statistically compiling it, and discovering meaningful patterns within.

The author’s background was quite unique. Far from the image of an elderly fortune teller one might typically imagine, she was a young woman renowned for providing destiny consulting to the top 1% of South Korea’s elite. Despite being about ‘fortune-telling,’ the content shattered my preconceptions. From the very first chapter, the emphasis on cultivating gratitude and keeping a ‘luck notebook’ felt incredibly fresh.

Whether it’s Eastern cosmic energy or Western zodiac horoscopes, everyone checks their yearly fortune for fun at the start of the year. I don’t believe we can simply dismiss this as unscientific or non-religious. Its historical and cultural roots run very deep, and modern science or systematized religion are also outcomes shaped by the accumulated development of human thought and the efforts of leaders over long periods. From that perspective, the study of destiny might also be a discipline that continues to evolve in the 21st century.

On the other hand, I found myself reflecting on whether my own tendency to acknowledge Western philosophers like the Apostle Paul while neglecting Eastern philosophers stemmed from an unconscious Western-centric bias. Modern society defines the standards of developed nations by quantifiable metrics like economic scale, GNP, or GDP, and evaluates success indicators through money and numbers. This is likely why the difficult-to-quantify study of destiny is relatively undervalued. Israeli philosopher Yuval Harari has also explained that happiness derived from direct experience cannot be converted into numbers.

Life is changing rapidly due to the astonishing advancement of IT technology, yet people still believe in ‘luck’. Regardless of whether it’s a gift from God, the blessings of ancestors, or the result of my own efforts, I still consider myself a ‘lucky delivery driver’ today. I will faithfully live a life where I rise at dawn to make deliveries, read and study while driving, and invest even small amounts daily to attract greater fortune.