When we talk about great kings, King Alexander might be one of the most frequently mentioned. His greatest achievement was expansion, through which Europe and Asia intertwined their cultures and heritage, contributing to further human development. However, he started his wars of conquest not because of such a profound reason, but because of a more basic desire for imperial expansion. Historically, some kings tried to expand their territories or build gigantic monuments and architectural structures, while others focused on managing their territories without making nationwide changes.
Interestingly, most people place more importance on kings who left something memorable than on those who maintained peace. In Korea, many people choose King Gwanggaeto as one of the greatest kings because he aggressively expanded Korea’s territory to its maximum extent. We are currently hearing news about how miserable recent wars are. They can start for complex reasons, ranging from geopolitical issues to economic problems. However, most people will blame the one who initiates a war against another country first. I see the paradox at this point: most people prefer growth and expansion at scale despite their desire for peace.
Businesspeople need to penetrate markets and try to gain a higher market share. Politicians speak of winning more seats. Just as we praise kings who successfully ruled great empires, we aspire to expand beyond our current status. Some people connect this with an out-of-the-box approach. This dynamic motivation has enabled human beings to land on the Moon and create new technologies.
However, we find a double-faced characteristic when it comes to territorial expansion. We may think that it originates from our basic instincts. Regardless, we have to value what is right. We see similar situations around the world. Perhaps the real challenge is not to suppress our instinct to expand, but to distinguish meaningful progress from expansion that comes at the expense of others. Human progress may depend not only on how far we can go, but also on whether we can define the boundaries we should not cross.