In East Asian culture, the age of 40 is often referred to as “bulhok,” meaning “resisting temptation.” So ideally, when you hit 40, you are at an age where you should and can resist temptation involving any kind of vice.

It also means you have become familiar with the inner logic or order of society, and you act accordingly.

Having reached 40 this year, I have been wondering if I am indeed resisting temptation. Temptation coming in all kinds of forms. It can be money or riches, power, love and even about people. But I am guessing that for the most part, when you reach such an age – like 40 – where you are too young to discount the value of power, but not so tender as to believe in the prospect of true love, the biggest temptations will come in the form of money and power.

Recently in Japan, a high-ranking official of Miyagi Prefecture was caught having embezzled around $1,200. This is just one tiny example of course, and there is a long list of politicians and business figures who have pocketed staggering amount of wealth. But the amount of $1,200 does make one wonder why a person of considerable social rank was unable to resist such a “small” temptation.

Then there’s the temptation of power.

The so-called Choi Soon-sil-gate is, of course, one recent example. The yearning for undeserved power was one of the temptations that drove Choi to exert her influence on South Korea’s president and the nation.

It seems like once power is within reach, or once you possess it, it becomes even more difficult to resist further temptation.

President Park Geun-hye seems to be no exception. On Tuesday, she gave her third state address about he scandal, in which she implied she was willing to step down. But her intention was not as clear, for she continued to maintain her innocence, saying she has never acted out of disrespect for the country -- that national interests were all she had in mind.

In the end, it appears that she was unable to resist the temptation to flaunt her devotion to the country -- which should be a given since she was the nation’s president -- and the temptation to hold onto power. Even if that was not her intention, it appears that way.

Both Choi and Park are considerably past the age of 40. In fact, they are in their 60s, and in the Orient, that is the age called “i-soon,” literally meaning that their ears are soft. The true meaning, however, is that this is an age where people should ideally have enough life experience, have a sound sense of judgement and be considerate enough to be able to listen to what other people have to say without flying off the handle or coming under the influence of what they hear.

I have about 20 years to go before I reach that age, but I imagine it would be quite difficult to act this way when I get there. It would be wonderful if I have matured enough to be able to listen to what others say and not react out of spite or anger. Or to become too influenced by their words.

But I hope when I do hit 60, I will know better. To become generous enough and rise above, but most of all, decipher between right from wrong and act accordingly. In addition, I hope I will have the good common sense to know when to go forward, and when to step back. Understand the different positions different people have according to their life situations, to admit I have made a mistake, to apologize with sincerity. And last but not least, despite having become more laid-back and approachable, not lose the courage to speak out when there has been a wrong committed.

These are the qualities that ideally accompany the aging process. It is unfortunate that while many ordinary citizens are keen to develop these traits to better the lives of themselves and those around them, the people at the top remain steadfastly latched onto temptation and remain as hard-eared as ever.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)