Hi, I hope you're all having a wonderful day! It's my day off today, so I thought it would be a good idea to come here and write something, since I haven't come here for more than a month. I always promise myself that I would blog more often and always end up lying to myself . lol
Well, I don't have a plan on what I'm going to write here today. I guess this is not surprising at all! I just wanted to write like a life update kind of thing today. As some of you may already know, I moved to Kanagawa from Kyoto in March, and started working in Tokyo from last month. I work as an personal trainer for English. Basically, I teach English to adults for living. I've worked as an English personal trainer for just a month, but I'm already sure to say that I love my job! I love using English myself, and teaching English allows me to use English everyday. Also, I think I am lucky because I can feel that I am helping people by helping them improve their English skills as my job.
Not all people love their jobs, unfortunately. And even if they love their jobs, not all people can work in a good condition. I don't know much about working conditions in other parts of the world, but in Japan, there are more than a few companies that force their employees to work overtime but don't pay what they deserve. We call that kind of companies "black companies". Sadly, some people work for such companies until they decide to take their own lives.
Have you heard of the term, "karoshi"? It literally means death by overwork. This really happens in Japan. Does this happen in other countries as well? I want to know. You may wonder why some people work so much. So much that their physical and mental health get affected. I think the reason lies in the Japanese culture. A culture that praises the "kamikaze spirit". I need to be clear here that I am not dissing young men who lost their lives. I am dissing the order or the Japanese way of fighting during that time that make them go even though they had no chance. It has been getting better over time, but the culture that values quantity over quality still lies deeply in Japanese people.
When I was in elementary school, they would always hold a marathon competition every winter, like many other elementary schools in Japan. One day, my class teacher told the class that we should all participate in a voluntary training every morning before class until the marathon event. He distributed a card to the class, and the card worked like this: if you run round the school yard one time, you can paint a little section in the card; if you run round the school yard two times, you can paint two sections in the card; and if you run round three times, you know how many sections you can paint by now. And it goes on and on. So the more you run, the more sections in your card will be painted.
I was good at running when I was younger. So I thought, "I didn't need much practice for the marathon event." And moreover, the teacher told us it was "voluntary practice" in the first place. I said to myself, "I don't have to feel obligated to go to school a bit early every morning to run round the school yard." So I didn't show up to the voluntary training. But after a week or so (I don't even remember how long it took before I was called in, to be honest...), the teacher scolded me. He asked me why I had not participated in the training, and told me I had to show up. He told me he didn't see my motivation, and that I needed to work hard like other kids. "Why aren't you participating in the voluntary training like your classmates? Everybody's working hard for the marathon event." He even made me write a statement of apology and regret for not participating in the training.
To be honest, I had nothing to be sorry for. The teacher told everyone in the class that it was a "voluntary" training. Does he know the meaning of the word, "voluntary"? I had the full right of not showing up because, you know, it's really self-explanatory; it was voluntary, which means that it was optional! If you want to do it, you are free to run round the school yard every morning; if you don't, you are also free not to come. I had no reason to be scolded. But I was scolded nevertheless.
That was the time when I learned what Japanese society is like. And Japanese people educated this way from their early days. The kid who painted the most sections in the marathon card is the greatest. The kid who doesn't have a lot of sections painted in the card but ends up getting a better records than the others, and thinks that he/she wants to spend that precious morning time before class doing other things are hated by the authority.
This is the same in many workplaces in Japan, I guess. The one who stays late is greater, thus the one who works harder, even though that's not a productive way of working necessarily. The one who tries to work productively during his/her regular working hours, and leaves the office on time will be turned a cold shoulder, like he/she is being lazy and not putting enough effort.
The kid who wrote the same kanji a hundred times on his/her notebook is greater and deserve to be praised, even if you can learn and remember that kanji by practicing writing it ten times. If ten times is enough for you to learn that kanji, don't you think having to write it ninety times more is a waste of time? This is kamikaze spirit. "They know how to fall asleep. What they need to know and learn is how not to fall asleep when they are sleepy." Something like this was written in the book called "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" by Ruth Benedict. She said that this is how Japanese soldiers are trained. Instead of instructing them getting enough sleep and nutrition is a productive way of preparing for battles, they told this. We cannot say that everything she wrote in that book is true, since the research she conducted to write the book was not sufficient. But the spirit itself tells the truth about our culture. And we need to change that. It has been changing slowly over time, but the change is not enough.
Oh, so this is not really a post of my life update after all. lol Luckily, I am not working for a black company. I'm working for a complete white company in that sense. But our society need to change so that all people in our society can say that working in a white company is just normal. Parents shouldn't be worried about whether their children work in a black company or not. Young people shouldn't be telling their friends and families that luckily, the company that they started working for is not black. The society that bears these kinds of conversations is wrong. We need to wake those people (those who value kamikaze spirit) up. Guys, it's 2018.
Thanks for reading this post! I'm sorry if there's any typos and grammatical errors. English is not my first language, and I don't review my work before publishing it to the whole world. So... I hope to see you in my next post! Bye :)
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Are You a Good Listener?
Hey guys! I hope you are all doing well. Currently, we are right in the middle of the allergy season, and I've been suffering from runny nose and sneezing for the past month or so. But other than that, I'm in a good condition.
Lately, I've become keenly aware of how important communication is. When a communication breakdown happens, we tend to think that the other person is mean or dumb. But if you look closely, that is not the case. Communication breakdowns happen because you and the other person are using different kinds of logic regarding communicating. Most of the times, we don't explicitly say what we mean. When you say, "Hmm, it's hot in here," you actually mean, "So can you open the window so that the cooler air outside can come in?" Or, it could be that you want the other person to turn on the AC for you, depending on the situation you are in.
Communication breakdowns happen when the other person didn't get your intention or interpreted your intention in a wrong way, or when you didn't get the other person's intention or interpreted that person's intention wrong. Let's use the window example again. You said, "Hmm, it's hot in here," to show politeness; you didn't want to look like you are making an order to that person. You show politeness by avoiding saying things in direct ways. But it is never guaranteed that the other person will always get your intention and appreciate it. He/She might think, "Ugh, why don't you just say things clearly, and ask me to open the window, instead of dropping 'hints'?" In this case, the other person did not get your intention, which is the sign of being polite, and would rather think of you as a disagreeable person.
If you can notice and point out what is going wrong like this all the time, life would be much easier. But in reality, emotions come first, and we often fail to analyze and assess the communication breakdown we just experienced. And we are quick to conclude that the other person didn't get our intention because that person was being mean or stupid, and so that it's hard to get along with him/her.
Let me give you a real-life example here. This is a communication breakdown that I have been experiencing over and over again recently. My mother loves to give out advice, even when nobody asks. She just randomly shows up in front of me and starts preaching. What kind of advice? Well, those are just small ones. Most of them are related to housekeeping, such as how to keep things clean and last long, or how to better store foods, etc. You know, she's a mom, and moms know a lot of things about housekeeping. So yeah, maybe I should appreciate all those advice she has given me, and say, "Thank you," each time.
But here's a problem. She comes up and starts "educating" whenever she wants to, not when I am ready or willing to listen to her. Alright, so let's say that you are in your room alone, and reading a book. The book is really interesting, and you are really focusing on it. Now, do you want your mom to show up at your door and starts talking without asking if it's okay for you to have a conversation with her?
For her, her daughters (= me and my younger sister) are projections of herself in a way, and I guess that she thinks of her kids to be subordinates to her. And I guess that's way she has never thought that her action is impolite and that's bugging me. She thinks she's being kind and generous to give out those advice to me, and doesn't see any reason that I should be annoyed by her. Her advice/knowledge itself is actually useful, but sadly, there are times when I cannot be thankful to her.
So what can we say about this? Well, the first lesson we can get from this narrative is: do not try to give advice when nobody asks you to. The second lesson is that not only what you say, but also how you say it and when you say it are also very important. And lastly, know that the other person will not always get what you intended or what you meant. We should be aware that there is always a chance of communication breakdown, even with the ones we consider to be very close. So we should keep our minds open and engage in active listening. We should try to pay attention not just to what other person is saying, but also to his/her body language, intention, and feelings. Be a good listener.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I hope you all have a wonderful day! See you in my next post :) Bye!
Lately, I've become keenly aware of how important communication is. When a communication breakdown happens, we tend to think that the other person is mean or dumb. But if you look closely, that is not the case. Communication breakdowns happen because you and the other person are using different kinds of logic regarding communicating. Most of the times, we don't explicitly say what we mean. When you say, "Hmm, it's hot in here," you actually mean, "So can you open the window so that the cooler air outside can come in?" Or, it could be that you want the other person to turn on the AC for you, depending on the situation you are in.
Communication breakdowns happen when the other person didn't get your intention or interpreted your intention in a wrong way, or when you didn't get the other person's intention or interpreted that person's intention wrong. Let's use the window example again. You said, "Hmm, it's hot in here," to show politeness; you didn't want to look like you are making an order to that person. You show politeness by avoiding saying things in direct ways. But it is never guaranteed that the other person will always get your intention and appreciate it. He/She might think, "Ugh, why don't you just say things clearly, and ask me to open the window, instead of dropping 'hints'?" In this case, the other person did not get your intention, which is the sign of being polite, and would rather think of you as a disagreeable person.
If you can notice and point out what is going wrong like this all the time, life would be much easier. But in reality, emotions come first, and we often fail to analyze and assess the communication breakdown we just experienced. And we are quick to conclude that the other person didn't get our intention because that person was being mean or stupid, and so that it's hard to get along with him/her.
Let me give you a real-life example here. This is a communication breakdown that I have been experiencing over and over again recently. My mother loves to give out advice, even when nobody asks. She just randomly shows up in front of me and starts preaching. What kind of advice? Well, those are just small ones. Most of them are related to housekeeping, such as how to keep things clean and last long, or how to better store foods, etc. You know, she's a mom, and moms know a lot of things about housekeeping. So yeah, maybe I should appreciate all those advice she has given me, and say, "Thank you," each time.
But here's a problem. She comes up and starts "educating" whenever she wants to, not when I am ready or willing to listen to her. Alright, so let's say that you are in your room alone, and reading a book. The book is really interesting, and you are really focusing on it. Now, do you want your mom to show up at your door and starts talking without asking if it's okay for you to have a conversation with her?
For her, her daughters (= me and my younger sister) are projections of herself in a way, and I guess that she thinks of her kids to be subordinates to her. And I guess that's way she has never thought that her action is impolite and that's bugging me. She thinks she's being kind and generous to give out those advice to me, and doesn't see any reason that I should be annoyed by her. Her advice/knowledge itself is actually useful, but sadly, there are times when I cannot be thankful to her.
So what can we say about this? Well, the first lesson we can get from this narrative is: do not try to give advice when nobody asks you to. The second lesson is that not only what you say, but also how you say it and when you say it are also very important. And lastly, know that the other person will not always get what you intended or what you meant. We should be aware that there is always a chance of communication breakdown, even with the ones we consider to be very close. So we should keep our minds open and engage in active listening. We should try to pay attention not just to what other person is saying, but also to his/her body language, intention, and feelings. Be a good listener.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I hope you all have a wonderful day! See you in my next post :) Bye!
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Pulling Myself Together by Writing!
Hi! It's feels so good to be back here. I really needed some time to sit down and write. Last month was a really busy one. It was towards the end of the fall semester, which means that I had to go through finals exams. And more importantly, I had to finish off my graduation thesis! I put so much effort into that thesis, and I was so proud of myself when I completed it and went into the school office to submit it. All of the exams went relatively well, I think. Well, I didn't have to take that many exams to begin with, though. Oh, but I had to write about 4 papers. *sigh* I actually miss studying now that I've gone through all the exams and papers I needed to complete before I graduate. 4 years went so fast! I don't want to think that I will be graduating from collage next month! I have always loved my student life, and I know that I'll miss it from April. Yeah, of course, I'm excited for the next chapter of my life, but I feel sad that I'll no longer be a student.
Oh, one more thing to mention is that I turned 25 last month! My boyfriend and I visited Hello Kitty Cafe on my birthday, and we had so much fun there. I ordered a slice of apple pie and a cup of latte. The apple pie was decorated with a Hello-Kitty-shaped marshmallow! It was too cute to eat, but I ate it anyway. lol After having fun at the cafe, we went shopping. We ended up getting some small bottles of plum liqueur. If you are from outside of Japan, and if you are not familiar with plum liqueur or plum wine, which is called "umeshu" in Japanese, you may not know what umeshu is. I was in California 2 years ago, but I don't think I saw umeshu there. I'm pretty sure that you can find umeshu at Asian or Japanese markets, though. Many people know some famous/major Japanese beer companies such as Asahi, and many people know sake. I don't understand why umeshu is not so well-known there because it's so delicious! I don't know how to explain umeshu in English (lol), so let's call in Professor Wikipedia: "Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping ume fruits (while still unripe and green) in alcohol (shochu) and sugar. It has a sweet, sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10-15 %." Ah, this explains it well! You can drink it on the rocks, or you can mix it with some water, hot water, or carbonated water to make cocktails. I always prefer to have umeshu on the rocks. Yeah, that's my favorite way of enjoying it. We (my boyfriend and I) both love umeshu a lot, so it didn't take long till we emptied all the bottles we purchased... lol
So that was a few highlights from last month. Now this month is a really stressful one. ...And a busy one as well. Currently, I live in Kyoto, but I'll start working in Tokyo from April, which means that I need to move. As everybody knows, moving takes a lot of time and working. You need to arrange different things, right? I've been feeling a lot of stress this month. Last week, I went to Kanagawa to find my new apartment. I didn't even try to find one in Tokyo because it'll cost me a lot and I can't afford it. Luckily, I found a nice apartment, and I know I'll love that place! In addition, I got to spend some time with my sister and her boyfriend! It's always fun to go out with them, so that was a happy moment in this stressful situation I have been facing for the past 2 weeks. After saying goodbye to them and coming back to my parents' house where I'll be staying till the end of March, I went shopping with my parents to buy some necessary items such as home electronics and furniture. It's the busy season now for those kind of businesses, so everywhere we went was crowded.
Alright, so I've found a place to live and prepared necessary items. Now it's time to contact some moving companies, compare the prices they offer, and decide which company to work with. It's not that I don't like phone calls, but it's a bit tiring to talk with somebody I don't know at all over the phone. I think I'll pick a moving company tomorrow or day after tomorrow. After that, I'll eventually need to pack things up so that I can actually move, but I'll have some time before I leave the apartment in Kyoto (I'm planning to leave there on March 5th.), so there's no need to rush. Hopefully, I will be set free from all those stress of having to arrange things and feel better next week.
Although I've been pretty busy lately, I have never failed to find time to read! I have been taking a lot of trains to travel to a place to another, so I have lots of time for reading actually. Today, I finished reading Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. I'm so glad that I could finish it before I graduate. Right now, so many feelings are going around my head, and I can't find a way to make them into words so other people can share my thoughts on the novel. But one things I can definitely say is that Dostoevsky is a pure genius, and the novel is a masterpiece. I wouldn't be able to write a novel that is equally amazing even if I were reborn 100 times. Now that I've finished The Brothers Karamazov, I am going to finish The Idiot, also from Dostoevsky. I've read the first 2 volumes of the entire novel, and I hate to give up reading a novel once I've started reading it. I've picked up the novel, so I am definitely going to finish it. I have already contacted the local library and reserved a copy. The library closest to my place didn't have a copy, but they said that they could order a copy from another branch, and put it aside for me. Can't wait to start reading the 3rd volume in a few days!
Ah, writing really purify my heart. I feel better than I was before I sat down to write this post. Oh, and I will have a descent amount of time alone tomorrow (Finally! Yay!), so I'm going to call my boyfriend. I haven't been able to see him since I left for my parents's house last Tuesday, and I miss him a lot! I hope having some time to talk with him lifts my spirits. Well, I'm sure it will!
Ok... I'll go now. I think I'm going to read a book which is not The Idiot by Dostoevsky, and go to bed. Thanks for reading, and I hope I'll see you in my next post :) Bye!
Oh, one more thing to mention is that I turned 25 last month! My boyfriend and I visited Hello Kitty Cafe on my birthday, and we had so much fun there. I ordered a slice of apple pie and a cup of latte. The apple pie was decorated with a Hello-Kitty-shaped marshmallow! It was too cute to eat, but I ate it anyway. lol After having fun at the cafe, we went shopping. We ended up getting some small bottles of plum liqueur. If you are from outside of Japan, and if you are not familiar with plum liqueur or plum wine, which is called "umeshu" in Japanese, you may not know what umeshu is. I was in California 2 years ago, but I don't think I saw umeshu there. I'm pretty sure that you can find umeshu at Asian or Japanese markets, though. Many people know some famous/major Japanese beer companies such as Asahi, and many people know sake. I don't understand why umeshu is not so well-known there because it's so delicious! I don't know how to explain umeshu in English (lol), so let's call in Professor Wikipedia: "Umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made by steeping ume fruits (while still unripe and green) in alcohol (shochu) and sugar. It has a sweet, sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10-15 %." Ah, this explains it well! You can drink it on the rocks, or you can mix it with some water, hot water, or carbonated water to make cocktails. I always prefer to have umeshu on the rocks. Yeah, that's my favorite way of enjoying it. We (my boyfriend and I) both love umeshu a lot, so it didn't take long till we emptied all the bottles we purchased... lol
So that was a few highlights from last month. Now this month is a really stressful one. ...And a busy one as well. Currently, I live in Kyoto, but I'll start working in Tokyo from April, which means that I need to move. As everybody knows, moving takes a lot of time and working. You need to arrange different things, right? I've been feeling a lot of stress this month. Last week, I went to Kanagawa to find my new apartment. I didn't even try to find one in Tokyo because it'll cost me a lot and I can't afford it. Luckily, I found a nice apartment, and I know I'll love that place! In addition, I got to spend some time with my sister and her boyfriend! It's always fun to go out with them, so that was a happy moment in this stressful situation I have been facing for the past 2 weeks. After saying goodbye to them and coming back to my parents' house where I'll be staying till the end of March, I went shopping with my parents to buy some necessary items such as home electronics and furniture. It's the busy season now for those kind of businesses, so everywhere we went was crowded.
Alright, so I've found a place to live and prepared necessary items. Now it's time to contact some moving companies, compare the prices they offer, and decide which company to work with. It's not that I don't like phone calls, but it's a bit tiring to talk with somebody I don't know at all over the phone. I think I'll pick a moving company tomorrow or day after tomorrow. After that, I'll eventually need to pack things up so that I can actually move, but I'll have some time before I leave the apartment in Kyoto (I'm planning to leave there on March 5th.), so there's no need to rush. Hopefully, I will be set free from all those stress of having to arrange things and feel better next week.
Although I've been pretty busy lately, I have never failed to find time to read! I have been taking a lot of trains to travel to a place to another, so I have lots of time for reading actually. Today, I finished reading Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. I'm so glad that I could finish it before I graduate. Right now, so many feelings are going around my head, and I can't find a way to make them into words so other people can share my thoughts on the novel. But one things I can definitely say is that Dostoevsky is a pure genius, and the novel is a masterpiece. I wouldn't be able to write a novel that is equally amazing even if I were reborn 100 times. Now that I've finished The Brothers Karamazov, I am going to finish The Idiot, also from Dostoevsky. I've read the first 2 volumes of the entire novel, and I hate to give up reading a novel once I've started reading it. I've picked up the novel, so I am definitely going to finish it. I have already contacted the local library and reserved a copy. The library closest to my place didn't have a copy, but they said that they could order a copy from another branch, and put it aside for me. Can't wait to start reading the 3rd volume in a few days!
Ah, writing really purify my heart. I feel better than I was before I sat down to write this post. Oh, and I will have a descent amount of time alone tomorrow (Finally! Yay!), so I'm going to call my boyfriend. I haven't been able to see him since I left for my parents's house last Tuesday, and I miss him a lot! I hope having some time to talk with him lifts my spirits. Well, I'm sure it will!
Ok... I'll go now. I think I'm going to read a book which is not The Idiot by Dostoevsky, and go to bed. Thanks for reading, and I hope I'll see you in my next post :) Bye!
Monday, January 1, 2018
My New Year's Resolutions for 2018!
Hi, everyone! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all have a wonderful year this year. The first half of 2017 was a bit rough sometimes because of the job hunting, but besides that, I think I enjoyed the year 2017 a lot. This year will be a special one for me because I will be graduating from collage! I will finish all my courses by the end of this month, and the graduation ceremony will take place in March 22nd. Then, I will start working in Tokyo from April. Like every person getting ready for their new lives, I'm both excited and worried. If anyone's curious, I will be working as a English trainer. Why don't I just say English teacher instead? Well, because the company I'll be working for wouldn't like the term English teacher. My students will not be kids, but adults, and I felt that they consider the relationship between the clients (people who come to our studios be better at English) and us (the trainers) to be those who come to the gym to work out and their personal trainers, not students and their teachers. I hope this makes sense to you. lol Sometimes, I'm really bad at explaining things.
Alright. Well, the purpose of this post is not to talk about my work, actually. I just wanted to briefly (Just briefly!) talk about some goals that I have set for this year. New years, new resolutions! Looking back, I think I did a really good job. I got a job, read lots of books, studied Eastern philosophy (I took a Zen class, and learned about Zen and its history!), and thought and talked about confidence and self-esteem. If I just set my resolutions for this year and secretly keep them in my mind, I would probably forget about them and thereby fail to work on them. It's better to write them down so that I can always remind myself of all the resolutions that I have set. So, just as I did last year, I am going to write my New Year's Resolutions down here on my blog.
So here we go! My New Year's Resolutions for 2018!
Alright. Well, the purpose of this post is not to talk about my work, actually. I just wanted to briefly (Just briefly!) talk about some goals that I have set for this year. New years, new resolutions! Looking back, I think I did a really good job. I got a job, read lots of books, studied Eastern philosophy (I took a Zen class, and learned about Zen and its history!), and thought and talked about confidence and self-esteem. If I just set my resolutions for this year and secretly keep them in my mind, I would probably forget about them and thereby fail to work on them. It's better to write them down so that I can always remind myself of all the resolutions that I have set. So, just as I did last year, I am going to write my New Year's Resolutions down here on my blog.
So here we go! My New Year's Resolutions for 2018!
- Read a lot of books! I would probably be busier this year, but I'll try to make time to read everyday, even just for 15 minutes.
- Exercise regularly! I'll sign up for a gym once I've moved to Tokyo (or its surrounding areas) and settled in. I'll try to work out at least once a week.
- Study philosophy of religion (because that's what I am interested in lately). It's kind of connected to Resolution 1 because I would turn to books to study. But I've decided to write this one separately from Resolution 1 to make it stand out more.
- Keep a healthy relationship with work. I tend to feel like I need to be productive all the time and feel that I'm a lazy person when I'm not. Resting is also very important. Working hard is good, but I won't let my work undermine my well-being. Work hard and rest hard!
- Save some money! This year, I will be a full-time worker and be financially independent. It's always a good thing to train yourself to be better at managing your own finances. Plus, I have a dream that I want to make come true in the near future, and in order to make it really happen, I need money!
...So that's all for today's post! I just wanted to list my goals. I usually write a lot, but not today! lol What is your goals for 2018? I would love to know!
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Let's Talk about Freedom of Speech!
Hi! It's been really cold lately, and I'm having a very difficult time getting up and getting out of my bed every morning. Does anyone know how to get out of the bed during winter? lol Because I really need to know. I spend like 30 minutes or even longer in my bed every morning after the alarm went off because it's so cold! I do turn on the AC but still, being in my bed is way more comfortable than getting up. I wish I were more punctual and organized. I'm a lazy person by nature. lol I know I should get out of my comfort zone to make a change, and it's never easy to make a change, but as I said, I am a lazy person, and I'm too lazy to get out of my comfort zone. Ok, that was a joke... I hope it really was a joke... lol But if you have any tip or hack on how to get up smoothly every morning during winter, please let me know.
Alright, so today, I would like to talk about free speech. I am talking about this because lately, I feel like this really basic human right is in danger. Ah, I already hear some oppositions claiming what I have just said is untrue. We do not live in a world where freedom of speech is explicitly oppressed, like the world of 1984 by George Orwell. Freedom of speech is protected by law. We will not be imprisoned by criticizing our government, and if that happens in the worst case, people will blame the government, because that is just so wrong. Most people believe that having the right to express our thoughts freely is very important. Free speech is in danger? Nah, I don't believe that.
What I want to say in this post is that we need to stop and think. ...And doubt. Do we really live in a world where free speech is supported and encouraged? Don't we feel like more and more people are avoiding discussions lately? Don't we feel like there's this atmosphere of "preferred opinions"? And if you are brave enough to go against this preferred opinion, you will be slammed. People do not just oppose your opinion; they will dehumanize you. They will start to look at you like you are a savage, and a cruel person. They don't just deny our opinion; they will deny you, and start to doubt your humanity.
Now, let's talk about things that happened (relatively) lately. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the new President of the United States in January. It may seem weird to say the inauguration happened only lately, but you know what I mean, right? lol I mean that it happened this year, not like 100 or 1000 years ago. During the time when he was fighting against his opponent, Hilary Clinton, a considerable amount of information about him and what he had done in the past was heard. People say he is a sexist, and also a racist.
Now, there could many reasons to support a candidate over another one. Maybe you like Candidate A's political policies better than those of Candidate B. Or maybe you choose to vote for Candidate A, even though you don't particularly support Candidate A, because you do not like Candidate B at all, and you think it would be better if Candidate A could get the position. You don't have to be an enthusiastic supporter of Candidate A to vote for Candidate A.
More that often, choosing is very difficult. Sometimes, you have to choose one, even if you don't like either of the choice. Choosing a choice over another doesn't always mean that you just adore every little detail or aspect of the choice you picked. Sometimes you need to go through hard decisions. But what happened during and even after the election campaign is the discrimination against Trump supporters. You cannot say that all Trump supporters are both sexist and racist as he is, and therefore, you cannot blame those who voted for Trump by labeling them as racists and sexists. You cannot say that they chose Trump because they are essentially a bad person. I am not a supporter of President Trump, so I am not saying this to defend myself. I'm just trying to be fair.
When you start labeling people like that, there's no meaningful discussion. You can have different views and opinions. And it's not the matter of which is right and which is wrong. I have heard that some students had experienced being assaulted because of their political views. Treating those who do not share the same view as being evil should ever be allowed.
I came across a video last month when I was scrolling down Facebook. Here's the link of the video: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/education-41837205/brexit-supporting-students-getting-abuse-on-campus The debate over whether the Britain should stay in EU or not was also a very hot topic. And in universities, the preferred opinion was: the Britain should stay. But of course, they were people who thought that the Britain should leave. And basically, people didn't like that. In the video, some students who supported the Leave Campaign share their experience of how they are discriminated and assaulted on campus by other students. They were called out simply because they didn't support the preferred opinion. They were told stupid, dumb, racist, xenophobic, etc. Once people have found out that they were Brexiteers, the friendly conversation is over, and people will treat them as their enemy, and start to doubt their humanity.
Now, let's talk about Japan. There have been a discussion over whether to change the ninth article of the Constitution of Japan. Basically, in the current version, the ninth article declares that Japan will pursue peace and justice, and therefore, Japan will not participate in war, and will not hold military power. Well, in Japan, we don't have any military, but we have the Self-Defense Force. The Self-Defense Force is not supposed to take a part in combats, at least for now.
Lately, some people are claiming the article needs to be changed or modified. Looking at the international tension between North Korea and Japan (and other countries), Japan needs to be able to defend itself when things happened. The Constitution went into effect 70 years ago, which means that it is old, and it is reasonable to think that modifications should be considered or made once in a while. These are what people who support the idea of modifying the article generally say, I think.
And of course, there are people who do not want to make any change. We live in Japan, the peaceful country. We have established our country's identity as the country that pursues peace. If we make changes to the article, that identity will fall down. Some people might even go so far as to say that the thought of making modifications to the article itself is evil.
Me? My take on this issue is: we should consider making modifications. The Constitution is 70 years old, and it's about the time we start reviewing it to see if it needs some modifications or not. And I think we need to redefine the Self-Defense Force. I know. It's the Constitution, the greatest law of our country, and I know that we can't just change things up so easily. That makes it even more reasonable to discuss this matter closely. Plus, I feel like many Japanese people stick to the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, not the idea or the concept of peace itself. We, the nation of Japan does not possess any military power. But on behalf of us, the military of the United States is supposed to protect Japan in case of emergency. So it's totally fine for American troops to fight for Japan on behalf of us, while we just sit at home? I think not many Japanese people think about this, and that's why I said many Japanese people just stick to the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, not the idea of peace itself. Right now, North Korea is doing whatever it pleases. And all Japan can do is blame.
But unfortunately, I'm not on the preferred-opinion side. I'm on the "wrong" side. So many people are quick to conclude that people who suggest modification are those with a dangerous thought. They would say, "What?! So you support war?" NO. I never support war and violence. It's not just me; other people who support making modifications do not support war and violence either. All I want to say is that we need to redefine peace once more. Let's think about peace. What is peace? Yes, we have not had any war since the end of WWII. But is it enough? Do you like the idea of peace? Or do you simply care about the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, only? I am not saying that we should change the Constitution so that we can start a war tomorrow. I'm a peace seeker. I take peace seriously. That's why I say that we should think about peace. It may not be a comfortable topic for a conversation, but we need to talk about it. It's easy to avoid this conversation by saying, "You know what? I'm a peace seeker. Modifying the Constitution sounds too radical, so let's play it safe, and leave it as it is." For me, the unwillingness to review the article is a sign of willingness to avoid the uncomfortable, not important topic, peace.
Not many people are willing to talk about this controversial in the first place, and saying that I suggest modification takes a lot of courage, because I know this is not the preferred opinion, and I know people will judge me for my opinion. But freedom of speech is very important, and no one should never feel that they are somehow oppressed to feel in a certain way. It's easy to speak up when there's the atmosphere of valuing free speech. But right now, it's not. I feel the importance of thinking for myself, and expressing my idea openly even more nowadays, because not many people are willing to do so. Freedom of speech is under threat, people! People had fought, and shed blood to gain this right. Let's not ruin this.
Thank you for reading! English is not my first language, and there are so many things I want to say, but more that often, my poor English skills (and my poor writing skill also?) interfere with them! lol I hope one day, I will be able to express my thought freely in English as well as Japanese, and never have to feel this way! Alright, so until next time! Bye!
Alright, so today, I would like to talk about free speech. I am talking about this because lately, I feel like this really basic human right is in danger. Ah, I already hear some oppositions claiming what I have just said is untrue. We do not live in a world where freedom of speech is explicitly oppressed, like the world of 1984 by George Orwell. Freedom of speech is protected by law. We will not be imprisoned by criticizing our government, and if that happens in the worst case, people will blame the government, because that is just so wrong. Most people believe that having the right to express our thoughts freely is very important. Free speech is in danger? Nah, I don't believe that.
What I want to say in this post is that we need to stop and think. ...And doubt. Do we really live in a world where free speech is supported and encouraged? Don't we feel like more and more people are avoiding discussions lately? Don't we feel like there's this atmosphere of "preferred opinions"? And if you are brave enough to go against this preferred opinion, you will be slammed. People do not just oppose your opinion; they will dehumanize you. They will start to look at you like you are a savage, and a cruel person. They don't just deny our opinion; they will deny you, and start to doubt your humanity.
Now, let's talk about things that happened (relatively) lately. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the new President of the United States in January. It may seem weird to say the inauguration happened only lately, but you know what I mean, right? lol I mean that it happened this year, not like 100 or 1000 years ago. During the time when he was fighting against his opponent, Hilary Clinton, a considerable amount of information about him and what he had done in the past was heard. People say he is a sexist, and also a racist.
Now, there could many reasons to support a candidate over another one. Maybe you like Candidate A's political policies better than those of Candidate B. Or maybe you choose to vote for Candidate A, even though you don't particularly support Candidate A, because you do not like Candidate B at all, and you think it would be better if Candidate A could get the position. You don't have to be an enthusiastic supporter of Candidate A to vote for Candidate A.
More that often, choosing is very difficult. Sometimes, you have to choose one, even if you don't like either of the choice. Choosing a choice over another doesn't always mean that you just adore every little detail or aspect of the choice you picked. Sometimes you need to go through hard decisions. But what happened during and even after the election campaign is the discrimination against Trump supporters. You cannot say that all Trump supporters are both sexist and racist as he is, and therefore, you cannot blame those who voted for Trump by labeling them as racists and sexists. You cannot say that they chose Trump because they are essentially a bad person. I am not a supporter of President Trump, so I am not saying this to defend myself. I'm just trying to be fair.
When you start labeling people like that, there's no meaningful discussion. You can have different views and opinions. And it's not the matter of which is right and which is wrong. I have heard that some students had experienced being assaulted because of their political views. Treating those who do not share the same view as being evil should ever be allowed.
I came across a video last month when I was scrolling down Facebook. Here's the link of the video: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/education-41837205/brexit-supporting-students-getting-abuse-on-campus The debate over whether the Britain should stay in EU or not was also a very hot topic. And in universities, the preferred opinion was: the Britain should stay. But of course, they were people who thought that the Britain should leave. And basically, people didn't like that. In the video, some students who supported the Leave Campaign share their experience of how they are discriminated and assaulted on campus by other students. They were called out simply because they didn't support the preferred opinion. They were told stupid, dumb, racist, xenophobic, etc. Once people have found out that they were Brexiteers, the friendly conversation is over, and people will treat them as their enemy, and start to doubt their humanity.
Now, let's talk about Japan. There have been a discussion over whether to change the ninth article of the Constitution of Japan. Basically, in the current version, the ninth article declares that Japan will pursue peace and justice, and therefore, Japan will not participate in war, and will not hold military power. Well, in Japan, we don't have any military, but we have the Self-Defense Force. The Self-Defense Force is not supposed to take a part in combats, at least for now.
Lately, some people are claiming the article needs to be changed or modified. Looking at the international tension between North Korea and Japan (and other countries), Japan needs to be able to defend itself when things happened. The Constitution went into effect 70 years ago, which means that it is old, and it is reasonable to think that modifications should be considered or made once in a while. These are what people who support the idea of modifying the article generally say, I think.
And of course, there are people who do not want to make any change. We live in Japan, the peaceful country. We have established our country's identity as the country that pursues peace. If we make changes to the article, that identity will fall down. Some people might even go so far as to say that the thought of making modifications to the article itself is evil.
Me? My take on this issue is: we should consider making modifications. The Constitution is 70 years old, and it's about the time we start reviewing it to see if it needs some modifications or not. And I think we need to redefine the Self-Defense Force. I know. It's the Constitution, the greatest law of our country, and I know that we can't just change things up so easily. That makes it even more reasonable to discuss this matter closely. Plus, I feel like many Japanese people stick to the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, not the idea or the concept of peace itself. We, the nation of Japan does not possess any military power. But on behalf of us, the military of the United States is supposed to protect Japan in case of emergency. So it's totally fine for American troops to fight for Japan on behalf of us, while we just sit at home? I think not many Japanese people think about this, and that's why I said many Japanese people just stick to the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, not the idea of peace itself. Right now, North Korea is doing whatever it pleases. And all Japan can do is blame.
But unfortunately, I'm not on the preferred-opinion side. I'm on the "wrong" side. So many people are quick to conclude that people who suggest modification are those with a dangerous thought. They would say, "What?! So you support war?" NO. I never support war and violence. It's not just me; other people who support making modifications do not support war and violence either. All I want to say is that we need to redefine peace once more. Let's think about peace. What is peace? Yes, we have not had any war since the end of WWII. But is it enough? Do you like the idea of peace? Or do you simply care about the idea of the peaceful country, Japan, only? I am not saying that we should change the Constitution so that we can start a war tomorrow. I'm a peace seeker. I take peace seriously. That's why I say that we should think about peace. It may not be a comfortable topic for a conversation, but we need to talk about it. It's easy to avoid this conversation by saying, "You know what? I'm a peace seeker. Modifying the Constitution sounds too radical, so let's play it safe, and leave it as it is." For me, the unwillingness to review the article is a sign of willingness to avoid the uncomfortable, not important topic, peace.
Not many people are willing to talk about this controversial in the first place, and saying that I suggest modification takes a lot of courage, because I know this is not the preferred opinion, and I know people will judge me for my opinion. But freedom of speech is very important, and no one should never feel that they are somehow oppressed to feel in a certain way. It's easy to speak up when there's the atmosphere of valuing free speech. But right now, it's not. I feel the importance of thinking for myself, and expressing my idea openly even more nowadays, because not many people are willing to do so. Freedom of speech is under threat, people! People had fought, and shed blood to gain this right. Let's not ruin this.
Thank you for reading! English is not my first language, and there are so many things I want to say, but more that often, my poor English skills (and my poor writing skill also?) interfere with them! lol I hope one day, I will be able to express my thought freely in English as well as Japanese, and never have to feel this way! Alright, so until next time! Bye!
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