Dear Reader,
I am quite sorry for not being a frequent writer as of late. You see, I was on my way back from Fukuoka City and rain into the year's first snow storm in the mountains near my village. So after making some delightfully acrobatic maneuvers (like an ice-skater on four wheels), I decided to halt my automobile and walk as the last light of sun peeked its way through the clouds overhead, which were still showering down the grateful hills. Then two cool guys helped get me back home in their trucks. It would have been a valiant walk though.
Furthermore I had a mid-year JET Programme meeting in Kumamoto City for the past two days. That is where I finally learned an important lesson (and with some help from a special person and some friends): that two extremely different cultures can hold such completely different customs and moral standards means that comparisons often fail us. Thus they are like apples and oranges. I cannot project my moral standards on the society and people here; it is not fair and does not see everything at work in the situation.
In many ways, my reasons for coming here were to find a safe-haven for building my dreams in a place that would challenge my ideas about the world. All of that has been accomplished so I am very grateful. I think many English speakers move here for the same reason. It is a wonderful way for budding artists to be able to afford their passions and explore the world at the same time. It certainly does not hurt that our jobs can often be inspiring and wonderful themselves even if they can also refuse to behave as one might so desire.
3 comments:
I was thinking about this the other day. The Greeks and their philosophy is pretty much universal, and that's why it has survived until these days. Whether you might agree with it or not, they tried to delve into the subjects which constitute humanity, and not race. Justice, beauty, love, etc. These are all emotions and concepts which vary, but are not alien to human beings, regardless of where they come from. Asian philosophy, on the other hand, is local, more concerned with social order and ultimately based on tautology. Confucius says this and that. Why? You ask too many questions little grasshopper.
Case in point: If "Western" philosophy were pertaining to "Western" countries only, how come it was in the Middle East that the teachings of the Greeks were preserved and developed for millenia?
Nazism, and any other philosophy and/or political establishment that condones violence, breaching of human rights, discrimination and rule of force is evil. You /can/ judge these things, as history often does. Cultural relativism is a sad excuse for not wanting to face up to the past.
Apples and oranges is shite. Don't listen to the JET crowd. For the most part they are clueless about Japan.
You raise a good point and I agree that you can judge, but can you actively change, can you teach? Today I attempted to do so. I filled the board with facts about WWII, America, Japan, and Germany when the students were reading a few journal entires by Anne Frank (this is the same class with the swastika pencil case). But I don't know if it sunk in. I even drew a swastika on the board complete with white and red. But I don't know how they responded. I even drew an arrow to the swastika and said "This is very bad," but I still don't know if they get my point. I even wrote "Nazis killed more than 6 million Jews." I am doing my best but it seems like I am tooting my own horn and the teacher didn't even comment or draw attention to what I was writing on the board in front of the eyes of the entire class. It was my silent rebellion. That is our condition here as people who want to spread awareness and combat what we might see as the institutionalized ignorance.
At least you're doing something about it, and as long as one kid remembers that "THIS IS VERY BAD" (chuckle) your job is done. (Kids can be pretty thoughtful, even if they don't show it. Peer pressure and all).
Power to you, good man!
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