| The expression, "The Japan that can say no," the title of
a book by writer and now Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, has became famous. Originally directed towards the USA, over time these words have been mistakenly interpreted to include a negation of even the good-naturedness often found in the private lives of the Japanese people. Now, many people throughout Japan are interpreting the words to mean that it is acceptable to "say no" to anything they do not like, which results in a tendency to regard disobedience and self-assertiveness as virtues. People are mistakenly taking these words to mean that one's personal feelings are all-important, and that it's quite OK to refuse to engage in whatever one doesn't like. Thus, the habit of saying no without any hesitation is now spreading rapidly throughout Japan. It seems to me that even schools are encouraging this trend. I think that teachers misunderstand the highly valued education principle that places emphasis on cultivating students' individuality. They think that the core of the principle is to think that nothing is more important than the feelings of each person as an individual. Teaching students to value their own feelings more highly than those of others is like encouraging them to develop selfish and self-centered attitudes. It's no wonder then, I believe, that more and more schools are facing serious problems of discipline and classroom disruption. Today, nobody seems to be teaching the importance of putting themselves in other persons' shoes and being considerate of them. People who think only of their own feelings will divorce quickly after getting married. And if such people have children, they will not be able to discipline them, because they themselves refused to be disciplined when they were children. Young people nowadays dislike or look down on any form of discipline or morality. For this reason, when they start working, they will cause trouble for the companies that employ them. People who think only of themselves and "say no" to anything they consider undesirable have no chance of working successfully in a company. As a general rule, we can only earn money if we willingly do things that others are disinclined to do. For selfish people, life is full of undesirable things. I feel great regret that, in such circumstances, many people and even schools are teaching children to "Say no to anything you don't want to do and do what you want. That's the way to display individuality." However, individuality is not something you forcefully assert, but rather something that reveals itself even after successive trials of not displaying it. If what you do as a display of individuality is not in some way pleasing to others, then it may be mere whim or eccentricity. What kind of world would it be if everyone were selfish and self-centered and said no to everything? Where have the virtues of good-naturedness and patience gone? |
| Ishihara says that having sufficient discussion with others is of paramount importance. What is valuable is trying hard to understand others well. Merely saying "no" may be the easiest thing in the world -- anybody can do it. |