Differences between Japan, which has a small Christian population, and the United States.

■The situation in Japan and the differences with the United States

Japan adopted a capitalist economy compatible with democracy, based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Adam Smith's "invisible hand" (the father of economics), and the principles of the free market.

By integrating these two theories, Japan concluded that "if basic physiological needs such as food, clothing, housing, and safety are met, people will naturally engage in actions that contribute to economic growth. All that is needed is the pursuit of self-actualization." Japan then put this idea into practice.

This paper summarizes the problems that arose at that time.

For example, while many Japanese children dream of becoming "manga artists, YouTubers, or doctors," American children tend to dream of more realistic professions. This paper examines the cultural background behind these differences.

In short, the main point is that "if one ignores the cultural background as a Christian nation and attempts to build a Western society without Christianity, it will collapse like ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and China. History proves this."

An expert in economics, especially "Protestant economics," might be able to explain this in more detail, but such an argument would likely not be accepted in Japanese society. In other words, everyone smarter than me knows the answer, but chooses not to speak it aloud. Therefore, having nothing to lose, I decided to write it myself.

Furthermore, if you find anything useful in this text, please feel free to use it, excluding any quoted portions. Since I'm not well-known, it probably won't spread easily. I think it would be better if an authoritative scholar wrote it.

Therefore, feel free to copy and use this text.

(※This is a summary of my book. The previous summary was too long, so I revised it. The previous summary was written to be understandable even to atheists with no knowledge of or interest in Christianity, but it may have been too long for kind-hearted people who do not strictly doubt God or goodwill. Therefore, I think this summary is easier to read for kind-hearted people.

If you are someone who says, "I'm evil and I hate God! Who said Christianity is good for society?! I will never forgive them! Haven't you read the wonderful Japanese manga 'チ'?" then this summary might be more suitable for you. (※However, I recently corrected typos and grammatical errors, so this is closer to the latest version. The content is almost the same, only the sentence order is slightly different. This is an older version, so it may be useful for checking how many typos and grammatical errors there are. Added: 2026)

https://note.com/3_dcg_ya/n/n56c469586409

—Differences between Japan and America in Adam Smith's "The Invisible Hand"—

―Differences in Interpretation of Adam Smith's "Invisible Hand"―

Adam Smith was a British economist influenced by Scotland and is considered the "father of economics." He is famous for works such as The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments. The "invisible hand" is a theory that free economic activity drives the principles of the free market, naturally determining fair prices.

In the past, in Japanese schools, this "invisible hand" was often explained as "God's invisible hand," but it has been pointed out that the word "God's" is not directly used in Smith's works. Therefore, in recent years, more people seem to be translating it as "invisible hand." (Added in 2026: Currently, fewer people use the translation "invisible hand." Around 2025, some still referred to it as "invisible hand.")

■The absence of an "invisible hand" to correct injustice

However, in Japan, this often leads to invisible corruption, with many people trying to make a living by selling hydrogen water (a fraudulent product like strange health foods or overpriced, unidentified bottled water) or through prostitution.

There's a book called "Economics is Driven by Emotion," and it's absolutely true. Furthermore, what people value varies depending on the local culture.

For example, if people are taught to "love their neighbor," they will spend their money according to that teaching. If they are taught "Don't perjure in court, don't use unfair scales (i.e., conduct fair business and don't deceive people to gain unfair profits)," they won't try to sell dubious products like hydrogen water, which is advertised as healthy but actually has no health benefits. ("Hydrogen water" is a fraudulent product in Japan. In reality, it has no health-enhancing effects, yet it was sold at high prices under the guise of health benefits.

In this way, among Christians, Muslims, and Jews, the price of fraudulent products naturally decreases, while work that values ​​people is praised and its value increases. Believers, while enjoying their freedom, listen to and learn from the teachings of Jesus and God.

In this way, the church has the effect of purifying the value of things.

Culture and emotion are ultimately what determine the value of money.) (*The Bible also includes provisions such as "no interest is charged to brothers and sisters who love God, keep the commandments, and love peace," "a system that does not create debt slavery," "redistribution to widows and orphans," and "gleaning (the poor may eat grain picked by hand from other people's fields, but not enough to harvest)." Unlike Japan's welfare and social security systems, which collapsed due to excessive guarantees, this system (naturally prioritizing those who help the poor, and not confiscating essential items like coats and work tools even when the poor pawn their belongings)

On the other hand, what we call "property rights" today are also mentioned in the Ten Commandments, and it's interesting that there's a clause that says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his property." Even setting aside a stance that defends capitalism, property rights are already clearly stated in the Bible. It's not a simple system, but a balanced one. This way of thinking forms the basis of current laws. The Bible is often quoted, cited in Japanese sociology textbooks and literature on democracy, and mentioned as something to refer to. Therefore, if the foundation of the Bible collapses, it is highly likely that everything will collapse. I believe this is worthwhile.

(Even in the context of natural law, prominent scholars have stated that "the Bible should be consulted because it does not infringe upon such interests.")

According to John Locke's theory, people have faith through free will. This corresponds to the "free market" in the West. However, even though Japanese people possess free will and a desire to contribute, they lack the ability to unite and participate in large-scale volunteer activities that infringe upon the interests of others. They lack the cultural and legal foundations to accept such activities without interference or jealousy, which hinders unity. On the other hand, the Bible contains cultural background, history, and laws concerning property rights. Jealousy is considered one of the seven deadly sins, but in Japan it is often seen as a driving force of ambition. Hobbes's Leviathan is famous, but it is not about jealousy. The fact that this symbolizes a sin is interesting to me, a Japanese person not very familiar with Western civilization.

These differences contribute to the disparity in economic development between Japan and Western countries.

The social climate that views things Americans take for granted, such as "infringement of property rights" or "jealousy," as evil (often considered universal norms due to Christian influence), may actually be a crucial factor.

In Japan, this kind of climate is lacking, resulting in extremely high "tuition fees" for obtaining stable, high-paying jobs. Fraudulent sales techniques are presented as success stories, creating a situation where everyone feels compelled to learn fraudulent methods to support their families.

Furthermore, when government subsidies are repeatedly poured into easy jobs, it creates a situation where politicians who support such jobs are more likely to be elected.

According to the Bible, money should ideally be used for resource redistribution to widows, orphans, and the poor, or for funding what we would call government and educational programs today. However, in reality, money is set at a level that makes it easily and attractively used for projects unrelated to its original purpose, such as comics, fountains, projection mapping, cults connected to politicians, and mass media. People flock to cities within the reach of politicians, seeking easy and attractive jobs, presumably because money is readily available there. Furthermore, prostitution is the quickest way to make money with no initial investment, leading everyone to sell their bodies, and the price of sex is skyrocketing, much like the price of the thousand-ryo orange in a famous Japanese rakugo (comic storytelling) performance.

Thus, what was originally an insignificant relationship between a man and a woman became intertwined with vast sums of money. It transformed into a transaction. The relationship became unnatural, the men ruined their lives, and they wasted money having sex with women who weren't even that beautiful. The women who agreed out of pity were abandoned by men who thought, "He just wanted sex. I have no intention of supporting an ugly woman. I'd rather pay a rich prostitute." Men who have sex with younger women think: "I bought a diamond ring for this woman," "I even made reservations at a fancy restaurant. I'm busy and tired, and yet she makes demands like something out of a drama. I'm fed up with their self-centered attitude."

Men and women… Suspicion and distrust drive them to desperate actions to escape poverty. Women demand money from men in exchange for sex, or spend money on expensive clothes and cosmetic surgery to become more beautiful. These actions negatively impact romantic relationships and the affection between partners, causing them to cool and hindering the idea of ​​having children. "I can't afford to raise children. Besides, there's no guarantee that I'll be loved by a beautiful and wealthy man (or woman) and grow up without hardship. I wish I hadn't been born." "I wish I hadn't been born. I'm ugly. I'm too high to be loved by him (or her), and I'm exhausted. An ugly child like me would surely have a miserable life."

The situations in Japan and the United States are so vastly different that the results are irreproducible. The Japanese continue to blindly believe in economic theories based on different, irreproducible foundations. Despite the numerous problems they cause, they conveniently interpret meaningless indicators, create illusions of success, and accept them as truth simply because prominent Western scholars say so. GDP figures, inflated through dishonest means and failing to reflect actual growth, are proudly touted as reliable indicators.

(※Similar phenomena can be seen in the United States, but in Japan, where there are few Christians, finding a spouse with the same faith is even more difficult. Even if a spouse is found, children are often discriminated against, and some turn to crime out of fear of isolation. There are even cases where exposing a con artist's lies leads to murder. Like Socrates, they are ridiculed by comedic writers, and their words and statements are fabricated. They suffer like Christ who was abandoned by his disciples. Because violence is openly prohibited in Japan, there are also methods of killing that drive victims to suicide through bullying. For example, some perpetrators induce illness by administering allergy medications that cause skin diseases, hair loss medications, laxatives, and diuretics, and then discriminate against people they consider "unclean." Some refuse to marry out of fear of isolation, fearing that their family will also be bullied if the disease is hereditary. In Japan, there has long been a tendency to attack and threaten one's own family and friends. Some even commit murder. (In the Edo period, there was a system called "sannin-gumi" (three-person group) that suppressed resistance by holding everyone jointly responsible.) Many of those who commit such crimes do so out of loneliness. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as long as the need for belonging exists, it is difficult to become a Christian, and there is no other option but to belong to another false group.

People who are already popular, powerful, have fulfilling jobs, and can impose economic sanctions and social pressure on those they dislike will not try to change the status quo. Such collaborators are extremely rare in Japan.

The problem with Western books is that they are only effective if "the church properly educates, nurtures, and protects its believers."

Because churches are so widespread in the West, people unconsciously and mistakenly believe that God's invisible hand is at work naturally.

However, unlike the world in which Maslow lived, Japan... The sense of belonging in Japan is unique. According to Maslow, people have a "need for belonging." However, in Japan, this doesn't necessarily translate to belonging to Christianity. From birth, parents, siblings, and the entire community may be complicit in a kind of deception. Our natural world is a world of survival of the fittest, where the strong prey on the weak.

This applies not only to Abraham Maslow but also to the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The environment in which he lived was considered natural, but in reality, it was not in a natural state. It was a protected garden, a gift from God. It was such a common sight that people didn't even notice it. In barbaric Japan, this is unnatural. The word "barbarian" is not often used in Japan. It refers to uncivilized people who do not have household appliances or automobiles and do not understand science. It is thought to refer to primitive people living on land.

Due to the turbulent historical context, Hobbes and Kant stated in their works that "in the state of nature, everything is at war with everything else" and "peace is an unnatural state and must be created."

Personally, I hope that the success of the Christian church in communist countries becomes more widely known.

Because, as a historical fact, it can be proven that the source of humanity's success lies not in capitalism or communism, but in the church and its followers.

Even Japanese people, who do not believe in God and value facts, will have to acknowledge this fact. (※In reality, despite the existence of such facts, many Japanese people refuse to acknowledge them. That is why I suffer so much. Personally, I understand why genocide is recorded in the Bible. Arguing with my compatriots is useless, and I even think it would be better to be killed by fire and sulfur.)

■The deterrent effect stemming from the idea that speed of action is paramount.

Ideally, this point should be treated as a separate section, a rebuttal to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which will be discussed later. However, considering the length of this text, it is included here to emphasize the most important point.

In research and projects requiring long-term continuity, such as astronomy, molecular biology, and genetics, spanning 100 or even 1000 years, the focus tends to be more on individual happiness and a sense of accomplishment than on contributions to society as a whole or its future. Therefore, there is a tendency to underestimate risks and make short-sighted decisions. Examples include the unintended outbreaks of the Wuhan virus and poisonous locusts, the neglect of nuclear power, environmental pollution, global warming, soil contamination, and the disregard for the mechanisms of abnormal prion generation that cause mad cow disease. While this is not a problem unique to East Asia, the Pope's formal ban on biotechnology has served as a deterrent.

However, in Japan, the adage "You can't succeed without taking risks" is widely accepted. This risk-hedging mindset is likely based on the calculation that even if a single screw comes loose and a car becomes uncontrollable and crashes into a gas station, the damage will be limited to at most one person, or at worst around 100 million, and compensation will remain within a manageable range. This is a way of thinking often seen among skilled heavy industry workers who played an active role during wartime. Alternatively, it may reflect the military's emphasis on "speed," where destruction is the top priority.

However, if we were to act on this principle in molecular biology, in the worst-case scenario, it could lead to the extinction of all humanity.

In reality, once an artificial virus spreads, it becomes difficult to control due to mutations and other factors. Because antibodies are produced, pharmacologists are currently collecting data on "how many antibody-producing viruses have been discovered."

This suggests the possibility of viral mutation. For example, a coronavirus that previously only caused mild symptoms such as coughing could mutate into a new type of coronavirus that inhibits replication. If this happens, the mutation would be completely random, making compensation impossible. Furthermore, because the manufacturing method relies solely on proteins, if replication is successful, the materials could be extremely cheap. Therefore, if the manufacturing method is taught, even mafia organizations in developing countries lacking scientific knowledge could potentially carry out production.

Until now, police investigations have relied on the presence of uranium, but the search for proteins is difficult. If it falls into the hands of criminals or impoverished people, it could lead to a catastrophic situation. Therefore, relying solely on military power and the success myth of capitalism seems insufficient going forward.

Ideally, such things should not be created in the first place, and regulations mandating strict caution should be put in place even when the risk of mutation from genetic modification is very low, but the law has not yet caught up.

■However, since Japanese people don't like Christian churches, what should be done?

However, some Japanese people seem to have difficulty accepting church customs, and appear to selectively adopt only the positive aspects of Western thought while preserving Japanese customs such as manga and prostitution.

I, too, once considered religion to be baseless superstition, and when I was a working adult, I believed that religion was not essential in modern times and should be existential and scientific. While the Bible certainly contains important wisdom that should still be referenced today, there are also parts that seem unnecessary, so I only listened to pastors' sermons as a reference. In particular, I thought that the prohibition of prostitution and idolatry was a sin that should not be punished because it brings joy to everyone.

https://youtu.be/9uJF7vWI1cM?si=HUsNGVYleXIe-NQx

So I didn't quit my job as a 3DCG designer, nor was I forbidden from quitting my job as a pastor. (I'm grateful for the pastor's wise judgment. If I had been forbidden, I probably would have abandoned Christianity. I was making 200,000 to 500,000 yen a month as a full-time employee making 3DCG games, my family celebrated my success, and my friends were envious.) But when you create an idol, people basically flock to it. You might think, "Isn't that good for the economy?", but this is what actually happens.

① People gather in cities, forming centralized city-states.

② Birth rates decline in rural areas.

③ As the grandparent generation, who farmed in rural areas and sent money to their children who played in the cities, passes away, famine becomes more likely. Military power and infrastructure also tend to decline. (※At this stage, the state may be destroyed by invasion from foreign peoples.) As wealth accumulates, prostitution becomes rampant. More people seek privileges and inherited land, and marriage fraud increases. (※This is essentially a form of prostitution.)

④ Nevertheless, children do not return to rural areas to engage in arts, literature, or entertainment, and people try to push unpleasant jobs onto others, increasing the demand for slaves.

⑤ To secure slaves, wars of plunder are invented under trivial pretexts, and colonial and immigration policies are implemented to employ foreigners. (*Another example is Japan. In urban areas, avant-garde and distinctive buildings proliferate, and even relatively new buildings are demolished, while roads in rural areas deteriorate, and bridges over coastal rivers are on the verge of collapse. In Germany, children are forced to clear landmines, and discrimination against specific individuals and races occurs within the country, similar to ancient Greece, with statements like, "We are descendants of Helen, so we are safe, but you are not, so you are slaves" (internal discrimination). Entertainment in this era was rife with biased reporting, and people often found it difficult to freely express their opinions.

⑥ And all of these things easily become sources of conflict.

In other words, the paths may vary—colonization, war, discrimination, civil unrest, famine, etc.—but all are highly likely to lead to ruin. A situation like that on Easter Island is also possible.

Upon closer examination, it may become clear that the causes of these destructions are diverse, but the cause and effect are essentially the same. Only the intermediate stages differ slightly; the final result is the same. A phenomenon remarkably similar to the curse described in Deuteronomy chapter 28 of the Bible occurs. It also resembles the Book of Habakkuk in the Bible. Or, it partially resembles Balzac's novel "Father Goriot," which is based on a true story. There are multiple branching paths, but the outcome is generally the same. One branch experiences prolonged suffering, gradually declines, and ultimately succumbs to unexpected environmental changes, leading to death.

The frightening thing is that this phenomenon continues for several generations over a period of about 100 years, so you wouldn't notice it unless you studied history.

This is how swindlers profit, honest workers are exhausted, bad money drives out good money, and prices rise.

This is a situation where funds are being spent on worthless results. In other words, inflation is occurring.(However, this does not apply to imports from overseas. Imports can cause deflation. This is not a desirable situation because it can lead to a decline in sales of domestic agricultural products and a loss of agricultural technology.)

Deflation can occur, but this is usually due to reliance on cheap foreign labor. Japanese workers often lose their jobs because their wages are too high compared to the value they produce. This is similar to the situation in ancient Rome, where slaves produced cheap grain. This is generally considered a contributing factor to the decline of the Roman Empire.

The reason they sought slaves was that they wanted to do only recreational work such as painting and singing, and wanted to leave the unpleasant, dirty, and dangerous work to the disadvantaged, discriminated classes, or foreigners. This is very similar to the situation in ancient Greece, where military funds entrusted by allied nations were used to build temples filled with statues of the gods.

(※If you look at the history of ancient Greece, ancient Rome, ancient China, and ancient Egypt before the Bible was introduced to Japan, you will think, "This is pretty awful," so it might be better for you to see for yourself rather than for me to explain.) (※However, simply put, in a democracy, if money is paid to create idols and prostitutes to increase the popularity of politicians, people will flock to them again and again. In such cases, even when financial difficulties or wartime and momentum is needed, if politicians want to do a decent job, they have no choice but to spend money to please the people. Otherwise, they risk having their photos taken after death or having ugly statues made of them, which will lower their approval ratings. Japanese paparazzi take photos from angles that make them look ugly on purpose in order to lower their approval ratings. In Greece, "the face of Pan, the god of pastures, having sex with a goat..." They may have been threatened with having their faces carved. In ancient Rome, people tried to erase past humiliations by making large donations to temples during their lifetime. This custom still exists in Japan in the form of Buddhist names.

Certainly, those who resembled them must have had a truly painful experience, being ridiculed for generations to come.

Perhaps they were told they resembled goats. Perhaps they suffered this fate precisely because they were good people. That's why many people hid them from their children, fearing that children wouldn't understand and might start making fun of anyone who resembled them. (※Looking at paintings, some of the gods of Greek mythology don't resemble actual humans. Therefore, I think that the humans who embodied the souls of these gods also didn't resemble actual humans.)In ancient Greece, before the Common Era, similar situations existed, such as sycophantic politicians and comedic writers. Therefore, it could be argued that democracy without Christianity has already failed.

However, in Japan, the word "democracy" is often used synonymously with "justice."

This way of thinking might be understandable to those who listened to Socrates' teachings, diligently studied them, accepted harsh criticism, and reached a superhuman level. Unfortunately, however, in both Japan and ancient Greece, many great statesmen and philosophers lost their lives due to false accusations, such as exile or suicide.

Jesus himself was crucified for the same reason. In other words, when the masses are liberated, those who speak the truth tend to perish.

Therefore, it is extremely important that the Bible contains accounts of "the flight of the people" and "the suffering of officials and teachers," and that children are exposed to these anecdotes from a young age.

In Japan, Christianity is often seen as oppressive and tends to be shunned. It is frequently viewed as a form of feudalism. However, unlike past feudal systems, Christianity teaches children what happens when those who speak the truth are not forced or threatened by the upper echelons, but are abandoned, their opinions ignored, and viewed with pity, and when there are no longer any truth-speakers.

The difference lies in the fact that it teaches that idolatry, while seemingly free, ultimately brings disadvantage and lack of freedom, and that people should wisely prevent themselves from falling into it.

In the past, such teachings were considered difficult to understand and are thought to have contributed to the decline of Christianity. In fact, during the Jewish era, even the enforcement of laws faced resistance. However, in the time of Jesus' arrival, the law became highly important, and legalists were viewed as problematic. The laws of Israel, once a Roman province, were respected for their wisdom, impressing conquerors like Rome, who studied and drew inspiration from them. It was this foundation that allowed people to speak of Jesus' more advanced legal teachings. This process spanned an incredibly long period, spanning many generations.

Such anecdotes actually function as a deterrent. José Ortega y Gasset's The Popular Revolt might also be relevant. The Bible is the first book, the universe the second, and history, its interpretation, and literature are sequels to the Bible.

The process of learning this is similar to how a child, initially understanding and reluctantly obeying their parents' fatigue, realizes that their parents will collapse if they continue to rely on them. They then show compassion and become independent by willingly helping.

(※A healthy and wise parent might occasionally pretend to be tired in front of their child. Of course, it's not just an act; they are truly exhausted…)

■Endless work and lack of regulations regarding festivals

In Japan, the Bible is often criticized as a burden because faith imposes an increasing number of rules. However, upon closer examination, the Bible also contains regulations concerning festivals and holidays.

Therefore, while the issue of idolatry is raised, entertainment itself may be acceptable in moderation from the perspective of self-expression and interaction. In fact, emotional outbursts may be a direct result of not adhering to the rules of festivals. The scholar Roger Caillois points out the similarities between festivals and war.

This may suggest that simply eliminating the gap between rich and poor is insufficient.

"No matter how much money one has, constant labor robs them of mental space and opportunities for self-expression." This may be a reason why young people are losing motivation.

What people demand will inevitably become more expensive. I work in 3DCG, and around 2025, I predict that educational materials on web design, Photoshop, Illustrator, video editing, and AI generation will be selling well. This is despite the abundance of free content and the decrease in the number of jobs available.

Everyone is willing to pay for the possibility of a career that allows them to express themselves throughout their lives. Even if the odds are as slim as winning the lottery, people will continue to invest their time and money in that possibility. Selling educational materials is a job anyone can start because it's easy to sell.

Some even break company rules to get an easy job. There's a proverb that says beauty can ruin a nation, and these creative professions are like women who use their beauty as a weapon to cause conflict and destroy nations. Everyone is captivated by this femme fatale. In Japan, such femme fatales are called "傾国の美女（the beautie who ruin nations)," but I call them "傾国のクリエイティブ職(creative professions that ruin nations)."

However, if we can overcome this temptation and regain our sanity, I believe that agriculture and dairy farming, with their more relaxed pace, more flexible working hours, and greater individual freedom to adjust their time and discretion, can be more stable even in inflation and support people in need of food. It would be a far better situation than the current one where everyone works and only a select few work in the entertainment industry year-round. With more free time, you can create what you love at your own pace, without wasting time on boring projects.

Current Japanese capitalist society faces difficulties in realizing a circular economy due to issues such as global warming, and will eventually be forced to change. It is wise to consider now what kind of society will be sustainable at that time.

■Festival monopoly: Depriving other industries of a platform for self-expression and opportunities for meaningless technological entertainment.

In a sense, this could be described not as a monopoly of wealth, but rather as a monopoly of holidays and festivals.

Festivals aren't just about carrying portable shrines. Entertainment from various industries—things people want to try but can't because they're not profitable—can also be a source of relaxation and new ideas. Personally, I like shows like "robot contests" where companies compete by setting restrictions on how they modify robots. Warehouse workers also seem to be holding events like track and field competitions to see who can carry the most packages the fastest. Working people probably need these kinds of festivals.
(※Originally, festivals are supposed to be days to offer thanks to the gods, but in Japan, people look very bored when you mention that, so I kept quiet.Initially, I planned to announce this only after the monopolistic situation in the entertainment industry had changed.)

https://youtu.be/w5yywD2MAQc?si=sg2KWFhXl8KPcSee

For some reason, this opportunity is exploited by people who work hard through taxes, NHK, newspapers, the publishing industry, and so on, and it's as if it's monopolized year-round by people in a specific entertainment industry.

This situation is in stark contrast to the era of the former Japanese emperors. Back then, even low-ranking officials like border guards（防人:sakimori） were ordered to compose waka poems.

(As an aside, Emperor Nintoku is famous for the anecdote that he reduced taxes by saying, "There is no smoke coming from the hearths of the people," but why didn't his subordinates report this to the emperor? Perhaps the subordinates were afraid of their own interests decreasing and therefore said nothing to the emperor. Perhaps the words he unconsciously uttered in the situation of his subordinates' betrayal provided valuable insight into understanding the social situation. The members of the imperial family must have been insightful people who could deduce things even from limited information. Just like today, there must have been people who tried to take advantage of people's weaknesses and act selfishly, such as threatening them by hinting at historical scandals of the imperial family or forcing them to become monks due to grief over the loss of their wives. The emperor, who made thoughtful judgments based on one-sided stories, is in stark contrast to the mass media, which incites and attacks people based on one-sided stories.)

Therefore, while recreation that everyone can enjoy as a means of relaxation is fine, recreational activities with little educational value and regularly engaged only by specific individuals may be unacceptable. (However, if this were actually implemented, teachers who create the materials would likely be criticized for being extravagant and wasteful, and people who previously worked in the entertainment industry would likely begin competing for teaching positions.)

The current state of Japan's entertainment industry can be described as monopolizing specific aesthetics, self-expression, leisure, and opportunities for meeting people and connecting with future partners, hindering their sharing with the general public. God's "invisible hand" is both a warning and an encouragement to us to have opportunities to enjoy ourselves, rest, gather, and connect with others.

Some serious, socially awkward people cannot take a vacation without God's permission. Festivals give courage to those who cannot meet or talk to others. Whether or not to say, "Come over here. It's fun. There are trials, but God created this world so that you can be happy," may seem like a purely emotional issue to those who do not believe in the Bible, but doing so can alleviate feelings of not being valued and anxiety. This can also motivate them to survive, have children, and work. Praying that they have a good time may actually be giving God a good idea, because it clearly shows the church that "it is true" and encourages children who do not yet know God to feel safe and loved by adults made in God's image and to praise God. Therefore, it has great meaning.

Alternatively, if we deliberately avoid divine intervention, stubbornly adopt an existentialist perspective, and analyze the current state of Japan from a sociological standpoint (※In reality, the Bible is the foundation of both law and sociology, and it is impossible to separate the two, but since God is officially considered nonexistent in Japan and many argue that Japanese law does not refer to the Bible, we will explain it this way here), then in Japan, this can be seen as a lack of community spirit. In Japan, the necessity of local governments and NPOs is talked about, but they rarely take on difficult tasks such as waste disposal, instead leaving them to people in countries like China who are good at it. Metals can be sold at a high price in China. In Japan, participation in these communities is not mandatory. No one says, "Love your neighbor and study the Bible to gain wisdom and life," as God does. They only say, "Achieve self-actualization." The Japanese government has always respected the autonomy of its citizens. In contrast, the Bible teaches the freedom to choose death and that mandatory participation is necessary to gain life. At first glance, the Bible may seem like a tyrannical entity that threatens people with death, but in Japan, dying in ignorance is considered an individual's responsibility. The Bible explains the reason for death, and if you don't know it, you will die without knowing it. The God of the Bible forbids it for the same reason a parent scolds a child about to fall off a cliff, saying, "If you fall off, you will die."

This is another important difference. Unfortunately, in Japan, NPOs tend to intentionally increase low-burden activities and avoid difficult challenges in order to obtain subsidies. This might be seen as a form of autonomy for people without churches, or like the lemonade sales by volunteers overseas. In short, whether they are truly well-intentioned or hypocritical, frankly speaking, they don't understand people's real needs. They lack practical problem-solving skills. They are like children who want to do easy chores just to get praised by their parents. (※These are excellent for education, but if you continue to rely on them indefinitely, you won't become independent.)

(※In Japan, there are holidays such as Mother's Day and Father's Day. On these days, children give their parents "shoulder massage coupons." The family uses these coupons for the child to give them a shoulder massage. Parents might be happy if the child is around 5 years old, but if they receive this coupon from someone who is around 45 years old, unemployed, single, doesn't help with the family business, and is still being taken care of by their parents, the parents probably won't be very happy. They might even feel pathetic. When they see other parents' children giving their parents nice presents or trips, they inevitably compare themselves. That's why I sometimes tease this phenomenon by saying "shoulder massage coupon (46-year-old single)" to rub Japanese people the wrong way.)

Surprisingly, clumsy or overly meticulous people in Japan try to achieve their dreams without government support or guidance. In Japan, people only do what they can do on their own. In Japan, many kind-hearted people are forced to abandon their dreams because asking for help inevitably inconveniences others. Only things that can be created independently without bothering anyone, that are praised as wonderful, or already established businesses, thrive. Examples include manga artists, planetariums, physics reasoning, experiments like blue LEDs that can be done on a desk, research funded by university research grants, and established, highly profitable American companies. Ultimately, Japan has not been able to surpass America and has not reached a position beyond its reputation as "Japan as Number One."

Studio Ghibli, famous for its animated films, has achieved success through the autocratic leadership of director Hayao Miyazaki, while Pixar, famous for its 3D animation films, makes decisions through discussion and deliberation with multiple staff members. In Japan, the diversity of values ​​is so great that it lacks logical basis, making consensus building difficult and hindering effective work. Furthermore, in Japan, giving advice to others is considered rude and seen as something only immature, arrogant, and disrespectful people do. Therefore, it is believed that things are best created alone. That's why everyone wants to become a manga artist or a YouTuber—because they can be alone.

Unless explicitly told to "take a break" or "have fun today," hardworking, kind, proactive people who faithfully perform their assigned tasks become exhausted. On the other hand, short-sighted people who want things their own way, prefer the easy way out, and seek quick profits tend to have children and increase the population. Impulsive, brave, and sexually active people build wealth. Thoughtful and humble people remain in rural areas and do not marry unless encouraged by their parents.

This situation leads to a decline in rural birth rates, job losses, and migration to urban areas. Hardworking people have a higher chance of success in the entertainment industry in rural areas, while many in urban areas choose the entertainment industry seeking easier work. Therefore, rural people are often envied by urban residents. In urban areas, intelligent and talented people are more likely to find difficult jobs than those in the entertainment industry. Beautiful people marry. Beautiful wives and husbands are less likely to enter the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry is often viewed with suspicion due to problems such as prostitution and drug addiction. (However, there are cases where the sons and daughters of wealthy city dwellers and politicians enter the entertainment industry and fall into traps such as unhappy marriages or demands for financial support.) Furthermore, sensible people avoid expensive artistic activities. Therefore, in urban areas, the entertainment industry is viewed with suspicion as the work of scammers and con artists.

On the other hand, in rural areas, those who aspire to careers in art and entertainment don't choose that path out of necessity because they can't find other work. They are often the most talented individuals in their villages, and they move to Tokyo while maintaining their reputation in their hometowns.

As a result, wealthy city dwellers who lack talent and are forced to compromise in the entertainment industry find themselves in a difficult position.

They begin to think, "If people in the countryside are sacrificing their lives and working so hard in the entertainment industry, then I must work even harder. So please don't push me too hard. I'm busy with romance." Of course, they can't voice such thoughts. Like the Phantom of the Opera, they bully women backstage and try to send those they deem unattractive as marriage partners back to the countryside. Otherwise, their enjoyable work will be taken away by people in rural areas.

Superhero and mascot costumes are expensive and difficult to take off. Some even try to ruin the costumes to put people in debt. Therefore, they deliberately perform dangerous stunts and hire many stuntmen. Many stuntmen commit suicide, but they don't care. In America, dangerous parkour is intentionally performed to mask the lie that "if you work hard, your dreams will come true," and is used as a means to earn money to cover training costs.

■Couples who dated at relatively easy universities during their college years tend to have a deeper affection for each other.

The Bible states that newlyweds should completely separate from their married life for one year. In the Western world, where this custom is said to have existed since biblical times, it is strangely not observed. Is it due to frequent wars? Or is it because fraud is rampant in Paris, the "City of Lights," and if couples are too happy, it reduces the profits for those who sell women into slavery? As an aside, I think the reason the couple I dated in college seemed so happy was because they spent summer, winter, and spring breaks together and lived together for about a year. If they didn't love each other, they wouldn't want to spend a year alone together and would go to their lovers. In modern Japan, even though many jobs can be replaced by money and machines, many couples are dissatisfied. This may be because they feel unloved rather than wanting something done for them.

In the West, perhaps because granting immunity to newlyweds during wartime could cause problems, the biblical custom of "spending the first year of marriage together" is not adopted. However, I believe this first year is surprisingly important. Because it allows you to understand that "being busy doesn't mean you don't love me." At least in Japan, considering the high incidence of misunderstandings, divorces, and family breakdowns, I believe that giving couples about a year to take a break from married life is a small price to pay for the national interest. There is no academic basis for this; it is merely an impression I gained from the people I dated in college and from my own experiences (incidentally, I feel that if you use contraception during this period, you will break up before having a child).

In fact, there seems to be a related theory as well → Link ■

[Related psychological and sociological theories]

Therefore, my hypothesis, based on my observations of couples attending local art universities, likely has some academic basis.

Japan is experiencing a declining birthrate, and a newly married couple taking a leave of absence from school during their first year of marriage is probably not a problem, unless they are involved in prostitution or organized crime.

I grew up in a relatively affluent family, so I attended a relatively easy school—an art university. Especially for women, art-related jobs are often well-received, so my university was almost entirely female. Any men present were either not the eldest son, came from affluent families, had an arts background, or were planning to take over the family business after graduation.

As a result, they had ample time for self-expression and rest.

(However, to be honest, many couples break up due to issues like job hunting. Many remain single, clinging to their first love and regretting that "she was the best." Therefore, I don't particularly recommend it. That said, university romances generally become cherished memories, and many regret breaking up.)

In engineering and male-dominated departments, this kind of period simply doesn't exist, and many feel they missed out on life's joys. Furthermore, they often end up in male-dominated workplaces with few holidays.

I think this is an unequal opportunity. It's not that there are many bad men in engineering departments. If they had attended a regional university like mine, they would surely have had girlfriends. In rural areas, differences in appearance and social status aren't as significant, and the so-called "school class system" doesn't exist, so couples form peacefully and naturally.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government spent hundreds of millions of yen on developing a matching app that could probably have been developed for around 6 million yen, but I believe they need to formulate policies that go beyond apps, such as "festivals" and "holidays." For better or worse, for art students, university unintentionally filled the void that arose during that period.

I remember a pastor saying this about the concept of rest in the Bible: "What?! Severe punishment for not resting on the Sabbath? Many people might think, 'God is really scary!' But surprisingly, people won't rest unless it's that strict... because (I don't remember what he said after that)."

As explained in this article, I discussed how easily idolatry can lead to the downfall of a nation. "At the time, what was written in the Bible seemed wrong, but in reality, not following it causes problems later. However, explaining this in detail would be too long, and some people might try to misuse it," so I used a different example here. Holidays and festivals, things that give meaning to life, are important. However, in many developed countries, these holidays and festivals are enjoyed only by people in certain professions, while others work "like children who disappear before they fall in love." Well, you don't have to force yourself to fall in love, but you do want "rest," right?

■From the perspective of a 3DCG artist, what was actually happening at a micro level?

From the perspective of a 3DCG artist working for an entertainment company near Tokyo, talented individuals in the region tend to attend prestigious universities like the University of Tokyo to secure employment. Conversely, those living in the city center who cannot attend such universities often build careers in the entertainment industry to avoid relocation. Frankly speaking, they dislike hard work, are often absent-minded, and tend to be either overprotected or introverted.

To be honest, despite often lacking ambition and ability, they are somehow respected by those around them. It's unclear why they receive preferential treatment, even though they aren't CEOs or investors, but it might be because their parents often pay for their education.

They strongly dislike being reprimanded and become irritated and aggressive when their work negligence is pointed out. Those around them prioritize their moods over the quality of their work because they cannot directly tell them that their departure would lead to a shortage of funds. Therefore, regardless of talent or effort, it's not uncommon for those from outside the region to be fired or abandoned simply for having a "bad attitude" after their shortcomings are pointed out. Meanwhile, the Tokyo metropolitan area is home to an ultra-wealthy class that possesses vast inheritances, real estate, and copyrights to manga and novels, regularly reaping enormous incomes. Knowing that those they dislike will naturally be displeased, they sometimes intentionally stir up anger. As a result, childish, lazy, cowardly, and uncompromising content—frankly, vulgar and historically inaccurate—circulates without question.

Offering them advice only fuels their anger further. In fact, those concealing them may believe it's more convenient for the entertainment industry if they are humiliated and their parents secretly pay for the corrections. Historically, the unfortunate Emperor Nero, envied and favored by the common people, is recorded as a terrible singer. It's highly probable he lacked proper education or was deliberately instilled with incorrect habits. Perhaps the public believed he could gain immense wealth by participating in contests.
There's a Japanese idiom, "腫物を触るように扱われる（Treated like a Scar of Stress）," and it's unfortunate to grow up without any guidance or correction. This enormous wealth disparity is truly unfortunate for them. They are as unfortunate as Emperor Nero, who murdered his mother to gain the freedom to sing. They manipulate others, create dependency, and develop situations where they need care, walking down a path to self-destruction.

In Japan, Hayao Miyazaki's son may have been in a similar situation. They intentionally abused education, flattered others to suppress their talent, deliberately failed, and allowed themselves to be deprived of wealth and status. Many people rebel against the idea of ​​passing on fulfilling professions to the next generation. This person may have had talent, but those around them didn't need it and didn't try to cultivate it. Perhaps they didn't want him to inherit their fortune.

Also, from my own experience of looking for a marriage partner in Tokyo, I often received contact from people with relatively easy jobs. These included people in the same industry or real estate agents who could work remotely.

There is a shortage of talent for important positions, and because the work is not visible, budgets are cut, resulting in lower salaries.

In other words, diligent and humble men have fewer opportunities to meet women.

On the other hand, gentle, easygoing, and somewhat lazy men give the impression of being polite, kind, and affectionate, and seem to be more likely to end up marrying.

Personally, I preferred the former type of man—diligent, strict, and outspoken—but he didn't clearly express his intention to marry me. Therefore, I ended up dating the latter type of man—lazy but kind, and more proactive. It was less troublesome. I was already over 25, and the quality of my eggs was declining, so I didn't have the luxury of hesitating about having children. I had no choice but to choose a decisive man.

This is the natural order of things, but God's hand, moved by those who study the Bible, prevents this natural order from leading diligent people who dislike being pampered to ruin.

Nature destroys diligent people, but they can only survive through God's salvation. As I have mentioned several times in this essay, many philosophers and sociologists say that peace is built through unnatural circumstances.

■In Japan, mathematics, astronomy, and sociology have not developed easily.

Japan has historically been strongly influenced by China.

China's history has also been dominated by power struggles, leaving little room for excessive risk avoidance measures, as the phrase "杞憂（日本語→KIYU）（中国語→qǐ yōu）（unfounded worry）" suggests.

(*"杞憂（日本語→KIYU）（中国語→qǐ yōu）（unfounded worry）" is an archaic idiom derived from the anecdote of someone who thought the sky might fall. It carries a contemptuous nuance of pointlessness in considering something extremely unlikely. However, in modern times, if a child thought this way, a scientist would gladly approach them, ask "Why do you think so?", let them think freely, and then begin teaching them about human history, astronomy, and physics.)

War demands speed, leaving no time to carefully consider the possibility of the sky falling.

It's like the dinosaurs who couldn't anticipate a meteorite impact. They were wiped out by an unpredictable event. For example, the multi-ethnic invasions of China fall into this category. According to the natural world's perspective, or evolutionary theory, a world arrived where dinosaurs and parasitic organisms living in warm, comfortable places were the strongest. Our mammalian ancestors were likely small creatures like mice, or slow-moving creatures like mammoths that fled to colder regions. (Although giant sloth fossils have also been discovered…) At least creatures with high intelligence like humans need speed; there's no time for thinking. They were probably losers, driven into unsuitable habitats, such as monkeys that fled deep into the forest. Just as fish too weak to survive in the ocean evolved by fleeing to freshwater or muddy sandy areas, creatures driven from their habitats also evolved and survived. Perhaps, for some reason, the world needed to cool at some point for thinking reeds like humans to emerge.

Thinking creatures were probably created by God and supernatural forces. Under normal conditions where everything competes in the natural world, the level of intelligence that could develop would only reach that of dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs, too, ultimately perished either by small, swift, but foolish parasites that attacked and destroyed their hosts, or by unpredictable external factors such as meteorites and volcanic eruptions.

Regions where science flourished were influenced by Christianity, and thanks to the knowledge accumulated by Muslims in their writings, Western nations were able to reintroduce it during the Renaissance, resulting in the emergence of many Jewish Nobel Prize-winning scientists.

Reasons for investing in natural science, astronomy, and mathematics include statements such as, "The Bible is the first book, and the universe is the second (Galileo Galilei)," and "Seeking God's order from the universe."

While this point will be explained in more detail later, perhaps without God's invisible hand, nature would not have had the time to develop science unrelated to military, industrial, or navigational purposes.

ーDifferences in the definition of "self-actualization" as proposed by Maslowー

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs once played a role in complementing the success of Western social structures, which the Japanese adopted from a psychological perspective and modeled after.

However, Japan has cultural aspects that differ from those of America. In Japan, if you're doing a part-time job that's unfulfilling, burdensome, and unsatisfying, you often face criticism such as, "If you work hard, we all have to work hard too; you're just being a nuisance."

Even being slightly kind to a customer can lead to criticism. This is Japan.

Natural conscience and freedom of thought are not recognized. You have to conform to the grumpy, unfriendly, and seemingly lazy older female part-time workers.

In Japan, where heroic actions seen in America are often viewed as "arrogant," a culture is deeply rooted that generally states, "Don't bother others, but if you flaunt your sense of justice, you'll just look like a pushover. Therefore, work hard within your abilities, study diligently, and aim only to get into a good university."

Therefore, children's future dreams tend to be things like "manga artist, YouTuber, or doctor." They also have a strong preference for professions where they can work independently. Many skilled tradespeople, such as carpenters, seem to prefer working as self-employed individuals.

■Social needs, which precede the fulfillment of self-actualization needs, are classified into a separate category in the United States.

While Abraham Maslow was American, the concepts of belonging and social needs naturally differ between Japan and the United States.

In Western countries, there are many people known as "cultural Christians" who do not have a strong faith in God. However, compared to the feudal societies of Han Fei's time or a world where everyone is constantly deceiving one another, there still seems to be a tendency for "honest, contributing, proactive, compassionate, kind, altruistic, and understanding people" to exist somewhere. In Japan, diligent and excellent students are sometimes bullied to deliberately fail because of their high academic performance, and competent people are even driven to suicide because they are seen as hindering other lazy workers.

However, some say that "while there is some bullying, it is not as violent as in America. Japan has better public safety."

According to the link below, it is also said that proactive acts of helping others are rare.

As the linked document shows, the low rate of charitable donations has been pointed out for some time. (Note 1: Upon closer examination, another document ranks China 49th, so this is likely correct → ■）
I've discussed the reasons for this in detail in another article, but I think the influence of the Bible is a major factor. (Although Portugal and Latvia have low rankings, their aid index exceeds 50%. Japan is at 24% and France at 38%, both below 40%.) Countries in East and Southeast Asia that were under colonial rule tend to have high aid indexes.

However, the low rankings of Japan and South Korea are an interesting phenomenon. Thailand, a Theravada Buddhist country that uses chopsticks, is ranked 12th, and Vietnam is ranked 47th, relatively high rankings among East Asian countries. This is despite Cambodia, famous for the Moulin Rouge and Pol Pot, being at the bottom of the list. Laos also ranks low.

Indonesia, which ranks high, has a large Muslim population, suggesting its past as a colonial power. In Vietnam, perhaps due to the influence of past colonial rule, Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion, followed by Catholicism. Incidentally, the foreign caregivers at the hospital where I was hospitalized after injuring my leg were Vietnamese and Filipino. Both were very kind. A Filipino caregiver, who appeared to be Christian, noticed me reading the Bible and struck up a conversation. A Vietnamese caregiver, speaking in a less common dialect, asked me for the Japanese names of plants. However, her humble demeanor and note-taking suggested she was making an effort to learn Japanese.

I recall a pastor once explaining a characteristic of Christianity: "In Japan, there are sins related to 'things you shouldn't do,' such as causing trouble, but in Christianity, 'doing nothing' is also considered a sin." In other words, Japan lacks a cultural sense of obligation to help others.

Japanese people seem to believe that such assistance should be provided by the government. Therefore, some argue that volunteer work should always be compensated. However, since the constitution stipulates that the government must not enslave its citizens, theoretically, if no one volunteers, the government has no obligation to do anything.

On the other hand, the government believes in the autonomy of its citizens. However, this probably only holds true in places like America, where churches teach neighborly love.

The Japanese are adept at concealing wrongdoing, using social pressure to impoverish and oppress those who monopolize profits.

Although there is no concrete evidence, there is evidence that some people intentionally cause food poisoning during volunteer activities such as soup kitchens to avoid losing profits. Bullied children are often forced to join cults hostile to certain communist organizations or political groups, or forced to commit crimes in their communities. Cults such as Soka Gakkai, the Unification Church, and Oyama Nezumi no Inochi are known for driving people to suicide, enslaving them, and abusing them in a way that prevents victims from seeking compensation. They also tend to ridicule those who do not accept ill-gotten gains.

Kind-hearted people who learn that children were forced to do these things tend to drop charges for fear of being subjected to harsh questioning about the children's traumatic memories. Therefore, they further encourage the abuse of children, forcing them to commit crimes like parents who force them to beg or shoplift.

As a result, no evidence remains. This is very similar to the case of Kichijiro, a character in Shusaku Endo's novel and the film adaptation of it, "Silence."

(※Added in 2026: Later, I heard that the perpetrators of this harassment were naturalized Chinese (nobles and their slaves) and Korean merchants, but the victims were Japanese, and many were of mixed race, so the situation is complex. To be honest, I don't really know who these groups are. Recently, I've been considering the possibility that they were Westerners who were slave traders in the past.

Initially, I thought it might be the "former Unification Church" in South Korea. This group is known for forcing children to bully others and even "forcing them to drown." However, the Japanese "Oyama Nezumi no Iroha" also tends to force suicide. There are also suggestions that there are similarities with groups like the Chinese Red Guards and Soka Gakkai.) That may indeed be true. Ultimately, like potential parasites, they seem to constantly change their form, borrowing from various religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity, transforming into a kind of "ideology or methodology."

Their covert actions make it difficult to discern their true nature.

Trying to defeat them felt like fighting a patient. The real problem might be a virus lurking within them, or perhaps it's already too late to treat.

At least I'm from the Tohoku region, and I thought there were very few people like that in my area.

In areas where life is difficult and snow shoveling is essential, there are probably even fewer such people, and if there are, they're probably demoted. They don't look very healthy.

They resemble cockroaches, parasites, or cholera bacteria. They're more common in warm, comfortable urban areas.

So, when I first went to the Kanto region, I was shocked by the number of sexually aggressive scumbags in places where such people frequently come and go, like the Shinkansen and airports (I sympathize with the kind and intelligent people of Kanto).

Historically, southern Japan has had a large population of immigrants from China and the Korean Peninsula, so people who look like Koreans are almost certainly Japanese. Honestly, I can't tell the difference.

(August 2026 Update: Perhaps my family was already influenced by such a cult. My relatives often gave me art supplies because I liked to draw. They may have thought that my drawing would prevent me from getting other jobs, and tried to manipulate my marriage and employment, or tried to buy land near the police station cheaply and resell it at a high price. But in the end, I don't really know. There is no evidence, it is just speculation. But both my father and mother seem to have been threatened by something or other. When I was a child, they used to say that they wanted me to read their books if I could live in the city, but when I tried to buy land in the city, they suddenly started to oppose it.)

If they were very sensible individuals, the situation might have been stable under competent leadership. In that case, their expansion of autonomy might have had some justification.

However, the problem lies in their strong sexual desires and inclination towards prostitution. They not only rape women themselves, but also introduce potential spouses in exchange for gratitude and money, and of course, such acts are deceptive and unethical. Furthermore, some claim that brothels and similar establishments are cultural practices dating back to the Edo period. While some are passionate and humane, others secretly murder poor rural residents who refuse to marry. There is a proverb that says, "美人薄命（Beauty is fleeting）（日本語：bizinhakumei）." They may be descendants of samurai who boasted of power and tyranny, or members of the Shinsengumi, a group of peasant samurai from the south, or even descendants of the Japanese army. Ultimately, the truth remains unknown.

■The view that a society based on deception could ultimately lead to the extinction of humankind.

Personally, I believe that Japan and South Korea's low humanitarian indices are due to the idea of ​​"using Sun Tzu's Art of War for business purposes," which in reality is rife with diversion, social incitement, and deception. (※Please see this note for more information on this issue.)→■。According to philosophers, a lack of trust could theoretically lead to the extinction of humanity. I don't know much about Korea, but at least in Japan, books useful for business, like Sun Tzu's Art of War, are sold.

(Note: The linked page introduces some of Kant's works that are not well known in Japan. Those familiar with Kant may find it boring, so feel free to skip it.)

In this land, even when genuine goodwill is fostered, trust is often betrayed, truly good people lose their lives, revenge ensues against those with half-hearted loyalty, and those who should perfectly protect their allies harbor resentment and plot revenge. In any case, such means fundamentally produce chaos, destruction, and tragicomedy. Even if used out of temporary necessity, they must be handled with the utmost care, like Frodo's ring in The Lord of the Rings. Otherwise, one will become a slave to its power.

This is Giges's ring.

Japan and Korea are essentially governed by people. Things are easily swayed by emotions, tacit understandings, and respect, and the sense of being a rule-of-law state may be weak. For the claim that Korea is a country of fraud, see this quote.

Even Koreans themselves say that the Japanese are more trustworthy. Suspicion is a troublesome thing. Once someone starts to suspect, everyone is forced to start to suspect. Moreover, the person who harbors suspicion is the first to be attacked, so everyone has to pretend to be ignorant. I feel like even Koreans themselves are secretly hoping that "someone will scold us and stop this deception."

Thus, because the cultures of the countries they belong to are so different, Japanese capitalism could collapse due to "freedom of occupational choice," or it could become a pathetic country where people indulge in leisure and leave other jobs entirely to immigrants and cheap foreign laborers.

ーWhat comes to mind when Japanese people hear the word "freedom"?ー

I believe that the terms "free market" and "freedom" in Japan have different meanings than in the Western countries from which they originated. While Japanese people familiar with philosophy can understand the expression "punishment for freedom," for the average Japanese person, freedom is likely associated with an image of "ease and fun."

（※Other scholars argue that this is the difference between freedom and liberation. Therefore, it's possible that the Japanese are not the only ones confused about this distinction.)

■The meaning evoked by the word "freedom" is fundamentally different for Japanese people and foreigners.

[Employee Freedom]
For Japanese people, this feeling is closer to "the freedom to do nothing during lunchtime at a school with a fixed daily schedule" rather than "the harsh freedom of being thrown into the world with nothing."

Alternatively, it can be described as "rest" that exists while studying or doing some kind of work, under the premise that parents, teachers, and the state will always protect you. This is rest from the perspective of someone who is protected by school teachers, parents, and the state, and is also expected to work. In a biblical sense, it might be called freedom in the sense of "rest" for a slave.

Whether or not rest is permitted is decided by the state, school, and employer. During that time, you are protected, so you don't actually need to do anything, you won't be scolded by anyone, and you can relax at your own responsibility. Because you are resting under the responsibility of others, even voluntary work may be prohibited. In a sense, it could be called the freedom of someone with a slave mentality. It could also be described as someone who waits for instructions, that is, someone who waits for instructions.

[Liberty with Responsibility]
On the other hand, responsible freedom—the freedom of a leader who bears the responsibility of governing an entire nation, or the freedom of an individual who is not a slave, worker, student, or pupil, but is in a position to take many actions on their own responsibility—is different. Japanese people familiar with philosophy will know the philosopher's phrase, "the punishment for freedom." They can rest as much as they like at their own discretion, but they are held responsible for doing nothing.

However, for some, this can lead to working continuously without rest, resulting in unnecessary fatigue. Furthermore, the relentless pursuit of knowledge in science, the universe, and beyond, the wisdom needed to survive, the uncertainty of the future, the difficulties that accompany all of these, the effort to look up to the heavens and consider possibilities while keeping our feet on the ground and making the right choices—all of these seem like incredibly difficult challenges.

■From a biblical perspective, freedom leading to death is not considered freedom.

For example, human babies can fall from high beds or trip while walking and die or get injured, but adults, even if they fall from a bed, will suffer less severe injuries because their bones are stronger and they are taller. Alternatively, they can learn to be careful not to fall from bed and that falling hurts. By then, the rails on the baby's crib will likely have been removed. Also, even if they trip while walking, they can disinfect the wound and bandage it themselves, thus preventing death from tetanus.

In Japan, the freedom to die is considered a form of freedom, but in biblical culture, the death of an unborn child, for example, would probably not be included in that definition of freedom. Freedom in the Bible is the freedom to maintain hope without feeling the despair that drives the soul to suicide, even if one is omniscient, omnipotent, and immortal; in other words, the freedom to escape false and undesirable consequences and remain free. (※This may sound like a difficult idea or statement for Japanese people to understand. Or, even if they understand it, I am fully aware that they might say, "I don't know what to do if I'm shown something whose existence is uncertain. And if that's the motivation for soliciting donations every Sunday, I can't believe it. I value worldly benefits more.")(It's no wonder they couldn't understand. The Japanese probably wouldn't have had the luxury of imagining the despair of death, even if they were immortal and all their wishes were granted; they would have been solely focused on keeping their own bodies alive.)

In other words, wisdom and strength are necessary to gain freedom. When people gain the power to destroy themselves, they learn not to self-harm. This is a problem that even adults in modern Japan sometimes struggle with.

Therefore, to the God of the Bible, "humans are like dangerous children or sick people who commit suicide when their hearts are wounded," and that is why we have not yet been given complete freedom.

Because we are dangerous beings.

God, through the words of the Bible and prayer, teaches us how to avoid death and sometimes bestows strength upon faithful and safe people. (※Incidentally, if that strength is not used correctly, it can be taken away. ※Regarding the parable of the Talents and Mina in the Bible, it is recommended to consult a pastor.)

This will increase our freedom, but we must proceed one step at a time. Perhaps the forbidden fruit was like alcohol. Those who ate it too early or those with allergies could not eat it. Allergies are certainly unpleasant, but there is no need to worry. There are many other delicious foods. Many people find it easier to get along with those who don't get bogged down in unnecessary details.

Simply put, omitting the theological details that most Japanese people probably wouldn't be interested in, we could say, "Wisdom is necessary for freedom, but wisdom can also lead to self-destruction."

The term "liberal democracy" evokes completely different images in Japanese people and foreigners, so even if the same phrase is used, the type of freedom being aimed for may differ.

■The freedom of a satisfied pig? The unfreedom of a dissatisfied Socrates? The unfreedom of livestock? The freedom of a wise man? From whose perspective does true freedom truly exist?

For example, some argue that even if you feed a pig as much as it wants every day and euthanize it without its knowledge, it's not truly free because it lacks the wisdom to understand its own fate. However, this is merely my opinion, and others may consider the pig to be free. The Bible likely also views the pig as free. Even among those well-versed in the Bible, interpretations will vary.

Biblically speaking, even if one eats pig feed like the prodigal son in the first half of the story, they become free the moment they are saved by God.

The form of freedom differs from person to person and is profound. While it may appear as bondage in some aspects, it is actually a complex form of freedom. I myself don't fully understand it.

However, for me, this is not freedom. I don't know why, but I don't feel free. Yet, in Japan, this pig is considered free.

My unconscious and illogical feeling that this is not freedom may not come from the Bible, but from values ​​I've heard in philosophy. Perhaps unconsciously, I've accepted Western proverbs like "It's better to have a disgruntled Socrates than a contented pig" as truth. While we don't study the Bible in Japan, we do learn anecdotes and proverbs about historical figures, so we often recall things we heard as children.

However, there's no real basis for this.

This is more a matter of aesthetics than logic. Similar ideas exist in the West, but I think there are Japanese people like me who don't consider them freedom. But can having such an aesthetic sense be considered freedom? Or does it lead to unfreedom? And is abandoning it the true definition of freedom? What do you think?

Many Japanese people, once they become working adults, consider philosophy childish and become busy. For them, "freedom" seems to mean taking rest, having a fulfilling job instead of a boring one, or being freed from the responsibility of supporting a family. In other words, for many Japanese, freedom is "being able to relax," not "being extremely exhausted from fulfilling responsibilities."

Therefore, some argue that being preoccupied with philosophy is not freedom.

John Stuart Mill's On Liberty seems to explain this point using the difference between the English words "free" and "liberty." "Freedom" is the liberation of freedom, that is, a state without constraints, while "liberty" is acting responsibly within that freedom.

This is precisely the point I want to make.

In Japan, the definition of "freedom" is widely understood as a state without constraints, as described in On Liberty. Therefore, even if people become "free," Japanese services will remain expensive, and their quality will continue to decline.

To improve and develop our lives, individuals with a sense of responsibility and liberation must take the lead, and employees must comply with certain constraints. Unfortunately, those who do not act on their own and wait for instructions will remain bound until their employers grant them freedom. (For example, Christianity has the Sabbath, the Sabbath Year (Year of Jubilee), and honeymoon leave (a year of leave for newly married couples).) However, such systems do not exist in Japan.

■Since the definition of freedom differs from person to person, you cannot attain freedom simply by imitating others.

The "free one" described in the Bible is a concept that encompasses both the freedom of livestock and the freedom of the wise. In a sense, it represents not only the lack of freedom of livestock, but also the lack of freedom of the wise, who, due to their own wisdom, stray from the right path and can never return.

The optimal path to freedom differs for each individual. We humans may not fully understand it, but God knows it well. Currently, there is no scientific evidence to support this, but scientific research on logic, the brain, personality traits, and philosophical and psychological aspects will eventually prove its validity. People will testify, "This was the right path for me," and will be astonished by the dramatic change from their previous state. In other words, by following God, employed people gain true freedom. This may be difficult to explain, but those who know the hardships and punishments of freedom will understand the joy of being employed by a good employer.

On the other hand, intellectually curious and thoughtful people may not find such a world enjoyable. That is precisely why people seek God's guidance. God seems pleased with those who seek wisdom for good purposes, and the Bible records that He generously bestows teaching upon all people. However, teaching wisdom can sometimes lead to death, so it depends on the situation.

At the same time, the Bible warns, "As wisdom increases, so do afflictions." We don't know what kind of afflictions will accompany this. God is omniscient and omnipotent, but He knows that receiving all wisdom in the wrong order can lead to death, and that's why He prevents such a situation.

Therefore, we shouldn't burden God by forcing ourselves to seek wisdom. Let us wait until God grants us wisdom. However, many Japanese people are not convinced. Some say, "I don't believe in God, so I feel like I've been deceived. In the end, I have to seek wisdom myself."

I myself once felt that way. In ancient Japan, the arrogant desire to know everything was considered somewhat shameful, but in modern Japan, it's considered a commendable quality. That's why I sought wisdom even more. Seeking wisdom was hardly considered a bad or dangerous thing. Japanese adults had very high expectations for children's pursuit of wisdom.

However, like Pandora's Box, certain kinds of wisdom, if revealed, inevitably lead to death.

Perhaps that is why "living by faith" is so important.

I believe we possess this physical body precisely because we are creatures that will die unless we lose our memories at least once.

Perhaps our suffering stems from being bound to this body. A body with wings and sharp fangs might have been better. However, although many Japanese people may not believe it, God loves humanity.

Unless a child says, "If you love him, then I am not loved, and therefore I will die," or "Even if you don't love me, I will endure for him," it seems that God loves everything unconditionally.

(Incidentally, I stubbornly sought wisdom, even wishing that God would kill the children I disliked. What an unfilial child I was!

However, thanks to my pursuit of wisdom, I can now share this with you all. I was a person who couldn't be free without seeking wisdom. But conversely, there are many people who can't be free even with wisdom.

The Japanese didn't believe my words at all. That's why I desperately wanted to use my wisdom to crush their pride and kill them. That's why I learned wisdom. Was it for love? No, mostly because I wanted to break their hearts and humiliate them. I wanted to revel in a sense of superiority.

I explained, but I didn't pray. He didn't want to be saved by God at all. Rather, deep down, I wished he would go to hell.

I neither hate nor love Japanese and Koreans who don't believe in God. I only feel anger and hatred.

) Wisdom brought them suffering. If it brings death, then so be it. That's it.

I want to laugh at their suffering and say, "They brought it upon themselves!"

Sometimes I felt guilty about my hatred, even wondering if that serpent wanted it. The Bible says to abandon anger, so I blamed myself. But recently, I received forgiveness from an angel, that is, from God. No, that's not right. This might be a perfectly natural feeling. No one can endure such feelings. The Japanese and Koreans deceive people with hypocrisy, drive them to suicide, refuse to apologize while pretending to be righteous, and try to sacrifice me as if to say, "As always, the sheep will be killed and eaten. I suffered the same fate, so you should be defiled and suffer the same fate." When I escape their trap, they become furious, stomp their feet, demand to know why I didn't obey, and say, "These are the Japanese rules." They use our ignorance to target their prey. Thus I was given wisdom, understood forgiveness, and was liberated. (This is an aside.)

Perhaps our definitions of freedom differ. That's precisely why trying to impose our own definitions of freedom on each other can become a form of mutual restriction.

In my view, in Japan, the idea that "everyone is equal and can become the person they want to be through effort" is deeply ingrained.

On the other hand, in biblical cultures, there may be a belief that "God's gifts differ from person to person."

Saying the same thing in Japan would often provoke anger.

They would accuse it of discrimination.

■Should others decide your ideal job for the sake of your freedom?

In reality, there may be individuals within the church who possess a keen ability to discern talent, much like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. They spiritually assess suitability for specific roles, assign them, and provide guidance. The lack of such abilities may be the fundamental reason why liberal democracy is not functioning effectively in Japan. However, discussing this topic in Japan often leads to accusations of "deliberately infringing on people's freedom without scientific basis" or "mental illness," which is why I hesitate to address this subject.

In fact, the Bible states that in employer-slave relationships, those of higher status are chosen by God and should be obedient. The example of King Cyrus, a Gentile, supporting Israel suggests that this also applies to Gentile kings.

The idea that status is determined by God, or that talent is bestowed through prayer in church, may be unacceptable to Japanese people. This is because Japanese people generally believe they can freely choose their profession through effort.

However, what I want those Japanese people who believe in the supremacy of effort, who have read this far, to understand is that in regions where many people seriously believe in the Bible, there is a worldview that says, "You are overexerting yourself. In your eagerness to be socially accepted, you are belittling a wonderful job that may not be popular now but is perfectly suited to you. You are currently unable to free yourself from your own arbitrary self-deprecation and values, and therefore you cannot honestly listen to the voices of God or your neighbor, resulting in a certain degree of unfreedom."

This is like a neglected baby pulling on a tangled rope, only to become even more bound.

In such a case, to become free, one must seek instructions from an adult and follow the procedure for untangling the rope. Even if you're not a baby, if someone untangles the knot on your back, you can become free much more easily. That person may not understand what the adult is doing, and they may feel bound even if the rope is only slightly pulled. However, ultimately, they are freed from the rope and become free.

This is the state of affairs for many Japanese people. They are unable to view themselves objectively, so they think they are acting freely, but they are not truly free.

Furthermore, when asking an adult to untie the knot, children are wary because they don't know if the adult is kind or not, and they fear being threatened or scammed out of their money. That's why many pastors start by saying, "Your God loves you, so believe." Explaining how to untie the knot only complicates things further; it's essentially saying, "Do as you're told." At this point, they have no choice but to believe.

However, in reality, many people consider such kind offers to be some kind of scam. This is understandable, given the prevalence of fraud in Japan. Indeed, it's common for people who approach you with overly friendly smiles to later try to recruit you into a multi-level marketing scheme, pleading with you for help.

That's why I said this to the Japanese, who are unwilling to believe in something they haven't seen:

"In the age of science, I believe that the brain, body, and personality have aptitudes and aptitudes, and that these are determined to some extent at the genomic level."

"The differences in aptitude for suitable and unsuitable jobs, which have not been proven until now, will be revealed in the future by neuroscience." (※I don't think it's determined solely by bloodline. Personality and social status also play a role. In fact, the Bible describes people who were of God's bloodline but were not chosen. However, aptitude and aptitude still exist. Just as when people eat plants or animals, even if they have the same genes, they decide whether to treat them or use them to help others based on factors such as sunlight, water, and the degree of disease, other factors such as motivation and confidence also influence whether one is chosen by God or by others. Effort is also not entirely irrelevant.)

This sounds scientific, so people believe it even without evidence.

In reality, this can be understood simply by observing nature.

It's sad, but common, to be unable to love oneself. In fact, I never imagined I could make a living writing books in Japan. I was a fast reader and fluent in Japanese, but I didn't think I could make a living that way. Therefore, I studied mathematics, aiming to become a scientist or artist. This is understandable, considering the unfortunate cases of people not receiving the rewards they deserve. Those with exceptional talent in these fields struggle to find employment, and with few positions as priests or pastors, competition among freelance writers and university professors is fierce, sometimes even among brothers and sisters who should be colleagues.

There were gods like Kairos and Uranus who prophesied fate. Venus is said to have been born from Uranus's foam. Prophets were often unloved and subjected to harsh criticism. Therefore, if they couldn't receive donations to their temples, their daughters often became prostitutes. This is a sad story.

Therefore, we can infer that there was a clear division of roles between "administrators such as priests, royalty, and rulers and prophets with special knowledge" and "workers who loved their daily lives." However, for us Japanese who do not believe in God, this is difficult to understand. We mistakenly believed that people could become equal through effort. Even if it was goodwill, dedication, enthusiasm (as opposed to laziness), or humility, it was considered "arrogance."

When I told people in church that I had received the gift of prophecy, they were envious. Some even said they wanted that gift too.

Because of this, I sometimes felt that what I deserved for that gift was wrong, and I tried to do things that I wasn't suited for.

※※※As an aside, The word "pride" has different meanings in Japan and in biblical cultures.※※※

Similar to the word "freedom," the meaning of "pride" in the Bible seems to differ from the general Japanese perception, so I would like to explain it in more detail.

In the Bible, pride is often accompanied by actions that are incompatible with the image of superiority or arrogance that Japanese people tend to have. For example, at the Tower of Babel, the people acted not under God's guidance, but of their own free will. This was because they feared being scattered to different places and sought fame. In reality, it could be said that they lacked confidence.

However, in Japan, when the construction of the Tower of Babel is viewed as an act of pride, it is often depicted as people acting out of overconfidence and recklessness, thinking, "We are superior to God, so let's build a tower taller than God's!" Indeed, there are picture books in Japan that depict this misunderstanding, and some people believe it to be true. However, a careful reading of the Bible suggests that they acted with the mindset of, "God doesn't care about me anyway, so I'll manage on my own." This indicates a lack of faith in God and a lack of self-confidence.

King Saul was also accused of "pride and treason" by the tribal chief Samuel. Even after ascending to the throne, he seems to have felt insignificant. Although only briefly mentioned in the Bible, Samuel encouraged King Saul, who considered himself nobody, by asking, "Aren't you God's chosen one?" Many of those condemned for arrogance in the Bible seem to have lacked trust in God's love. On the other hand, the New Testament states, "(God judges us, but) we do not judge ourselves." This suggests that even belittling oneself and disrespecting God is a form of arrogance.

For example, if you describe King Saul to a Japanese person as "tall, handsome, and arrogant," they might imagine an extremely self-centered and arrogant figure, obsessed with mirrors and looking down on commoners.

However, in reality, King Saul followed his father's orders, continued searching for the donkey far and wide despite the circumstances, and even hid himself after ascending to the throne. Rather, a simple, honest, humble, and somewhat anxious figure emerges.

As this example shows, communication solely through words can easily lead to misunderstandings.

Therefore, caution is necessary when conveying the Bible to Japanese people. Some Japanese writers, when adapting myths into manga, games, and picture books, arbitrarily embellish them to suit Japanese tastes, creating humorous stories. They seem to disregard historical inaccuracies. Perhaps they believe that as long as it's entertaining, that's all that matters. You might even see great heroes expressing their own opinions or, conversely, criticizing figures disliked by modern Japanese people.

By the way, in Japan, it's often said that "people should be free," but what kind of freedom are we teaching our children to strive for?

In Japan, depending on the era, there's a tendency to perceive only one of two things as correct: either "worker's freedom (freedom such as vacation)" or "responsible Liberty."

Which is more appropriate, responsible Liberty or worker's freedom, depends on the individual. Ideally, we shouldn't make such unreasonable demands on children. We need to observe children carefully and consider their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Because all generations receive the same education, there are generations raised like workers and generations raised with an individualistic education that seeks responsible freedom.

However, the freedom that Japanese people envision is closer to the planned free time given to workers, which leads to misunderstandings and the perception that this generation is simply doing what they like without a sense of purpose. I was born in this era, and I'm called the individualistic education generation, Generation Z, or the Ice Age generation.

Unfortunately, for those raised under the traditional Japanese, or perhaps Chinese, organizational, Han Fei-style philosophy that "a good subordinate is one who never does more than what they are told," this was a very difficult environment.

Those who couldn't adapt to this situation, those who struggled to express their opinions, must have suffered greatly. In another era, I would probably have been forced to live as I was told, leading a boring life. However, my generation, once considered failures, is now celebrated as heroes, while our predecessors are criticized by the current generation for being "inflexible."
This is a sad story.

This, too, seems to stem from the totalitarianization of education, the chaotic and centralized shifts in the needs of the times, and ultimately, the lack of guidance for diverse individuals, as seen in churches. By the time the necessary talents mature, 20 years have passed. Of course, there may have been a time when there was demand, but that is no longer the case. Children are labeled as useless and, unfortunately, weeded out.

I've written quite a bit here, but I'll end my discussion of freedom here. I would like to discuss this in more detail someday, but it would become too long, so I will summarize it in another article.

The problem probably lies in Japan's compulsory education system. This system demands that all children adapt to the demands of the times and tries to raise them accordingly.

In the era I grew up in, individualistic education was prevalent, but it was generally ineffective.

Children who could not adapt to this individualistic education developed feelings of inferiority, which was unfortunate. I adapted to that education very well.

In the past, people in Japan were expected to be obedient and lacking in humanity, like robots. Therefore, when joining a company with many older Japanese employees, that generation was often seen as outsiders, aliens, or arrogant.

Many of the older generation were serious, diligent, and workaholics. They possessed intelligence and flexibility, and likely played a crucial role in shaping postwar Japan.

The second generation was diligent, but somewhat passive and dependent on instructions. They sought so-called "employee freedom" by following orders, and didn't think deeply about things. Even thoughtful individuals, who skillfully utilized responsible freedom, cleverly avoided reporting to busy superiors, pretending to do nothing to gain recognition.

The third generation sang anti-war songs, valued freedom, hated war, and favored Western music. They were often treated as outsiders, sometimes even called aliens.

Our fourth generation may appear similar to the third generation at first glance, but we tend to prioritize profit over ethics. We are somewhat overly rational, almost to the point of being ruthless. This is probably due to the influence of manga like Death Note and Ushijima the Loan Shark. The movie Battle Royale was also popular.

The generation below us is a little more polite than us, but they lack motivation, are results-oriented, refuse to take on work they can't do, and tend to quickly cancel tasks or shift blame. They are inwardly rebellious and occasionally lazy. While they may appear similar to the second generation at first glance, the second generation has been exploited by quite harsh people, resulting in a somewhat unsettling trait: they are unusually obedient to their superiors and harsh to their subordinates.

On the other hand, our generation operates on the principle of "working hard and making a profit," so we rarely force unmotivated people to work. Although they are our juniors, we tend to be a little too democratic in education, and unmotivated people are sometimes abandoned by our generation. If there are people who enjoy teaching, they will do their best, but if they're unlucky, they'll be left alone. Those who fail to understand these generational differences in values ​​and cannot read the atmosphere create intergenerational friction and sometimes face attacks from older generations. This can lead to depression and unemployment.

On the other hand, they appreciate those who accurately assess situations and explain things kindly.

However, because employers risk harassment lawsuits if they are too strict, many employees tend to value the freedom of those who can perform their jobs superficially and adapt to the work independently without burdening others. These individuals seem to be valued more highly than those who think more freely. In other words, those who perform their jobs adequately without causing friction with lazy employees ultimately remain in this position. Highly capable individuals are often discarded because they are too fast-paced.

I may appear likeable because I can accurately assess situations and read the atmosphere. However, in reality, I am disliked for asking these kinds of questions to others because it makes me seem lazy. Therefore, while employers appreciate it to some extent, I often become disliked because I tend to burden employees and make them feel inferior. In Japan, there is an expectation to be able to sense the atmosphere, understand the situation, and act without speaking.

While individualism is encouraged, those who choose professions that do not allow them to express their individuality feel like "losers," develop inferiority complexes, and end up taking jobs like manga artists or voice actors, even though they are not suited to them.

In Japan, two opposing viewpoints exist. One generation seeks a return to the organizational structure advocated by the philosopher Han Fei, while the other generation desires a more flexible and logical way of working.

However, in reality, many Japanese IT engineers who have made their fortunes in the IT industry, such as Hiroyuki Horie and FC2, are facing attacks that make it difficult to continue their businesses.

It seems that people have ultimately abandoned the ideal of "responsible freedom." Perhaps this is unavoidable, given that democracy is based on majority rule.

Meanwhile, the church engages with children through prayer and Bible study, answering questions such as whether obedience or the responsibility that comes with freedom is the best path for them; whether strict discipline should be instilled from the beginning to prevent harm (God the Father's merciful strictness); or whether one mistake should be forgiven, and even if reprimanded later, they should be guided to understand and achieve a balance between obedience and freedom (Christ's forgiveness and resurrection). Adults can offer various suggestions and opportunities, and provide detailed guidance on individuality and life choices.

Some children are extroverted and seek affection, while others quietly observe from the back of the church, carefully understanding before explaining to the pastor without disturbing others.

Children are diverse. It would have been cruel to expect all 30 children to strive to become the kind of person needed in that era.

Furthermore, since this was about 20 years into the future, there was a risk that those skills might not be in demand when they entered society.

It could be argued that Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology made a mistake by failing to provide children with this kind of education.

A uniform nationwide education system lacks diversity and balance. On the other hand, excessive diversity can turn society into a lawless zone. To use a plant analogy, it would be a world where only the toughest and boldest weeds expand their territory and rule as they please. To use an animal analogy, it might be a world where agile and greedy dinosaurs, not thoughtful humans, dominate society, leaving only insignificant protozoa that exploit the situation to parasitize, and ultimately leading to the extinction of all life due to the spread of parasites. Perhaps, without a certain degree of constraint, humanity would not have been able to build advanced societies equipped with sophisticated science and technology, because these have been destroyed by tyrannical and hasty individuals. Or, without freedom, development would be limited to military purposes or aspects useful in daily life, leaving no time to even consider the possibility of the end of the world. Such diverse thinking would be difficult without a certain kind of unnaturalness bestowed by God.

In Japan, we may be overlooking something important because there are no churches where people can pray to God personally. As a result, we may be missing out on happiness in our children's lives. There may also be a problem with the placement of happiness and freedom in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. For Japanese people, happiness and freedom don't necessarily seem to be the same thing, but what is the reality?

ーAdditional information: Consideration of other factorsー

The following is an aside, so you don't necessarily have to read it, but feel free to read it if you're interested in my thoughts.

■The price of a society rife with deception.

Japan, China, and South Korea all possess Sun Tzu's Art of War, a powerful collection of military strategies. Some in East Asian countries view this book, which advocates victory without fighting, as peaceful, while others attempt to apply it to business. The book is available in bookstores.

However, rather than achieving victory without fighting, it involves surprise attacks and social incitement. As I've written in other notes, this violates, for example, Article 6 of Kant's Toward Perpetual Peace. Philosophers consider this extremely dangerous, stating that "without trust, treaties are meaningless. Therefore, if Article 6 is violated, it is theoretically equivalent to a war of annihilation, and perpetual peace will be built upon a massive tombstone for humanity."

However, in Japan, the belief that "nothing is worse than war" is deeply ingrained, and some adults believe that deceptive tactics are preferable to social incitement, assassination, and poisoning because they minimize the damage.
A book titled "Let's Apply Sun Tzu's Art of War to Business" has even been published. In particular, some members of the Self-Defense Forces believe that Sun Tzu's Art of War should be used more because it can transform work into a surprise attack, making work easier and allowing them to take the lead.

My ex-husband was a former member of the Self-Defense Forces, and when he harmed civilians using despicable means, he would make excuses like, "There are people worse than me. Those who start wars are the ones who are bad! I'm not worse than them." He also drove women who opposed him to suicide through rape and defamation. ...Or perhaps, although he claimed to be a member of the Self-Defense Forces, he was actually a member of a South Korean cult. Apparently, some members of that group pretend that they are doing so out of necessity because they don't want to fight a terrifying enemy, and they fabricate non-existent crimes to justify their actions. They frame isolated women with bad personalities who seem unlikely to help them even if they do terrible things to them, and then rape them based on false accusations.

In short, they have to work, but they want an easier job, so they create jobs they want to do and use them as an outlet for their sexual desires. They could at least do nothing and be lazy, but they fabricate jobs to get paid for doing what they want. They don't seem to mind if the women aren't very attractive, probably because they can sleep in later than with other jobs. They crave fame and the justification of "working."

The flaw in assassination, poisoning, social incitement, and diversionary tactics to drive ordinary citizens to suicide lies in the fact that "even if the perpetrator is wrong, no one can object."
Because everything is done in secret, victims never know why they were hurt, who is responsible, or what the perpetrators were trying to achieve. Those who are unjustly murdered receive no compensation or reparations. This allows those in power to wield their power arbitrarily and irresponsibly. It's like the ring of invisibility that Frodo had in The Lord of the Rings. Once you use it, you can never let go. Victims can only suffer in silence.

The worst-case scenario is that multiple people use this power to cause widespread chaos. People in Japan and South Korea like to talk about how it's the dictator's fault for being suspicious, but it infuriates me that they seem to think there's no fault in the people who made the people suspicious. To make it even harder for people to believe the victim's account, it seems that having her misdiagnosed with schizophrenia would make it even harder for the perpetrators to be discovered. I suppose for them, it's customary to "rape political prisoners who don't seem likely to die in military exercises, treat them like girlfriends, harass them to keep them quiet, and prevent them from expressing opinions unfavorable to a particular political party." In the past, it seems their usual winning strategy was to rape actresses who were Communist Party members, then have them mate with some ugly man they didn't care about, and then seize the land and other assets of the ugly, unmarriageable children. I have no proof, but I know this well because I was a victim myself.

A careful reading of the Book of Revelation in the Bible reveals an interesting fact: among those thrown into the burning lake of sulfur along with the devil and false prophets were not only "murderers" (some of whom deserved to be called murderers), but also "liars." Many Japanese people may think that lying is permissible, but the God who created Immanuel Kant must have understood that lying is a terrible weapon even before he was born. This is because lies can threaten people with false information and turn them into murderers without them getting their hands dirty. This must be one of the reasons why so many souls died in despair.

However, in Japan, China, and South Korea, many people believe that the politicians who became suspicious and distrustful are to blame, and the deceived are often held responsible for everything, including being deceived, getting angry after being deceived, not being grateful for the affection they received even if it was a lie, not cherishing the happy memories they made together, getting into trouble by focusing on trivial details and seeing through the lies, and not quietly dying after being deceived.

In a way, this might be a value system that exists in Europe as well. It's the logic behind "Itadakimasu Kiriri-chan."

I think this: "I don't need your memories, it's a waste of time, so please stop trying to force them on me."

In Japan, the Edo period's red-light districts seem somewhat similar to the era when the slave trade flourished and Western knowledge was introduced. Furthermore, the phenomenon of increased literacy rates through the use of scandals to criticize rulers is similar to what happened in Europe before and after the French Revolution. Ultimately, the cultures of the two countries may have been quite similar.

On the other hand, war is publicly declared and involves liability for reparations. The difference lies in where the responsibility lies. They act in secret and conceal their actions. In this case, those who commit wrongdoing in public can be brought to trial, held accountable for the war, and forced to pay reparations. In some cases, the damage can be minimized.

(However, since war is usually a combination of lies (deception) and combat, it is theoretically a better option, but in practice it is far more difficult. This is because lies and assassinations make it impossible to communicate with the enemy, discuss the legal basis for inflicting harm, or even make promises because you never know when you might be attacked. Both sides are left with no choice but to act inexplicably, like a game of rock-paper-scissors between clever people. To ordinary people, this is frankly terrifying and creepy, so those who engage in such acts are often killed after the war ends. But once these clever people are gone, a large number of incredibly foolish people remain, and all plans fall into chaos. This is because they are at a standstill, not knowing who the rulers are. And in the midst of this chaos, often an external force ultimately destroys them while they are defenseless. This is a common occurrence in Chinese history. I'm an otaku, so I love the story of the Three Kingdoms. I also enjoy researching the differences between the historical Three Kingdoms period and the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." I think that's precisely why Cao Cao is called "a capable minister in peacetime and a hero skilled in strategy in wartime." It's a shame that Cao Cao and his seemingly capable successors are disliked in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." I wish he had been a capable minister even in peacetime. I think he was originally a kind person...)

(※To use an analogy, it's like asking which is scarier, a virus (mosquito) or a lion. The number of deaths from violence is less than the number of deaths from viruses. The same can be said for war, malicious covert operations, and incitement to violence.
In such situations, even good people may have no choice but to resort to violence. However, in Japan, liars who cause violence are not punished, only those who commit violence are punished. That being said, it is a fact that ticks parasitize lions, and that does not mean that those ticks do not transmit viruses. But war and If you look closely at the details, I think the real cause lies in something much smaller, like a mouse, or in petty laziness, cheating, lies, and the common people.）

■The benefits of "trust" that have been continuously lost in East Asia

On a different note, do you know when systems similar to stocks started in various countries? The Jews adopted them around the 2nd century BC (although promissory notes and similar systems appeared around the 8th century). ISIS adopted them around the 9th century, China around the 15th century, the West around the 16th century, and Japan and Korea around the time of their Westernization. (Incidentally, it seems there were organizations similar to securities companies during the Edo period, but they were more like bodyguard services. By the way, my grandfather deposited his retirement money with Nomura Securities and lost part of his assets, so no one in my family invests in stocks.)

Stocks, banknotes, and promissory notes are all very convenient and have the effect of promoting the economy and production. However, they only work because of the Japanese characteristic of "fearing God while trusting one's fellow countrymen," which they despise. This is because distrust requires maintaining trust through marriage, labor and production by discriminated classes, powerful weapons and military force, loyalty, or sturdy safes, and maintaining that trust requires "the mobilization of all wisdom, effort, and human resources." In other words, it costs money.

Han Fei was an extremely intelligent and rational man, recognized by both Qin Shi Huang and his rival scholars. However, his rule, based on the belief that evil is inherent in human nature, had the drawback of incurring far too many sacrifices. (However, in a region surrounded by many powerful ethnic groups and constantly plagued by conflicts over water resources, deception would have been rampant. If he had ruled based on the belief that good is inherent in human nature, he would undoubtedly have perished unless saved by God. Therefore, I believe this was unavoidable within the realm of human understanding. Chinese thought seems to be the only form of governance that would have been available if God did not exist.)

And because the cost of guaranteeing trust is far too high, the economy stagnates, and when scientific advancements occur, something robust is unexpectedly destroyed, forcing prohibitions, thus preventing evolution from primitive life.

Speaking of which, and this is a digression, I recall a pastor telling an interesting story about "trust."

Incidentally, we unconsciously assume things like, "There's no way a meteorite will fall on our heads today," "An earthquake will absolutely never happen," "There's no way we'll suddenly get infected with a pathogen like Leucochloridium that parasitizes humans," and "Tap water and convenience store food can't possibly be poisonous." If we doubted this, we'd probably be diagnosed with a delusional disorder and have a psychiatrist called. It's difficult to completely deny these things, and excessive worry might drive us to madness. However, in reality, such things certainly exist. For some reason, we don't care. Including the real-world phenomenon of "abnormal prions being produced by cannibalism," we feel like, "There are so many unknowns, I don't know what to do. Even worse, how have I survived this long? Is it a miracle? Who am I anyway? Why did I believe in something when I know nothing?"

However, people hadn't imagined the limits of their own intelligence.

They probably believed in a serious threat: the possibility of endless retaliation from villains who disrupted order in various ways, or from victims. Even if it was just a random arrow, there was a chance that a conspiracy could burn down the entire village and wipe out the family. This had happened countless times throughout history.

While modern Japan enjoys peace, in ancient China, failing to consider such risks would likely have resulted in death. There was no time to leisurely ponder questions like, "What if the sky falls?"

Such fears would undoubtedly have been dismissed as 『杞憂』（unfounded worries） and ridiculed. In a highly educated, developed country, a child asking such a question might be praised for their curiosity, commended as a novel idea, the beginning of science, and a good question, and scholars might explain modern physics and its thought processes in an easy-to-understand way. However, back then, it would have been dismissed as unfounded worry and ridiculed. (※Even today, such concerns are not always welcomed. In fact, if misused, wisdom can be a dangerous ability that leads to destruction and chaos.)

In reality, there were likely many more villains targeting the capital. Their reasons varied: to live in an attractive location, to acquire powerful weapons, valuable items, or talent, or to assassinate royalty who enacted laws they disliked. It was impossible to predict what would happen or where it would come from. If I kill someone first, I'll incur their hatred, which will ultimately lead to my death. This is a brilliant『四面楚歌』

■Trust accompanied by economic benefits■

Long considered foolish by the Gentiles, "trust" is one of the blessings bestowed upon a glorious, strong, and wise people who have cultivated robust social institutions, scientific knowledge, and legal interpretations. Meanwhile, we, who do not know God, struggle to reach the highest level of human knowledge. They are a people who have received the Bible and come to fear God.

This will free us from many sacrifices and increase economic convenience. It is understandable that many workers abroad are concerned about their employer's religion. It would be unbearable to work for a company that constantly exerts insidious pressure on its employees, such as being taken to brothels, having their weaknesses exposed, or being forced to pretend to be foolish, all in order to gain their trust.

Some Japanese men despise this custom and even commit suicide. Ironically, the more independent, thoughtful, and righteous a man is, the more likely he is to be excluded by this custom. Precisely for this reason, men with strong libidos and a lack of a sense of justice are chosen, succeed, and leave behind offspring. Such men do not choose intelligent and sensible women who can see through infidelity. Rather, they tend to choose women who are kind, always smiling, and unlikely to cheat. The couple themselves may appear happy on the surface, but their children are likely to face some kind of difficulty in the future.

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■The reason why kind and loyal Japanese people came to this state

The fact that these methods are being used indicates a certain sense of despair about democracy is prevalent among those in positions of responsibility in Japan.

"When will people wake up?" "It's useless, they'll just continue to live aimlessly, engrossed in games and comics." "I'm the only serious one. I feel like an idiot. They don't understand anything, yet they complain about everything we do. Their way of thinking is outdated."

"Maybe we have no choice but to go back to wartime Japan and cultivate hardworking people."

"Some men were bullied and forced into labor, like in the old sports clubs, but the other free citizens just want to use the profits they generate to create content. If you give them dangerous jobs, they become absent-minded and reckless. When will the world be a better place through the power of the people?"

"Oh, no, no, no!! We're causing trouble for other countries too! People don't want to do it." When we must make people work, it seems we have no choice but to reclaim the good old Japan of the pre-war and wartime eras. That is, to govern by baiting them with marriage, to provide obedient women to ugly men, and to give beautiful women who will not bear children as mistresses (prostitutes) to be used for adultery. Marriage and responsibility—these were the driving force of Japanese workers. The noble heroes and ancestors who supported the postwar era worked in the same way. The children will surely hate it, but is it our only option to reclaim tradition? Looking at the employees, freedom is too much of a hassle for them. Do they really want to obey us? Those foolish, ugly, small, pathetic pigs surely do not truly desire freedom? They all lament, "I studied hard and received an education like my father, but I can't find a wife I can cherish for life." "Just like my father, I can't find a wife." Poor things, they have lost their confidence. Even if you tell them to be free, in the end they all just play the same rebellious games, smoking cigarettes as minors, with blonde hair and loose socks. It was a waste of time. Morality is only declining. Moreover, he's a half-hearted hypocrite, always trying to take the easy way out. Many people would think, "This is no good."

At first glance, this seems to have some merit.

If one believes there are no other ways of working, it's understandable to think, "Perhaps we have no choice but to go back to the old ways." (※This view is, in fact, wrong. Governance through marriage and prostitution is unsustainable and involves human rights abuses, mainly against women and male prostitutes, excessive budgets, and the risk of betrayal. However, it might seem like a more decent country than the current situation. It's just that those in power were responsible and honest people who were simply ordered to maintain a democracy that was run by preying on deceived citizens; they weren't insane. They were just wrong.)

Furthermore, even if one knows the right path, it is an extremely narrow one, and if one does not follow it, one is certain to be denounced as a "Nazi, dictator, or communist." People may call it a dictatorship without even understanding what it means. It may be similar to the line spoken by a character in Plato's writings whenever someone says something offensive: "He must be a Spartan," or it may be similar to how Japanese people, in anger, call a man who is not bald "bald" or "stupid." They are probably just labeling him a "dictator" without understanding the meaning.）

However, eventually, we began to sympathize with those who had unfortunately been enslaved.

"Isn't the lack of education simply due to poor upbringing? Isn't it wrong to discriminate based on education?" As a result, discrimination based on education became impossible, and slavery disappeared. Therefore, people began to seek jobs that didn't require studying—jobs that weren't dangerous, dirty, or physically demanding, like voice acting or illustration. Otherwise, they feared being seen as "failures who ended up in low-status jobs because they didn't study or receive a good education."

Even if it was an ideal job for them, those who loved studying would say, "What bad luck! You should have studied like me!" It might have been like giving meat to herbivores and grass to carnivores, but they probably said it with 100% good intentions.

That's a sad story.

For some reason, the Japanese have been taught that "slavery" is evil and a violation of human rights. However, if we consider them simply as laborers by modern standards, that may indeed be true. In biblical slavery, slaves were freed after working for seven years and were also freed if injured, so they may have been treated with respect. (However, the mixed-race child of the same ethnicity, born from the incest of Lot's daughter Moab and Ammon, who was suspected of having Down syndrome, did not have the right to vote.)

Furthermore, we were unaware of our own differences. I, who preferred to repeat the same things over and over and lacked flexibility, was unaware that I was not suited to being an aristocrat who had to constantly be mindful of a noble sense of duty. The workers, too, were unaware that despite their excellent memory, they were not suited to jobs that required their own thinking. However, no one had the courage to point this out, because they had been taught that discussing it was eugenic, aristocratic, and arrogant. In Japan, there is a deeply rooted misconception that people can become equal through effort. Also, despite the fact that science is not yet perfect, there is a tendency to ignore phenomena that exist but leave no evidence.

For example, in ancient Rome, nobles were defined as "those who provided their own horses, rode dangerous horses without stirrups, and achieved military merit (it was considered natural for them to farm and be self-sufficient in food, just like other farmers)." However, in the Japanese mindset, "those who volunteer for dangerous work at their own expense are seen as slaves or corporate slaves." If the modern Japanese Self-Defense Forces were told to "farm yourselves," it would likely lead to mass defections and boycotts, and develop into a major political issue that would cause a huge uproar online. The Japanese view nobles as either slaves or livestock (corporate slaves).

(※Added in 2026: I wrote about the nobility, but recently I've come to realize that many of them were short-sighted and only left behind achievements like those of greedy plunderers, and I now think it's wrong to glorify the ancient Roman-style nobility I'm referring to here. It's simply wrong to drive intellectual workers to war. I'm a mix of intellectual and manual laborer, and I've been told many times that "it's unfair not to go to war," which has left me feeling like a half-centaur. I feel sorry for those who were born before me, the complete opposite of centaurs. I've come to believe that those who are intelligent, thoughtful, and willing to contribute should be the ones to hold power. A class system will inevitably lead to a better nation in the long run. So please don't belittle intelligent and thoughtful people just because they're not athletic. If you do, I'll never be born again.)

His parents say, "We paid a lot of money to send you to university and gave you a good education, so it would be a waste to let you take a boring job. You should become a professor." However, he doesn't really understand the meaning of research, so he's building Gundams. But there's no one smart enough to criticize him, and he himself doesn't have the intelligence to accept it. Besides, the professor's chair is comfortable, and the title makes you popular.

However, that is not true integrity. It is far removed from the "integrity" that José Ortega y Gasset spoke of. Those who are complacent in their comfortable positions, unaware that the Sword of Damocles is pointed at their heads, are not worthy of their positions. A person who is both cautious and courageous is needed, but it is difficult to distinguish between foolishness and courage, or between caution and cowardice.

Furthermore, because Japan is a country that severely disregards intellectual labor, sociology and science did not develop much until Christian nations encroached upon the country. Despite Hiraga Gennai's success not only in developing generators but also in the seemingly profitable "sugarcane cultivation" business, he was probably hired as a novelist, incurred someone's wrath, was falsely accused, had all his possessions stolen, and ultimately died. (※This method of angering a successful person and taking all their possessions is still used today. It is a kind of staged accident. For example, in the case of Aum Shinrikyo, the police found an opportunity to arrest the cult leader after he had amassed a huge fortune, and then had others do the dirty work to steal the profits.)

In Japan, there is a custom where intellectual workers who achieve significant accomplishments are subsequently abused and forced to marry short, visually impaired partners to prevent them from escaping. This is not limited to intellectual workers; ceramic artists face similar treatment, some even being forced to only see mountains to prevent them from swimming away into the sea. In Japan, China, and South Korea, intellectual workers and engineers are easily targeted for abuse.

Even today, the son of a CEO of a well-known company has stated in personal remarks that "literature is useless," suggesting that while science and technology are highly valued, sociologists and writers are considered useless.

Originally, intellectual workers were thought to hold authoritative positions such as monks, educating people, understanding situations, enforcing justice, and advocating necessary ideas. However, in East Asia, cultivating ideas is often viewed as rebellion, a lack of social consciousness, disobedience, and laziness. This has been seen as a means of criticizing the ignorance of the general public, preventing them from understanding through Zen koans, mocking them, and gaining someone's respect. (However, there may also have been the problem that they wouldn't act otherwise.)

Some believe that slaves, whose rights were guaranteed in the Bible, were treated similarly to modern workers. Ultimately, for those who desire obedience, the idea of ​​feeling inferior may not be desirable, given that they are forced to think within a complex system of values. In that case, they have the freedom not to think.

The troublesome thing is that those who are too foolish may not realize they are unfit for the throne and may cling to it without shame.

Conversely, even those with intellectual ability and noble character may engage in manual labor if criticized for laziness, even if they have the physique suited for intellectual work.

Incidentally, even if a nobleman marries someone of lower intelligence in search of equality, they are often disappointed after marriage. The commoner's pride is wounded by "difficult conversations," leading to hatred of their husband or princess, and even infidelity. Furthermore, they may even have relationships with commoners who are not blessed with good looks.

On the other hand, a serious nobleman worthy of the throne views married life as an obligation and strives to fulfill it perfectly. This can be stifling for "shameless commoners who choose the easy path," and may even make them more prone to infidelity. If a nobleman engages in dishonest conduct, it is often for work or to produce offspring.

Furthermore, even if a man marries a woman of high status, if their personalities clash and the husband desires his wife's wealth, he may even drive her to suicide out of hatred. This is very similar to the case of King David killing Uriah, and is often done through despicable means to avoid responsibility. Commoners lacking eloquence may even secretly murder their wives.

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In recent years, Japanese people, in particular, have tended to prefer kind and trouble-free individuals over those with a strong sense of justice.

■It's even impossible to talk about the taboos surrounding genetics.

Children born into this society are truly pitiable.

Some possess noble intellect despite their commoner appearance, while others are the complete opposite. Among young people, those with noble appearances but commoner hearts are the most popular and beloved. Even among Asians and Caucasians, the difference in appearance between the wealthy and commoners is often striking, reminiscent of Franz Fanon's novel, Black Skin, White Mask.

If they were in a free environment where appearance and race were not issues, their intelligence might be recognized. However, in areas where commoners predominate, even if their hearts are noble, they will be looked down upon if their appearance is not attractive, and their sense of justice will be ridiculed.

In particular, earnest people who believe, "I am uneducated, and therefore, even if I possess an aristocratic spirit, I must work like a commoner in this era," may succeed initially, but when they realize that there are no people around them with the same intelligence as them, they suffer and often commit suicide.

While aristocrats who propose efficient ways of working are sometimes praised, unfortunately in Japan they often face criticism such as, "This newcomer has stolen our jobs," "He's cheating," "He's making a mockery of our work," "He doesn't understand anything, he's not passionate about his work," and "Stop talking and get to work!" A single mistake can lead to merciless condemnation, accountability, harassment, attempts to deliberately create failures, and then, while harshly criticizing only the failures of others, one's own mistakes are hidden, and attempts are made to deprive them of a second chance. In Japan, workers hold the greatest power, so undesirable jobs are automated, while meaningful, clean, and attractive jobs survive through fierce worker protests. For example, there are no calls for patent or copyright protection for programming, yet AI-generated illustrations are fiercely criticized as copyright infringements. As you know, in a world where underhanded tactics are rampant, justice can feel weaker towards those who speak honestly. Justice fundamentally does not lie, because doubt and distrust lead to endless conflict.

However, being lied to means defeat. Therefore, sometimes cunning retaliation is necessary to achieve victory. At such times, my sense of justice is flexible, yet incredibly strong, and often compassion restrains it. Justice, when faced with death, suddenly rises up, refusing to forgive anything it has tolerated until then. Because if justice were completely lost, no one could rectify injustice, and ultimately everyone would die.

It's a sad story, but when food runs out, a father who has been lenient with his children may be forced to kill an unwanted child to save others. In emergencies, justice works to protect itself. It may sound horrifying, but even if he survives, he will inevitably have more children.

There are times in this world when just revenge exists.

Some might retort, "Just revenge? Are you really a Christian? If Christ said to forgive, shouldn't you forgive?" But if you say, "I forgive what you won't forgive," who will forgive you?

Perhaps God sacrificed Jesus so that wicked people could act freely and deliberately fail, trapping them in a trap. And that failure was etched into our history as a lesson. This is a truly tragic story, but even if this event hadn't happened, humanity would have eventually perished. If this had happened in the age of biotechnology, it would have been a catastrophe. God is wise. If you'd like, please read Romans 1:24 onwards in the Bible. You will understand.

Some believers became history itself, as evidence to prevent this mistake from being repeated. Their sacrifice was immeasurably important, but those of us who, like me, could not reach that level can only leave a record. God did not give me a trial I could not overcome. Initially, I tried to leave my name in that record, but I was thrown into a river, nearly died, and fell into a state of suspended animation. But now I live without shame. This is not something that should be recorded. I have deep respect for past believers. This history will undoubtedly be beneficial to future generations.

The second half of humanity's life will be easier. All that remains is to compile the histories of the various martyrs and great writers who have become part of this history. You are fortunate.

Therefore, if we do not follow what is written in the Bible, the number of selfish, assertive, and foolishly bold people will gradually increase, rather than those worthy of nobility. Kind and responsible people are more likely to marry those they do not love, so the more righteous and free-spirited a person is, the more likely they are to become ugly. After a while, the demand for intelligence will plateau, and eventually the number of unintelligent people will decrease. They will receive further budget cuts as they will not produce results.

While there are means to improve appearance and intelligence, such luxuries are generally not permitted due to human rights, so appearance and intelligence will gradually decline. High intelligence, in particular, will no longer be understood.

Metaphysical and mathematical intelligence will be especially misunderstood and easily overlooked, especially if the narrator's appearance is not attractive. Those with high intelligence will realize they are not loved and will want to leave or die. Only the brazen will survive.

In the first half of history, it will not be utilized in fields other than architecture and military affairs. Aside from astronomy and the observation of plants and animals useful for navigation and agriculture, it would be difficult to discover the connection between music and physics or the phases of Venus without a budget. Research would likely be limited to practical applications, and progress would likely stagnate there. Perhaps the church, by reading sad marriage stories from the Old Testament and praying to God, is preventing such unhappy marriages. Personally, I think this is why many people in East Asia have unusual appearances that make them hesitant to marry. Intelligent people are destined to die naturally. Science hasn't developed much either. Throughout history, East Asia has produced many extremely ugly but intelligent people.

However, I'll stop here, as further discussion would likely draw criticism in Japan.

In Japan, even ordinary citizens like myself find it taboo to discuss anti-democratic or eugenic topics. In Japan, there is a consensus that ordinary citizens should be killed if they interfere with business. They criticize the arbitrariness of monarchical power, but it is similar to the power of a crying child. Looking at Tokyo's recent budget allocations, particularly for projection mapping and fountains, it's difficult to say that this oligarchy, with its weak democracy and weak rule of law, is free from the arbitrariness of those in power. Furthermore, prostitution rings often wield considerable power.

■The values ​​determined by the free market differ from the values ​​of countries where Christians make up the majority.

There's a book called "Economics is Driven by Emotion," and indeed, people's values ​​differ depending on regional culture. If you preach "Love your neighbor," believers will gladly spend money. If you preach "Don't perjur in court, don't use unfair standards (be fair)," people won't be willing to sell overpriced hydrogen water. Thus, the price of hydrogen water naturally decreases, and work that respects people's values ​​is praised and its value increases.

In this way, the church has the effect of purifying values. Japan lacks this, which is why things like "tuition fees for stable, high-paying jobs" are so expensive. Furthermore, the repeated flow of government subsidies into easy jobs makes it easier for such politicians to get elected.

The average Japanese person cannot stop their country from becoming corrupted in this way through reason alone.

Their tragedy lies in the misconception that "jobs requiring critical thinking are high-level, elite jobs that make you popular," and the conviction that "even with excellent qualities such as concentration, kindness, meticulousness, the ability to persevere through monotonous tasks, physical strength, and spatial awareness suitable for driving, those who are not good at studying will ultimately end up in low-level, inferior jobs." These abilities cannot be measured by school tests.

As a result, for those who are not good at studying, "elite white-collar jobs requiring critical thinking have become mere entertainment jobs." In Tokyo, especially if you can't get into a top university, everyone tries to go to art school and paint. Going to the countryside is seen as a failure, and parents who dislike the countryside would surely cry, so it's probably unavoidable. They are probably surrounded by many talented people, and they inevitably compare themselves to others. However, art-savvy people from the countryside who come to the city are usually wealthy, hardworking, and intelligent, so marriage proposals often don't go well. He was born in Tokyo, but he didn't get into a prestigious university, and he wasn't the type to work hard. However, fearing ridicule for not marrying a woman with a university degree, he forced himself into marriage, which ultimately led to his ruin.

Changing deeply ingrained values ​​is extremely difficult. Even if you say, "This is your talent!", he might cry out, like a patient forced to marry to end their family lineage, or a patient diagnosed with an infectious disease such as tuberculosis, "I'm not that kind of person! I'll work harder, so please don't say such terrible things!" Even if it's a gift from God, a wonderful talent loved by all. Japan doesn't have the Bible. Societal and parental values ​​are absolute, so overturning them is as difficult as spreading Christianity in Japan. The success rate is probably around 1% of the population.

Or, instead of pleading, he might become desperate and aggressive, shouting, "You eugenicist! Don't take my job! Effort is equal! The talent to work hard is the greatest talent!" How cruelly we have judged our children based on a single set of values! Changing deeply ingrained values ​​is not easy. I believe the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology should be sued in the Constitutional Court, but since many of its employees are former musicians, they likely have strong ties to the entertainment industry. Therefore, expressing an opinion could lead to biased reporting, slander, and harassment, negatively impacting their approval ratings.

When exceptionally talented individuals are told they are unsuited for something, they become devastated, much like someone diagnosed with tuberculosis or desperately trying to hide their past or criminal record.

Truly embracing diversity might solve these problems, but unfortunately, in reality, a hierarchical structure based on occupation, superiority, and value seems to exist. One of the shortcomings of capitalism is that unprofitable jobs like waste disposal are often neglected, while it's difficult to pay fair wages for essential work. This is also true in the United States, where neglect of sewage treatment has been reported to lead to disease outbreaks in some state waters at a level comparable to developing countries. Tokyo Bay probably stinks too.

Japanese people boast about their salaries and wealth, but if those salaries come at the expense of not doing what they should be doing for the environment, or for something more important, should they really be proud of those numbers? Aren't there other values ​​that we should cherish more? When the market freely determines value, if Christ is not behind it, the market will not be able to set truly correct values, money will only be paid for short-sighted, hedonistic sexual encounters, and we will end up with a society where we are forced to buy only entertainment, comics, clothes, and accessories that workers are eager to sell and can produce without being "tainted," and advertising will profit from this. This may lead to declining birth rates in essential industries, or we may lose the time to appreciate, thank, and reward the work of those who do it. If you go to church, people from the community gather every week, and you can hear about various industries. If there is clear distress and suffering, we can pray together and cooperate, and swift redistribution and cooperation rooted in conscience are possible. Lately, I've been thinking that most of Japan's problems could be solved if there were churches. When I have some free time, I think I'll make a flowchart showing that everything can be solved if there are churches.

Japanese democracy is like the common people who are oblivious to the Sword of Damocles. They forget Article 12 of the Constitution, forgetting their throne of political rights, and indulge in frivolous activities. And that's no surprise, as many people are not suited to politics. They are forced to do things they don't want to do, their precious time is wasted, and yet they claim to be free.

This is how Japan has become a country where everyone tries to become someone in order to create entertainment and make a living. When someone less skilled becomes a senior, even people far more talented than me sometimes don't get hired. Perhaps it's inevitable to eliminate rivals from the start if you want to become someone. Even manga artists who are exceptionally talented often end up with strange stories that seem to have been influenced by editors midway through. Japan, like South Korea, is likely to experience a declining birthrate. Frankly speaking, Japan has a simplicity that pales in comparison to the rest of the world. Is it wabi-sabi? No, it's comical and childish. Furthermore, since beautiful women and prostitutes have become independent and are trying to earn their own money, the ugly men who used to work so hard to find wives are no longer coming, and their motivation has waned.

Japanese women have become too free and selfish to continue loving ugly, subservient, and domestically-minded Japanese men. As a result, no one wants to work anymore,

and the Japanese have started outsourcing their work to foreigners. However, it seems the Japanese government's investments in Africa have been lost and not recovered. There are growing calls to expel other immigrants as well. What will happen next?

■Additional note: Good intentions that go unbelieved, volunteer work that is not sought after.

This is a side note, but as a result, men with a strong sense of justice who don't want to go to brothels with their bosses rarely get promoted, and many die without marrying or having children. No matter how hard they work or how capable they are, if they express their opinions they are ridiculed as "clumsy, useless, all-talk virgins," suffer humiliation both mentally and physically, and many commit suicide. It is those who are despised, who work silently and ugly, or to put it cunningly, or frankly, cowardly and sexually driven, who get promoted.

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People who are good-looking, less likely to be bullied, and have a strong sense of justice are demoted regardless of their abilities. On the other hand, people who are ugly, quiet, and have low pride may survive because they are looked down upon for those reasons. (※In China, there is a history of such people revolting, and it is quite possible that they suffered severe and unjust abuse in the past, although there is no evidence. Also, it is very possible that they believed they were bullied because they were ugly, and after being treated that way, were unable to love society and turned to some kind of violence and became villains. For example, the Kyoto Animation arson attack may be one such example. In this country, justice seems to be softened for the sake of harmony, and organizations are maintained by making them irresistible through scandals. This is probably an empirical rule derived from Chinese history.)As an aside, personally, I believe that the formation of a society through such organizational management leads to long-term economic losses and the problem of a declining birthrate, and I am writing this partly to prevent that, but more than that, I myself have an "emotional aversion" to the maintenance of organizations based on outdated military methods and customs, and human rights. "This has been going on since before the Common Era." "I understand that in the past, some people couldn't work without these circumstances, but wait a moment. As the Bible says, if people could voluntarily show a willingness to contribute, couldn't these situations be prevented? Even if it's not possible for everyone, there are surely people who would want to work in such places. Such societies exist overseas, and we too desire such societies." This is what I want to say, and why I'm writing this article.

Previously, I discussed freedom of expression and the freedom of children not to see sexual content. In that discussion, I stated, "Unlike right-wing groups overseas, Japanese right-wingers don't have something like the Bible within their conservatism. They try to uphold the tradition of ancient Roman heroes who protected society by handing over abused girls from brothels to samurai and former Japanese soldiers, but as a result, they fail to liberate children from sexuality. On the other hand, the left protects children's freedom, but they go beyond liberation from sexuality, saying that there should also be freedom of sexual orientation like LGBT, so there is no place for children who dislike sexual acts." However, this is also a difference because traditions differ between overseas and Japan. There is no place for those who dislike sexual activity. I wish monks and other religious figures would make a little more effort, but unfortunately, there is a term "lecherous monk," and shrines sometimes serve as hideouts for human traffickers. These places are sometimes used as facilities to sterilize shrine maidens by forcing them to take cold baths. This ensures a supply of women who appear to be virgins. Even now, some shrine maidens seem to have specific sexual preferences, which is probably the reason. Apparently, there used to be brothels and similar establishments lining the streets in front of the shrines. It's like ancient Greece. Did someone come here during the Edo period or the Azuchi-Muroyama era?

In other countries, it's common to ask about a company's religion during job interviews, and I can understand why many people prefer Christian workplaces. It's because you won't fall into a honey trap. Everyone works for God, so even if there are disagreements, you can silence them by pulling out the Bible. It's truly fortunate. Everyone wants to work in a job where they won't be targeted by perverted men setting honey traps. However, since Japan lacks such a culture, expressing such opinions would hinder career advancement, so no one brings up this topic. (To put it in terms that engineers can understand, it's like designing a system by haphazardly modifying overseas source code to create an embedded processor, only to realize after release that you forgot to add a specific termination button, leading to a desperate situation where you can no longer avoid abnormal conditions.) Unfortunately, even in Japan, which nominally guarantees human rights, and even in parts of the United States and South Korea, democracy is promoted with all its might over the rule of law, the judiciary is socially and economically cornered, and in reality, it relies on domination through marriage and social status. Or perhaps it's similar to the underlying power struggles depicted in Shichihei Yamamoto's "Studies in the Atmosphere."

The sexual assault case against a male idol belonging to Johnny & Associates, the case of female entertainers being forced into prostitution, and the case of a Japanese female entertainer who exposed child prostitution in Laos and was attacked and flamed online for a minor slip of the tongue—all of these clearly have some connection to child prostitution. Many celebrities speak out on humanitarian issues, but the internet is flooded with comments that incite social anxiety, such as, "Why are they criticized or defended for trivial things, while they don't try to help people in the same situation? They must have other things they should be doing."

My argument begins by tracing the root causes of these incidents and speculating on what those responsible are trying to achieve by instigating them. While evidence is scarce because it's speculation, I can offer motives, possibilities, and hypotheses. However, my work is met with shunning, and I'm constantly told, "If there's no evidence, it's just delusion." There were times when I was so afraid of being diagnosed with schizophrenia that I couldn't say anything.

■There is a widespread perception that majoring in the humanities is uncool.

Unfortunately in Japan, economics and practical matters are considered "cool," while emotional discussions, poetry, justice, morality, society, and philosophy are seen as "uncool, lacking in sexual desire, and pursuing useless and parasitic relationships." As a result, those who want to express their opinions are forced to pretend to be sexual in order to appear outwardly opinionated, and their opinions are silenced by ridicule and contempt. Attractive men and women are often protected, slandered, driven to suicide, or secretly murdered if they don't die. In postwar Japan, the idea that "politics only creates meaningless conflict, so citizens should not be interested in politics" was widespread. I was taught the same thing, so I studied only science seriously, not history. Therefore, I have never properly read the works of Adam Smith or Abraham Maslow, only skimming them a little. Until then, I thought I understood them just by listening to summaries in textbooks. All I remember from social studies classes in school is "War is simply a bad thing!" Is Japan the only country where people don't study history? (※While it's not good to lump all Western European countries together, I've heard that there are regions in Western Europe where people aren't very interested in politics. These regions often seem similar to Japan, where art and entertainment are thriving.)

In writing this essay, I listened to the opinions of people who have read books such as Ortega y Gasset's The Popular Revolt, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Robert Putnam's Democracy in Philosophy: The Civic Structure of Tradition and Reform, and Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which was featured on the NHK program "100 Great Books." I finally understood what other intellectuals had noticed, and I wanted to share it with you all and spread it further.

Personally, perhaps due to my S3 policy (?), I spend most of my time drawing and playing games, so I think it's quite foolish not to read books. However, I still believe I read more books than most people around me. There are many fools in Japan, and such fools look down on people who read books. I read on Wikipedia that "The Popular Revolt" was a bestseller in Germany, and I thought, "How independent and wonderful the Germans are... (´ω`)" If this book were read in Japan, people would say things like, "He's pretentious, acting like an aristocrat when he's nobody, arrogant and pushy elite," and even independent people wouldn't pick it up. There are quite a few people in Japan who dislike elites. Rather than not reading books, it might be that reading is considered meaningless because of a culture that values ​​manual labor more than words.

■"Get your hands dirty, don't just talk!" The means becoming the end is now an aesthetic.

I can read these books because I am a wealthy woman with time and the ability to draw. Many workers whose jobs involve only manual labor are probably exhausted and asleep. In Japanese society, men who read books instead of working are considered lazy.

Overseas, such people may become thoughtful, understanding, and courageous clergy, pastors, or teachers. While such people are often looked down upon in modern society, some literary works portray their contributions positively. They are not necessarily cultured intellectuals, but such books sell to the general public overseas. In contrast, manga sells well in Japan, and people consume manga, games, and anime to keep up with the latest trends (I read them for work as I work in the entertainment industry, but this is a common trend among the general public as well). They are exhausted from work and watch anime half-asleep.

One possible reason is that Japanese people don't find much joy in older books selling better than their own manga. They feel they must work out of hypocrisy, but helping others is tiring, so they seek easy work. Japanese people don't so much "want to read manga" as they "want to work drawing manga."

Therefore, if everyone stops reading manga, they'll be in trouble because they won't be able to do the work they want. In other words, they're forcing themselves to do easy work for the sake of the hypocrisy of "liking their job." Many manga artists read manga in order to become manga artists. If they don't draw new manga, the easier, more enjoyable, and popular jobs will disappear, so older books might become a hindrance.

If you try to deepen your knowledge in the humanities (philosophy, sociology, etc.), employers will become displeased, and you'll be placed in a socially marginalized position in Japan. Furthermore, in this country, you'll be subtly disliked by competent and accomplished people, your career advancement will be hindered, and there's nothing good about it in Japan.

(※Someone who read this and laughed said, "You'd be a good police officer. Though, if you let your sense of justice get the better of you, it'll be a thorny path." So, people with a strong humanities background might want to consider becoming a police officer.) In Japan, religion, especially monotheistic religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is looked down upon, and even philosophy and sociology are disregarded. My parents were disappointed when they heard I had become a Christian. Even now, they sometimes talk about evolution while looking at a TV screen. It's as if they're trying to force me back into Japanese common sense, making a normal conversation impossible. Even worse, those who secretly love ethics, morality, philosophy, and history tend to look down on other scholars as if they're denying their own existence. It's awful, as if they're saying, "Even I, with my high income, gave up, so you should give up even more." Often, writing a book means becoming poor.

They've lost confidence and look down on people who are similar to them, who like them, and who also love thought and philosophy. It's sad, but I understand their feelings. I learned to draw and program precisely because I knew I couldn't make a living from ideas or philosophy alone.

If I didn't produce tangible results, no one would listen to me. To have meaningful conversations, I needed to learn to draw. However, I've read far fewer books than them, so my knowledge is lacking, and they're probably surprised or resentful of me. I understand their feelings perfectly; I also feel bad when someone less skilled than me is praised.

How many times has the correct opinion of more knowledgeable and capable people been distorted by temporary gain or laziness, hindering Japan's growth, causing a loss of crisis management ability, and missing opportunities? Perhaps that's why I'm disliked by men who share my preferred way of thinking.

This is because, despite being less capable than them, I still have time to offer childish opinions.

...We, who are skilled at debating (we were originally allies), may be competing for each other's jobs and trampling on our comrades in a game of musical chairs.

What a miserable sight. Ideally, we should have divided the roles—"You read this book, and I explore it"—and together we would explore the vast map of the book, facing various problems as partners.

Moreover, our job isn't to reassure people with sweet words, but to convey unpleasant truths, so only a very small number of eccentrics would willingly pay us.

Even if there were a church, we might not have been accepted within it, or we might have been criticized for things like "monks getting rich." Perhaps we are individuals who don't need a large number of believers on earth.

For example, being respected and loved by believers, like the Apostle Paul, is wonderful, but while we might be loved by a few eccentrics, most people would see us as oddballs, solitary, talkative, and unpleasant people who don't express their opinions.

I wrote it lightheartedly, but reality is a mess. Humanities students who were best friends in heaven are forced to play musical chairs on Earth, trying to sabotage each other. It's a sad story.

If I were God, I would rain fire and sulfur on Earth, thinking, "I wish I had never seen this." Because our existence on Earth is so miserable that even in heaven, we feel uncomfortable. We suffer such a terrible fate. And I can't help but feel indignant towards the other angels (or their ranks) who said, "This world is more interesting than the order of heaven. In heaven, humanities students (priests and teachers) are treated terribly, and people behave as they please. So, even if we lose, this is better." It's truly a terrible story.

However, sadly, I can't help but wonder if I myself said something like, "Democratization is a good way to become wiser, and it seems like a sensible thing to do, so I want to try it." Perhaps I'm the one who opened Pandora's Box.

But sometimes, in times of upheaval, people who can't understand why such terrible things are happening come together, and they gain the respect of wise men who have been overlooked until now. In such cases, they may be persecuted, and in the worst case, lose their lives, but if God is watching over them, they will receive the gift of prophecy and be resurrected. Therefore, let us do our best.

https://youtu.be/9qgg6MGMnqg?si=PHrX0gqwkqv8CVFm

I had time to paint, but they didn't, and they were forced to do jobs that weren't suited to them. I feel so sorry for them. They've studied this issue far more than I have, and they should be the ones speaking out. Because I've been painting, I still lack the necessary knowledge. But they are looked down upon simply because they are poor. That's truly pointless. At the same time, it must be painful and sad for them that someone like me, who reads books in between painting, has to be their spokesperson, something they can't do. They may have better opinions than I do and be more qualified to express them. But I'm a woman, I have plenty of free time, and I'm not looked down upon by society even if I don't work. That's why I, someone less capable than them, am speaking out about this issue. These are the words they should be saying. But they are sensitive, and they lack the courage to reject me here, and their suffering often turns inward, leading them to hang themselves. Otherwise, such distortions and suffering could erupt in places unrelated to the content of my writing, often manifesting as petty criticism of the clumsiness of my writing or typos. In fact, it's possible that no one is even reading each other's writings. This is a regrettable situation.

Looking back at history, it's rare for a country like this to achieve good results. Therefore, in the next chapter, I would like to propose the following:

ーSo, what should we do?ー

So, here's my suggestion:

My genius: "Instead of using marriage as bait, shouldn't we encourage spontaneous acts of kindness?"

That's what I'm trying to say.

「If it were that simple, this problem wouldn't occur!」

You might say that, but

Actually, Article 12 of the Constitution already encourages it. The Japanese people were outraged by the Cabinet's statement about "自助（self-reliance）（日本語：zisuke）," but considering Article 12 of the Constitution, citizens have an obligation not only to rely on themselves but also to help others, so this can be seen as a concession by the Cabinet. The problem is that the Japanese people haven't properly studied the law.

Alternatively, if I were to offer a perspective that Japanese intellectuals might find appealing, I would ask: "Why not start by more deeply understanding each other's differences and abandoning simplistic judgments based on a single set of values? Wouldn't it be better if there were spaces where people rooted in their local communities could gather and discuss their strengths and aspirations?"

In America, churches have traditionally played this role. There's a theory that "the success of democracy stems from these community-based activities. Discussions in gatherings like churches and bowling alleys generate democratic support for leaders." I believe Japan has lost this kind of community-based activity. As a result, Japan has lost its ability to smoothly manage its communities in its own unique way, and has come to judge others' talents solely on a single ability or educational background.

To be honest, I've become a misanthrope, so personally, I have no intention of actively participating in such activities, but in the long run, it might be good for society. If it were mandatory, I might have reluctantly gone to school or work. In a good sense, I think it would have been better if I had been brainwashed to love God from the beginning.

I want to repay my parents for everything they've done for me. Even if you resent your parents and distance yourself from them during adolescence, if you have memories of feeling safe and secure because they were there for you when you were little, and of being loved even when you were scolded, then the desire to repay your parents' kindness will surely arise. If I hadn't been taught anything, I wouldn't have been able to survive. That's why I have such a strong desire to pass on my lessons to society, to younger children, and to the generations that will follow me.

In fact, the foundation of human rights lies in the Bible, and Martin Luther King Jr. achieved the emancipation of slaves by stating, "It is written in the Bible." The Bible is the fundamental principle of all law. The constitutions of many countries that sign international treaties are drafted in cooperation with churches and other organizations.

The Bible contains many stories that teach the importance of making the most of our differences, respecting one another, and cooperating. For example, there is the verse, "The eye cannot say 'no' to the hand, nor to the head 'no'" (1 Corinthians 12:21). Hearing such stories, even if we have been disregarding ourselves or others, as mentioned earlier, we will realize that this is wrong. And we will come to understand that we should support one another. At first glance, this may seem idealistic, but despite many shortcomings and problems throughout history, it cannot be overlooked that such efforts have achieved a certain degree of success and continue to bring great benefits to society, as seen in books from Western countries.

■Japanese people do not understand the limits and importance of the law.

Furthermore, compared to other countries around the world, the level of legal education among the Japanese people is extremely low. Even highly educated Japanese adults rarely consciously consider Article 12 of the Constitution in their daily lives. This may be difficult for people who do not enjoy reading, so it would be wise to have an environment where you can consult with someone well-versed in the law when making difficult decisions on a daily basis.

Furthermore, it is extremely important to study the Bible, which is both the source of the law and a re-examination of its limitations. Christ is "the one who completed the law," but He also speaks about "the limitations of the law." This is a very important perspective, and true peace cannot be achieved unless everyone believes or learns this. The Japanese have heard this and have come to the seemingly correct but incorrect interpretation that "if there is agape (love), the law is unnecessary," but this is wrong. (※I am not saying it is wrong.) This is because modern Japanese people confuse love with eros and sex. Even though they are reading the same text, the meaning of the words is different. As an extreme example, there are people who have translated "hidden wisdom" since ancient times as "male genitalia and sperm" and continue to perform strange rituals, but explaining this would take too long, so I will omit the details.

(※Since this topic has come up, I'd like to add that, for example, the sentence "Muslims should rape foreigners" is a mistranslation. The correct translation is probably a mistranslation of a sentence like, "Men who possess God's hidden wisdom should force submissive women who do not yet know God's wisdom (※translated as naked women not clothed in the garment of wisdom, or slaves) to engage in secret conversations in hidden places, even if it is somewhat forceful.")

Returning to the main point, Article 12 of the Constitution clearly states that "the people must constantly strive to protect human rights," and this is undoubtedly a civic duty.

Similarly, in the Bible, Christ preaches the concept of "loving one's neighbor." This explains the most important part of the Constitution, and interpreting everything from this perspective allows for flexible good deeds. For example, in an emergency, a flexible judgment is permitted where an ambulance driver may not be held criminally liable even if they disregard part of the Road Traffic Act. However... because interpretations are countless, in reality, digging deeper leads to an endless pursuit of effort, an insatiable quest for perfection.

That is virtually impossible.At the very least, just hearing it is exhausting. Just being told, "Hurry, but don't panic," is incredibly tiring. If there's no one else and I have no choice, I might finally take action, but if I think someone else, someone else hardworking, will do it, I lose motivation and probably just go to sleep. I fall into the illusion that I'm incredibly lazy, and I feel guilty when I rest. If I see someone truly suffering, I might feel sorry for them and help them. If I think it's worth it, I might even risk my life to help them, but I'm suspicious, lazy, and proud, so if I think it's troublesome, uncool, or suspicious, I'm probably going to make excuses, procrastinate, and worry that I'll do what's convenient for myself. I don't take action myself. I help others. Also, because I'm proud, if I were told to give up my honor, which is more important than my life, I probably wouldn't do it, even if I cried and screamed and refused. And for that, I would betray and abandon the people I care about. If I were to abandon Christ, it would probably be because he's a difficult person to deal with, of low social standing, and simply uncool. Afterwards, I would become terribly sulky and desperate, not caring even if it damaged my reputation. Perhaps that's why I paint a picture where no one is saved. In reality, I can imagine that it's almost impossible. If I were to act immediately, I would probably fail, get into trouble, and run away at the last minute.

The Bible also states the reality that "no one can be justified before God by the works of the law, for by the law sin is made" (Romans 3:20). In other words, unless sin is wiped away by the atonement of Jesus on the cross, it is impossible to completely avoid breaking the law.

That is why Christ said, "Forgive one another" and "Pray to the invisible Lord." (You may not believe this, but prayers are always answered unless they are dangerous. That is why Japan is lagging behind Western countries. The Bible describes in detail what constitutes a dangerous prayer and what does not. So, if you are unable to have faith because you think, "Why aren't my prayers being answered?", you need to learn what constitutes a dangerous prayer. It's like not immediately giving a child a useful but dangerous tool. Click here for details.→■）

Since there are limits to what humans can do, the idea is to pray to God and leave the rest to Him.

https://note.com/3_dcg_ya/n/n7c46afada9e1

And that leads to the logic that we should forgive each other... Certainly, not all modern Japanese people are always striving to protect human rights.Just thinking about it makes me tired.

However, since it doesn't say "doing so is meaningless," everyone makes it a mere formality, creating their own self-serving moral code.

For example, some people say, "Japanese people who line up are polite, but those who don't have manners," and criticize those who are flexible and pay attention to details without caring about manners, considering them inferior. However, some even go so far as to say, "If you're going to work diligently, then I have to do it too, so stop it." The Bible ends with a statement that "whoever adds or removes something is cursed," and I envy that no strange rules have been added (although this may only be found in the Book of Revelation). Certainly, the church sometimes creates new rules, but these are not new rules that new people could create; they are merely "interpretations of the law." In other words, it's impossible to create arbitrary laws that ignore the foundation, and this is an extension of that.

Returning to the original topic, the prevailing view is that "one should only perform good deeds to the extent they deem appropriate," but there is also the argument that "refusing to perform good deeds one does not wish to do is no longer hypocrisy." In Japan, good deeds that are easily performed by the majority are considered good deeds, while virtues achieved by minorities are not.

They are adept at strictly adhering to these detailed rules, but they do not value virtues such as sociological interpretation, political participation, compassion, or flexibility. Many in Japan say things like, "Philosophy is a pastime for the poor," and "I feel disgusted by people who talk about politics or religion." Going against this trend makes it difficult to get a job at a large corporation. In a sense, it can be said that freedom of conscience and thought is being violated by economic inequality.

The Pharisees, who appear in the Gospels of the Bible, did similar things and were criticized. They said things like, "The original purpose of this ritual is to teach love for one's neighbor, but performing the ritual is like saying you won't take care of your elderly mother; it's putting the cart before the horse. It's meaningless."

Indeed, when interpreting laws, things we previously considered good are sometimes pointed out as hypocritical. Even if we acted with good intentions, receiving such criticism is deeply hurtful.

In Japanese society, which values ​​etiquette, dealing with the inability to understand such completely unrelated concepts is difficult. In fact, starting a discussion about it would require endless effort and would be exhausting. However, in that case, the good intentions of those interpreting the law would not be appreciated.

It would actually be easier if everyone could enjoy freedom of conscience and thought without being bound by formal etiquette…

The same can be said for religion, but as this article states, there is little freedom to escape from sex and vulgarity in Japan. 3DCG artists chose technical work hoping for a secluded life, but in reality, in their younger years, they were only hired to please men, and they couldn't get work unless they read the atmosphere and flattered men.

https://youtu.be/q_mvEsO_yiM?si=ivcTtQbeiFslBkVc

Frankly speaking, a society that values ​​etiquette may be comfortable for employees, slaves, and laborers, but it is an etiquette that is completely unacceptable to people who pursue their own unique style that transcends common sense, people with flexible thinking, and to the state and human rights. Within private companies, rules change rapidly due to peer pressure.

For example, in Japan, there are cases where people say, "It's bad character not to marry an ugly man." Even though it is not a legal crime, refusing is seen as wrong and can lead to job loss. In this way, moral values ​​are imposed, the freedom of others to choose their occupation is violated, women are lied to about their career opportunities, and are invited to arranged marriages with unattractive men. Wealthy people can pay men if they don't like a woman's behavior, and as a result, make women unhappy.

However, the Constitution does not state that "it is impossible to enforce the law on one's own." The Constitution believes in the infinite potential of superhuman human beings, even without God. While the Old Testament already states that "when people become rich, they forget God," the Constitution does not say anything like, "You Japanese people may sound good at first, but you are ultimately just human beings, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot protect human rights. Instead of making the continuous efforts stipulated in Article 12 of the Constitution, you will ultimately threaten politicians, demand compensation for work that benefits you, toy with taxpayers' money, and make arbitrary and unjust demands, such as demanding 1.5 billion yen for projection mapping." It instills a sense of expectation that the Japanese people will absolutely make continuous efforts. While the concept of reconciliation exists in Japan and the principle of presumption of innocence may be strictly enforced, it does not mention the "possibility of being unable to enforce the law."

The Japanese consider religion unrealistic. If that is the case, then at least the law should be realistic, but currently, its realization is far from realistic.

Looking back at postwar Japanese history, the Japanese are not particularly diligent, they dislike others, and they are liars. At least for me, it would be impossible without divine intervention. I cannot become a superman. I was just leisurely creating 3D CG and drawing pictures.

When I tell Japanese people that I believe in Christianity, I'm often ridiculed with comments like, "Believing in the Bible these days? You must be living in a fantasy world." But in my opinion, such wishful thinking is far more naive. Not only is there a lack of continuous effort, but there are even voters in Japan who can't recite the articles of the Constitution from memory.Compulsory education needs to fulfill its intended role.In Japan's compulsory education system, students likely have less than a month to learn about the law. Because there are no synagogues, churches, or mosques, no one is familiar with the Bible, which forms the basis of law.

In Japanese education, there are often concerns about a lack of lifelong learning. However, there is simply not enough time to discuss all the wisdom of the judiciary and the Bible, and I myself do not know everything. Furthermore, my lecture notes are usually too long, and no one reads them. I wonder how many people have already dropped out.

More accurately, since the constitutions of other countries are covenants made by the church based on the Bible, and the Japanese Constitution is also a covenant with other countries, ultimately, the Bible can be said to be at their foundation.In reality, separation of church and state is impossible.

I read Hobbes's Leviathan to understand natural law, but personally, I believe Christianity is best suited to realizing Article 12 of the Constitution. It takes time to explain, but "not committing a sin" doesn't simply mean breaking rules or committing a crime in the Japanese sense. It refers to the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words "hattat," "harmatia," and "pesha." "Hattat" and "harmatia" are often translated as "mistake" or "error," but "pesha" means "violation" and can also be translated as "sin." (This explanation is lengthy, so I will omit it.)

Looking at other usages, sin can also be described as "a crime that leads to death, even without knowing the laws written in the Bible." This means that even if you are not prohibited from falling off a cliff, you will die if you fall off one.

To refrain from sin is to "live," and conversely, if you are willing to "involve yourself and others, cause terrible suffering to those you may have once loved, drive them to a tragic death, and suffer mercilessly in hell at the hands of those who hate you," then you could say that "it's alright to sin." This is ultimately a covenant; it sets out a way to avoid death. (※Ideally, the definitions of life and death should be explained in detail, but for the sake of brevity, they are omitted.)

This is not a narrow commandment unilaterally established by God to torment humanity, but rather a way of life, a way to avoid death, and a way to inherit blessings—in other words, a guide to ensure that you and your loved ones do not die.

In short, people in biblical cultures learn about legal concepts and ways of life through the Bible every Saturday and Sunday, meaning they are constantly learning the fundamental principles of law throughout their lives.

However, in Japan, after completing compulsory education and university, most people have no opportunity to engage with the law outside of work or court proceedings.Even studying for just four hours on the weekend adds up to a significant amount of time in one's life. However, unless you take law-related courses at university, the time you spend studying for social studies classes will probably only be a few hours at most.

If you're someone who's not particularly fond of religion, then studying law is definitely worthwhile, and I highly recommend it. If you're unsure about your career path, even if you're not confident you can pass the exams, going to a law school is a good option. There are even doctors who have obtained legal qualifications without attending university. Even if you don't get a qualification, studying law is useful regardless of whether you work in IT or not. I've started studying it myself, and I wish I had started sooner. To be honest, there's so much to learn, and it's so deep and broad, that I even want to go to university just to be taught by a professor who is well-versed in the fundamentals. Even if you don't get a qualification, it's good for acquiring general knowledge. If you're hesitating, study law. By the way, I was interested in the origins of law, so I bought a book called "Introduction to Constitutional Law" on Amazon. It looks interesting.

As mentioned earlier, this is a very long story, but to put it simply, it's about whether the ideas that "if there is agape, there is no need for the law (it doesn't say that the law is unnecessary)" and "all people are equal and free in God's eyes (it doesn't say that the law is equal and free)" are true or false (it doesn't say that they are true). In short, it might lead to a conclusion that people would say, "Are you serious?" The explanation is very complex, and if not explained correctly, it will be misleading and too long and vague. In fact, it is a story so long that it would take a lifetime to study. Even my simplified summary here is not perfectly accurate, but trying to explain it in more detail would make it too long and difficult, so I've written it in a way that even a monkey could understand, for fear of misunderstanding.

Furthermore, what should be said varies from person to person. For example, teaching someone who is depressed how to rest after making a mistake is effective, but only teaching a cheerful person how to rest can lead to complacency and laziness, which is truly difficult. The spirit of reconciliation and the law of presumption of innocence are beautiful ideals, but if you keep teaching "forgive, forgive" like a broken record, people may forget that they have been forgiven, lose their love for their community, and especially sincere people may commit suicide. Or, if you forgive too much, people may lose their will to live, and their anger may explode, leading them to try to kill the pastor or the entire community. If you do not pray for revenge and do not judge fairly, there may be even more deaths. It is wise to show love flexibly without being bound by rules, but it can become arrogant, and if taken to extremes, it can fail. To understand this situation, try thinking of a pastor as a pharmacist of words, or like a registered dietitian or cook.

In other words, it varies greatly depending on the situation, and there is no single explanation that applies to everyone.

Ideally, each situation should be assessed individually and discussed accordingly.

Therefore, you'd be better off going to church than reading this, but nobody goes to church. I'm the same. I'm tired of direct interaction with people. I just want to read. So, I think this was written for people like me. For you, who are reading such a boring book despite the peaceful and diverse entertainment available. If you're not like that, I think you'd be happier going to church. I'm like a mad scientist indiscriminately prescribing drugs to people who don't meet the criteria. Or, it might be useful for aspiring pharmacists, but if shown to the general public, it could lead to over-application and problems. So, this is really not good. So, go to a good church or talk to me directly.

For those who are resistant to this kind of religion…The following notes are also recommended.

https://note.com/3_dcg_ya/n/n7c46afada9e1

If you don't want to hear anything religious, I recommend studying law, but it's useless without evidence. For example, it's heartless to deal with a situation like this: "A man is accused of hitting a woman, but in reality, the woman was sexually seducing him and was just teasing him. However, when the reason for the teasing is pointed out, the man becomes embarrassed, and the woman, being a good actress, starts crying to elicit sympathy." Law is not a discipline that provides solutions to revenge or wrongful convictions that are invisible to the human eye. It cannot deal with situations where multiple unfortunate people conspire to be treated unfairly. They have no consideration for "telling the truth," no obligation to sympathize with others, and no willingness to have a frank and honest conversation. They are people who have only been taught to protect their own rights.

https://note.com/img_num_ri/n/n3e796d81791b

Alternatively, if all the legal experts and jurors present harbor excessively negative feelings, the following tragedy could occur:

ーAs an aside, ②: Answers to anticipated counterarguments to this theoryー

This section was written while imagining what kind of counterarguments might be raised to my previous explanation about the problems that arise from engaging in "idol worship and prostitution." I deleted it because it was too long, but I left it here for now. You don't have to read it if you're not interested.

■Idolatry and prostitution exist in the West as well. So what?

Some might criticize, saying, "Wait a minute, even in the West, idolatry and prostitution haven't been eradicated," but even so, there's a need to maintain appearances.

(※Those who have failed to eradicate prostitution and idolatry may be exploiting those who have succeeded, creating a relationship like cancer and healthy cells. Perhaps the prolonged suffering in the West is precisely due to the presence of good people.)

(※However, considering that only 1% of Japan's population are Christian, this collapse is a striking example of modern times. Therefore, documenting this phenomenon as uniquely Japanese may help position it as a negative legacy of Japan, potentially avoiding further complications. The history of this era should be carefully recorded.)

(※I believe that some Western literature possesses the power to criticize this kind of economic superiority—what, in biblical terms, is "idolatry through the worship of money, idolatry through the worship of pleasure." And there may be excellent works among such literature. However, for better or worse, this complicates my explanation and leads to further confusion. In Japan, on the other hand, very few people can resist this, and the works of those who raised this issue have been buried.) Their influence is low due to the vast amount of entertainment available. And the degree of collapse is clear.

Even if it's merely a pretense, the cultural background and laws that affirm "that commandment is correct" are powerful. At the very least, the damage is mitigated because people who believe in the Bible will prevent it. Also, if there is a church, the likelihood of everyone cooperating increases. I am alone, so no one will cooperate.

As I write this, as you can see, no one is reading it. It is difficult to gather people to criticize the capitalists and mass media that do not report this kind of information, and I don't know what to do, so I am currently working to obtain legal qualifications. I can gather allies, but those who join me are usually people who want to publish a book or be introduced to idols. They are afraid of losing trust and a platform to speak, so they will not cooperate.

In a healthy state, cancer cells are broken down, and normal immune cells try to devour them. In the West, there is a system that eliminates selfish things and things that threaten to destroy the whole. This system is completely lacking in Japan. The Western system is not perfect, but people who believe in the Bible find peace of mind there. Japan has few such shelters, and many people believe that going there means becoming a loser, so they don't seek refuge. In reality, Japan is a legitimate winner globally, but not within Japan. Cancer cells develop in a healthy young body, but they are eliminated. The problem arises when cancer cells proliferate uncontrollably or develop into leukemia. In other words, the lack of the Bible increases the likelihood that these cancers will not be eliminated. It's like a city without police or vigilante groups. And when their numbers exceed a certain level, elimination becomes unavoidable. Otherwise, everything collapses, the entire city perishes, and the city itself is destroyed.

In the West, evil deeds are committed with a clear understanding of good and evil, but in Japan, people don't know good and evil. They don't understand what is right, or even why they are suffering, and as a result, they fall into a state of confusion.

Before trying to discipline oneself and fight the temptation to self-destruct mentally, it would be better to understand the causes of self-destruction in one's own country (and in fact a major problem for other countries as well).

It would be wise to understand the causes of one's own country's decline (which actually causes serious damage to other countries as well) and to take appropriate measures.

(As an aside, looking at South Korea about two years before 2023, there were many women with thick eyebrows and wearing bodycon dresses. This was reminiscent of Japan's bubble economy era. For Japanese people, it was a somewhat outdated style, reminiscent of Japan's Juliana's. Korean women without thick eyebrows looked beautiful and cool, but the bodycon dress style was similar and seemed influenced by Juliana's. However, Koreans probably mistakenly thought that all Japanese women were like Juliana's. This was only a small part of the attempt to portray "Japan's golden age" through Japanese films and gain respect from other countries, and not everyone looked like that.

While not all of Japan was like that, Koreans mistakenly thought that there were figures like the queens of car racing and Tokyo commercial dancers all over Japan. There were many more ordinary people in the provinces.)

Furthermore, Koreans may have mistakenly thought that Japan had many sophisticated, independent, sexually liberated career women who married wealthy men. Men of heavy industry.

...This is similar to what Japan once learned from America. In America, everyone wore proper suits, and women wore men's clothing.

That's why so many people still wear suits in Japan. However, the situation is different on the American mainland. The IT industry's billionaires wore simple, comfortable, stylish, and easy-to-move-in clothes.

Perhaps this was limited to certain cities.

Maybe South Korea has become like Paris without its countryside…

If so, I feel sorry for the people of South Korea. It means the entire country is overrun with con artists. The countryside where people are deceived is small, offering no escape, and this is contributing to the rapid decline in birth rates and the nation's decline.

On the other hand, Japan, with its long, narrow landmass, has plenty of countryside far from the cities, where people can safely return and start over after being hurt. However, as the countryside shrinks, people can't forget the city, and everyone becomes inclined to become a con artist. When they realize that the affluent lifestyle they thought they could have is right next door, they begin to feel inferior about their own lives.

In recent years, crimes similar to the serial murders that occurred in Japan have surged in China, and I sincerely sympathize with the people of East Asia. While it's not wise to imitate Japan, those who do aren't simply deceived into becoming criminals; they are con artists who profit from creating criminals. Even honest people unaware of the consequences end up committing crimes, just like the Japanese.

In reality, it's the deceived who commit the crimes. (Japanese people have a strong hero complex and a tendency to bully others and portray them as villains. Even in arrest dramas, they try to portray themselves as the bad guys and enjoy the praise they receive. There are people in China who do exactly the same thing. Considering that Japanese paparazzi and police officers trapped by this hero complex have yet to be caught, I understand the Chinese perspective.)

You might wonder, "Why imitate?" but the Japanese themselves have done similar things.

For example, some Japanese people who visited America in the past apparently believed that a particular music genre was globally popular. While that genre may represent only a small part of American culture, in Japan, the misconception that all Americans were obsessed with that music persisted long after its popularity waned. (Of course, there will be subjective differences of opinion regarding the scale of this genre, but it may not have been as mainstream as the market suggests. Or perhaps it was only popular with a small generation. After all, when I mentioned this song to Americans, I got responses like, "Huh? How do you know so much about it? Young people these days don't know it.")

Perhaps many famous figures throughout history—Americans, Britons, Spaniards, French, Romans, Egyptians, Sumerians, etc.—did similar things. And eventually, it reached Adam's ears.

Adam: "I was created in God's image, so I was a fun and interesting child. I would say funny things like God, and everyone would come to listen to me and imitate me. I was popular. But then my distant relatives, my younger siblings, started worshipping toys like gods. I thought it was funny and laughed, saying, 'What? You like toys that much? No, this is what's really important.' But they didn't understand. They were shocked and embarrassed that I laughed. They must have thought I was making fun of them. They were saddened and shocked. As a result, they hated me and tried to kill me. I'm sorry. I was exhausted and at my limit with raising children, so I left them with other children. After that, things got even worse."

Eve: "That's right. Even if two children are children of God and have the exact same nature, if they are far apart, they will be treated differently, and their personalities may be completely different. That's why I think God created physical distance on Earth. You don't know how much you should love each child, and if you love one, it's difficult to love them all. Even if they are different children, what if that child resembles the child I should love? Is it okay to be cold to a child who resembles me? What if that child suffers? It's a really difficult problem."

This is reminiscent of the prophecy Uranus made to Cronus, the god of agriculture and father of democratization: "You will be killed by your son."

We are faced with a choice: eat our own children, be killed by them, or suppress our own desires, rejoice in the growth of others, and raise and watch over the new, young, and impudent.

It was as if people were influenced by manga, drawn to the fashion, and swept up in the atmosphere, leading reckless lives. And this trend was spreading to the younger generation. He himself had long since abandoned his delinquent lifestyle, reformed, and become a salaryman. He had dyed his hair black to maintain his delinquent image, but had returned to his original black hair to look like a respectable office worker. However, upon returning home after a long absence, he was showered with exaggerated praise. "Senior! We truly respect you! Your post-war reconstruction is legendary!" His juniors, still deeply immersed in delinquent fashion after graduation, were doing far worse things than he had. While he himself had engaged in delinquent behavior for the sake of fashion, his juniors worshipped this lovable stranger who had saved them from bullying like a god, blindly believing in his ideology. They became even more radical, behaving like gang bosses.

Buddha: "Looking at my disciples left on earth, I thought, 'When should I tell them that this is outdated...?'"

Buddha: "In fact, I realized that true existence does not cease after death. Possibility exists because it exists. Therefore, existence is eternal. Even if you try to erase it, it will not disappear. The Creator illuminates our good parts, makes our ugly parts appear as if they never existed in the first place, corrects the parts that God did not want, nurtures them into something beautiful and wonderful, gives us work, and prepares us to cultivate self-love." And the Creator made them do so, saying, "This is why you were created." The Creator is the supreme being. Although he had lost his memory, Brahma was certainly the form of the Creator. And in fact, he resembled me very much. We are similar beings, like gods who have no memory."

Disciple: "Even so, that was revolutionary for its time." He remains a great philosopher. "If mistakes are considered sins, then I too will be judged. He possesses deeper thinking and insight than I do. When I ask him questions, he gives wise answers. I enjoyed listening to him so much that I ended up living with him."

Poor South Korea. I can only pray that China doesn't suffer the same fate.

In short, some people act with the mindset of, "That country is doing it, so I'll do it too," but we must not forget that even the countries we respect may only be imitating a very small number of outstanding individuals.

The outcome might have been different if unseen regions had played a crucial role.

For example, in regions with small land areas and close proximity to cities, a lack of rural areas capable of production and sufficient income generation can negatively impact neighboring countries. On the other hand, in Japan, with its vast landmass and long north-south stretch, events reported on television feel distant in rural areas.

As a result, some regions envy urban areas, while others don't feel that way at all. This is because people surrounded by poor people don't perceive poverty as an inconvenience.

In other words, some people live comfortable lives through dishonest means, while others live vibrant lives. They can maintain a certain distance, avoiding the nihilism of lonely labor. If everyone around us always lived comfortable lives, even we would lose our motivation to work.

Therefore, Japan's decline was gradual. Countries with limited land area and rapidly urbanizing face the risk of collapse in an instant. This can be attributed more to misfortune than to South Korea's foolishness.

However, I'm not saying Japan is lucky.

It's just that its decline is slower.

Tokyo attracts students from top universities.

While talented individuals are almost nonexistent in rural areas, all the talented and beautiful people are gathered in Tokyo.

Furthermore, like the gods of Greek mythology, humans more beautiful than goddesses are not easily deceived and possess the potential to take over companies, so they must be eliminated for the survival of affluent Tokyo. This is why some people choose suicide. Tokyo has a high youth suicide rate.

At first glance, it seems as though Hera and Venus are committing massacres, but in reality, it seems to be "citizens dependent on the city's economic power." Well, I'm not an expert, but Hera and Venus may also be committing massacres. Of course, there are probably many love affairs involved. But when I look at Tokyo, it seems quiet and timid, as if threatened. Rather, it's like a horde of ugly negatives rejected by Orpheus running rampant.

When I saw the statues of Hera, Venus, Athena, and Artemis in Tokyo, I imagined the crowds whispering to each other about the exaggerated, horrific treatment they had suffered, their overwhelming grief and anger, finally reaching their breaking point and hurling insults at the statues. Their words seemed like a shield for the people, a pretext for murdering these beautiful goddesses. Even if there was murderous intent, it seemed to stem from the malice of the masses.

This is precisely why the "ugly donut phenomenon" occurs in cities. While the term "donut phenomenon" originally refers to the uneven distribution of population, the "ugly donut phenomenon" refers to the phenomenon where less desirable people are left behind in the suburbs of urban areas, and extremely undesirable people gather there. Naturally, they are placed at a disadvantage and develop feelings of inferiority.

These areas are rife with swindlers and unscrupulous merchants. People see those living happily next door and wish they could be like them. Those who realize they can never compete with those blessed with beauty and talent, and therefore can never be happy, gradually eliminate those more beautiful, talented, and fortunate than themselves whenever they have the opportunity.

In urban areas, rivals possessing both intelligence and beauty are eliminated, and the surrounding areas gradually become filled with foolish and unattractive people, causing the city to stagnate. Those weary of avoiding conflict begin to marry naive country folk who are less easily deceived, or those inferior in intelligence and appearance.

Even if this is not the case, subordinates, exhausted by the internal conflicts of the city, may grow weary of their tyrannical ruler and install a more cunning and foolish child as their successor. Or, instead of replacing the successor, they may abuse and subjugate him, neutralizing his authority with fools, treating him like the son of Qin Shi Huang.

This is a typical kingdom story.

A tragedy reminiscent of Greek mythology.

While extremely rare, some are born into wealthy families and maintain their beauty and intelligence without ever leaving the city. Marrying a foreigner living in the countryside might even grant them an even more striking beauty, a rarity in Japan. Gods like Zeus and Cupid, disgusted by the corrupt and city-dependent urban environment, might attempt to establish a new ruler in this land.

In that case, they might even crush those content with city life.

It's no wonder the gods stopped the construction of the Tower of Babel. This is an event that is very likely to repeat itself throughout history. Fame and a stable life come with risks.

When you become wealthy, con artists flock to you. They can even profit by attacking people they dislike and causing them to retaliate and lose money. In Japan, this is called the "漁夫の利（gyofu no ri）"

Money attracts all kinds of con artists.

Also, there is so much information that it becomes difficult to distinguish between truth and lies.

The Tower of Babel is dangerous.

■You might say, "I understand what you're saying, but the entertainment industry has absolutely nothing to do with this, right?"

No, for example, the problem of young people and young women being drawn in by the proliferation of entertainment facilities in urban areas is already evident. I suspect someone smarter than me has already made this criticism. (According to an AI search, Jane Jacobs appears to be researching this issue.)

The problem is that ① while urban populations temporarily increase, leading to some positive economic effects, the soaring cost of living ultimately leads to ② a decline in birth rates and a state of exhaustion. This trend is particularly pronounced in Africa and the Middle East.

People in entertainment-related jobs thrive in metropolitan areas because they have easy work that allows them to spend time with their families, while rural areas become depopulated. Rural residents are exploited, and many beautiful women are taken to cities, where they engage in the sex industry and other forms of prostitution, inexplicably committing suicide or falling ill. Exhausted, they return to their hometowns, despising their homeland while yearning for city life, further accelerating the decline in birth rates. Small businesses and retail stores in rural areas would go bankrupt at this point without government support. Only businesses that receive regular orders from schools for photographs, sporting goods, stationery, etc., survive, but this gradually leads to a loss of regional identity, a loss of economic diversity, and homogenization.

③ Around the time my grandfather falls ill, people involved in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, as well as influential related companies, begin to disappear one after another. The price of domestically produced food gradually rises, or, as is often said in Japan, the supply gradually decreases at the same price. Those responsible for infrastructure development are also aging, and they begin to think, "I might be able to do it, but I don't want my son to do it." To use a literary analogy, it might be a situation like Balzac's "Father Goriot." Infrastructure and military power also decline, and at this point, the region may collapse.

By the time this situation becomes a reality, rural areas will already be exhausted, and children of parents from the entertainment industry who have neither land nor know-how will try to do the same work as their parents. As a result, they will end up hiring foreign workers. Or… looking at history, for example, in ancient Greece, discriminatory classes were created with phrases like, "We are descendants of Helen, but you are not," slavery was established, and discrimination occurred between those with and without citizenship. Because they have ample time and energy, they can dedicate time to relationships and raising children, and because they are financially secure, they have more opportunities to pursue higher education. In Japan, the idea of ​​"prioritizing Tokyoites" was advocated, but it did not last long.

And then, almost any policy leads to a "shortage of slaves and labor." Labor itself exists, but it is difficult to secure "low-wage labor." ④As a result, the demand for slaves increases. In reality, everyone wants to do creative work in the safety of the city. Even if their dreams are shattered, they continue to lament that the city was once a wonderful place, but that there is no one who understands civilization, culture, and art, which lowers the morale of those around them. All that can be done is let him paint and wait for him to die young. Historically, this often leads to plunder, colonization, war, and discrimination, ⑤which become the source of new conflicts.

That's strange, I feel like I've written something similar before.

■Entertainment, naked goddess, voice actor, dancer

In Japan, there seems to be a superstition that building giant Buddha statues or giant Gundam models will bring about famine.

Considering the current situation where people are building things that don't produce food instead of doing what they should be doing, this superstition is understandable. I don't know much about Gundam, but in the case of Buddha statues, the casting process uses a large amount of wood and includes manufacturing processes that contribute to acid rain, so it's highly likely that it worsened the already serious famine.

Deforestation also increases the risk of floods. It may be a coincidence, but given the recent floods in Japan, it seems that infrastructure deterioration is also progressing.

Incidentally, in ancient Greece, many citizens wanted to build temples with numerous nude goddess statues, and politicians who tried to stop them were banished. Not only that, they were mocked by playwrights, given evil wives by those who had many goddesses and beauties as their companions, and when they tried to get involved in military affairs, they were told, "Are you a Spartan? Go to the front lines!" (※This is very similar to the Japanese expression "Then go to the battlefield!", giving me a strong sense of déjà vu). Furthermore, many extremely famous philosophers are unjustly murdered. Otherwise, with a bit of luck, one might become Alexander the Great's tutor…

It's less of a counter-argument now, and more of a feeling that anything I say on this issue might be meaningless, given that so many people far wiser and more capable than me have died telling the truth.

Above all, creating idols is fun.

It's fun to draw girls, using goddess-like beauties and voice actresses as models. Perhaps it's because these goddess-like models undress that people want to create fountains and public baths. That's probably why erotic games employ so many female voice actresses. I can imagine a portly ringmaster appraising Edgar Degas's ballerinas amidst a multitude of dancers.

I also enjoyed drawing, so I was fortunate enough to be called in. However, girls who were better at drawing than me and less attractive weren't hired, and I was left behind. Well, there were probably family reasons, but after breaking up with a certain man, she joined another social game company in Tokyo and spread rumors about me. Then, for some reason, I was fired, and at the time, I didn't understand why she was badmouthing me. Years later, I finally realized the truth, but I don't remember anyone's name, so I don't know who to sue, and of course, I have no evidence.

Moreover, the enjoyable works they produce never earn me any credit; I'm merely their assistant, while they desperately try to earn our respect. Everyone praises even writers they dislike, fearing they'll lose their jobs if they resist even a little. I've just been complaining, so I'll stop here.

Addendum: The following may also be helpful regarding what people ultimately want to spend their money on. This argues that the current state of Japanese capitalism is partly a remnant of the military regime era. The book "Economics is Driven by Emotion" became a bestseller and was translated and published in Japan. Understanding what motivates us in the first place helps us understand why people spend money on entertainment.

https://note.com/img_num_ri/n/nce2753b5c9d3

https://note.com/monomonononnon/n/nce2753b5c9d3

■bonus■

This is half-price justice that was left unsold at the supermarket. I actually wrote this for the title of another note titled "What is Justice?", but I was writing this article at the time and didn't have a good picture, so I used this instead.

The meaning of this painting is…

As a premise, in Japan, it's common practice for supermarkets to put half-price stickers on unsold items. This is because it's better than letting food expire and being thrown away.

Therefore, some women in their 30s looking for a marriage partner put half-price stickers on their bodies as a self-deprecating expression of being "leftover." Truly unpopular women don't even enter the marriage market in the first place. This is because they have no interest in arranged marriages. In a sense, they could be considered popular. That is, it's not that they can't find a marriage partner; in many cases, they simply haven't met someone they can truly love. They are disillusioned by the persistent advances of boring men who are only interested in sex and incapable of meaningful conversation, and they feel sadness at the reality that forces them to compromise.

Therefore, I attempted to feminize justice and represent it as a figure putting half-price stickers on products. However, during the production process, I intentionally changed it to the image of justice depicted on supermarket packaging.

This represents the reality in Japan where many people are supported by justice, yet don't love it. However, without justice, a nation would perish. This is because justice is, in reality, similar to "the best course of action to avoid losing one's life." Generally, people must live to achieve some purpose. And in any situation, the best course of action usually leads to survival. From a Christian perspective, justice could be described as "the best solution to avoid losing eternal life."

Justice is a means to an end, and is certainly useful. However, true justice is broad and easily misunderstood and abused before it is fully understood. Justice can be misused and used as a weapon. There are also imitations of justice, and sometimes these imitations seem more convenient.

This painting symbolically depicts the cruel act of a man who temporarily marries a woman embodying justice, steals her property, and abandons her in her old age. This painting was animated using Glock's image generation system.

"Hmm, I might buy it if it were half price, but I don't really need it, and it seems a bit heavy..." (In Japan, serious and emotionally expressive women are sometimes described as "heavy," and there is a tendency to prefer cheerful women who don't get angry even when promises are broken. While shy women were once preferred, they often received sympathy and support from men around them, so in urban areas, sociable women who actively initiate sexual activity are gaining popularity.)
This is very similar to a situation where wisdom is given in exchange for the promise of "justice," but that trust is betrayed, and the wisdom given for the sake of justice is misused. It's somewhat understandable why God would call this adultery.

This situation seems similar to the Japanese tendency to reject Christian values ​​such as science, sociology, law, and even productive activities and public safety.

Science is a dangerous force, and Japan, South Korea, and China, which use it against justice, are unstable countries. Furthermore, despite clear support from Christian nations like the United States, many in Japan still speak ill of countries like the US. Some criticize Americans who don't believe in evolution as anachronistic and try to portray a lack of faith in God as a defining characteristic of Japanese identity. Some even expose astonishing ignorance and claim it's an advantage. Ultimately, they claim Japanese tolerance and forgiveness are based on the Bible, arguing that superior sociology, economic systems, and science could not exist without it.

Or, it might simply be a matter of rude behavior by some individuals. I'm not an expert on America, so I can't say for sure. Furthermore, many Japanese people refuse to admit their mistakes and always blame others.

For example, imagine a woman who vowed to uphold justice marrying justice itself. Her beauty is further enhanced by her sense of justice, making her even more popular.

In Japanese Shinto, the sun goddess Amaterasu and the Japanese goddess Izanami are believed to have originally been male deities. Izanami and Izanagi are husband and wife. The Japanese words for "wave（日本語：波：NAMI）" and "calm（日本語：凪：NAGI）" have a convex-convex relationship; "wave（NAMI）" generally represents a convex surface, while "calm（NAGI）" represents a concave surface.

Like Heliogabalus, they may have wished to become women. Or, like Heliogabalus, they may have behaved like women due to their mother's will or some other force.

They may have believed that one day Izanagi and his people would love and cherish justice of their own free will. They must have wished to be girls supported by a people who spontaneously loved justice. In other words, complete democracy. And once again, they were betrayed.

In reality, justice may be a goddess to the Heavenly Father.

However, for humans, justice is generally symbolized by a male deity. Justice takes precedence over humanity; therefore, to survive, humans are better off becoming servants, slaves, or, in a sense, women. In the heavens, women represent slaves, obedience, and followers.

Hera mocked Apollo's feminine form and Artemis's masculine form. This is a matter of the soul rather than outward appearance.

Apollo, in order to obey the people, refrains from uttering rude words like a servant, and hides his true feelings like a woman whose soul conceals her heart. Artemis, in order to protect the ruler's justice, interprets justice flexibly, and in that sense becomes almost indistinguishable from justice itself. And she embodies justice for the people by giving them oracles.

However, the result is betrayal by husband or wife. In other words, to the gods, it is a betrayal of democracy. Justice initially appears as a beautiful, feminine grace, but as it grows and is deeply contemplated, it transforms into a masculine horn that men cannot love.

Male desires inevitably clash with action. They are not women, so they cannot accept this. Forcing it upon them would only defile them.

No, ultimately, they are fundamentally women. There can also be situations where "democracy" is masculine, where all citizens are autonomous, and those in power follow suit.
However, in most cases, people betray that trust.

God: "Sometimes, Japanese people ask me, 'Why don't Christian gods have a goddess?' You seem more interested in being loved by God than in loving God. You don't seem very interested in goddesses. If I weren't a man, you would all be dead. So, as an experiment, I will give you my daughter, a goddess. She will appear on Earth. Now, try to love her. Well, it's probably impossible."

Daughter: "I can become anything you wish. First, you want me to erase your ugliness, right? But you don't want an education, you don't want to change, and you don't want to know the truth. So, the solution is..."

Daughter: "I'm foolish and can only do the bare minimum, so I can't see things clearly. I can't see what's deep in your heart."

Daughter: "Um, my job was to 'just be with me and cook,' right? I understand, master."

Daughter: "So, what do we do now? What? You want to break up?" That's impossible. It would break our initial promise. We're together forever."

Daughter: "What? At first you said you wanted me to be beautiful, and now you want me to be ugly? Why? Do you want me to be a stupid, crybaby, embarrassing woman like you, someone everyone hates?"

Daughter: "You said you wanted me to be a beautiful woman you could be proud of, but those two wishes are contradictory. But there's only one way to improve the situation."

God: "Even granting wishes is difficult for humans."

God: "Listen to me and grow up before you get involved with her." "She looks like a pathetic woman." "She looks like a betrayed woman."

Me: "I once read a marketing book called 'Customers Sometimes Lie,' and it reminds me of the story about how McDonald's had a lot of requests for more vegetables in their sandwiches, but they didn't sell at all."