The Optimistic Way

I would like to start with some small talk. When people eat a meal, some start with the things they like best while others start with the things they like least. Which category do you fall under? Those who start with the things they like best eventually find themselves left with only things they dislike whereas those who start with the things they like least can look forward to their favorite at the end. This is one way of thinking about it. Alternatively it could be said that those who start with their favorite food will be able to choose the things they like best all the way to the end of the meal whereas those who start with their least favorite will spend the whole meal choosing the things that they do not like. In this case, it could be argued that it is the latter group who are to be pitied. Of course, it is not really important which group you belong to, all that matters is that you be able to enjoy and appreciate your meals.

The same philosophy can be applied to life. Every one of us will die eventually, but nobody is capable of knowing just when or how this will happen and the way we spend every minute, every hour of our lives can be said to be similar to the way in which we eat.

It is important that we offer thanks for the food we are given and try to obtain as much enjoyment from it as we can. If we do nothing but complain, then the meal will be ruined. I call this philosophy "The Optimistic Way", it does not mean simply to live for the pleasure of the moment or to become an escapist, it must always be backed by a feeling of gratitude.

Religions exist to make that "final day", that time which nobody can foretell, more bearable. Religious leaders created concepts such as "going to heaven", "nirvana", "akasha" (vanity), "unification with the creator" or "reincarnation" to try and create an image and logic that would make it easier for people to meet their end. Today the world is overflowing with a plethora of religions and I think the reason for this is that the majority of people have lost sight of the logic that would allow them to enjoy the ultimate optimism.

We cannot relive our lives any more than a person can follow two paths. We have to select the path we wish to take from among the multitude of choices that are offered, life is like a lottery and the person you are today is the result of innumerable choices you have made in the past. It is pointless to regret any bad choices you may have made, rather you should always be ready to make the best possible choice next time. No matter how unbearable circumstances may become, if you retain your reason and think this way, you should be able to overcome any adversity.

The Japan Railways group publish a business magazine that is available for the passengers on the Shinkansen super express trains to read. The articles in the initial editions were very optimistic, they were fun to read and added to the enjoyment of the trip. Recently, however, the headlines are all pessimistic and their aim appears to be to create unease in the reader. I no longer even bother to look through them and would be very grateful if the editorial staff would desist from adding to the unhappiness in the world in this way.

The same can be said of the evening news shows on the television. To listen to the frowning newscasters, one would be forgiven for thinking that everything in the world was changing for the worse. They seem to be laboring under the delusion that the role of the news organizations is to make the public worry. If everything they said was true, both the Japanese economy and world peace would have been doomed long ago. While it is true that one of the functions of the mass media is to give warning when a crisis looms, if that is the limit of its abilities then it is no better than an alarm bell, its noisy clamor merely adding to the general panic. In addition to raising the alarm, the media also has a duty to enlighten and lead public opinion. I need hardly point out that its role is not to spread propaganda and frighten the populace as it did during the war under government control.

I once heard that pessimistic opinions will make money whereas an optimistic ones will not. This can be seen from the recent fuss that was made over the Nostradamus prophecies or the Y2K problem. If it is announced that a typhoon is approaching, that there is going to be some kind of natural disaster, that airplanes are about to fall out of the sky, then everybody will rush to discover further details, however, if the news merely states that after the typhoon has passed, the weather will improve, nobody will show any interest.

Today the world is full of pessimism but this is merely because certain people hope to make money by spreading depressing news. I want people to live their lives in an "optimistic way". If you raise your eyes, you will see the sun, if you lower them you may find some money. Troubled or worried expressions belong to the devil.

Translated by Gavin Frew