Thinking Journal #190 Habit Edition (118) - Be a Little Edgy

Hello.
Today's theme is "Be a little edgy."

Japanese people are expected to be equal in everything. Education itself is designed that way, and as a result, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. It has become a society that omits those who stand out due to peer pressure, and the examples of Horiemon and investor Mr. Murakami are the prime examples of this. That cultural difference is a major factor in the difference in creativity between Japan and the U.S.

In Japan, people who are edgy are often looked at with cold eyes. This is true for students who wear recruitment suits to job interviews.

Who decided that you have to come in a suit? Nowadays, the number of salarymen wearing suits and ties has decreased significantly. Yet, I think it's ridiculous that suits and ties are still mandatory for job interviews.

It's not that decisions are made based on impressions, but if the criteria for judgment are still based on cooperativeness or responding obediently rather than ability, the future of Japanese companies is bleak.In these days of labor shortages, we should judge based on "what you can do" from now on, and it can be said that the era of judging by appearance or personality is over.

Thinking about how to spend time without stress in such a peer-pressured society from now on,it is hoped that a society will arrive where we can break down the consciousness of equality with a slightly edgy personality and live as we honestly want to live.

It might be difficult at first, but it is also important to gradually get used to it and have those around you understand that it is okay for your actions to be different from others.

For example, drinking parties... Do not attend unproductive drinking parties or those filled with complaints and small talk. Consider it a waste of money, and instead, use that money for self-improvement. Growth over small talk and complaints. However, just saying you hate drinking and going home to play games is not enough. To be edgy, think of alternative means. Saving money with the sole aim of FIRE is also edgy in its own way.

Think for yourself... Companies that operate top-down strip away your ability to think for yourself. Give up on such companies.Think for yourself, and think of ways to get your own plans approved or to realize your challenges. The habit of thinking for yourself will definitely be useful in the future and will lead to building resistance against getting caught up in strange things like scams.

Always do things differently from others...If it doesn't have a major impact, don't hang out with others and handle everything on your own.If you fail, only you will be in trouble, and if you involve someone else and fail, it will crack your relationship. It's okay to be different from others, so try doing something different.

Try your hand at niche things...There are niche hobbies, so try making something that people don't usually do your hobby.Super minor insects, focusing on asteroids for space celestial bodies, being a river meander fetishist, or mastering lettuce.

I have an acquaintance who is a grave fetishist and makes visiting the graves of famous people and great figures a hobby, which is a niche hobby. Also, there is a bus stop fetishist who takes pictures of bus stops with rare names and collects them.

It's extremely maniacal, but it's a representative example of being a little edgy. If you try your hand at things that people don't do, you can achieve psychological differentiation.

As you continue to take edgy actions, you will follow your own path regardless of what others say or think, so you will develop a strong heart that does not succumb to peer pressure.If you don't care about others, you are free, and it is mentally easier. If ways of living like Horiemon's or Hiroyuki's become models,I think the world will become more interesting if more and more people do what they want to do, even if it means being edgy.

Thank you for reading until the end today.