[August 15] "Does the future you hoped for still remain?" A young person's murmur and our "peace" without answers
August 15. It is a day that marks the 81st year since the end of the war.
Amidst the news flying around in our daily lives, the conflicts between people flowing through social media, and the clashing of different justices, I encountered one poem that suddenly pierced my heart in this modern society where it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand "what is right and what is wrong."
It is a piece that depicts the inner conflict of "a certain young person" living in the present day.
The figure of a young person who is scolded for saying anything with "you don't know anything," and who becomes unable to even voice their own honest feelings.
Today, I would like to first share this poem with you just as it is. Please, take a moment to stop and listen closely to these words.
1. [Poem] The story of a young person who stopped weaving words
There was a young person who was ignorant and lacked significant experience
That young person threw out a question
"It's peaceful now, isn't it"
They were scolded by many for saying such things when they knew nothing
The young person murmured
"Is that the reason I can't say this is peace?"
The young person said
"It's warm to have a family"
looking into their own child's eyes
"I hated the chains called bonds"
they were told while someone who works to protect children abandoned by their parents cried
The warmth of their own words from just a moment ago cooled
Even so, the young person held their child's hand
The young person was moved watching the Japanese national team singing the national anthem while trembling
The opposing country had even more intensity
They wondered about the country that argued over how to sing the national anthem
They were looked at with pitiful eyes
as if to say, you don't know anything
They started to say, "No one taught me," but stopped
Because surely that person doesn't know either
The young person saw the Self-Defense Forces working hard in the disaster area
and their heart was stirred
Learning that those Self-Defense Force members were eating old, old, old rice
they thought they were selfish
They learned that there are people in the world who
throw stones at the activities of the Self-Defense Forces
They started to say, "They are the people protecting your safety," but stopped
Because they saw an old man being yelled at
for being a militarist for saying that
The people are more important than the state
The young person thought so too
Because they were afraid to hear that freedom would be lost
The teacher said that because we are in Japan, we can express opinions about "freedom"
It seems it is one house called Japan
"It is the duty of those who live there to support the house, right?"
said an old man in a pompous suit
The young person started to say that even among those who live there,
there are people who cannot support it even if they try,
but stopped
Because they thought they would be scolded
for asserting selfish-sounding rights when they know nothing
The young person was afraid to tell someone they liked them
Because there are many kinds of likes,
and they saw on the news that it would be a big deal
if the like I think of
and the like the other person thinks of
were slightly off
To convey that they like someone,
they watch the other person's face carefully,
and after confirming with the other person,
"Can I say I like you?"
they say "I like you"
They thought it was a spoiler,
but maybe they have no choice but to give up,
thinking there are all kinds of people in the world
Today, August 15,
thinking of that day 81 years ago,
they offered a prayer of gratitude
They were given a look of amazement,
saying that such a day is just an ordinary day,
and that it is troublesome that there are more young people who know nothing
If they had said it would end sooner,
this and that wouldn't have happened,
they said that they only thought of themselves
and dragged it out this long
They started to say, "Wasn't there a reason you couldn't decide easily?"
but stopped
Because they thought they would be told
that they know nothing
The young person looked up at the sky
But they stopped immediately
The words they intended to ask the ancestors,
they swallowed hard...
"Does the future you hoped for still remain?"
Because it looks like they are lamenting the current world
The young person is ignorant and lacks significant experience
That is why if they listen to stories, their thoughts waver
If they learn something new, their thoughts waver
In order for everyone to live happily?
The answer to that big question
is in a high place,
but they learned that to go there,
they would have to pass over many people
As much as everyone's happiness,
there is someone's sadness,
and because there is someone's suffering,
someone else's smile is born
Because the young person is receiving life,
isn't that the same for you?
they started to say, but stopped
Something hazy
has been living in their head the whole time
To be for everyone's sake
means it will not be for everyone's sake
The young person stopped weaving words
murmuring, "This is fine, right?"...
2. "I started to say it, but stopped"—The true nature of what we are being deprived of
After reading, I suspect many of you felt a tightening in your chest, or perhaps a sense that makes you want to sigh deeply. There is a phrase that is repeated many times in this poem.
"I started to say it, but stopped"
Honest emotion, simple questions, feelings of consideration for others, honest gratitude or questions toward history and the nation. Every time one tries to have some kind of opinion, adults, society, and social media mercilessly declare the following.
"You don't know anything"
"You are selfish"
"That is inappropriate"
"You are a militarist"
"It is troublesome that there are more young people who don't know history"
Whether I look to the right or the left, someone's "supposedly correct justice" is sharp and pointed, and if you make a statement that deviates even slightly from it, stones are thrown all at once. The suffocating feeling that even to say "I like you," one must watch the other person's face and confirm, "May I say I like you?"
As a result, what happened to the young person?
They "stopped weaving words."
Murmuring as if they had given up, "This is fine, right?"
As an educator who interacts with children and young people every day, this conclusion was too painful, and I felt full of regret as an adult. Even though society has become "free" and anyone can speak on social media, aren't we, conversely, losing the "freedom to honestly voice our own words"?
3. The "sadness of someone" behind "someone's happiness" and the question to our ancestors
In the latter half of the poem, the young person notices the cruel structure of society.
In order for everyone to live happily?
The answer to that big question is in a high place,
but they learned that to go there, they would have to pass over many people.
As much as everyone's happiness, there is someone's sadness,
and because there is someone's suffering, someone else's smile is born.
The fact that we are eating delicious food in a cool room today, laughing with our families, and living safely. Behind that, there is the sacrifice of our ancestors who once risked their lives to protect this country, the dedication of the Self-Defense Force members who sweat in harsh environments, or the existence of the sacrifice and suffering of someone unknown.
"Living by receiving life" does not just mean eating meat or fish. It is the fact that our "daily lives" are built upon the hardships and past sacrifices of others.
That is precisely why the young person looked up at the sky and tried to ask the spirits of the war dead and our predecessors.
"Does the future you hoped for still remain?"
However, the young person swallowed even that question. This is because when looking at the world today, seeing people insulting each other, dividing, and laughing at or criticizing past history, it did not look like a state where one could proudly say, "Thanks to you, we have a happy future!"
Was the "future image of Japan" envisioned by our predecessors who lost their lives truly the state we are in today?
Conclusion: Continuing to weave words while holding onto uncertainty
"Something that is for everyone means it is not for anyone."
This phrase, which the young person finally arrived at, strikes at the absolute contradiction of human society.
Perhaps a "perfect answer" that everyone is 100% satisfied with does not exist in this world.
However, as an elementary school teacher and as a father, I want to think this way.
"It is okay to be uncertain precisely because you do not know anything. It is okay to feel conflicted."
The honest heart of a young person without knowledge or experience who purely feels, "The world is peaceful now, isn't it?" or "Family is warm."
That in itself is never a mistake, nor is it something to be ashamed of.
Is the role of an adult not to crush those simple emotions by calling them "ignorant," but rather to gently add words, saying, "It is wonderful that you felt that way. But you know, there is also this history and these aspects to the world"?
To the young person who has stopped weaving words.
And to you, who hold onto uncertainty regarding daily news and human relationships and have closed your mouth.
You do not need to know the answer. It is okay if your thoughts waver. Even if you swallowed your words once for fear of being scolded by someone, please, I beg you, do not give up on "thinking" and "having kindness."
Today, August 15th. While I offer prayers of gratitude to the predecessors who once supported this country, I would like to quietly vow to create a society where the children who will live in the future can "express their thoughts honestly in their own words."
So that we may come even a little closer to the "future you hoped for."
While holding the question without an answer in my heart, I will continue to weave words together with the children from here on.
