The Love of 100,000 People Flowing Through Your Life
~The epic story that emerges when you trace your ancestors~
How many ancestors are supporting you?
Have you ever suddenly wondered about this?
Where did my existence come from?
From whom exactly was this life inherited?
Today, please let me share a very important story with you.
It is about the true meaning
of the fact that you exist here.
Let's do a little math. A surprising number will emerge.
The number of lives that increases the further back you go
You have a father and a mother.Two people, right?
Those parents also each had parents. There arefourgrandparents.
Furthermore, their parents, your great-grandparents, areeight.
In this way, for every generation you go back, the number of ancestors doubles,
doubling again and again.
So, what happens if you go back 10 generations?
10 generations ago (about 250-300 years ago, mid-Edo period)
you have1,024, in other wordsabout 1,000ancestors.
13 generations ago (about 325-390 years ago, early Edo period) 8,192,
about10,000ancestors.
17 generations ago (about 425-510 years ago, Sengoku period to Azuchi-Momoyama period)
there are a staggering131,072, about100,000ancestors.
100,000 people.
Can you imagine it? The weight of this number.
If even one of them had been missing, you would not exist
What this calculation shows is not merely a number.
Think about yourself.
Going back just 10 generations, about 300 years,
you have over 1,000 ancestors.
The lives of 1,000 people who lived during the Edo period are connected to your single life.
The lives of 1,000 people who lived in the Edo period are connected to your single life.
Going back another 13 generations, about 400 years, 10,000 ancestors.
The love, courage, and hope of 10,000 people who survived the warring states period flow through your blood.
And 17 generations, about 500 years ago.
There, 100,000 ancestors exist.
100,000 people.
Think about it carefully. If even
one single person among these 100,000 had been missing, you would not exist today.
It is precisely because all 100,000 of them lived desperately and passed on their lives that you are here now.
It is precisely because all 100,000 of them lived desperately and passed on their lives that you are here now.
This is not just a numerical calculation.
It is the undeniable truth that your very existence is a crystallization of the love of tens of thousands of lives.
It is the undeniable truth that your very existence is a crystallization of the love of tens of thousands of lives.
The miracle that is you, woven by 100,000 dramas
Each one of these 100,000 people had a life.
Those who desperately survived the warring world. Those who endured famine and
yet did not abandon hope.
Those who fought illness and risked their lives to give birth to and raise children.
Those who did not even care for their own lives to protect their loved ones.
They must have had joy, too.
The indescribable happiness of holding their own child for the first time.
The heartfelt peace of seeing the smile of a loved one.
The gratitude to God when receiving a bountiful harvest.
And they must have had suffering, too. The sorrow of losing someone precious.
The anxiety of worrying about tomorrow's food. The fear felt amidst the flames of war.
Even so, they survived. They passed on their lives.
Why do you think that is?
It is because they had hope for the future.
It is because they believed that their own lives would connect to someone's future.
And among that "someone," you are there.
100,000 people's worth of love, 100,000 people's worth of tears, 100,000 people's worth of smiles,
100,000 people's worth of prayers.
All of them are poured into your existence.
The life you have here and now is a crystal spun from a magnificent story of love,
and it is a moving drama.
Protected by the invisible 'okagesama'
In Japan, there is a beautiful word called 'okagesama'.
This 'kage' (shadow) carries the meaning of places unseen or beyond reach.
Even if we are not usually conscious of them,
there are always people and things supporting us.
The greatest of these is the grace of our ancestors.
Please think about your body.
Even at this very moment, your heart continues to beat without rest.
Without you even being aware of it, it breathes, circulates your blood,
and continues to protect your life.
This body, too, is actually an irreplaceable gift inherited from 100,000 ancestors.
A body resistant to illness, beautiful eyes, dexterous hands, a kind heart. All of these
are engraved in the DNA you inherited from your ancestors.
You were not born alone.
Though invisible to the eye, you are supported by countless 'okagesama',
and are kept alive here right now.
That you can wake up in the morning is thanks to okagesama.
That you can greet this day is thanks to okagesama. That you can breathe,
and that your heart is beating, is thanks to okagesama.
And because 100,000 ancestors passed down their lives,
you are here now. This, too, is thanks to okagesama.
Gratitude brings you peace
When you realize this again, something mysterious happens.
Your heart suddenly feels lighter.
In the busyness of our daily lives, we tend to forget gratitude.
Things we take for granted stop being taken for granted,
and our hearts become dominated by dissatisfaction and anxiety.
But please, stop and think about it.
That you can breathe right now. That you can walk.
That you can think. That you can feel.
All of these are miracles that 100,000 ancestors protected with their lives
and passed down to you.
Your very existence is a crystal of the love of 100,000 people.
Just by remembering this,
won't you be able to return to a calm self that can be grateful for many things?
The self that was angry at small things right in front of you.
The self that felt down comparing yourself to others. The self that worried about the future and
could not enjoy the present.
That self will change little by little.
“Let’s be grateful that we can live today too.”
“Let’s cherish this body.”
“Let’s be kind to the people we meet.”
In that way, your heart will naturally become calm.
Accepting this precious life with gratitude,
what do your 100,000 ancestors wish for you?
They would surely say this.
It is not that they “want you to become a great person,”
nor that they “want you to achieve great success.”
They simply want you to “live happily.”
“We want you to cherish the life we desperately passed down.”
“We want you to fully savor this beautiful world.”
You laughing. You loving someone.
You living each day with care.
That is the greatest way to repay your 100,000 ancestors.
Let us accept this precious life with gratitude and live it to the fullest.
It does not have to be perfect. It is okay to fail. It is okay to be slow.
Just live today, savoring it from the heart.
By doing just that, you are connecting the hope of 100,000 people to the future.
Finally
Behind you, 100,000 ancestors are standing.
Everyone is watching over you with a gentle smile.
"You are doing your best," "It will be alright," "Thank you for being here."
Yes, that is what they are saying to you.
So, please.
Take good care of yourself.
Love your own life.
And sometimes, please remember.
You are never alone.
Remember that you are alive here now, wrapped in the love of 100,000 people.
With gratitude for the invisible blessings that support you.
May your life be filled with love and joy.