Look Far, Not Near: From Alain's 'On Happiness' to The Pillow Book
When star specialist Akimasa Nakamura asked me,
“Would you like to talk on a podcast?”
I immediately accepted.
When I asked him what he might talk about for the recording,
this is the reply I received.
I would like to talk about Venus.
It is currently at its best as the evening star,
and in June, Jupiter will also be nearby, making it an even more eye-catching sight.
Topics might include the fact that it is the brightest star, whether 'ichiban-boshi' (first star) is another name for Venus,
mentions in The Pillow Book, and the periodicity of how it is seen from Earth.
I would also like to introduce a little about the environment of Venus itself, if possible.
It is related to global warming,
and it also reminds me of Rocky's home planet from the popular book 'Project Hail Mary'.
Reading this email, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to the far reaches of the sky.
In The Pillow Book, there is a passage:
Stars: the Pleiades, the Altair, the evening star, shooting stars are all quite charming.
The 'evening star' mentioned here is generally considered to be the evening star, Venus.
Sei Shonagon, over a thousand years ago, must have also looked up at the night sky
and thought this star was beautiful.
And then, I remembered the words from Alain's 'On Happiness'.
The human eye is not made to keep looking at things nearby.
Our eyes are healed only by wide-open spaces.
When gazing at the stars or the horizon, the eyes are completely at rest.
Do not think about yourself. Look far away.
Looking far away.
Looking at the stars.
Perhaps we, in our busy modern lives,
have forgotten what people in the past knew as a matter of course.
I have always loved the starry sky,
but this podcast has led me to look up at the night sky more than before.
I sometimes receive messages from listeners saying,
“I've started looking at the night sky recently.”
Instead of only thinking about yourself or your immediate surroundings, look up at the night sky from time to time.
Just doing that feels like it gives your heart and eyes a little rest.
And perhaps 'looking far away' is not just about the eyes.
Directing your heart toward the distance.
If you do that, I feel you will be less likely
to remain trapped by the small thorns of daily life.
In last night's recording, there were many things I learned for the first time.
Even if you don't know them, it won't cause any trouble in your daily life.
However, when you learn about the night sky and the universe,
I feel like a slightly richer place is created within your heart.
Mr. Nakamura's talk expands from science to literature,
and then to our daily lives.
This time, too, was such a rich experience.
If possible, I would like you all to listen to it over the weekend.