Never Say Neba-Neba Again!
I find the existence of stickiness bothersome.
Please don't misunderstand.
I like natto.
Incidentally, I'm also fine with okra and grated yam.
Whether it's mekabu, mozuku, wakame, or kombu,
I eat them happily.
Though I don't really like touching the stickiness of duct tape because it makes my hands rough.
So, which stickiness do I dislike?
It is
things like "must"door "must"try hard.
It is the stickiness of fixed ideas.
This is what I threw into the gutter first when I decided to go as a JICA Senior Volunteer. I decided to discard these sticky fixed ideas because I thought it would be difficult to adapt flexibly at my post if I held onto them.
Do you mean you don't think you have to try hard at all!
I might get scolded from all sides for saying that, but
actually, I tried very hard.
I just tried hard because I wanted to.
I don't think I have to try hard.
Does the fixed idea of "must do"
really make people happy?
If you have a strong fixed idea of "must do" or "must try hard,"
doesn't that lead to self-denial, thinking you aren't trying hard enough or haven't accomplished something?
For example, isn't Shohei Ohtani shining so brightly because it's clear he plays baseball because he truly wants to?
I don't think you can perform brilliantly if you're only doing something because you feel you have to, even though you don't really want to.
"Must do," really?
Before COVID, there were quite a few people who believed they had to come to work even when they were clearly feeling unwell and coughing.
They were just walking sources of infection and a nuisance.
There is no end to people who push themselves and ruin their physical and mental health
because they think they "must try hard."
That effort harms their own health,
and it doesn't really help anyone else either.
It is a wonderful trait of Japanese people to work hard and be serious.
But excessive obsession with "musts" lowers happiness and strengthens self-denial.
Discard the stickiness,
and it is happier to do things because you want to.
So, why don't we try not to say "must" anymore?
Never Say Neba-Neba Again!