A Must-Read for Modern People: 'How to Spend Savings You Don't Have' / How to Do △△ Without Doing ○○ Part 2

Contradiction is a word that exists.

It is a proverb describing a logical failure, originating from a story about a merchant who sold both a 'spear that can pierce any shield' and a 'shield that can deflect any spear,' only to be flustered when someone asked what would happen if he used that spear against that shield.

We might think he is a foolish merchant, but there are many people who engage in such contradictory behavior.

For example...
・Saying they are busy while constantly smoking.
・Saying they have no money while finding time to go to the pachinko parlor.
・Saying they need to study for a test while going to sleep.

Most of these people are likely aware that they are acting contradictorily. Yet, they cannot stop. Humans are creatures who know better but cannot act logically.

Now, 'Doraemon' features many stories that break through such seemingly contradictory statements. I would like to introduce a series of such works under the title 'How to Do △△ Without Doing ○○'.

First, in the previous article, I covered a story about creating a so-called trick photo, 'Taking commemorative photos of a trip abroad without going abroad'.

As you will understand if you read the article, the secret gadget that appears here, the 'Instant Travel Camera', is something that has become a reality in the Reiwa era.

We live in an age where you can actually take commemorative photos without going on an overseas trip with just a smartphone. In other words, the contradiction presented in this work has already been resolved.

Continuing on, the work I will cover in this article, 'How to Spend Savings You Don't Have', is another story that has become a reality. We live in a world where it is possible to spend money even if your savings are zero.

However, in this work, as a result of engaging in a contradictory act (i.e., spending savings you don't have), the character suffers a terrible backlash. This should be taken as a lesson even in the real world.

This work is a very cynical story that satirizes the current world where contradictory behavior is rampant.

The original title of this work was 'The Way of Life for Modern People'. It is quite unusual for 'Doraemon,' with a stiff title that looks like it belongs on the cover of a self-help book.

In this work, the way of life of a certain modern person is introduced, and the outcome is depicted precisely. It is an extremely didactic and witty story.

Also, this work features a mysterious relative unique to 'Early Dora.' It is Nobita's dad's younger brother (an uncle from Nobita's perspective).

Nobita's dad's name had not yet been specified at the time of this work's publication (*Note 1), and Nobita's uncle, Uncle Nobiro, who is the younger brother of Nobisuke in the official setting, had not yet appeared either (*Note 2).

The uncle who appears in this work is a one-time character who is truly a 'contradiction' to the established setting, but it is probably best to just overlook that.

Nobita, overcome by desire, finds a steam locomotive plastic model at a toy store and says, 'I want it!!'The price is 1800 yen. For that time, it was not an amount a child could just spend on a whim.

Nobita returns home with a pained expression. He immediately checks his savings, but unfortunately, the balance is 102 yen. Knowing full well he has no money, Nobita mutters, 'That's why I had this look on my face from the start.'

By the way, the plastic model Nobita wanted was the'JNR Class C53 Steam Locomotive', a now-defunct locomotive that was loved and commonly known asShigosan. Although he is speaking through Nobita, I suspect this is actually the plastic model that Fujiko-sensei wanted.

Nobita calls over Doraemon, who is nearby, confirms, 'You're my friend, right?', and then says, 'I have a special favor to ask,' before whispering in his ear. Doraemon then turns bright red and flies into a rage, saying'Are you crazy!!'. What on earth could he have said to make him so angry?

Nobita had simply asked, 'Take out a gadget that makes money.' Even in the future world, making money on your own is obviously a crime. It is no wonder Doraemon is angry.

And so, he ends up asking his dad for the money. Nobita stings Doraemon by saying, 'Is that the extent of your wisdom?'

When consulted about his allowance, his dad immediately offers a solution. It is that if he massages his dad's shoulders every day, he will give him 10 yen each time, so he will save 300 yen in a month, and 1800 yen if he keeps it up for half a year. (One realizes that the price was set at 1800 yen to make the calculation easy.)

Nobita, who has no patience, talks back, saying, 'I want it now,' but his dad gets angry, saying, 'That kind of easy-going attitude is no good!' It is a perfectly valid scolding.

And then, Nobita's dad vividly conveys the joy of labor.

However, in response to his dad's earnest lecture, Nobita says,

He is, after all, a person with a short-sighted perspective. Doraemon is left half-dumbfounded, thinking, 'He completely missed the point of what his dad was saying.'

Well, for Nobita, who hates such steady effort, an unexpectedmental pillarappears. That isNobita's dad's younger brother (the uncle), who only appears this one time.

He suddenly visits and shows off a golf set he just bought to Nobita's dad. He claims it's a high-end foreign product. When Dad asks, "That must have been expensive," he replies with a suggestive tone, "Well, you know."

Moreover, this man had bought not just clubs, but a new car as well. Dad is naturally surprised and asks suspiciously, "Even though you're on a low salary?" to which the man replies as follows.

There it is! The modern way of living!

It's the logic of using the item in parallel while paying for it in monthly installments, rather than suffering first to save up money before buying it. Indeed, by the time you finish paying the installments, you've already fully enjoyed the item you wanted, so it feels like a good deal.

Or rather, buying a house with a mortgage is the same concept; proceeding with living in it and paying for it at the same time could be called a very rational act.

Seeing this, Nobita claps his hands, thinking, "This is it!" It seems a brilliant idea has occurred to him. When Doraemon asks, "What is?" Nobita replies with a smug expression, "The modern way of living."

With that, Nobita suddenly starts patting his dad's shoulders. Dad is impressed, saying, "Oh, you're going to keep at it for half a year?" and hands him 10 yen, saying, "Keep it up."

Seeing this, Doraemon is also impressed, saying, "I'm impressed, you're going to persevere for half a year," but Nobita brushes it off, saying, "Who says?" Then, pointing to the desk drawer, he says, "I'm getting the item right now." The thing he pointed to is, of course, the time machine.

Nobita's scheme is to go six months into the future and bring back the 1800 yen he will have saved by then.

This is a form of pre-taking that can hardly be called an installment plan, and in the end, he is the one who will suffer later, but our Nobita isn't smart enough to realize that. Doraemon also expresses doubt, saying, "Is that really okay?" but Nobita replies, "It's my own money that I'm taking, so it's fine."

Nobita's room six months in the future.

It's before noon, so Nobita is at school and not there. However, the post-shaped piggy bank that is usually there is nowhere to be found. He has no choice but to ask Mom, "Do you know where my piggy bank is?" but since Nobita, who should be at school, suddenly appears, Mom is naturally furious.

Nobita hides in the shade of a garden plant, where he accidentally discovers a buried piggy bank. Checking the contents, he finds 1800 yen, mostly in 10-yen coins, and is impressed with himself for saving so much.

Then, with the piggy bank in hand, he returns to six months ago, but waiting for him there is Nobita from six months in the future. After returning home from school, he found the piggy bank he had hidden in the garden missing, so he used the time machine to get there first.

And from here, an argument begins between the two Nobitas, separated by six months.

It is complicated, and no matter how far you go, the positions remain parallel. It is a story about how even if it is the same person, they become a stranger once time passes.

Nobita shakes off the Nobita from six months in the future and runs away to go shopping. On the way, he knocks over a bucket his mom was using for cleaning, and the Nobita from six months in the future is forced to clean up the mess.

The savings he worked hard to save for six months are taken, and he is forced to clean up the mess of the bucket he knocked over; the Nobita from six months in the future is truly miserable. (Though this is the fate of the Nobita from six months in the future.)

Before long, Nobita returns having bought a plastic model. I can understand why Nobita is happy, but even Doraemon is beaming with a wide smile.

The Nobita from six months in the future, who remained in the room, looks completely resigned, saying, 'So it ended up like this... I knew it would.' Then, “Just watch, you’ll definitely regret it.” he says as a parting shot, and returns in the time machine.

Since it is a statement from the Nobita from six months in the future who knows the future, it is very profound, but the current Nobita dismisses it, saying, 'There's no way that'll happen.' Note that here too, Doraemon is happily rushing the plastic model assembly, saying, 'Come on, let's build it quickly.'

According to the uncle, the 'way of life for modern people' was to enjoy things while paying for them. Plastic models seem like the kind of thing where most of the joy ends once you finish building them, but was that what the warning from the Nobita from six months in the future meant?

No, it couldn't possibly be limited to just that.

The clumsy Nobita and Doraemon start assembling the C53, but they are awkward at connecting the parts, and while they are arguing about how the other is bad at it or that the other person is wrong, they mess it all up, and before they know it, the parts are in tatters.

The 1,800 yen that took six months to save was wasted in an instant. And to make matters worse, this 1,800 yen has to be saved from scratch...

The next day.

Dad presses Nobita, asking, 'Didn't you say you would massage my shoulders every day?' Nobita replies, 'I already stopped that,' but Dad gives him another perfectly valid point: “Giving up on a plan halfway through is the worst thing you can do.” Yes, in this story, only Dad remains sensible throughout.

Then, the uncle who had just shown off his new car and high-end golf set yesterday comes over. He bows to Dad and asks,

He is an uncle who is experiencing the hell of loans in just one day.

Nobita mutters while massaging Dad's shoulders.

If you enjoy the pleasure first, paying the price for it later is a very painful experience.

Every time I read this work, I think that I want to try my best to pay later as much as possible.