From "Anyway" to "Might as Well"
During the Great Hanshin Earthquake, blankets were sent from all over the country, partly because it was cold. However, among them were many that were terribly dirty and should have been thrown away. Naturally, the disaster victims wanted new blankets. Yet, there was a mysterious type of blanket that was more popular than the new ones, even though it was used. It contained a letter.
"This is not new, but I have dried it in the sun for three days so that you can use it comfortably. Please use it if something like this is acceptable to you." That thoughtfulness seemed to transform the used blanket from something "unclean" to something "warm." Depending on a person's mindset, the impression can change completely.
The person who sent the dirty, used blanket probably thought, "Anyway, the disaster victims must be freezing, so it's fine to send this blanket I was going to throw away." The person who sent it with a letter probably put their heart into it, thinking, "If I'm going to send one, I might as well dry it in the sun so they can sleep as comfortably as possible." The difference between "anyway" and "might as well."
Before Nightingale appeared, nursing was not a very respected profession. It was a job that only poor people took, as they had to be dressed in clothes stained with the vomit and blood of patients. However, Nightingale completely changed the image of nurses.
Nurses before her did not try to change their dirty clothes, thinking, "They're going to get dirty anyway." But Nightingale not only changed her clothes but also replaced the patients' sheets with clean ones as soon as they became dirty, continuing her efforts with the mindset of "If I'm going to do it, I might as well provide a hygienic environment for the patients." As a result, the mortality rate dropped dramatically.
In fact, at that time, many patients died from "secondary infections," where pathogens entered through wounds because they were kept in unsanitary environments, worsening their conditions. The attitude of "they're going to get dirty anyway" was bringing patients closer to death. However, Nightingale changed the mindset to "might as well" and kept things hygienic, causing the mortality rate to plummet.
Before "Angel Makeup" became widespread, it was the nurse's duty to apply makeup to the deceased, but all that was prepared at the time were broken lipsticks and leftover foundation. Thinking it was too pitiful for the deceased, a nurse took a stand and began researching makeup suitable for the dead.
Gradually, the bereaved families began to shed tears of joy, saying, "It's just like when they were healthy." This makeup technique applied to the deceased was called Angel Makeup and became so popular that people came from all over the country for training. In a sense, I think this is also a transformation from "anyway" to "might as well."
The fact that only broken lipsticks and leftover foundation were prepared before Angel Makeup began was likely an expression of the feeling that they were "anyway" dead. When that was replaced with the heartfelt intention of "if I'm going to do it, I might as well make them look like their healthy, living selves," didn't the impression of death makeup change into "Angel Makeup"?
The author of "Coffinman's Diary," which can be called the original work for the movie "Departures," was told by his relatives that they would disown him when he said he would work as a coffinman, placing bodies into coffins. The author decided in his heart that if he was going to do it, he might as well take care of the bodies of the deceased with all his heart.
Dressed in a white coat like a doctor, he would carefully wash the bodies and gently place them in the coffins. Seeing this, an elderly woman began to ask him, "When I pass away, could you do this for me?" Eventually, even though he was not a monk, people would put their hands together and pray to him.
Instead of being dismissive, thinking "they're 'anyway' dead" or that it was a despised profession, when he adopted the mindset of "if I'm going to do it, I might as well take care of the deceased with all my heart and devote my whole soul to it," he became respected and loved by many, was even asked to give lectures, and eventually came to write "Coffinman's Diary."
A female university student chose toilets for her graduation thesis. Her thesis was groundbreaking, analyzing that whether or not a tourist destination gains repeat visitors is greatly influenced by its toilets. It brilliantly pointed out that in the past, tourist spots had dirty toilets and few women's restrooms, leading many people to think, "I never want to come here again."
Around the time the news broke that this student had been hired by a major toilet manufacturer, toilets began to be reborn as comfortable spaces. Until then, toilets were thought of as "anyway" dirty and smelly spaces, so no money was spent on them, and no ingenuity was applied. And, as expected, they were dirty and smelly. However.
Triggered by that student's thesis, toilets became increasingly comfortable and odor-free; in fact, they transformed into such beautiful spaces that people felt they shouldn't make them dirty. The Kariya Service Area, which boasted more drawing power than an amusement park, became famous for its comfortable toilets.
There are so many examples where a profession or product begins to shine the moment someone stops treating it as something to be looked down upon as "anyway" and instead decides, "if I'm going to do it, I might as well" treat it with care and devotion. Strangely, humans seem to have a sensibility where things that are mocked and treated carelessly are despised, but the moment they are treated with heart, they are perceived as sanctified.
Are there things around us that we think of as "anyway"? Are there things that are despised because of that? There is a possibility that they could completely change their impression 180 degrees and be reborn, depending on the "might as well" mindset. I think the innovation of changing "anyway" to "might as well" is very interesting.
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The theme of changing "anyway" to "might as well" is also included in my book, "Innovation Techniques for People Who Can't Come Up with Ideas." I hope it will be useful not only for innovation but also for living your daily life a little more happily and kindly.