In every single rice cracker, I saw the spirit of a craftsman. --Careful work enriches people.--
There are several old-fashioned rice cracker shops near my house.
Every time I pass by, the savory scent of soy sauce roasting drifts through the air.
One day, I suddenly decided to go into the shop and stood in front of the glass-walled workspace.
When I spoke to the shopkeeper, they kindly let me watch them work.
The craftsman turned the rice crackers lined up on the wire mesh one by one.
Checking the color,
changing their position,
and turning them again.
It was a repetition of the same movements.
However, strangely enough, I never grew tired of watching.
Looking closely, I realized that no two crackers were treated exactly the same.
How the heat hit them.
The color of the roast.
The slight degree of warping.
Watching those differences, the movements of their hands changed little by little.
Though it looked mechanical, it was actually very human work.
There, I saw the experience accumulated over many years and the pride of a craftsman.
And another thing I felt was consideration for the person who would eat them.
"I want them to eat this one and think it's delicious."
Even without words, that feeling seemed to be conveyed through the movements of their hands.
As I watched the scene, I thought about my own creative work.
Writing novels.
Writing notes.
Creating life blueprints.
None of these are tasks that I can complete entirely on my own.
At that moment, I suddenly gave a wry smile.
I remembered myself when I was creating the questions for my life blueprint.
"Well, this should be good enough."
"I can fix it later."
There were many questions I had created with such a casual attitude.
However, the craftsman before my eyes did not cut corners, even on a single rice cracker.
While repeating what looked like the same task hundreds, even thousands of times, he faced it with care until the very end.
Watching that figure,
"This should be good enough."
I felt a little ashamed of myself for thinking that way.
Will the readers enjoy this?
Will they be able to take something away from it, even just one thing?
Will it make them feel even a little more positive?
Thinking about such things, I refine it line by line.
Perhaps that is what it truly means to create a work.
Using AI has made it possible to write text much faster than before.
Even so, I believe what is needed at the end is the human eye and the human heart.
Is it easy to read?
Will it get the message across?
Will this expression truly reach the other person's heart?
That final touch is something only a human can do, no matter how much technology advances.
Watching the craftsman bake the rice crackers, I was thinking about such things.
On my way home, I bought one freshly baked rice cracker.
When I took a bite, the fragrant aroma of soy sauce filled my mouth.
Surely, this single cracker is packed with the hand movements repeated hundreds, thousands of times.
When I got home, I rewrote a few questions in my life plan.
Of course, I don't think this is finished yet.
But I intend to have left the feeling of 'this is good enough' at that rice cracker shop.
I want my creative work to be like that, too.
Not for self-satisfaction, but for the reader to enjoy.
To be a work that, after reading, moves the heart even a little and makes one want to start something.
I will not spare the effort or time for that.
I felt as if the back of that craftsman taught me that.
Takeaway for today
A true professional does careful work not for themselves, but for the sake of others.
#LifeReignition
#60s
#Exploration
#RiceCracker
#Craftsman
#Craftsmanship
#WorkPhilosophy
#CreativeWriting
#AIUtilization
#Reskilling
[Another challenge started in my 60s]
As part of reigniting my life, I am also working on writing novels.
I am currently publishing a legendary mystery novel on TALES.
It is a slightly different world from note, but this is also an important creative activity for me.
If you are interested, please take a look.
Ranked for 6 consecutive weeks!
▼ TALES work page
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