Reading Log -40: Frontier Radio
I picked up this book at a used bookstore in my neighborhood.
When I have a specific book in mind, searching on Amazon or BOOK OFF Online is the quickest way. However, I enjoy visiting this used bookstore in search of serendipitous encounters. This book is one I found that way.
The first edition of this book was published in 2012.
Apparently, there was a program called 'Frontier Radio' on MBS Radio in Osaka at the time (as someone living in Tokyo, I naturally didn't listen to it), and this book is a transcript of the conversations from that show.
The participants were Tatsuru Uchida (aikido practitioner, philosopher, and author), Yasufumi Nagoshi (psychiatrist, counselor, and commentator), and Yasushi Nishi (Mainichi Broadcasting announcer), and those three are the authors of this book.
Speaking of Japan at that time, the economy was experiencing negative growth due to the Lehman Shock, and it was also a period when the government changed (from the Liberal Democratic Party to the Democratic Party of Japan). It is interesting to read this while reflecting on that historical background.
I took my time reading this book.
Since it is a transcription of conversations, it gives the impression that the topics jump around quite a bit. Because of that, it takes time to follow the threads of the discussion, but I don't particularly mind that.
A major theme of this book is the question of how to secure one's own footing and maintain a healthy mind in a society drifting with a sense of stagnation, as it was back then. Among the chapters, Chapter 1 (the first broadcast), 'Whether protecting or breaking, forms'kata' are still important,' provided significant insight.
Tatsuru Uchida is an aikido practitioner. He defines 'kata' (forms) as physical actions with strong communicative power that have been passed down and preserved over time.
In modern society, 'individuality' and 'originality' are respected, but such individuality often leads to the inflation of a self-centered ego. On the other hand, he states that 'kata' are the 'most rational and effortless ways of using the body' that our predecessors have refined over hundreds of years, so they not only influence oneself but also transmit thoughts and emotions to those around them.
Yasufumi Nagoshi discusses 'kata' from the perspective of a psychiatrist. He states that it is a physical action that represents one of human possibilities, and by repeatedly performing a certain 'kata,' that possibility 'descends' upon you.
Being able to choose anything freely may seem rich at first glance, but in reality, we might just be trapped in an infinite hell of choices. That drains human energy and exhausts people. On the other hand, those who possess strict 'kata' can delegate minor decisions to the form, allowing them to redirect their remaining energy toward more important situations or immediate responses to unexpected events.
Also, I would like you to read the pages in Chapter 6 (the sixth broadcast) titled 'How to live in good spirits in a Japan that has started its descent.'
Now, 14 years after the book's publication, it feels like the period of 'starting' the descent has already passed and we are tumbling down... but I strongly agree with the proposal that 'the new model Japan can present to the international community from now on is how to live happily in a stagnant society with a declining birthrate and aging population where economic growth is no longer possible.'
I found this book very interesting, but I don't know if many others would feel the same way.
It seems it can only be obtained as a used book now, so if you really want to read it, I recommend searching on sites like BOOK OFF Online.