I Wonder

How many people in a city like Tokyo will never leave the city from birth until death? 

I live in the American South, and people here historically have been stereotyped as more bigoted and less intelligent than in other parts of the country. What area of Japan has negative stereotypes associated with it?

I think that I am both more closed-minded and open-minded than the average person in a lot of ways. 

I like to study taboo ideas, although I do not become an active participant. 

I just think, "How could someone do that?" I think that one individual's form of  self-control and empowerment is another's lack thereof. 

But then I think, "No, that can't be right. There are objective standards for everything." 

Which of the sexes do you think can tolerate rudeness better? Is it men or women? There is a specific rudeness that I can't tolerate very well from anyone; I can't really describe what it is until I'm in the moment of the experience. 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Is it true that most women put make-up on to compete with other women? 

Do most men buy big houses to compete with other men? Or, do they do it to impress women? (One could argue that buying a house to impress women implies competition with other men.) 

Have you heard the saying, "It is easier for a Camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God"?

That is actually Matthew 19:24 in the Bible. 

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

That is Matthew 17:20. 

Those two verses stand out in my mind.

There is a scene in the movie 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 (2019), where Haley Bennett and her husband are throwing a work-related party at their home. A fellow worker goes around asking other attendees at random if he can have a hug.

In the scene, he approaches Haley Bennett's character and asks, "Can I have a hug? I'm lonely." 

She says, "I'm Ritchie's wife." To which he replies, "It's just a hug." 

After hugging, she thanks him. He then continues on, asking others for a hug. 

I didn't really like the film overall, but I liked that scene. It did a good job portraying Acuphagia.

I think approaching people like that can either put them on guard or be very disarming. You never know how the person will react. I think most people don't try it because they are afraid of being told they can't. Most people let fear of rejection hold them back. Maybe they are too proud for rejection. 

If the guy in the film was told "no" by Haley Bennett's character, he would've just continued on (and he did so) asking others for a hug without a care. 

Would you let this fellow clean your ears for 100 Rupees? :D It must take an ironclad resolve to let someone on a street in a developing country stick an instrument of questionable sterility into your ears.

I think it would be fun to get a vigorous head massage. I can't do it because I have sensitive skin. I saw one video where a barber put liquid in a man's eyes with an eyedropper and massaged his eyelids! I recently read a story about someone getting worms in their brain after eating Indian street food, so I would be more than a little apprehensive about having drops put in my eyes.

 Can you believe that 44 days later, his body locked up, became rigid and just dropped? That whole time, worms were infesting his brain. In this video, two men had opposing philosophies to eating in India while on vacation: Ryan meticulously planned for every scenario when it came to eating. His philosophy was, "If you cannot boil it, peel it, or open it yourself, do not eat it."  Jared had no plans and thought to follow his nose; "You eat where the locals eat." 

I asked Google how Japan would fare during an extinction-level event:

I didn't know that Japan only produces 38 percent of its required calories domestically, along with importing 88 percent of its fossil fuels. I wonder if Japan will be one of the first countries to completely phase out oil in the future? 

When you go out in public in Japan, have you ever made a lifelong friend by striking up a conversation with a stranger on a whim? I wonder how often that happens in a city like Tokyo. Have you ever randomly hugged someone?

Is it common to hear your neighbor through the walls if you live in a condominium or apartment? If you have a hobby that involves making noise, how do you practice it without bothering others?

I've been watching Mrs. Eats' videos lately. Her content caters to Western audiences, and she is quite humorous. I wonder what native-born Japanese people think of her content?

A common casual greeting in the United States is to lift one's head slightly upward in acknowledgement of another person when they enter a room (or when passing them), and say, "What's up?!" Apparently, the upward motion of the head common in this greeting is offensive in Japan, according to Mrs. Eats. 

When you look up and see masses of power lines overhead in the air, does it make you feel boxed in, or are you used to it? Things can sometimes seem smaller in a big city. What things are common or intrinsic to Japan that you have never quite gotten used to despite it being your home?

I was never able to get used to driving in America. I've always disliked how things are constantly being torn down and rebuilt. I dislike how the elite class is always launching "pre-emptive" war strikes on other countries. I dislike the excessive materialism. Food quality in the United States is generally pretty bad, especially considering that we have a lot of farmland and could do better.

Thank you for reading.