"Freedom is the recognition of necessity" (Hegel)
I learned these words when I was in high school and was very much impressed and cried. These words affected me for my life afterward.
You cannot get freedom by just wishing for freedom or believing in God. I think that freedom can only be obtained by recognizing the necessity of nature and society.
For example, even if you think there is no rock in front of you, if there is a rock, you would hit it when you move forward. However, if you recognize the existence of rock (i.e., necessity) and take measures (mount over it or digging holes underground), then you can get the freedom to move forward.
If you get into trouble, praying in God may be a temporary relief, but you cannot solve the trouble (because there is no God). The trouble can only be solved (or you will get freedom) by finding the root cause of the trouble and taking countermeasures.
1) IQ test
When I was 5 years old (in kindergarten), I took an IQ test and the result was IQ158. My parents were advised by my teacher to let me take the entrance exam for the elementary school attached to Gakugei University because my IQ score was high at the genius level.
On the day of the exam, the teacher asked us if anyone would like to go to the bathroom before the exam started, but I was shy at the time and couldn't raise my hand. After starting the exam, I wanted to go to the bathroom (I had pee a little). I couldn't concentrate on the exam, and I couldn't write the answer properly.
Later, after the exam was over, I remind that I answered that the giraffe had no horns to the question whether giraffe had horns or not, then I thought I failed the exam. However, my parents told me that not only the test results but also the lottery would decide the pass or fail. (But I thought it was just a relief…)
After I grew up, I boasted that my IQ score was IQ158 at a company drinking party, but one of my staff said that his IQ score was IQ180 and the party was messed up. Then someone adviced him to read a little about the atmosphere. Coincidentally, I'm working with that very genius guy now.
2) Self-appeal
I was the second son of three brothers, so I had a strong self-appeal personality. According to one theory, eldest son is loved because he is the first child, and youngest son is loved because he is the last child. A second son like me is said to have a strong self-appeal personality because his parents don't care about him too much.
Even in fights between brothers, I often fight one-on-two with my eldest brother and youngest brother, which may have strengthened me. Curiously I became a conspicuous person who used to be shy.
In the case of three people, it is more advantageous for two people to cooperate, so it can be said that politics starts when three people gather.
3) Equality
When I went to junior high school, my body was big and my grades were good, so I was treated as an honor student who attracted everyone's attention. The junior high school I entered had a strong basketball club (the third grader won the championship in Tokyo), so I joined the basketball club. However, the practice was so hard that 30 or so people who joined the club in spring were reduced to a few after the summer vacation.
The basketball club has a policy of BUNBU-RYODO.(pen & sword policy) No matter how they could endure the hard practice, if the grades get worse, they have to retire from the club. At that time, senior students also have excellent grades, but the atmosphere of the club was feudal, and junior students were treated like slaves and bullied by senior students. From this time on, I began to feel strong opposition to feudal culture. Because of this, I still strive to treat everyone equally.
4) Goal
When I was in the third year of junior high school, a joint athletic competition was held at the Komazawa Olympic Stadium by 12 junior high schools in Meguro Ward in Tokyo. At that time, I belonged to the basketball club, but one week before the competition was started, a physical education teacher invited me to participate in a high jump competition because I had a very strong jumping ability in the basketball club.
Until then, I had never worn spikes and I decided to participate in high jump competitions by borrowing spikes from my friends in the track and field club. But the players at other schools were all practicing high jump for three years, and they jumped in a high jump special form such as berry rolls and rollovers.
But for me, since it was my first challenge in a high jump competition, I jumped with a frontal jump like the rubber rope jump I did when I was in elementary school, but I won the competition. The record was just 160 cm, which is not a big deal, but I lost my rivals because no other player could fly that high, so I couldn't fly any higher.
At that time, I thought I couldn't jump even 160 cm if there was no bar(or goal). Then I realized the importance of the bar(or goal) to maximize my abilities. And also, I thought that I could not maximize my abilities without rivals. Since then, I am always trying to set clear goals and work with good rivals.
5) My extra life
When I entered high school, I studied very hard for the university entrance exam and got the best grade in the class, so I became an honor student again. However, when I was 18 years old (3rd-year high school student) in 1969, the student movement became fierce and I couldn't take classes due to the blockade of barricades.
During that time, I read philosophical books, had daily philosophical discussions with friends, and advocated ideals such as criticism of the government and criticism of the exam war.
However, I couldn't sleep every night because of the conflict between whether I should continue to criticize the exam war or take the university entrance exam that I criticize. And I wondered why people have to live even though it's so painful, and maybe it would be easier for me to die.
However, at one point I realized that I was addicted to the exam war that I criticized. In other words, there is always an answer to the exam questions, but I realized that this is a product of the exam war and there are many questions that have no answers in the world. For example, I realized that there may be no answer to the question, "Why do people live when it is painful?"
Then, since I was prepared to die, I was able to restart my life as an extra life, and I was able to face any difficulties. I think people become stronger by thinking "Nothing to lose".
6) 70th happy birthday
I realized that the world couldn't be changed just by advocating the ideal theory like loser’s howling as an outsider, so I decided to take a university entrance exam and get a job to make a change from within the organization and society. I have already lived an extra 52 years since I was 18 years old when I was prepared to die, but my goal is to do what I want to do and it is also good for the world. Confucius said, “I became able not to be contrary to morals even though I follow my desire, at 70.”
This year's Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Memorial Day (August 6th) is my 70th birthday. (Koki: Old Chinese tradition to celebrate happy 70th birthday) When I was a kid, people all over Japan prayed for the victims on my birthday, so I thought I might be a reincarnation of the victims.
Therefore since I was a kid, I wanted to become stronger like Astro Boy (Atom) and do my best to improve the world on behalf of victims.
Are you enjoying your life? I am enjoying my life now. I hope to enjoy my life with my family and friends this year. Let’s enjoy our life together.
According to dictionary, challenge is to begin the war or competition and/or to begin difficult or new things.
You need to have courage in order to challenge the war or competition, which you might be defeated, and also in order to challenge the difficult and new things, which you might fail.
Even you have courage; sometime anxiety might be stronger than courage. In that case, I am always telling me "Don't worry, nothing to lose".
There is the idea that effort is more important than talent but there is also another idea that talent is more important than effort.
I think it is not issue of talent vs. effort and I believe that it is important to make effort that could utilize talent.