We”re saddened for the Japanese people and hopeful for their recovery.
Last week, on National Public Radio (NPR), Cokie Roberts remarked, “How ironic is it for the Japanese people to be dealing with the effects of radiation.”
My great-grandmother always used the racial epithet “Japs,” as did many of her generation. In the 10th grade history, we contrasted views on the necessity of ending WWII with atomic bombs, but these could be subjects for another commentary.
In high school and beyond, I learned a bit about Japanese words and their meanings.
Several weeks ago, Ms. Feder mentioned that the residents on the Japanese Island of Okinawa have some of the longest lifespans in the world. My high school history teacher introduced that fact to me in 2006 when it was on the cover of National Geographic.
When researched on a biological basis, scientists and other medical professionals who study such things concluded that its residents” longevity is attributed to their fish and seaweed diet. When asked for anecdotal evidence, Okinowans claimed that it was due to their sense of “Ikigai.”
Ikigai?An English equivalent for Ikigai is nearly non-existent. The French have a term, “raison-d”etre,” which means “reason for being,” which could apply to any endeavor. Ikigai means, “that which makes life worth living.” Maybe, what keeps people going?
One of my high school friends married a lady from Okinawa. She visited Lake County last fall for a wedding (It was 10/10/10!). Not surprisingly, she couldn”t articulate the English words for ikigai, so she pointed to her infant son in his stroller and said, “He”s my ikigai.”
Gamen? I heard about EO 9066 in high school History; but, last year, “gamen” was in the NPR news. There was a gallery exhibit in Washington DC called “The Art of Gamen.” Researchers had collected sculptures, carvings, poetry, and paintngs from the 110,000 people who were subjected to EO 9066 during World War II?The Japanese Internment camps. Gamen means “dealing with adversity without losing one”s dignity.” Maybe, like, maintaining your composure and character?
My dad”s friend, Karl Ochi, said that the closest English word for “gamen” is “perseverance.”
Wa?NPR mentioned this term last week. “Wa” means “the peace and tranquility that comes from being part of a larger community.” It reminds me of teamwork, but certainly not the stereotypical Western view of organized sports. “Wa” is deeper than that. Togetherness? People bound by a common ethereal purpose? Like our churches (as long as they don”t succumb to oppressive and dogmatic religiosity.)
I was hospitalized for nine days in Fresno a few years ago and had to drop out of college for a semester. My dad”s friend, Tim Ikeda, came to visit me every day. He brought me a laptop and DVDs and stuff.
Of course, it”s not appropriate to objectify or stereotype any group of people and I”ve only met a few Japanese Americans. But, I have a feeling that, from the little that I know about Japanese history and culture, notions of ikigai and wa will help them recover from these tragedies. And I suspect that a pervasive sense of gamen will guide them.
Collusion with Casey is welcome at nunes_23@hotmail.com.
