The Future of Japan

     Firstly, I like the U.S. and I don't mean to hurt any American, but I'm going to put forth my idea about them.
     Generally speaking, most Americans seem to think it natural to be able to speak English. If I get tongue-tied trying to answer a complex question, they usually talk to me loudly. It's because they thought illogically that I couldn't hear their voice, though I couldn't actually understand their words. On the other hand, it was not common in people from European countries. Their response to my words was usually kind. I felt like that again the other day when I chatted with some German people. See Freiburg.
     In the cultural aspect, the situation is likewise. I remember I was astonished to be asked if Japanese people eat turkey at Thanksgiving by a young American, who had come to Japan as an assistant language teacher shortly before.
     Needless to say, but this "Thanksgiving" originates from the historical fact that people who immigrated from the Old World were helped to survive starvation by natives and celebrated their first harvest. Thanksgiving, the custom of the young nation, the U.S., cannot be celebrated in Japan which has a much longer history. The question was total nonsense. It was just like I asked how the U.S. celebrates the birthday of the Japanese Emperor. It seems to me that they believe that the common sense of the U.S. is directly the same as that of the rest of the world. The mixture of this arrogance and pure mind might be the basis of their general way of thinking.
     There are many viewpoints that these Americans can't perceive. For example, the helplessness, agony and chagrin of being bombed, being occupied and being silenced. Additionally, the non-Grecian, Roman perspective of the world in which the truth is not the same. I can rewrite it as non-Jewish, Christian or Muslim.
     Americans who believe in only one truth and justice never accept the multiple truth and justice that Japanese people, who see gods in the universe, think is good enough. I sometimes feel that the causes of lots of conflicts in the world might arise from this stubborn world-view.
     If my speculation is correct, bi- or multi-cultural views have a role to build peace in the world. If you want to acquire this viewpoint, you should learn your mother tongue and culture at first, and consequently should have a rock solid identity. I also think it's the reason why Japanese Americans and children returning from abroad can't have the bi-cultural view.
     For this reason, I'm against the present current situation that makes children start to learn English at about 10 years old before acquiring their mother tongue. This education would after all produce imperfect citizens.
     It would be the people who got their identity as Japanese, while performing several activities using English acquired through hard work, who can explore the future of Japan by promoting the multi-cultural view in their daily life.
     What do you think of my idea?

(Vocabulary)
put forth sth  (フォーマル) ＜計画・案・意見など＞を提出する, 述べる
= submit
get tongue-tied   口ごもる
think illogically    短絡的に考える
chagrin  無念, 残念, くやしさ
silence  ～の口を封じる,  を抑え込む
Critics of the system were quickly silenced.
制度の批判者たちはすぐに口を封じられた．
perspective of the world / world-view  世界観
sum of things // the universe   森羅万象

　まず始めに僕は米国が好きだ。そしてアメリカ人を傷つけるつもりはないが、彼等について書くことからこの投稿を始めたい。

　一般的に言って、アメリカ人は英語が話せて当たり前と考えている節がある。込み入った問いに対して返答をためらっていると、彼等はたいてい大声で話してくる。声が小さくて聞こえなかったのだろうと短絡的に考えるからである。一方、ヨーロッパからやってきた人たちにはそのような傾向は少ない。彼等の反応はたいていの場合、優しい。先日数名のドイツ人達と話をしてその思いを強くした。

　文化面でも似たようなもので、若いアメリカ人に感謝祭では日本でも七面鳥を食べるのかと聞かれて愕然としたことがある。感謝祭は旧大陸からアメリカ大陸へ渡ってきた移民が原住民に助けられ飢餓を免れ、最初の収穫を祝ったという史実に由来する。つまり、感謝祭は幼い国家の習慣であって、遙かに長い歴史を持つ日本と関係はなく、天皇誕生日をアメリカではどう祝うのかというのに等しい。アメリカの常識を世界の常識と信じて疑わない傲慢さとある意味ナイーブな心との混ざったものが彼等の考え方の土台になっていると思うのだ。

　そういったアメリカ人が気づくことのできない多くの視点がある。例えば、「爆撃された側」「占領された側」「口を封じられた側」の無力感、苦悩、悔しさ、、、そして「真実は一つではない」という非ギリシャ、ローマ世界観。あるいは非ユダヤ、キリスト、イスラム世界観。

　アメリカ人は唯一の真理、正義を信じるが故に、森羅万象に神を見る我々日本人が良しとする多面的な真理を受け入れられないのである。世界の紛争の多くがこの頑迷な世界観に端を発しているとしばしば感じるのである。

　もしこの推測が正しいなら、バイカルチャー、あるいはマルチカルチャーの視点は世界平和の構築のために大きな役割を持つことになる。そしてこの視点を身につけたいなら、母国語と、母国の文化をまず学ぶことだ。そしてその結果、確固としたアイデンティティを身につけること。日系アメリカ人や帰国子女がバイカルチャーの視点を持てないのはここに原因があるのではないだろうか。