The Worldly Cares, The Deceitfulness, and Other LustsYesterday, it was fine in Tokyo, especially around a certain museum, designed by a pious Buddhist, the late Mr. Kisho Kurokawa, which however still looks like lingering in the past era with an old paradigm of materials, engineering, and scale and volume, though its concept is modern enough to accommodate art-loving Japanese in this early 21st century.
PART I: The Earth Rising on The MoonNow, the history of mankind has entered the new phase, since Japan is now presenting a new picture of the earth rising over the horizon of the moon as the first since a US astronaut did in 1970’s.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/04/img/20080411_kaguya_01l.jpg As Japan has won this glory of taking and presenting this historic picture with its moon-exploration vehicle flying now around the moon, we can assume that Japan is qualified by the God as the country that can represent the mankind, though it has had hard times since the end of WWII.
Indeed, Japan has never engaged in any wars (unlike the U.S., the U.K., France, other NATO countries, Russia, India, and China) after WWII in its process to become the second largest economy in the world.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/04/20080411_kaguya_j.html PART II: Paradox of Democracy Especially after WWII, both in the U.S. and Japan, every poor man and woman has had a voting right.
In the US society, on average after WWII, 55% or more voters among the population are poor; but they have been unable to change the political system.
In the US, the “Republican Party” and the “Democratic Party” are as a matter of fact two ruling parties.
But, it is apparent that poor Americans have to raise a revolution and establish the third major party which might be called “Spiritual American-Dreamers Party.”
However, it has not happened due to the Paradigm of Wealth the poor people are brainwashed to believe.
In Japan, things are not so different; on average after WWII, 55% or more voters among the population are poor; but they have been unable to change the political system, either.
So, I would present a simple illustration below which tells that no matter how poor those voters are, so long as they want to be rich in the present social system based on the paradigm of wealth, a majority would vote for ruling parties.
Especially, in Japan, people know that all the leaders and executives of communism-based or socialism-based parties are rich and enjoying lucrative lives while claiming arrogantly that they can teach, guide, and lead poor workers. If you have not graduated from first rate universities and been qualified as a scholar, a professor, a lawyer, a doctor, or an elite journalist or activist, you cannot have a successful career in those liberal parties in Japan.
In my feeling, those liberal executives living rich lives are in ridicule of poor people.
It is just like Chinese communist leaders are living super-rich lives in Beijing while hundreds of millions of farmers and laborers, in addition to Tibetans, are suffering poverty.
PART III: WORDS OF GODMar 4:13
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?Mar 4:14
The sower soweth the word.Mar 4:15
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.Mar 4:16
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;Mar 4:17
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.Mar 4:18
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,Mar 4:19
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.PART IV: 50 Years LaterWhen the late Mr. Akio Morita of Sony was promoting the sale of transistor radios in the U.S. some 50 years ago, he got a big order.
A certain prominent US company ordered Sony’s transistor radios in a quantity of 100,000 (which was big since Sony was a small company in Japan then).
Morita visited the US company to sign a contract but did not cut a deal eventually, since the president of the company requested that Sony’s radios should have bear the brand name not of Sony but of his company for resale.
Morita claimed that Sony’s radios should be sold under the brand name of Sony.
The president of the US company laughed with scorn at Morita, saying that nobody knew the brand Sony in America and thus nobody would buy Sony’s transistor radios in America. “It took 50 years even for my company to be successful in the American market.”
But, Morita said indignantly but coolly that in 50 years his company Sony would prevail just like the US company could do in 50 years. “So, 50 years ago, nobody knew the brand of your company in America. As you have succeeded in 50 years, we will also succeed in 50 years in the American market.”
Though other Sony’s executives in Tokyo then wanted to close the contract, Morita being engaged in sales promotion of Sony’s transistor radios in the US market firmly turned it down, which apparently was a very right decision, since everybody today knows the brand Sony in the American and global markets.
(An Only Locally Known Shinto Shrine - originally a village shrine - in Japan)
(click to enlarge the figure)
