"again he sent another; and him they killed" - Jun Eto and Soseki Natsume

Tokyo

Jun Eto and Soseki Natsume

Jun Eto (1932-1999), a notable critic, had a cousin who was the mother of the current crown princess of Japan,

His wife died of cancer one year before his death.  Or her death might have shortened his life, since he was so much disappointed by her death.  After his wife's death, he wrote an essay about her illness and death.  It sold well remarkably.  In the essay, he wrote that he almost lost his will of living.

Eto's wife showed symptom of cancer just a year before her death.  So, their life changed so suddenly.  Eto passionately took care of her while writing some literature works and teaching in a university in Tokyo.  But he did not tell her that her illness was cancer.  After her death, months of hard life of providing care for his wife, though hospitalized, Eto himself got seriously ill.  But illness did not kill him; he committed a suicide.

Jun Eto is famous for his critical essays about the great novelist Soseki Natsume (1867-1916).  Soseki is the most respected author as a groundbreaking novelist who contributed to establishment of modern Japanese literature.

After the fall of the samurai regime in 1868, the Japanese society underwent a great paradigm change along with modernization and Westernization.  Soseki Natsume presented a new style and a mind set for new Japanese literature suitable for the era.  Most of Japanese authors today are virtually successors of their forerunners most of whom were directly or indirectly influenced by disciples of Soseki Natsume.

Soseki Natsume was dispatched to England by the Imperial Government of Japan for study of English literature between 1900 and 1903.  After returning to Japan he taught English literature in the Imperial University for Tokyo.  However, in 1907, he quit the teaching job to be a professional novelist.  Roughly speaking, Soseki was an active write in the era between the Japanese-Russo war and the First World War when Japan was successfully carrying out its Industrial Revolution to be admitted as the the rising power in Asia by the Western countries.

Modern individualism in the Japanese literature was one of big themes for Soseki Natusme.  Facing the global influence of the Western culture, Japanese had to adopt a new way of dealing with themselves.  Conventional mind sets could not cope with the great influx of the Western culture.  Though power of traditions and customs unique to the Japanese culture still worked strongly in all the local communities in Japan, modern Japanese people working and living in Westernized industries, cities, and environments with interfaces open to the world came to have different mindsets than those developed in the country whose door had been closed for 250 years before the middle of the 19th century.  Soseki Natsume gave a kind of framework to express those Japanese for themselves.

For example, in the samurai era of Japan, it was unthinkable that a husband loved his wife so much that he became seriously ill and committed a suicide after her death like Jun Eto,  In this context, Jun Eto embodied an influence of his study target Soseki Natsume: modern individualism in Japan.

Jun Eto went to the Princeton University for study supported by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1962.  And then, he taught the history of the Japanese literature in the University till he left the US in 1964.  But he was accompanied by his wife.  They lived together in the US.  And when they returned to Japan, they traveled Europe.

In a train on a railway line in Europe, the Etos got acquainted with an old married couple.  The old husband said to Jun Eto, "Ordinary people got out for world travel after retirement.  But, you, a young couple, are doing it while you are still young.  It is great."

Though Soseki Natsume went abroad only once for England, Jun Eto and his wife traveled the world together often after 1964 till their death in 1998 and 1999.  Eto was still writing a new book about Soseki Natsume when he died.

    






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Mar 12:5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
Mar 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mar 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's.
Mar 12:8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
Mar 12:9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

"Have ye not read what David did" - Relationship between Mankind and God

Tokyo

Relationship between Mankind and God

The most unique point about Christ Jesus is that He declared that He was sent by God to this world.

He also called God the Father.  This has been the strongest relationship between a man and God in the human history.  In this context, Christ Jesus is above Abraham, Moses, and any other holy prophets.

If we believe His words, we should respect all of His words as so holy.  But if you cannot believe that Christ Jesus was sent by God to the world 2000 years ago, you would not be able to understand the meaning of His words.

Christianity rests on this conviction.  It means that there is God and He sent Christ Jesus to this world to save it 2000 years ago.  It is so simple, but it is beyond our commonsense.

Most of people would think that there might be God who created this universe.  But there must be many who cannot believe that He gave special spirits to mankind so that mankind can have special intellectual power and spiritual sense.  Those people think that their minds have nothing to do with God.  They may even think that they happen to have the capacity of their minds so that they are free in using their minds in whatever way.  But if you admit that God gave capacity of human minds, you have to feel so obliged to use your minds in line with the will of God.

So, if you believe that Christ Jesus was sent by God to this world 2000 years ago, you may think that it must be for turning human minds to God.

But you cannot see God like the sun.  You may think how you can believe in God if God exists as He cannot be seen and felt around you or anywhere in this world and furthermore as He has nothing to do with your mind work.

However, the Bible says that what is seen is made of what cannot be seen.  Indeed, a man is made of his mind and soul that cannot be seen, though his physical body can be seen.  For example, a life of a man is essentially made of love of whatever sort.  Maybe it is love for God or for material wealth, but you need love to live as human beings.

Unless Christ Jesus had come to this world 2000 years ago, mankind must have continued to live without enough love for God.  Christ Jesus came to this world to emphasize that God loves each man but requests him to love God in return.  But He also gave a notice that the Kingdom of God cannot be seen.

No matter what advanced scientific equipment we might use, we cannot see God.  Only we have to realize His presence through our faith.

Anyway, the relationship between God and each man is the most important issue for him.  And, if you don't put the highest priority on this relationship, you will surely lose the absolute framework of your life.  You may commit any crimes and sins if you are so attempted for worldly reasons.

Even to solve the global terrorism and the global warming, we have to start our faith in God and to consider our relationship with God.



  





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Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

"and Martha served" - Behind the the Global Terrorism and the Global Warming

Around Tokyo

Behind the the Global Terrorism and the Global Warming

When a man has money, he is afraid of losing it.

This is the origin of every evil and tragedy in the human society.  Everyone wants to protect his assets from others.  For everyone, others turn to be potential thieves.  It means people love money more than their neighbors who might turn to be thieves aiming at money they have.

In this way of living, rich people never have true compassion for the poor, since the poor might soon turn to thieves aiming at their assets.  Even some poor people try to hide money they have from other poor people in fear of having their money stolen by them.

The power of money in devastating mutual love in the human society is so enormous.  If people come to have less material desire, they still stick to money.  It is because people think that if they become poor by giving their money to the needy, they will be vulnerable to attacks from their enemies.  To defend themselves, people think, money is needed.

Money is needed to buy goods, products, as well as various services that satisfy material desire of people.  Money is needed for people to defend themselves.  Even money is needed to buy friendships, entertainment, education, health, and respect.

But, what Christ Jesus taught is that love to God and love to neighbors must be positioned above love to those things that can be bought by money and love to money itself.  It is so, since money is a tool of Satan.

To be followers of Christ Jesus, one must put the highest priority on love to God and love to neighbors.  Followers of Christ Jesus should not pursue material pleasure and money.  They should not worry about poverty and vulnerability caused by the lack of money.  Indeed, Christ Jesus said not to worry about living conditions, since God would take care of believers as He feeds birds in the sky and clothes flowers in the field.

But, some people are already brainwashed to love money and pursue material desire by Satan.  Or some others cannot believe that God would help them after they abandon the desire for money.  Yet, there might be some who trust in God.

As long as a majority of peoples in the world put the highest priority on money, the global terrorism and the global warming cannot be stopped.  It is so, since they don't mind the global terrorism and the global warming as long as they get money.  And if their acts to earn and keep money contribute to the global terrorism and the global warming, they would not mind as they are already brainwashed to love money as much as they love themselves.

Behind the the global terrorism and the global warming, there are hundreds of millions of people who get money through activities that contribute to the global terrorism and the global warming.

Hate for money is the most effective means to solve the global terrorism and the global warming, even if not love to God and neighbors.

    





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Joh 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
Joh 12:2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Joh 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

"Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn" - The Rich and Evil behind Global Terrorism/Warming

Mt. Fuji viewed from around Tokyo

The Rich and Evil behind Global Terrorism/Warming

It is a matter of good or evil.  Everything is a matter of good or bad.

People with good faith never join terrorists.  People with good faith never increase an amount of discharged CO2 or  energy consumption.  So, to address global terrorism and global warming, we have to focus on the question of good or bad.

But how can a person come to have good faith?  How can a person come to have evil faith?  To have good faith, must he be born rich or living rich like rich Westerners or Muslims?   Conversely, if he is born poor and living poor like poor Muslims, will he have evil faith?  However, not all the rich men have good faith and not all the poor Muslims become terrorists.

The source of evil is among the rich people.  But there are so many rich people in the world.  From so many sources of evil, streams of bad influences flow out to all over the world.  And, hundreds of millions of people come under such bad influences coming through various channels such as TV and radio broadcasting, newspapers, Internet sites, and so on.  Therefore, even a son of a super-rich Saudi Arabian became a terrorist.  And, even many poor Americans and Chinese don't care about global warming.

If politicians or prominent personalities say through the media that they are against terrorism and global warming, it doesn't prove that they have good faith.  The environments they live in are built up with wealth coming from many various acts of evil.  No matter what they say, they are under evil influences of the evil systems.

The solution is for ordinary people to have a clear will and intention to continue to have good faith against evil faith being diffused from the many global sources of evil.  Since politicians and prominent personalities are subject to these evil sources, only hope is that ordinary people all over the world to sustain good faith against global terrorism and global warming.  Indeed, a question of good or bad can be only handled reasonably by the ordinary people.

However, it is true that many poor Muslims join terrorism and many poor Americans don't mind global warming.  They are susceptible to evil influences flowing out from the evil sources of the world.  They can be easily misled by evil and rich people.  It has often happened in history that rich evil men brainwashed poor people and instilled wrong thoughts into the minds of the poor.  Such poor people sometimes follow wrong idea to harm other poor people for the profit of such rich and evil people.  

Terrorists are wrong and bad.  Big energy consumers are wrong and bad.  But some of them are poor and brainwashed by rich and evil people.  As Christ Jesus said, those who are making the poor act bad are more sinful.

So, the true solution is for ordinary people to join the poor and fight against the rich and evil people together with the poor.  The more the ordinary people hate the rich, the less global terrorism and global warming.






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Mat 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

"was it from heaven, or of men?" - CO2 Discussions Misleading Mankind

Around Tokyo

CO2 Discussions Misleading Mankind

The global warming seems to be man-made.

The material civilization today consumes so much energy in production of goods, electricity, and so on.  The more the newly industrialized countries, the more energy consumed.

The main issue is not CO2 emission but the use of energy itself no matter how clean it is.  Natural energy is consumed in the human world, and in the meantime it changes its form to eventually heat discharged to the air after doing some mechanical or chemical work.  It is not so different from burning crude oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear fuel in the open air soon after these energy sources are dug out or refined without taking processes through plants, machines, vehicles, offices, households, etc.  Through any channels, energy consumed in the human world transforms its form to heat released to the air.

Therefore, with super eyes from the outer space, it must be observed that on the earth crude oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear fuel are just burning 24 hours per year in addition to clean energy transforming itself similar heat to the air after changing itself to electricity.

Therefore, the key to addressing the global warming is how to stop expansion of material civilization but not simply the prevention of CO2 emission from use of crude oil, coal, etc.

However, the nature has a potential to induce glacial ages.  If a glacial age comes, European regions north of Alps and the most part of North America would be covered by ice.  Compared with this cooling capacity of the earth, current man-made global warming must be too weak.  And, though global warming does not have a devastating effect on the mankind, the coming of a glacial age would almost destroy the human civilization.

So, we have to be humble.  People should not be arrogant now that human beings have acquired power to cause global warming literally on a global scale.  Today's discussions of global warming might mislead people into having an arrogant and wrong view, thus making them lose an awe in and respect for the nature and the God, the Creator of the earth.

Therefore, we have to say, "Stop the material civilization!" but not simply "Stop CO2 emission (while energy use is allowed to further advance the material civilization)!"



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Mar 11:29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mar 11:30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.