"the latchet of whose shoes" - Goethe's Episode Facing a Charge of Spying

A Shinkansen-Express Line Station around Tokyo

Goethe's Episode Facing a Charge of Spying

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) traveled to Italy in 1786.

In a boarder town between Italy and Austria, Goethe found an interesting scenery around an old castle.  He started to sketch it.  Local people started to gather around him, since it was very rare for them to see anyone to make a sketch of or paint the castle.      

Then a policeman and a local officer came to check why the foreigner, namely Goethe, was making a sketch of an old castle on the border.  They suspected that Goethe might be a kind of spy.  So, Goethe improvised a speech on how it was meaningful to record a nice scenery since he was a traveler from a German city to Rome.  Many local people watching the incident agreed with Goethe.  But the policeman and the local officer were not convinced, claiming that they had to take him to a central town in the region to further investigate this case.

But one of local people came forward, saying that he had once lived for several years in the German city Goethe mentioned.  And Goethe and this local man talked about their memory of the city.  So, this local man told the policeman and the officer that it was true that Goethe was just traveling from the German city to Rome and he could not be a spy.

So, finally, the policeman and the local officer gave up the idea to arrest Goethe.  They left the place around the old castle.  And, Goethe could continue his travel to Rome without problems.

This episode looks like a typical case that shows how God rescues someone He wants to rescue.  Of course, if Goethe had been arrested on suspicion of spying, sooner or later he must have been released.  But, it must have some negative influence on Goethe's impression on Italy.

Anyway, it is said that the modern German language started to be formed and shaped by Martin Luther (1483-1546) and was finally completed by Goethe.

Maybe due to completeness of the German language, the German culture has survived the two world wars.  Especially, Germans could rebuild the nation after it had been destroyed by evil of Nazis.



**** **** ****


Mar 1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

"THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea" - Discussions about Trump's Ascending

The Tokyo Station 

Discussions about Trump's Ascending

There are still many arguments even in Japan about why Donald Trump was elected as US president.

Some critic wrote that it was not poor whites but rich or educated whites and white women that truly contributed to Trump's victory.  Another critic specialized in diplomacy wrote that it was anti-Washington and anti-elite whites, mostly white workers, that helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.

But there seems to be less arguments made from the racial point of view in Japan.  The racial issue is one of the themes in which Japanese intellectuals do not have much interest and insight.  However, I think the 2016 US Presidential Election should be reviewed from this point of view.

Obama has occupied the White House for eight years as the first African American president.  He has been the highest-ranked representative of the American people though still about 70% of the Americans are white or the like.  It must have invite some strong reaction from white Americans who don't regard themselves as the same kind of human beings as African Americans.

From the beginning, there were very special and rare conditions when Barack Obama was elected as president.  His predecessor W. Bush made many and various mistakes.  He made up false evidence that Saddam Hussein had been linked with Al Qaeda.  He could not successfully chase and take on Osama bin Laden while his father, the former President W.H. Bush, had a business tile with the bin Laden family.  Bush's linkage with the Enron top management was also revealed.   And, further, President Bush could not prevent the subprime loan scandal and the subsequent 2008 Financial Crisis triggered by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.  What is worse, the US economy eventually plummeted down as symbolized by the bankruptcy of GM, resulting in about 10% unemployment rate.  So, most of American white workers who faced a threat of unemployment came to opt for a clever  African-American president to a precarious white president from an elite family.  Disappointment and disillusion with white elites among white workers pushed Obama to US presidency.

However, as time went by, the memory of Bush's presidency has become a history.  It is as if Obama's  mission were completed with the execution of Osama and recovery of the US economy.  The very rare emergency period was now gone.  White workers don't need a clever African American president any more.  Now they have come to think that the one who represents them as US president must be one of them, white people.

This trend has been also driven by antagonism toward intellectual elites one of whom is Obama.  Obama had to be one of intellectual elites to become US president despite his racial identity.  Antagonism to Obama is intensified by that fact that he is also one of intellectual elites that include Bill and Hilary Clinton.

So, Trump who is white and looks like anti-intellectual elites has become their choice.

And, it is also why the American mainstream media failed to correctly predict the outcome of the Presidential Election.  Elite whites working in elite media companies could not grasp the moods, feelings, and antagonism white workers had deep in their minds and hearts.      

Indeed, an African American who is an intellectual elite can be US president, but it is only during a very exceptional period.   But the period of the dark aftermath of the 9/11 Terror and the War on Terror and the gravest US economic crisis since the Great Depression in 1930s has gone.  Now, white American workers don't need a black president and an intellectually elite or progressive president.

That is why American white workers and racially proud whites, including rich whites, educated whites, and white women, have overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump over Barack Obama and the Clintons.

However, in a sense, history repeats itself.  The US might face another 9/11 Terror and another financial crisis under Trump's presidency.   And, anther disenchantment with white presidents might pave the way for another very unique American, in terns of race and probably religion, ascending to US presidency.

Only God knows.


**** **** ****



Luk 1:5 THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

"And Aram begat Aminadab" - Satan, Western Industrial Leaders, and Islamic Terrorist Leaders

Around Fukushima City, Japan

Satan, Western Industrial Leaders, and Islamic Terrorist Leaders

In any society, there are rules and order to maintain integrity of the society.  However, such social structure is built to meet a need for securing common interest but not to promote love among people.

Social justice is mainly related to securement of order.  If every member of a society starts to attack one another to steal money and other assets, the whole society would be destroyed, which would not benefit anybody.  So, contribution to maintenance of social order is highly praised and regarded.  But after the order is secured or as long as the order is ensured, people will try to make profits and satisfy their desire as much as possible even by sacrificing other members of the society.  Every evil will be executed to the extent that the social order is not broken.  It is because the order was built for profits and interest but not for love.

So, followers of God have to know that love has higher priority than loyalty to the social order.  But as they are obliged sometimes to transcend the worldly order, they are hated and doubted by ordinary people who blindly follow social customs.

So, when executing the word of God, His followers are vulnerable, since they give an excuse to their opponents for their blaming the followers as they sometimes have to transcend social rules and break social frameworks to achieve a holy goal.

However, Satan is still more crafty, abusing this doctrine to mislead innocent people to making terrible crimes, such as terror, in the name of Heaven.  Leaders of the so-called Islamic terrorists are truly disciples of Satan.

But where did this Satan come from?  Did he come from the Koran or the Western materialism and commercialism?   Is it  possible for native and genuine Muslims born and living in their homeland to think about such acts of terror on other Muslims?

It might be Western materialism and commercialism that have brainwashed leaders of the so-called Islamic terrorists.  If so, the key to solving the bloody tragedies now going on in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, etc. should be found in Western countries.

For example, no Western countries look like losing big profits due to civil wars and armed conflicts now going on in Islamic regions.  Or rather, their defense-related and  military industries seem to earn big profits due to civil wars and armed conflicts now going on in Islamic regions.

So, Satan looks like using some leaders of some industries in Western countries to make Muslims fight one another.  It is one of the worst conspiracies.



**** **** ****



Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Mat 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
Mat 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
Mat 1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

"most excellent Theophilus" - A Lack of Respect and An Insult to God

Moon, Venus, Mt. Fuji and Sunset at the Dusk of January 3, 2017

A Lack of Respect and An Insult to God

The history looks like a kind of repeating itself.

But it is alarming that the mankind have lost respect to their history and ancient legacies.  Due to a lack of respect to their own history, the mankind might get caught in a great crisis.

The first urban civilization started in Mesopotamia.  But the US launched the War on Iraq in 2003 in the wake of the 2001 Terror on New York and Washington DC, sending troops to the region including Mesopotamia to topple the Saddam Hussein's regime.  The US also sent troops to Afghanistan where once Alexander the Great marched in his most eastward campaign of conquer.  And, subsequently Syria was put in turmoils of a civil war when the US started to withdraw its troops from Iraq.  Syria and its capital Damascus were once occupied by the Roman Empire.  Syria has a long history even from the era of conflicts between Greeks and Persians.

These historically important regions have been key regions of today's international tragedies in these years.  And they have become sources of millions of immigrants and refugees.

As the US and its allied nations have not fully respected the past history, bloody tragedies have ensued there with the rise of an evil group called IS or ISIL.  If this trend should continue, Western Europe might face another tragedy, since the region was once occupied by the Roman Empire.

However, the more decisive tragedy can happen in Israel if it should face a critical turmoil or war in this context.  It means all the historic regions of the ancient period for the European Civilization in the west of the Indus River suffer tragedies, since the mankind do not respect the history.

So, before such a tragedy happens in Israel or Palestine, we have to show more respect to the history.  Otherwise, the more drastic bloody situation might happen in and around Israel, which should involve the US and Russia in a very dangerous manner.

Anyway, about 2000 years ago, the current border area between Syria and Turkey was one of the most active areas for ancient Greek and Roman troops against Persia and other Asian opponents.  And still today, there are many bloody military operations in the area.  Then what is the progress of the mankind along the history?  Where is the progress of the mankind along the history?

God might look at these situations as an insult to Him, since He had given great religions to the mankind and especially Europeans in those regions.  God might judge that the mankind should perish due to wars in those areas since they cannot save themselves by leveraging the religions they received there from the God.

In this context, the situations in Syria and Iraq might lead to a real crisis of the mankind and especially Europeans as well as Americans and Judaists.



**** **** ****


Luk 1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luk 1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

"in the beginning with God" - Life in the Universe: Love of God Embodied

This Japanese shinto shrine is situated at the center of the areas on the Pacific Ocean where the great tsunami of March 2011 caused huge damage and casualties. 

Life in the Universe: Love of God Embodied

According  to the Bible, everything passes but the word of God never changes.

In the human world, everything that is started will surely end eventually.  However, underlying principles never change.

God is said to exist forever from infinite past to infinite future.  God was never created by anybody and God never dies or disappears.

Surely the concept of time is different in the world of God and in the world of this material universe and the human world.  But, as God is almighty, He can start something and put an end to it.

Apart from the physical aspects of this universe and the human world, life is possible only with love.  Without love but only evil and hatred, every living thing in this world will die down.  And we can sometimes feel great love in the world or a great scale of love.  And such great love sometimes looks transcending various restrictions as if it had infinite power.

For example, according to the Bible, God loved men so much that he sent His Son to the human world.

Maybe the love Christ Jesus has to us helps us transcend the restrictions imposed on human beings, which means that everything passes.  In the human world, everything that is started will surely end eventually, which is so cruel, since nothing is left after our death.  But love of Christ Jesus must allow us to come close to the world of God where there is no death.

On the surface of the moon, its temperature gets 100 degrees Celsius in the daytime but minus 150 degrees C at night.   It is the world without love.  But on the earth, physical conditions allow development of love needed for emergence and development of life.  And these physical conditions must be love of God embodied.  And, it must have been promised from the beginning of the universe.  So, the universe started to emerge from the beginning with love of God to life and human beings.

Anyway,  on the surface of the moon, its temperature gets 100 degrees Celsius in the daytime but minus 150 degrees C at night.   It is the world without love.   However, without love in the human world, it must be tantamount to the surface of the moon.  To get higher life, we need love of God.



**** **** ****


Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

"Jesus Christ, the Son of God"

A shinto shrine around Tokyo in preparation for new year visits by million or more citizens celebrating the Year of Birds 







**** **** ****


Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mar 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.