Composure (87/08/23)
To compose means to bring certain elements together into a purposeful and orderly arrangement (kumi-tateru). Although "composer" usually refers to a musician (sakkyokka) who arranges musical notes in a harmonious manner to create a musical composition, a writer (sakka) also is a composer who arranges words into a meaningful order. Students sometimes write compositions (sakubun) as a part of their homework. I am the composer of these daily telephone messages and this particular message was composed in an airplane between Seoul and Nagoya on the last leg of an overseas trip. A calm and collected person may also be said to be composed (ochitsuite iru). When we were about to take off from Chicago, we read of an airplane accident in Detroit in which many people were killed, but we felt composed because of our faith that our lives are in the hands of our heavenly Father. A composition of an Old Testament prophet includes these words in Isaiah 26:3: "You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who ... put their trust in you." One of the many blessings of a healthy faith in God is peace of mind--even in times of danger and difficulty. My wife and I are thankful for our safe and enjoyable trip to our homeland but we are happy to be back in our adopted land.
Listeners' Meeting (87/08/24)
On June 22nd, our 38th wedding anniversary, my wife and I left Japan for our triennial visit to the U. S. A. Last Friday, on August 21st, we returned to Nagoya. During our trip, we stopped in California, New Mexico, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan to visit my wife's mother, our elder son, brothers, sisters and other relatives and friends. During our stay there, we were visited by our younger son and his family and our daughter who live in Nagoya. We will be speaking of this trip at our "Daily Word" Listeners' Meeting next Sunday afternoon at the City Geijutsu Sōzō Senta-, north of the Shinsakaemachi subway station beginning at 1:30. We invite you to attend and enjoy a time of fellowship and refreshment.
King Louis IX (87/08/25)
The largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri is a river port on the bank of the Mississippi River. It is the home of a professional baseball team called the "Cardinals". It is the city of St. Louis. Do you know who St. Louis was? The French pronunciation of this name is Looe and there were 18 French kings with that name. King Louis IX was one of the greatest and best-loved of French monarchs. He became king in 1226, when he was only 12 years old, so his mother ruled as regent (sesshō) until he became of age. Louis IX was a deeply religious man, known for his justice and charity. He respected the rights of all of his subjects and was considered an ideal king. Many beautiful cathedrals were built during his reign and he led one of the Crusades to the Holy Land. 27 years after his death on August 25, 1270 he was proclaimed a saint of the Catholic Church and today is his feast day. Next Sunday afternoon, at 1:30, a meeting of listeners to these telephone messages will be held at the Geijutsu Sōzō Senta-, north of the Shinsakaemachi subway station. At that time, I will distribute a printed copy of this week's messages and my wife and I will relate some interesting events that occurred during our trip to the United States. We hope to meet you there.
Students in Japan and U.S. (87/08/26)
Last week the Japanese Youth Research Institute released a report of surveys taken recently among senior high school students in the United States and Japan. The results indicate certain differences in outlook and interest between young people of these two countries. For example, 46% of the American students replied they found it more important to keep up good grades in school even at the sacrifice of social activities, while only 8% of the Japanese students agreed with that statement. 80% of American high school students thought they should be individually minded regardless of what others thought, while 60% of the Japanese thought so. In regard to reading material, 69% of the Japanese students said they were avid comic book readers, whereas only 15% of the U. S. students professed to be so. Whi1e only 14% of Japanese students indicated they read a news magazine regularly, 26% of the American students did so and the percentage jumped to 38% of those 17 years of age or older. The attitudes of youth are important as we consider the future of a nation and the Greek philosopher, Socrates, wisely urged his countrymen to "pay attention to the young, and make them just as good as possible."
Mother Teresa (87/08/27)
Today is the 77th birthday of a humble, compassionate woman known throughout the world for her selfless dedication to the poor, the sick, the homeless and the dying. She is a Roman Catholic missionary and foundress of a religious order called the Missionaries of Charity. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and has made a number of trips to Japan. Known as Mother Teresa, she is the namesake of a Spanish nun of the 16th century, Teresa of Avila, who was a leading figure in the Catholic Reformation. Although we sometimes classify people as either thinkers or doers, St. Teresa combined a keen practicality with a deep spirituality. Another St. Teresa entered a French convent just a hundred years ago and became known as the Little Flower of Jesus. She died when she was only 26 years old but is remembered for her willingness to perform the humblest tasks. These three women named Teresa provide us with worthy examples to follow.
Japanese cars (87/08/28)
As you know, Japanese automobiles are very popular in the United States. How do we account for such popularity? The results of a recent survey show that Americans give Japanese cars high marks for their practicality and reliability. A thousand consumers in six major American cities were asked to rate 24 of the world's best-known cars according to eight attributes: prestigious (meisei), luxurious (zeitaku), expensive (kōka), practical (jitsuyōteki), reliable (shinraido), fun (omoshiroi), sporty (hade) and innovative (kakushinteki). Only European cars were listed among the top five in the prestigious, fun, sporty and innovative categories. Two American cars were included in the top five in the luxurious and expensive classifications. Japanese cars were found only in the top five of the reliable and practical listings, including three of the top five in the practical category. A practical, reliable machine is sure to be popular. My wife and I hope to meet you at the meeting of "Daily Word" listeners on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the City Geijutsu Sōzō Senta-, when we will relate some so-called "souvenir stories" of our recent trip to the U. S.
John Locke (87/08/29)
I presume you know the difference between a rock and a lock although many Japanese find it difficult to distinguish the difference in pronunciation. A rock, spelled with an 'r' is hard, solid material, such as a stone. A lock, spelled with an 'l' is a device used to secure a door against intruders. There was a famous English philosopher, named Locke, whose name has an 'e' on the end. This man, John Locke, was born 355 years ago today, in 1632. He was the founder of British empiricism (keikenshugi) which teaches that all knowledge comes from sense experience. Locke opposed the belief that people are born with certain innate ideas. He considered the mind at birth a blank (hakushi) upon which all knowledge is inscribed in the form of human experience. Locke had a great influence upon the social, economic and ethical thought of the 18th century--including the U. S. Constitution. A meaningful quotation from John Locke is the following: "Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking [that] makes what we read ours." My wife and I hope to see you and other listeners to these telephone messages at the listeners meeting to be held tomorrow afternoon at the City Geijutsu Sōzō Senta-, beginning at 1:30. Odekake kudasai.
Listeners' Meeting (87/08/24)
King Louis IX (87/08/25)
Students in Japan and U.S. (87/08/26)
Mother Teresa (87/08/27)
Japanese cars (87/08/28)
John Locke (87/08/29)
The promises of God (87/08/30)
Montessori method (87/08/31)
Composure (87/08/23)