Tag: Japan

Before experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake, many of you, including myself, must have taken it for granted that tomorrow will come. However, now that I have experienced the reality that many people die in front of me due to the great earthquake, the idea that I may not come tomorrow has entered my daily life.

In addition, there are many people who could not live even if they wanted to live in the Great East Japan Earthquake. The fact that there was such a fact can be considered that the life and death of a person is different from the will of the person, and the action of power beyond human knowledge is working. In other words, it can be understood that “living is alive.”

And what is “lived” is to have a relationship with someone or something, and to be connected to them. You may feel that you are being utilized by connecting with someone.

I can’t live alone. It has something to do with people and people, people and everything in nature. Therefore, there are many things that do not go according to your wishes. It’s important to work hard to solve it, but it’s wrong to mourn “this is the worst of my life” just because it doesn’t go as planned. Also, you shouldn’t think so. We should not ask why our lives, we must always think that we are being asked by our lives and do our best to do what we can.

Because every result in the world has a cause. This is because what I have done and what I am doing is reflected in my life as a result.

Therefore, it can be said that life is being questioned.

The society in which we live is changing every day. It doesn’t matter what the individual’s intentions are, whether they turn their backs against the flow or be swept away. Ten years after the great earthquake, looking back, I jumped into the confusing whirlpool and sometimes acted in the opposite direction. It takes energy and physical strength to live in change. And above all, I think it is important to have a world view that all living things can live only by helping each other. And for the first time, I think we can share our lives with everyone who lives in everyone’s society.

Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and it can be considered that one milestone has been reached as the passage of time. However, many of the victims are still suffering from various problems. In particular, the sadness of losing a loved one does not heal over time, and the perception of it will differ greatly depending on the individual’s disaster situation.

The wounds that have lost a loved one are always present. When you touch the memory, the nerves are damaged and you feel numb like when you touch the recovered scar. Rather, it is struck by the complex sensations of waiting for something to cover, with the rawness of the exposed nerves being constantly exposed to the air. It will take a long time to recover from the pain. Also, you will not be able to avoid the difficult period. Despite the turmoil of media reports, it’s been 10 years in the disaster area, quiet and gentle as usual.

In other words, it is not possible to impose a time break on “reconstruction of the mind.” Also, the bereaved family must wait slowly without being impatient, even if the sadness does not disappear easily. And it is important to have the opportunity to talk to someone around you without having to carry sadness alone. If possible, it is necessary to create opportunities for discussion with people in the same situation so as not to be isolated. Alternatively, visiting the “Wind Phone” and speaking out aloud your feelings in a space isolated from the outside of the box, or expressing your feelings with all one’s might will release your mind and lead to healing.

“People have the power to adapt to the post-loss world and ultimately regenerate their vitality, no matter how painful they may be,” psychotherapists say. What does that mean? I have never seen or heard a specific explanation.

I thought about why after 10 years. In Buddhism, there is the word “everything is unchanging,” and everything in the world changes. “It is said that there is nothing that does not change. That means that the time will come when human life will eventually die. In other words, human beings are made by incorporating the fact that “human beings die”. And although you may be despaired with that sadness, if you do not consider everything within the understanding of the Creator, even if you have a grief at the death of your loved ones, you can finally regenerate your vitality. It cannot be interpreted as.

But you are OK! Sadness and suffering do not last forever. Everything changes. Fun things always happen. Because humans are created that way.

Recently, end-of-life care that is actively used in the field of intractable diseases and the terminal stage of cancer. In the clinical setting where patients are suffering from the difficult illness of cancer, having doubts about life itself, suffering from the meaning of life, fear of death, anxiety after death, etc., doctors, caregivers and patients Palliative medicine has come to be brought in with the participation of close relatives.

Mother Teresa said, “The dying person is in danger of being isolated from the world of the living, feeling the anxiety and fear of being separated. To alleviate that anxiety, the role of accepting the death. “We need someone to do it,” he said, creating a “house for people waiting for death” and demonstrating that any human being can play a role in receiving the death.

“Anyone who dies by saying goodbye to someone can get the recognition that he existed in this world and get the hope of rebirth to take over something to someone,” he said.

In this way, Mother Teresa practiced cuddling “for those waiting for death” so that the anxieties and fears of the dying people could be removed and the death could be accepted calmly and with peace of mind.

In the case of a disaster, accident, suicide, etc., the death suddenly comes one day without warning.

Unlike dying after a long illness, he died shortly after looking back on his life, verifying his dreams and hopes, and worrying about his future life with his family. For that reason, I think there are many feelings that the deceased party and the bereaved family who were left behind wanted to convey. However, there is no one to convey his feelings anymore, and only sadness with a mixture of regret and anger that cannot be taken anywhere remains.

I have almost the same situation as the “place” of end-of-life care where my cousin got cancer and died while being taken care of by everyone, and the situation where a large number of people suddenly died unexpectedly in the Great East Japan Earthquake. I experienced it at the time.

My cousin (Hirohisa Takekawa) was four years older and 69 years old, and was a hobby teacher of calligraphy and aikido. He has been playing with him since he was a kid and loved him like his brother. In 2009, when he suffered from cancer and was sentenced to three months to live and was fighting against illness, the ephemeral nature of his life never left his mind.

It takes about 80 to 100 years from birth to death, and people will receive it differently depending on whether they see it as short or long. However, when comparing the time a person is alive with the time since he died, it is far longer after he died, and there is time that lasts forever. If so, I thought that it was important to maintain the “bond” even after death, not just the “bond” during life.

The concept of “The Phone of the Wind” was in place at this point. And, in order to cherish this consciousness, he created the poem “The Phone of the Wind”.

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“The Phone of The Wind”

by Itaru Sasaki

Everyone has a past

There is a present and there is a future

In addition, there are encounters and farewells from time to time

The Phone of the Wind talks to those people

Who do you talk to

Is it a word or a letter

Or is it a facial expression?

The Phone of the Wind speaks with heart

Close your eyes quietly

Please listen

The sound of the wind or the sound of the waves

Or if you hear the chirping of a little bird

Please convey your feelings

Your feelings will surely reach that person

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On the other hand, no one died in the disaster. Those who were drunk by the tsunami without any means of sudden events, those who desperately tried to escape but could not avoid it, the circumstances vary, but the victims must have wanted to live even more. It must have been an effort to live somehow. However, when he learned that it wouldn’t come true, he must have prayed for the safety of his family and regretted that he had a lot of things to tell. “I want to live, but I can’t live, I want to convey, but I can’t convey.” When I guessed this feeling, I strongly felt that it was necessary to connect that unfortunate feeling.

Also, even if the family was left behind, if they knew that they couldn’t meet anymore, they should have talked more and more, understood each other better, and created a lot of memories. However, the deceased will not come back by any effort or by any means. I can’t talk or play. Remorse and regret swirl, and thoughts are confused, and various requests from real life lose their sense of reality and tend to lose sight of themselves.

In today’s world, too much emphasis is placed on efficiency, and there is a tendency to draw conclusions quickly. There is a tendency to value only what is visible and what is audible, and to conclude based on that.

However, if you close your eyes, close your ears, and use your imagination, you can see what you cannot see and hear what you cannot hear. I can clearly see my way of thinking.

I think it is important to improve your sensibility and “see with your heart, listen with your heart” in an era where abundant knowledge and technology are developed like modern people.

What is really important, what is really necessary, what is really necessary to convey, and by using your imagination and thinking about things from various angles, you can see the essence of the wind. We are thinking about the importance of nurturing sensibility and imagination through “The Phone of the Wind”.

In September 2019, the surrounding environment, including “The Phone of the Wind” won the 4th International Public Art Award. (Public art refers to works of art in public spaces. The world is divided into 7 blocks, and the winning works are decided in each block. Last year’s award venue was Beijing University.)

Bell Gardia KUJIRAYAMA, which has a “The Phone of the Wind”, can be used by anyone at any time, but even though it is a public space, there are some restrictions inherent in it, unlike a fully open place such as a train station or an airport. I think it is.

It is intended for people who have some sense of loss in the “The Phone of the Wind” itself, and hope to convey their thoughts to those who could not meet soon after telling their thoughts, reduce the burden on their hearts, and change their consciousness to live again. I think it’s a place for people to visit. And I think that it is a place where those people regain their original vitality by experiencing the power of “place” called “The Phone of the Wind” and encourage them to act independently. increase. Therefore, the use of tourists and others is generally an element of “play”, even if it provides an opportunity to empathize with those who have a sense of loss and to think about “life and death”. Is a strong person who does not want to be there.

The feelings of people with grief are that they don’t want others to see their sadness, they don’t want to be pityed, and they don’t want to be sympathized. Ignoring that, “anytime, anyone” will tend to avoid those who are originally needed. “The Phone of the Wind” is operated by restricting tourist information so that it does not happen, and paying close attention to the location, arrangement, environment, etc. of the telephone booth.

I think that the public nature of “The Phone of the Wind” is to close your eyes, close your ears, use your imagination, and let each person think and make decisions.