Dignity during Adversity, Honor during Crisis

Although the nuclear crisis still lingers and aftershocks are frequent, life is slowly returning to normal. Undoubtedly, Japan will be rebuilding and recovering from the tragedies of the past month for quite some time. But, for now the sense of urgency (from those of us outside the truly affected areas) has eased. As the nigh constant knot in my stomach slowly begins to fade, there is something which I think needs to be said. I am honored, not in the cliche' use of "honor" when referring Japan, but truly honored to have been able to stand with and witness the integrity and dignity of my coworkers, students and all Japanese people during this time of uncertainty. Their strength gave me the strength to stay during a noticeable foreigner exodus. I want to thank the Japanese with whom I have been privileged to see and know for demonstrating that underneath all the pettiness, anger, and fear, humanity is still a noble creature with the potential to grow. That fact is something I am far too often wont to dismiss.

Will this be my last word on the matter? In all likelihood, no. But, for now this is enough.  

-Dan　暖

Written March 22, 2011

Thoughts on Idiotic Rationalizations

Every workplace and, indeed, all social gatherings inevitably have a segment of their respective populations consisting of those lacking common sense. Unfortunately, the ALT business is such that, those who are terribly under qualified (not just educationally, but mentally and emotionally) cast a terrible light on the majority of hard working ALTs.But, this post is not a critique of the English language business so much as the telling of a tale about an absurd rationalization which continues to boggle the still functioning parts of my mind.

There we sat, a motley crew of ALTs from several prefectures gathered under the banner of company training. As the floor was opened for general problems and discussions regarding conflict resolution in the workplace, a hand was raised. The volunteer was called up to share with the group the wisdom of her experience.

In the moment following the yielding of the floor to the female speaker, an audible collective sigh of exasperation went up from the veteran members of the company. My newer associates and I would soon understand the reason.

While I cannot clearly remember if her anecdote was truly germane to the overall preceding group discussion, the collectively "feared" ALT began regaling us with a tale of her compassion and understanding toward her more troubled students.

Setting the stage, our narrator informed us of a rather expensive piece of jewelry she brought to school. Leaving the valuable in the teachers' room, she returned from class only to discover it stolen! As any person would do in her situation, she sought help from her fellow teachers. Although the effort had slim to no chance at recovering the artifact, a general attempt at locating the guilty party commenced. Soon afterward, the narrator halted further attempts to recover her stolen item.

Before I continue further, I should state that I can think of two good reasons for halting the search. First, it is disruptive to the other teachers and inconveniencing the school (something which may or may not be frowned upon in Japan). Second, the odds of finding the student after initial efforts proved useless were slim to nil. Better to cut your losses and learn from your mistakes.

However, our narrator refused to be confined by logical explanations. According to her, the impetus to halt the search was out of kindness and understanding toward the guilty student. We all sat in awe as the speaker eagerly mounted her high horse and prepared for an explanation which would bypass logical reasoning.

In somewhat paraphrased words, "whoever took it is clearly a troubled student (not disagreed with by anyone in the room). Once I realized that, I had the other teachers stop looking. I mean, I saw that I could use this as a way of helping the student. I can ALWAYS get a new piece of [expensive] jewelry . But, this was my chance to give the student something they've (sic) never had. It is now my gift for the student and it teaches them (sic) that I care."

Before you read on, take a moment of silence to really think about that thought process. That is what the rest of us felt compelled to do in order to reconcile the fallacies in her logic.

In her own way, our narrator utilized a very common mental defense. She turned herself from a victim to a figure of strength. After all, SHE made the decision to halt the search. More than this, she seized the opportunity to  change herself into the immensely generous and kindhearted teacher who was willing to give all of herself to reach her students. Had she the chance, I do not doubt that she would have claimed that she was a martyr returned from death to teach us all of her saintlike kindness.

However, she seemingly forgot about the glaring problems with her logic. Let's deconstruct her argument shall we?

One of her initial premises was not wholly unfounded. She believed that the guilty student was in some way troubled. I don't disagree. Thievery, even as a childish prank, can be a sign of an underlying emotional problem. Usually, kids outgrow this immaturity in short order.

Where our noble narrator's reasoning begins to fail is in the belief that her eventual halting of the search was a selfless action. Indeed she wholeheartedly believed that once the search was voluntarily stopped, the stolen property was no longer stolen. It instead magically transformed into a gift given to the student. In general, for something to be truly a gift, doesn't the receiving party need to be at least vaguely aware that the object was GIVEN with the intention of being a gift? I assume the guilty party, more likely than not, believed that his caper had been successful and the teachers had given up the futile effort of searching.

Our misguided narrator went so far as to claim that she was enriching the thief's life. Not only would the student receive a gracious gift from the English teacher, but also the warm knowledge that the ALT cared.

I argue that instead of enriching the life of the thief, this foreign teacher merely reinforced the notion that there are no consequences for misdeeds. What a terrible lesson to be teaching. The fact that she could and/or would not see the absurdity of her logic frustrated the more rational teachers present at training.

Japan at Her Most Simple

Greetings to any and all,

A question I frequently receive from stateside friends and the native Japanese with whom I interact is, "What do you think about Japan?"

After giving various stock responses during my time here, myself and several Japanese coworkers developed a streamlined yet strikingly effective answer over the course of a teachers' party (宴会).

Here is our answer.







Best,

Dan

What's in a Name?

I'm sure you are wondering why I titled this blog Thoughts from Solitude.

Simple. Thoughts from Starbucks lacks the same poetic impact as the current title.

-Dan

Overinterpretation in the Literary World Part II

Christopher Lee in Dracula (1958)

Currently, I am reading Bram Stoker's classic Dracula. Undoubtedly, Dracula is a figure of carnal sexuality and sensuality. During a period when the societal views towards sexuality were more stringent, it seems logical that the antagonist be the embodiment of sexuality (and all the dangers and corruption which that entails). Dracula comes in the night and seemingly hypnotizes women. Then, in a very intimate way, he takes them for his own by inserting himself (his teeth more specifically) into the female character characters of the novel which culminates in the taking of bodily fluids.

Using the symbols of Dracula as a backdrop, I will demonstrate how otherwise meaningless images can be assigned meaning and symbolic value.

There is a series of video games called 悪魔城ドラクラ, better known as the series Castlevania. The protagonists for the vast majority of the series are members of the Belmont clan. The Belmonts, utilizing a variety of sacred and holy weapons, battle Dracula and his followers. The Belmonts (at some point during the saga) are sanctioned by the Catholic Church in their crusade against evil. Essentially, the player becomes an avatar of the Church.

Simon Belmont prepares his entry into Dracula's lair

During the start of each game Dracula is somehow resurrected. The player is then treated to a scene of the holy crusader entering Dracula's vast and ghoul filled castle. The imagery is an exceptionally powerful view of the struggle between good and evil on the mortal plane. The Belmonts tend to be of muscular build (classically) which is a clear representation for the power of the Church. However, the crusader stands alone in the foreground against the vastness of Dracula's dark castle which is a representation, and later canon embodiment, of the evil in the hearts of men. The sole force of good able to oppose the seemingly unending darkness stands undaunted and bravely enters the castle to do battle.How true it is that the Church fights for our souls in a world filled with corruption and sin. It is the fundamental state of the world (as proclaimed by the Church) brought to life in game format!

Looking more closely at the battle between Dracula and the Belmonts, I'll remind you that Dracula is essentially a metaphor for the evil and corruptive power of sexuality, "Dracula's violent bloodsucking . . . can easily be read as obsessive sadistic substitutes for sexual gratification" (Dracula, intro xiii). What is the need for sex if not one of the core and primal moods of man? Indeed, the drive for sexual gratification and reproduction is a part of man still closely linked with his more animalistic nature. This is important to note since Dracula, despite his charm and refined manner, remains nothing more than unchecked sexuality. Essentially, Dracula is an animal (also shown in his ability to become a bat).

Shifting focus to the Belmonts; our protagonists do battle with Dracula not with swords but with a whip dubbed "Vampire Killer". "Vampire Killer" is endowed with the unique and ability to fight the darkness of Dracula. Classically, the taming of beasts is done with the aid of a whip (I will ignore the obvious sexual uses for whips that has developed in less mainstream sexual practices). It makes perfect sense that the holiest of weapons in the fight against Dracula is a whip.

The whip wielding Belmonts set against Dracula must therefore support the idea that the church alone has the power to help man fight back the sinful and animalistic impulses symbolized by Dracula.

To me, the imagery and symbolism of Dracula, the powerful Belmonts and the holy whip are far too clear to be anything but intentional on the part of the creators.

Of course, I could be over reading the images. The game's Dracula could be nothing more than an iconic villain used to appeal to a wide audience. The holy nature of the Belmonts and their weaponry could easily be seen as a logical counter to Dracula's clearly unholy nature. The whip may have just been an alternate weapon choice to the more common bladed weapons. These things may not combine in any meaningful symbolic way. They are just games afterall. But were my explanations particularly implausible?

Again, there is nothing wrong with attempting to interpret an create new meanings and theories works of art or even games. Finding patterns and logic in a chaotic world is part of the human condition. However, there must be a point where we acknowledge that sometimes we over interpret and then revere these over interpretations as virtual fact.

I leave you with a final word directed, with love and admiration, to my former high school English teacher: sometimes a green light is just a green light.

-Dan

Overinterpretation in the Literary World Part I

I have always excelled in English and literature classes. Contrary to my mother's theories of a prodigious intellect, I offer a more humble explanation. I am good at interpreting literature for a simple reason: I am exceptionally adept at, for lack of a less vulgar phrase which conveys my talent more succinctly, bulls***ting.

I once engaged in an argument with a literature teacher (a kind, but often harsh taskmaster) about intentional placement of literary devices into works by authors. She adamantly believed that authors consciously insert most of the symbols and imagery into their works for the readers to interpret/discover. I took the view that, while a great deal of symbols and literary devices may be purposefully placed, it is just as likely that literary scholars throughout time have merely given meaning to otherwise innocuous images.

This is not bad mind you. By forming new symbols and meanings, the ability to appreciate a story transcends just superficial levels of thought. However, all too often the literary scholars take the more sanctioned interpretations of literature and teach them to students as dogma. These zealous literary scholars take their interpretations and, often, over-interpretations far too seriously and penalize those who do not agree with the accepted symbolic value of a work.

Tonight, I will demonstrate how the absurdity of over-interpretation can be stretched. While I will certainly receive criticism for using a non traditional medium as an example of over-interpretation, I believe it will underscore the absurdity I am hoping to demonstrate.

Without a Muse

The drive to write has struck, but I find myself without inspiration. I imagine the following will lack the beauty and finesse which I strive, yet all so often fail, to accomplish in my drab writings.

This entry will be one of many attempts at restarting my writing since my move to Yokohama. For lack of better topics, I suppose it appropriate to chronicle (in abridged form) my life since I departed from Japan following my first trip here in 2008 (as told in my first blog Nan Desu Ka?!: Dan's cliche' blog. . .).

Upon returning to America I graduated from university. My final year was one of wonderful memories, but also a time of considerable readjustment. Presumably, preparing for entry into the "real world" is a generally unpleasant matter for all people, but I was also dealing with mild reverse culture shock which seemed to add different dimension to this turbulent time.

Upon graduation, I obtained work in Japan. For one year I worked in a "rural" area of Japan. Contrary to what many would expect, I thoroughly enjoyed my life and work in rural Japan. Upon completion of my first work contract, I relocated, with much hesitation, to a more populated area of Japan. This brings me to the entry you are currently enjoying.

I am saddened to realize that the memories created over the past few years are slowly fading. While I am not particularly worried about early onset Alzheimer's, I do fear losing important memories over the natural course of time (as the mind is so often wont to do). Hopefully, I can stem the tide by restarting my writing.

Until next time,

-Dan