Having survived half a century it would be nice to say that I’ve acquired some deep wisdom[1] that I can pass on[2] to people. But the truth is that having spent 17 years writing articles whose remit[3] was that they had to be interesting enough for people to want to read them in a foreign language, I feel rather[4] emptied of knowledge. I understood the world, albeit[5] naïvely[6], better at 20 than I do at 50. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; if it weren’t so, there would be no room[7] for awe[8] or laughter[9].
Yesterday I counted the books I’ve read over the last 14 years for my literature classes: 182. Sure[10], many of them are not that[11] long but it’s still an awful lot of information that has gone in (and mostly come out) of my brain. This all leads[12] me to a verse from James’ song Five-O[13]:
I’ve been looking for truth at the cost of living,
I’ve been afraid of what’s before mine eyes.
Every answer found begs[14] another question;
The further you go, the less you know
The less I know.
So much for the introspection; there’s no point in writing a blog to satisfy your own whimsy[15] because nobody will read it. So, I offer you a bit of Japanese wisdom1. The diagram should be pretty[16] self-explanatory. May you find your Ikigai – I’m still looking.
[1] wisdom – knowledge derived from experience, sagacity, insight
[2] to pass on – convey, transmit
[3] remit – specified purpose
[4] rather – somewhat, surprisingly
[5] albeit – even though
[6] naïvely – ingenuously, innocently
[7] room – (in this case) possibility
[8] awe – wonder, astonishment
[9] laughter – laughing, hilarity, humour
[10] sure – (in this case) admittedly
[11] that – (in this case) so, very
[12] to lead (lead-led-led) – take, guide
[13] Five-O – 50
[14] to beg – (in this case) provoke, elicit
[15] whimsy – whim, caprice
[16] pretty – reasonably
Nick Franklin 