Ayumu

Do you have the purpose of life?

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Some people believe that life has a purpose, and they live to accomplish that purpose. Hideko Suzuki, a Japanese Christian nun, wrote that the purpose of life must be “to make myself and others happy.” The Dalai Lama, a Buddhist monk, said … Read more

What is good?

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Since childhood, we have been told to “do good things.” But what is “good”? Does the idea of good change over time? Is good different for different people? Is it different across cultures? Is there such a thing as a universal good? … Read more

Can you believe that free will might be an illusion?

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) I have read some books about free will. According to some thinkers, free will is an illusion. Benjamin Libet, an American scientist, discovered that our brains become active before we consciously decide to take action. For example, when we drink a glass … Read more

I listened to a speech by Kazuo Inamori, a legendary figure in Japanese management

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Kazuo Inamori (1932–2022) was one of the founders of Kyocera and KDDI, both of which are very large Japanese companies. He is often called a Japanese “god of management,” like Konosuke Matsushita (1894–1989). Inamori also established the Inamori Foundation and created the … Read more

History was made by unknown people

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) My mother and I made small talk over dinner every Monday. Sometimes we talk about people forgotten by history. We imagine that there must have been people like Buddha or Christ who lived long ago but were never remembered. I said that … Read more

What is enlightenment or satori?

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Buddha attained enlightenment — called satori in Japanese — after long and rigorous training. Many people have tried to explain what satori is. Koshu Itabashi, a Japanese Zen monk, wrote that satori is to live a normal life and be content with it. He … Read more

A Saying That Helps Introverted People

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Do you know the saying, “Eighty percent of success is showing up”? Woody Allen, a writer and film director, said this. I really like this saying, and I’ve repeated it to myself many times. For example, I don’t like attending company parties. … Read more

How to Train the Sixth Sense/Intuition

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) I watched a scientific TV program about the sixth sense. The program reported the results of some experiments. In one experiment, there were two people: one sat while the other stood behind them. The person sitting could correctly guess whether or not … Read more

I listened to interesting talks by Nobel Prize winners.

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) In 2016, I attended a public conversation in Nagoya, Japan, between Shinya Yamanaka and Isamu Akasaki, both Nobel Prize laureates. Shinya Yamanaka is an entertaining speaker, and I laughed a lot during his talk. He said that it is important to find … Read more

Children Teach Adults

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) I like seeing children. I am struck by their purity and innocence, which remind me of my happy childhood. When I commute on foot, I always see elementary school students walking in a line. Since they are so cute, I cannot help … Read more

My favorite saying of Confucius

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) Among Confucius’s sayings, my favorite is the following:“They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.” I used to be unable to understand the … Read more

I attended a lecture by Shuji Nakamura, a Nobel Prize laureate.

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(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.) In 2015, in Osaka, Japan, I attended a lecture by Shuji Nakamura, a 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics. He spoke very frankly, and it was enjoyable to listen to him. He insisted that Japanese students should learn from American students, noting … Read more