Japan is built, at some deep, invisible level, around the Buddhist law of the reality of suffering; my Japanese family and neighbors are not inclined to complain about circumstances so much as to deal

deal, silently and efficiently, with the hands they’re dealt

This seems like a misrepresentation. Dealing with things is not an option. Accepting the status quo, regardless of how corrupt and inept it may be, giving unquestioning support to dynastic politics, is the way you "deal with" national problems.

Sacrificing any hope of family time - and in many cases of starting a family at all - in deference to the older bloke sitting incompetently up the desk from you, both putting on a charade of pretending to be working for fifteen hours every day as the company drifts, leaderless and rudderless to its demise, is the way you "deal with" your career.

Sitting, gawping at inane, identical, "variety" shows, goggle-eyed at the twin concepts of people eating food and shouting, is how to "deal with" your precious hours of liberty.

Don't rock the boat. Take what you're given. Eat your rice (it's the best in the world, and no, you may not try any other kind to form your own opinion on the matter) and pay your taxes. The elite have got escorts and condos to pay for.

Deal, silently and efficiently, with the hands they're dealt. My back passage. Take whatever crap gets allotted to you and pretend it's an immutable law of nature. It's not Buddhism. It's despair.

Excellent Ivan

It is a mean to control the masses, one culture told the masses that if they suffer in life, they'll have eternal happiness in the afterlife, the other told the masses that suffering is part of life and the only way to cope is to ganbarimasu. It seems that the later works much better during disasters, the negative side effect is that corporation or those in power use it for their own advantages, as we can see from all the corporate's corruption/scandals gone public lately.

Would explain why they go medieval (i.e. stuff you wouldn't even see on CSI) when they do snap.

Ivan, well stated!

Sadly the concept of suffering is not limited to Japan. It is increasingly the state of ordinary people world wide. Disempowered, repressed and under economic siege, they sit in front of the TV or tune out to media rather than doing anything to better their condition.

Japan has this down to an art form. But it is spreading world wide as hopelessness and despair render much of the masses into effective zombies and robots.

Japan has this down to an art form. But it is spreading world wide as hopelessness and despair render much of the masses into effective zombies and robots.

Ok, but when in human history has it not been that way? I mean, setting aside pre-history when perhaps small bands of people only had beasts and natural events to contend with.

Let me clarify, I'm all for improvement in everyone's lot. It's a great cause it's what we work and hope for. But let's get real. It's always been this way. It's not been better in history. There were no "good old days".

If you don't like how you are handled then just move on there is nothing that is stopping you and things are not going to change simply because you can't accept them and certainly rubbing the wrong way to the locals by saying "This should change because I do not like it."

Mr. Iyer's astute comment obviously flew way over the heads of Ivan and others. The former is talking existentially; the latter is merely repeating the same old tired talking points. Clearly two different levels of consciousness.

ben4short, that is a strange comment to make when Exixtentialism's precise raison d'etre was to be a philosophy rooted in practicality and human existence so it sounds incredibly pretentious to talk the way you did. Not to mention simply wrong.

As for the comment, it's easy to see (certainly not "invisible" with existence of the who-doesn't-know-it phrase of "shouganai") where this Buddhist principal can be mirrored in Japanese society, but the mistake he makes is exactly what Ivan says, namely problems are not dealt with, they are ignored, not necessarily silently and certainly not efficiently.

oikawa, if you'd take a moment to notice I used a lower case "e" and you used a capital "E" you might, just perhaps, with the help of a dictionary, realize the difference, and my correct usage. Raison d'etre, eh?

If you don't like how you are handled then just move on there is nothing that is stopping you

Ah, it warms the heart to see that, in this uncertain world, there remain a few things upon which one can rely.

The setting sun, the change of season, the "If you don't like it, get on a plane" evasion of any form of mature discussion. We Japanese are very cultured, which is why we have a tantrum when you don't suspend all your critical faculties.

I like this PIco Iyer bloke's comment - interestingly it strikes a chord with Australians too, in how we weather our many natural disasters, especially in the bush - and how they just get on with things. However, has he been up Fukushima way? The mob up here are - quite rightly I add - increasingly voicing their anger at the rubbish hand they have been dealt by the bureaucrats, pollies and companies. I see many Japanese here throwing off this "silent, stoic" restriction they have felt culturally, and that may be a good thing if Japan is to ever rise up again.

If you don't like how you are handled then just move on there is nothing that is stopping you and things are not going to change simply because you can't accept them and certainly rubbing the wrong way to the locals by saying "This should change because I do not like it."

@ SamuraiBlue - I know plenty of Japanese that simply don't have the option of "moving on" to their preferred countries ie Australia, NZ, Canada, due to having insufficient work skills/money, being too old to qualify, etc. They have every right to agitate for change in their country - just as all permanent residents do. Many, many residents in Japan - both foreign born and local - are hoping things change here and will no longer simply "accept" that things must stay the same here.

So next time I hear of someone leaping off the train platform I will endeavor to remember that Japanese suffer in silence and are stoics.......

ben4short

lol. Go on, explain yourself then

I think the quote is pretty accurate as a description of whats around us all here, I dont think Pico is necessarily agreeing or not, I havent read his bizweek blurb. My only real point of disagreement is where he uses the word efficiency, unless he means most do nothing, thats pretty efficient, but as for dealing with things most Japanese are very slow if they want to deal at all.

I cant say if these ideas are buddhist or not as I dont know much about buddhism, the the suffering & doing little about it is a pretty common sight on these lsles.

Ivan, you kinda went on & expanded a tiny winy bit LOL but knocked a couple home runs imo!