光希まさとの創造の世界へようこそ！

つれづれなるままに、硯にむかひて、心に移りゆくよしなし事を、そこはかとなく書きつくれば、あやしうこそものぐるほしけれ。

近き公園にて偶然の出来事あり。遊びに興じる子らの一人が蹴りたるボール、わが家の近くに転がりて止まりぬ。その子、僅か五歩ほど歩めば届くところに立ちながら、「ボール、取ってください」と声をかけてきたり。

何の気なく蹴り返せば、その子は「ありがとうございます」と言いて立ち去りぬ。されど、わが心には妙なる不協和音の残るを覚えたり。

あと五歩。されど、その五歩を踏み出さず、大人の手を借りんとする。その姿に、今の世の縮図を見るが如し。子らを責むるにあらず、教えるべき親や大人が根本的に教育を受けざりしが故の現象なり。

わが子どもの頃を思えば、自らの力にて及ばざることのみ、大人の助けを乞うたりき。当然のごとく大人を使うという思考は、恐らくは持ち合わせざりしなり。

最近の瓦版にて、現代の風潮を痛感せり。自ら災害に対する準備や食料を備蓄することも全くなく、「自助」の精神薄れゆき、いきなり「公助」を求める声の高まり。町内会にも入らず、地域の清掃にも関わらず、されど災害の時のみは、町内会も運営にかかわる避難所に我が物顔にて現れ、炊き出しや支援物資を当然の権利と思いて受け取る。「共助」の精神も知らず、「公助」のみを求める魂の在り方。

更に憂うべきは、日々の生活の中にて自らの命すら「人任せ」にする傾向の顕著なること。通り魔的事件の増加、歩きスマホの無防備さ。「自分の命は自分で守る」という最も根源的なる心構えが、どこかに置き忘れられたるが如し。

ハザードマップにも関心なく、危険を知りながら避難せず、洪水にて孤立せば「税金を払っているのだから」と自衛隊の救助を当然視する。まさに「人任せ」の極みなり。

さらに国防に目を向ければ、一人の自衛官が約六百人の日本の国民を守るという現実。このことすら知る者少なく、真に憂慮せざるを得ず。かくも少なき人数にて国を守り得るや否や。自助の精神なくして、真にこの国を守り得るや否や。日本人一人ひとりに問うてみたき思いなり。

かくのごとき世相を見るにつけ、この国の行く末を案じざるを得ず。「自らの命の責任を持たぬ者が、いかにして他者の命に責任を持ち得るか」と問いたくなるなり。

自助・共助・公助のバランスこそが、災害に強き社会の礎なれど、その土台たる「自助」が崩れゆく今、いかにしてこの国は次なる災禍に立ち向かうべきか。

わが身を振り返れば、われら大人の世代にこそ責任の一端あり。便利さを追い求め、効率を重んじるあまり、「自らの力で生きる」という人間最も基本的な徳を軽んじてきたのではないか。

この国の明日を思い、いまいちど「自らの命は自らの責任にて守る」という原点に立ち返りたし。そして、それを次代を担う子らに、言葉のみならず、日々の行いをもって伝えゆくことこそ、今を生きる我らの責務なりと思う。

自助の精神なくして共助なく、共助なくして真の公助もまた成り立ち得ず。この連なりを忘れた社会に、真の安全はあり得ないことを、今一度心に刻まんと欲す。

つれづれなるままに　光希まさと

Essays in Idleness, Modern Chapter: “In Search of Self-Reliance”

In these quiet moments, as I face my inkstone, I record the thoughts that drift aimlessly through my mind, and in doing so, I discover a curious fascination with them.

Recently, I witnessed a small incident at a nearby park. A child playing there kicked a ball that rolled to a spot near my house. Though standing barely five steps away from the ball, the child called out, “Could you get the ball for me, please?”

I casually kicked it back, and the child said “Thank you” before returning to the park. Yet, a strange dissonance lingered in my heart.

Just five steps. Yet, unwilling to take those five steps, the child sought an adult’s assistance. In this scene, I glimpsed a microcosm of today’s society. I do not blame the child—this is a phenomenon born of parents and adults who themselves have not received proper education on such matters.

Reflecting on my own childhood, I recall seeking adult help only for things truly beyond my capabilities. The mindset of using adults as a matter of course was likely foreign to me.

Recent news (from the “broadsheets”) has made me acutely aware of contemporary trends. People make absolutely no preparations or food stockpiles for disasters, the spirit of “self-help” is fading, and an immediate demand for “public assistance” is rising. Many do not join neighborhood associations or participate in community cleaning efforts, yet in times of disaster, they appear at evacuation centers (partly managed by these same neighborhood associations) with an air of entitlement, receiving food and relief supplies as if it were their natural right. They know nothing of the spirit of “mutual aid” and seek only “public assistance.”

Even more concerning is the prevalent tendency to entrust one’s life to others in daily activities. The increase in random attacks, the vulnerability of people walking while using smartphones—it seems the most fundamental mindset of “protecting one’s own life” has been forgotten somewhere along the way.

Many show no interest in hazard maps, refuse to evacuate despite knowing the dangers, and when isolated by floods, they expect Self-Defense Forces rescue as a right because “we pay taxes.” This is the epitome of “relying on others.”

Looking further to national defense, one Self-Defense Force member protects approximately six hundred Japanese citizens—a reality few people even know. I cannot help but worry: Can a country truly be defended with such small numbers? Can Japan protect itself without the spirit of self-reliance? These are questions I wish to pose to each Japanese citizen.

Observing these social conditions, I cannot help but worry about this country’s future. I find myself wanting to ask, “How can those who take no responsibility for their own lives possibly take responsibility for the lives of others?”

While the balance of self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance forms the foundation of a disaster-resilient society, how can this nation face the next calamity when the cornerstone of “self-help” is crumbling?

Looking inward, we adults bear part of the responsibility. In our pursuit of convenience and efficiency, have we neglected the most basic human virtue of “living by one’s own strength”?

Thinking of this country’s tomorrow, I wish to return to the fundamental principle that “one’s life is one’s own responsibility to protect.” And to convey this to the next generation not merely through words, but through our daily actions—this, I believe, is the duty of those of us living today.

Without the spirit of self-help, there can be no mutual aid; without mutual aid, true public assistance cannot function. I wish to inscribe in my heart once more that a society that forgets this connection cannot achieve true safety.

In these idle moments — Masato Koki