Different People, Different Ways of Thinking

We often judge society, politics, or even the people around us too quickly. But perhaps many of the things that frustrate us are not simply “right” or “wrong,” but differences in perspective shaped by different lives and responsibilities. In this reflective essay, a Japanese pathologist and blogger considers the limits of criticism, the meaning of “people are different,” and why leaving questions unanswered may sometimes be more honest than forcing conclusions.

Perhaps because I have been living a slightly more relaxed life lately, I find myself unsure about what to write.

Should I write about anxiety over world affairs, frustration with Japanese politics, hopes for Kamakura, or the decline of public manners?
Whatever the topic, it somehow risks sounding critical.

There is nothing wrong with thinking about negative things.
But such thoughts can easily turn into something that sounds like mere criticism.

A blog may be just a blog, and yet not merely a blog.
Some readers may feel uncomfortable reading harsh words, and careless remarks can hurt people more deeply than we imagine.

At the same time, if I try too hard to avoid offending anyone and write only agreeable things, the result becomes flat and uninteresting, lacking any real self-reflection.

Why are people born into this world in the first place?

As each person grows into adulthood, they gradually take on different responsibilities.

Whether those responsibilities are small and personal or large enough to influence the world, they vary endlessly from person to person, and cannot simply be denied.

If that is true, perhaps human existence itself should be viewed positively, and perhaps life cannot be divided so easily into simple categories of good and evil.

If we look at the events happening around us — in society and across the world — not as things to reject outright, but as differences in the ways people think, they may become a little easier to accept.

In this blog, I often end up using phrases like “people are different.”
The conclusion usually lands somewhere between acceptance and resignation, without becoming either completely.

Even when I feel that I should finally bring my thoughts together, I rarely arrive at anything resembling a clear conclusion.

And so, in the end, I simply leave questions behind for the people reading this blog.

Still, each person will think differently and feel differently.

If my small questions can encourage someone, somewhere, to think about something a little more positively, then that alone would make me happy enough.

 

Perhaps not every question in life needs a perfect conclusion. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• world affairs — 世界情勢
• critical — 批判的な
• careless remarks — 不用意な発言
• self-reflection — 自己省察
• responsibilities — 責務、責任
• divided into categories — 分類される
• acceptance and resignation — 受容と諦め
• arrive at a conclusion — 結論に至る
• encourage someone to think — 誰かに考えるきっかけを与える
• perspective — 視点、考え方

 

The Youngest Time Is Always Now

On a beautiful spring day in Kamakura, our family gathered to celebrate my wife’s 60th birthday. The pleasant weather, the walk to the restaurant, and the breeze coming through the open windows made the day feel quietly special.

Turning sixty may sound like a major milestone, but time never really pauses. The present moment is always the newest — and also the youngest — point from which we can begin something new.

 

Today in Kamakura, the temperature and humidity were just right, and the weather could not have been better.

To celebrate my wife’s 60th birthday, our son and daughter came to join us for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Of course, we walked there and back.
The air felt pleasant both ways, and during the meal, a comfortable breeze came through the open windows, making the food taste even better.

Sixty years sounds like a long time, yet when you look back, it passes surprisingly quickly.

Time moves continuously, without stopping.
That is why the present moment is always the newest, and also the youngest.

My wife says there are still many things she wants to do.
It is not really a matter of being “still young.” Rather, whatever we want to begin, now is the youngest moment from which to start.

As for me, I also felt that perhaps I should stop talking about being tired and try doing something new while I still can.

The youngest version of ourselves is always the person we are today. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• humidity — 湿度
• breeze — そよ風、心地よい風
• milestone — 節目、重要な通過点
• look back — 振り返る
• continuously — 連続して、途切れずに
• present moment — 今この瞬間
• while I still can — まだできるうちに、元気なうちに

Clothes, Age, and the Quiet Atmosphere People Carry

Fashion trends come and go, often faster than we can understand them. One year everyone seems to wear oversized sweatpants and sneakers, and the next year an entirely different style appears out of nowhere. Looking at these changing fashions, I sometimes wonder not only how trends are created, but also why certain clothes suit certain people at certain stages of life.

Having grown up during Japan’s designer-brand boom, I remember the excitement of fashion very well. Yet as I have grown older, I have begun to feel that clothing reflects something deeper than appearance alone. What matters is not simply what we wear, but whether the clothes match the person, the occasion, and the atmosphere surrounding them.

This is not really a story about fashion itself. It is more about age, character, and the quiet connection between outward appearance and the life a person has lived.

 

Yesterday’s topic about sweatpants unexpectedly attracted a lot of attention, which suggested that many people were curious about that seemingly strange style.

Fashion trends always come and go, so I imagine that the current sweatpants look will eventually fade away as well.

And what will come next? I have absolutely no idea.

Apparently, new designs are first introduced at some sort of fashion collection and then spread into everyday society a year or two later. I sometimes wonder whether those sweatpants styles had once walked proudly down the runway at the Paris Collection or somewhere similar.

I am not especially interested in clothing myself.

That said, my youth happened to overlap perfectly with the golden age of designer brands in Japan, so I did care about fashion to some extent back then.

Comme des Garçons, Men’s Bigi, Men’s Nicole — there were probably many more, but now they remain only as pleasant memories from a distant past.

Looking back on those days, I sometimes feel that no matter how elegantly a person dresses, if there is nothing substantial inside, the result ends up looking rather shallow.

Perhaps things are a little different for women, but for men especially, I think that is often true.

A suit only begins to look natural on a man when some gray starts appearing in his hair, not when he is barely past twenty.

Of course, this may sound outdated now, since we no longer live in an age of suits. Still, I think clothing has its proper timing, and every situation calls for attire that matches its own TPO — time, place, and occasion.

People are free to wear whatever they like.

But that freedom also reveals something about the way they live and the atmosphere they carry around them.

Perhaps clothing is ultimately that kind of thing.

 

What people wear may change with fashion, but the atmosphere behind the clothes tends to reveal who they really are. 

Vocabulary for Learners

• fade away — 廃れる、消えていく
• golden age — 黄金時代
• designer brands — デザイナーズブランド
• shallow — 薄っぺらい、中身が浅い
• gray hair — 白髪
• outdated — 時代遅れの
• attire — 服装（ややフォーマルな表現）
• TPO (time, place, occasion) — 時・場所・場合に応じた振る舞い
• reveal — 明らかにする、にじみ出る
• atmosphere — 雰囲気、空気感

 

The Rise of Sweatpants and the Flattening of Social Life

Sweatpants were once considered sportswear or something to wear only at home. Yet today, they have become an everyday sight not only in neighborhoods, but also on trains, in shopping districts, and almost everywhere else.

This change may seem trivial at first glance, merely a matter of fashion or comfort. But perhaps it reflects something larger. The boundary between private and public life has gradually become blurred, especially since the pandemic normalized remote work and relaxed dress codes.

In this essay, Colo-ken reflects on the spread of “one-mile wear,” the fading distinction between on and off, and the possibility that modern society itself is becoming increasingly flat, comfortable, and lacking in contrast.

Recently, I often see women wearing gray sweatpants on trains and around town.

Sweatpants were originally sportswear. Back when I played basketball, we wore them over our shorts during the winter.

For that reason, I initially felt uncomfortable even wearing sweatpants indoors as loungewear. But once I tried them, I had to admit they were comfortable.

Over time, sweatpants gained social acceptance, and more people began wearing them casually around the neighborhood.

For many years now, I have seen people stepping out of cars at highway service areas dressed entirely in sweatpants. But lately, it has become completely normal to see people dressed that way almost anywhere.

Apparently, this style is called “one-mile wear.”
But it no longer stops at one mile.

For walking the dog or going to a nearby convenience store, perhaps it is acceptable. But wearing sweatpants to ride the train somewhere still feels strange to me.

To me, sweatpants are basically an extension of indoor clothing — something closer to underwear than proper public attire. Yet there is probably no stopping this trend anymore.

Even doctors now spend entire days wearing scrubs.

When even hospital directors dress that way, perhaps dress codes and the sense of discipline they once represented have largely disappeared.

The turning point was probably the COVID pandemic.

Back then, there were endless stories — half joke, half truth — about people attending online meetings wearing a suit jacket on top and shorts underneath.

I still spend most days without a necktie, but I have never worn scrubs regularly.

Perhaps pathologists simply do not need them because our clothes rarely get dirty. Or perhaps it is just my age. Either way, I have never felt comfortable wearing them.

As clothing that resembles indoor wear becomes more common, the boundary between “on” and “off” also becomes blurred.

People walking confidently around in sweatpants certainly look relaxed, but a life without clear distinctions between work and rest is also a life without much contrast.

Perhaps society itself is moving toward something flatter and more uniform, with fewer ups and downs than before.

That said, many people still wear proper business suits, and as someone who has long abandoned neckties myself, perhaps I am not really in a position to criticize people in sweatpants.

Comfort makes life easier, but too much comfort may quietly erase the boundaries that once gave daily life its rhythm. 

・・・・・

sweatpants — スウェットパンツ

loungewear — 部屋着

social acceptance — 社会的受容

one-mile wear — 近所用の気軽な服装

dress code — 服装規定

discipline — 規律、節度

blurred boundary — 曖昧になった境界

contrast — メリハリ、対比

uniform — 均一な、画一的な

abandoned neckties — ネクタイをやめた

 

 

Effective Use of AI in Pathology Diagnosis and What Future Pathologists Will Need

 As AI rapidly transforms medicine, pathology has often been described as one of the specialties most vulnerable to automation. Yet the reality inside diagnostic practice appears more complex. Reflecting on AI-assisted pathology, war technology, and human judgment, this essay explores why the future may demand not fewer pathologists, but stronger ones.

As the long holiday came to an end, both the temperature and humidity began to rise, reminding us that the hot season is approaching.

Many people still seemed to be away, and the trains were not as crowded as I had expected.

During the holidays, the only time I touched my PC was for less than an hour each day to write this blog. Other than that, I merely did a few searches on my smartphone.

The rapid progress of autonomous AI systems in the war in Ukraine has become a major topic, and people have already begun to imagine a future in which wars are fought mainly by robots. That future may arrive as early as next year.

The idea that attacks on people and infrastructure could determine the course of war is deeply unsettling.

Human ingenuity will likely focus on how to defend against such attacks, but even then, people will probably consult AI for strategy. In that sense, the situation feels completely contradictory.

People often discuss how AI may take away human jobs, but how much work will actually disappear because of AI?

Pathology was once considered one of the medical fields most likely to be replaced relatively early by AI, but it now seems there are clear limits to that prediction.

I myself sometimes consult AI to make sure there are no missing differential diagnoses, but up to that point, I still have to guide the process.

As image databases continue to accumulate, some diagnoses are certainly becoming easier, and there will probably be more situations where human specialists only need to confirm the results. Even so, a vast number of problems remain beyond what AI alone can solve.

AI-assisted diagnosis will undoubtedly become more useful in the future, but paradoxically, that future may require pathologists with even greater abilities.

There may no longer be much need for humans to handle tasks that beginner pathologists can already manage.

However, the reasoning behind a diagnosis and the way the diagnosis itself is constructed must still be led by the pathologist.

AI merely waits for instructions, as if asking, “So, what shall we do?”

To put it extremely, even if one places a specimen on the stage and says, “Diagnose this,” AI can do nothing if the specimen itself is incorrect.

Pathologists must possess enough skill to give AI appropriate instructions, and acquiring that skill naturally requires effort. In the end, what we must do may not be all that different from what was required when I first became a pathologist.

There is something profoundly valuable contained within what human beings have patiently built over generations.

The more powerful our tools become, the more deeply human wisdom itself may be tested. 

 

・・・ 

Vocabulary for Learners

• autonomous AI systems — 自律型AIシステム
• determine the course of — 〜の趨勢を決定する
• deeply unsettling — 非常に不安を掻き立てる
• differential diagnosis — 鑑別診断
• accumulate — 蓄積する
• AI-assisted diagnosis — AI支援診断
• paradoxically — 逆説的に
• specimen — 検体、標本
• possess enough skill — 十分な力量を持つ
• patiently built over generations — 世代を超えて営々と築き上げられてきた

 

Blue Nemophila Hills and the End of a Quiet Holiday

On the final day of Japan’s long holiday, I visited the famous nemophila fields at Hitachi Seaside Park. Although the flowers had already passed their peak season, the pale blue hills were still beautiful enough to make the trip worthwhile.

The cool weather suited my dog Ann perfectly, and she happily walked far more than usual. After several days of genuine rest — something increasingly rare in modern life — I found myself thinking about work, family, and the exhausting uncertainty of world affairs. News from the Middle East changes by the hour, and trying to follow every development no longer feels meaningful.

On the way home, I stopped to see my son, who works in Ibaraki. Seeing that he looked healthy and was doing reasonably well brought a quiet sense of relief before returning to the reality of another demanding workweek.

On the final day of the holiday, I went to see the nemophila flowers at Hitachi Seaside Park.

Their best season seems to have ended in late April, but they were still more than beautiful enough.

The temperature never rose very much today, and it remained chilly throughout the day. Still, it was perfect weather for Ann. She looked comfortable and happily walked much farther than usual.

 

During this holiday, aside from doing a little work last Saturday, I spent almost the entire time resting.

Working constantly is not everything. Taking life slowly once in a while should help give us the energy to move forward again.

As for the situation involving America, Israel, and Iran, things have fallen into complete confusion, constantly shaken by President Trump’s abrupt reversals and contradictory statements. At this point, trying to follow every development no longer seems particularly useful.

On the way back from the nemophila fields, I stopped by to see my son, who works in Ibaraki.

He seemed reasonably well, and that gave me some relief.

Well then, back to work tomorrow.

An overwhelming amount of work will probably come rushing in again, but I need to wake up this holiday-softened body and do my best not to be crushed by it.

 

Rest does not solve everything, but sometimes it gives us just enough strength to begin again. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• nemophila fields — ネモフィラ畑
• passed their peak season — 見頃を過ぎた
• chilly throughout the day — 一日中肌寒い
• once in a while — 時々は
• abrupt reversals — 朝令暮改、突然の方針転換
• contradictory statements — 矛盾した発言
• reasonably well — まずまず元気に
• come rushing in — 押し寄せてくる
• holiday-softened body — 休みでなまった体
• be crushed by it — それに押しつぶされる

 

 

A Refreshing Day and a Quiet Check on My Health

It was a pleasantly dry and refreshing day across most of Japan, except for Okinawa, which had just entered the rainy season. A morning walk turned into more than routine exercise—it became a moment of reflection. An old set of health check records, discovered during a household cleanup, offered a chance to look back over the years. Comparing past and present numbers can be surprisingly revealing, not only about physical changes, but about how we age and adapt. This is a small record of that realization.

It was a pleasantly dry and refreshing day.
Except for Okinawa, which entered the rainy season yesterday, it seems that most of the country enjoyed clear skies.

This morning, I walked my dog Ann alone, taking the hiking trail from behind Myohonji Temple up to Mt. Gion.

I found myself wondering whether the ups and downs had always been this demanding.
For a moment, I recalled the days when I used to walk these paths lightly with my children.

When I returned home, my wife showed me an old set of health check results she had found while doing a thorough cleanup.

They were more than 15 years old. I thought about entering them into my health management app, but unfortunately, the data was too old to be supported.

So instead, I decided to jot down part of the record here, including more recent data.

　　　　 Feb 2009　 Feb 2015　 Aug 2022　 Aug 2025　 Today (home)

Height (cm)　 176.7　　　　176.0　　　　175.1　　　　174.8　　　　—
Weight (kg)　 80.9　　　　78.9　　　　74.7　　　　75.8　　　　76.7
BMI　　　　 25.9　　　　25.5　　　　24.4　　　　24.8　　　　25.4
Waist (cm)　 99.0　　　　94.0　　　　89.9　　　　91.7　　　　—
Blood Pressure　136/89　 116/79　 129/81　 132/82　 127/77

Aside from becoming slightly shorter, my waist measurement has actually improved, perhaps thanks to my recent efforts at dieting.

Next time, I hope for even better results.

The reason today’s hike felt more demanding is probably not just my body shape.
Muscle strength, eyesight, and balance likely all play a role.

Still, I would like to make an effort to keep walking regularly.

 At the very least, I would like to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

 ・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• refreshing：爽やかな
• thorough cleanup：徹底的な掃除
• jot down：書き留める
• demanding：きつい、負担の大きい
• measurement：測定値
• aside from：〜を除けば
• effort：努力、心がけ
• put one foot in front of the other：一歩一歩進む（比喩表現）

 

The Quiet Usefulness of Holidays in a Changing Season

A restless night can quietly shape the rhythm of an entire day. Waking before dawn to the sound of a storm, and then giving in to a baseball broadcast one probably should have ignored, is a small but familiar human indulgence. From there, the day drifts forward—half-awake, slightly unfocused, yet somehow full.

This piece reflects on such a day. What begins with sleep deprivation unfolds into ordinary tasks: walking the dog, doing laundry, taking care of things long postponed. And before one realizes it, evening has already arrived.

There is nothing dramatic here, and that may be precisely the point. As the season shifts in earnest, these scattered, quiet hours of rest and routine take on a certain meaning. Holidays at this time of year are not for grand plans, but for adjusting oneself to change—gently, almost unconsciously.

 

Last night’s storm woke me before four in the morning, and, against my better judgment, I ended up watching the Dodgers game.

I drifted in and out of sleep afterward, and morning came with a lingering sense of fatigue.

By then, the rain had completely stopped. I took Anne out for a walk, went to a coin laundry to wash down jackets and blankets, and spent the day taking care of one thing after another. Before I knew it, it was already night.

Having a holiday at this time of year, when the season truly begins to change, turns out to be useful in its own quiet way.

That will be all for today.

 

Sometimes, a day that seems to slip away unnoticed is doing more quiet work than we realize. 

 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• against my better judgment　自分でも良くないとわかっていながら（つい〜してしまう）
• drift in and out of sleep　うとうとする、浅い眠りを繰り返す
• lingering fatigue　残る疲労感
• before I knew it　気がついたら、いつの間にか
• in its own quiet way　それなりに、控えめながらも独自の形で

 

What Should Citizens Do in a Constitutional Revision Debate?

On Constitution Memorial Day, it is easy to treat the constitution as something distant—like air, always present yet rarely noticed. But recent events remind us that it quietly shapes what a nation can and cannot do.

In Japan, discussions about constitutional revision have resurfaced, often framed around security, international responsibility, and national autonomy. Yet for many citizens, including the author, the constitution remains difficult to fully grasp in its entirety. When the time comes to vote, what standards should guide us?

This essay reflects on that uncertainty. It considers the gap between abstract principles—such as the rejection of war—and the concrete realities of global conflict. It also raises a concern: that important decisions about the constitution could be reduced to something as superficial as a popularity contest.

Rather than offering clear answers, the piece invites readers to confront a quieter, more uncomfortable question—how many of us are truly thinking about this issue as our own?

 

The second day of the long holiday.
Today is Constitution Memorial Day.

The Constitution of Japan is like the backbone of the nation.
If it is bent or broken, the consequences would be serious.

And yet, its existence is like air—something we rarely notice in our daily lives.

Recently, however, I encountered something that made me realize how deeply the constitution affects reality.

A leader of a political party I do not particularly support commented, in relation to the conflict in the Middle East, that Japan cannot easily dispatch minesweepers to remove naval mines in the Persian Gulf because of constitutional constraints.
Likewise, when the Prime Minister told the President of the United States that there are things Japan can and cannot do, it was probably rooted in the same framework.

To not wage war, and not to take part in war—
this should be a fundamental principle of humanity.

War not only takes human lives, but also destroys countless other forms of life and wipes away what people have built over time in an instant.

Watching such scenes day after day, one almost feels a creeping numbness toward the fear of war.

Does the constitutional revision now being discussed threaten this fundamental principle?

Will it move toward allowing the idea of striking back when attacked, or even striking first?
Or is it meant to address entirely different aspects?

To be honest, I do not fully understand the constitution as a whole.

If a national referendum were to take place, I am not sure what criteria I should use to make my decision.

Even if I were to reread the entire constitution now, it is not something that can be easily understood in a short time.
But to treat such a decision like an extension of a popularity contest—like the recent general election—would be dangerously superficial.

There are valid arguments in favor of creating a “homegrown” constitution.
However, even within the various constraints of the postwar period, the current Constitution of Japan was shaped with the involvement of Japanese people.

The constitution quietly, yet steadily, defines the nature of the nation.

To avoid waking up one day to find ourselves under an authoritarian regime, each citizen must think of this as a personal matter.

And yet, one cannot help but wonder—how many people are truly doing so?

 

A constitution may be silent, but the responsibility to understand it is not. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• backbone：背骨、基盤→ the backbone of the nation（国家の基盤）
• constitutional constraints：憲法上の制約
• dispatch：派遣する→ 軍事・公的文脈でよく使われる
• take part in：参加する、関与する
• creeping numbness：じわじわとした麻痺
• strike back / strike first：反撃する／先制攻撃する
• national referendum：国民投票
• homegrown constitution：自主憲法
• authoritarian regime：権威主義的政権、独裁政権

 

Are We Too Harsh on Struggling Athletes? A Quiet Reflection on Japanese Criticism

Golden Week has begun in Japan, bringing with it a rare pause in the rhythm of daily life. On a breezy spring morning, while watching a Los Angeles Dodgers game, I found myself thinking less about the score and more about something else—how we respond to those who are not performing well.

With more Japanese players, led by Shohei Ohtani, making their mark in Major League Baseball, public attention has grown. Yet alongside admiration, there seems to be an increasing amount of harsh criticism, especially toward players in a slump.

This piece is not about baseball itself. Rather, it is a quiet reflection on the tone of our reactions—how easily disappointment turns into personal attacks, and what that might say about us as a society. By comparing this tendency with attitudes seen elsewhere, I explore whether this harshness is simply human nature, or something more specific to our cultural environment.

 

It was a fine day, though the wind was strong.

With the holidays beginning today, I had been thinking about how best to spend the time. For now, I decided to visit my mother in Tokyo.

In the morning, there was a Dodgers game. I watched and cheered, but their recent offensive struggles continued, and they suffered a disappointing loss.

With more Japanese players moving to Major League teams, led by Ohtani, there has been a great deal of attention surrounding them.

What has been bothering me lately, however, is the harsh language directed at players who are not performing well.

There are certainly players whose results make one tilt their head in doubt. But they are surely the ones who understand their struggles best. There seems little need to rub salt into their wounds.

Unlike celebrity gossip, the tone often feels like a denial of one’s character. Perhaps I am the only one who senses this.

In contrast, in countries like Korea, athletes from their own nation tend to receive unwavering support.

Is this tendency something inherent in us?

There are studies suggesting that people may act out of spite—even to their own disadvantage—simply to bring others down. I find myself recognizing that impulse from time to time.

Such behavior may appear to stem from a strong sense of justice, but in reality, it is often nothing more than simple unkindness. It is hardly admirable, and perhaps surprising to those in Western societies.

Of course, there may be players who are genuinely difficult as individuals. But it is hard to justify attacking young people who have committed no wrongdoing.

The media and the internet amplify these voices, turning them into entertainment, and the cycle continues.

One cannot help but wish that those involved would behave a little more like “adults.”

Yet perhaps we are living in a society where true adulthood itself has become scarce.

 

Kindness may be the simplest measure of maturity—and the one we seem to forget most easily. 

 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• harsh criticism：厳しい批判
• in a slump：不調の状態で
• rub salt into the wound：傷口に塩を塗る
• deny one’s character：人格を否定する
• unwavering support：揺るがない支援
• spite / spiteful behavior：悪意・意地悪な行動
• hardly admirable：ほとんど称賛に値しない
• amplify：増幅する、拡大する
• cannot help but ~：〜せざるを得ない
• scarce：乏しい、少ない

 

What Remains in the Sieve, and What We Pass On

May has begun with heavy rain. 

Yesterday, as I had promised in my blog, I worked rather hard.

That said, when I look back, most of the actual work was done by those around me.
What I did was simply to assist them.

And if I were to put it differently, that “assistance” was, in fact, guidance—sharing what I know.

Before I knew it, I had become the oldest member in the department.
Leaving aside the question of knowledge, I have, at the very least, more experience than anyone else here.
Everyone around me is a junior colleague now, and there is no longer a senior close at hand to rely on.

I offer guidance not only to doctors but also to laboratory technologists, from a pathological point of view.
This, too, is part of passing on what I have accumulated through my own experience.

What I pass on are things that have been caught in the sieve that is myself—
things that, to me, hold a certain truth and value.

The size of that sieve may be debatable, but it was filled, over time, by countless mentors who threw in a mixture of stones and sand—
all the experiences I was fortunate enough to receive from those before me.

At the time, I did not fully understand what I was being told.
Yet what remained has become part of my flesh and blood, shaping who I am today as a pathologist.

Now, in turn, I find myself gradually passing on what has remained on my sieve to those who come after me.

What they choose to keep—and how much of it—will be entirely up to them.
After all, what I pass on is only what remained in my sieve, and there are countless other sieves in this world.

To have even a small chance to entrust something to the next generation is, I think, a quiet kind of happiness.

I sometimes feel that my own “closing chapter” as a pathologist has begun,
but I hope to bring it to a graceful end, little by little.

 

Time, after all, is shorter than we imagine.

 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• sieve：ふるい　比喩的に「経験や価値観で選別するもの」
• assist / assistance：手伝う／手助け　控えめな関わりを表すニュアンス
• guidance：指導、導き　押しつけではなく支えるような教え
• accumulate：蓄積する　経験や知識が時間をかけて積み重なること
• flesh and blood：血肉、身についたもの　単なる知識ではなく、自分の一部になったもの
• entrust：託す　責任や価値あるものを次に渡す
• graceful end：有終の美　穏やかで品のある締めくくり
• closing chapter：人生やキャリアの終盤　“end”よりも柔らかく余韻のある表現