It’s Monday again — another new week begins. Yet when we look closely, do things really change that much from week to week, year to year? Perhaps not.
Again, Monday.
But this marks the beginning of another week.
What makes this week different from the last one, from the previous month, or from the same time last year?
When I think about it carefully, not much has really changed.
The cast of characters keeps changing, yet the essence of human relations remains the same.
Somewhere in the world, wars continue.
Because of human actions, other living beings are driven from their homes.
People fall ill, and many leave this world.
Such things repeat endlessly — and perhaps it is better that they do not change.
Even though we know what humans are, we still carry envy and jealousy within us until the end.
Human beings are, indeed, complex creatures.
There are two Japanese words — takkan (達観) and teikan (諦観).
They sound similar but differ in nuance.
達観 (takkan) means to understand the essence of things and to accept them calmly, with a broad and positive mind.
諦観(teikan), on the other hand, means to realize that something cannot be changed, and to let go of further struggle or hope — a more resigned way of seeing the world.
So, takkan is a positive outlook; teikan is the act of giving up.
Which is better?
There is no single answer.
We may approach some things with detachment, and others with resignation.
Perhaps life itself moves gently back and forth between the two.
At the very least, as long as one has not fallen into despair —
that alone is reason enough to keep going.
