With rain forecast to scatter the cherry blossoms from tomorrow, today may be the last chance to see them in Kamakura. Beneath a clear sky and lingering traces of last night’s full moon, the season seems to pause for a quiet farewell.
Rain is expected from tomorrow, the kind that gently strips the petals from the trees.
It seems likely that today will be the last chance to see the cherry blossoms in Kamakura.
Hints of fresh green have already begun to appear, and by the time the rain passes, the trees will probably have turned to leaves.
My wife and I walked along Dankazura together.
Last night, we admired the full moon.
This morning, we stood beneath cherry blossoms in full bloom under a clear sky.
Many people had come out, perhaps to take in the final view of the blossoms.
And with them came many dogs.
Among fellow dog owners, my wife seems to know nearly everyone in the neighborhood.
She remembers not only the dogs but also their names, which never fails to surprise me.
She has always had a talent for remembering people.
She probably knows a thousand times more names than I do.
It is a talent worthy of admiration.
You never quite know where a person’s abilities lie.
As for me, I have nothing particularly notable—perhaps only that I keep writing this blog every day.
But even talent depends on how it is used.
It can benefit others, or it can just as easily bring harm.
In medicine, for instance, someone who excels at surgery may not necessarily make a capable hospital director.
Likewise, a person skilled at writing papers may become a professor, yet fail ethically.
Most people, however, understand their own limits.
They settle somewhere appropriate and find a balance that fits them.
That may be enough in the context of running a hospital or conducting academic research.
But when it comes to politics, the scale is entirely different.
What we are witnessing around the world now may be a reflection of this—
people who are highly skilled in strategy and maneuvering, yet only second-rate as leaders.
We may tolerate certain scandals.
But starting wars is another matter entirely.
Human beings have been given the ability to talk, to negotiate.
To abandon that ability is, in a sense, a betrayal.
The spectacle we see reported day after day—
to think it may continue for another two and a half years is simply exhausting.
There is a saying: even a fool can be useful if handled well.
Perhaps even a questionable politician could keep things running with capable advisors.
But when such a person surrounds themselves only with yes-men and wields military power freely,
the world begins to look like a very fragile place.
Perhaps the problem is not the lack of talent, but how it is used.
No comments:
Post a Comment