Opening a bank account for a small academic conference took far more time and effort than expected. Yet the experience raised a larger question: does the apparent size of a task really determine the value of what it supports?
I took the morning off to prepare for next year’s academic conference.
It was a little later than I had hoped, but I was finally able to open a bank account for the conference.
At first, I assumed I could simply open one at a nearby bank. I went there expecting the process to be straightforward, only to be dismissed rather bluntly because it was not my main bank.
So I turned once again to the bank that had helped me with last year’s conference.
The account will hold only a small amount of money and will be used for only a short period of time, so I cannot help feeling slightly apologetic toward the bank.
Still, for the sake of transparent accounting, we need a dedicated account in the name of the academic meeting.
Putting the money into my personal account and managing it through rough, informal bookkeeping would hardly be appropriate.
So there is really no alternative.
Even so, today was already my third visit to the bank just to open this one account.
Come to think of it, I almost feel sorry for making the bank deal with such a small piece of business.
But what exactly determines whether a task is large or small?
Is it the amount of work involved?
The amount of money being handled?
Or the number of people affected by it?
The same question can be asked about illness.
Some diseases are easy to diagnose and can be treated without much difficulty.
Others, such as cancer, require enormous amounts of time, effort, and money for both diagnosis and treatment.
From the medical side, of course, the workloads involved can be very different.
But for a patient, even a seemingly minor illness is not a minor matter when it is happening to their own body.
And an apparently simple illness can become a serious problem if it is left untreated.
The same is true of opening this conference bank account.
From the bank’s point of view, it is probably nothing more than a very small transaction.
For me, however, as the organizer, it concerns the very foundation of the conference’s operation.
Without the account, we cannot collect registration fees or maintain clear and accountable finances.
Even so, I found myself wondering whether the bank staff might secretly be thinking,
“All this work for such a small account?”
Given the recent increase in crimes involving bank accounts, I understand why the procedures have become more cautious.
Still slightly nervous about whether the account would actually be approved, I filled in each document as instructed and waited patiently.
Of course, the academic meeting held once a year by this society is an important opportunity for members and participants to gain new knowledge and exchange information.
And that, in turn, contributes to the improvement of medical care throughout Japan.
It may be a small academic society, but that does not mean its significance is small.
Seen in that light, the bank that kindly opened the account has also, in its own modest way, helped support the advancement of medicine in Japan.
That may sound slightly exaggerated, but as the representative of the society, I would like to express my gratitude.
The size of a task and the size of its significance are not necessarily the same.
・・・
academic conference
A formal meeting where researchers and professionals present and discuss their work.
学術集会、学会
main bank
The bank that a person or organization primarily uses for financial transactions.
メインバンク、主取引銀行
transparent accounting
A clear and open system of financial management that can be easily checked and understood.
明朗会計、透明性のある会計
dedicated account
A bank account used exclusively for a particular purpose.
専用口座
rough bookkeeping
Informal or imprecise management of financial records.
どんぶり勘定、ずさんな帳簿管理
dismiss rather bluntly
To reject someone in a cold, abrupt, or unfriendly manner.
けんもほろろに断る
accountable finances
Financial management that is properly recorded and can be explained or justified.
説明責任のある会計
the foundation of the operation
The basic structure or system necessary for something to function.
運営の根幹
left untreated
Not given medical treatment.
治療せずに放置された
in one’s own modest way
In a small but still meaningful manner.
ささやかながら、それなりの形で
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