Eating vegetables joyfully turns them into medicine.
You know, there’s a Chinese character for ‘medicine,’ right? The character for ‘medicine’ has the character ‘fun’. In the past, when people harvested and enjoyed vegetables, they would generally recover from illnesses.
So, just enjoy eating vegetables. If Korean ginseng is too expensive, it’s fine to enjoy regular carrots. Don’t force yourself to eat them reluctantly. Enjoy the vegetables, and they will generally become medicine. Eating them reluctantly or pinching your nose while eating won’t work. It’s about enjoying them.
Heading towards the door of enjoyment leads to success.
Let me explain a bit more. It might be difficult to understand, but once you get it, it’s easy.
When you’re in doubt about which way to go, like, “Which way is right?” and keep thinking about it endlessly, you won’t be able to escape from the confusion. In the end, you might turn to a fortune teller or someone else for advice and let them decide for you. But that’s not the right approach. When you face a dilemma, think about which option will bring you joy. Humans have guardian spirits. There are things that God has told us. Those spirits guide us toward the path of enjoyment.
Of course, just saying “enjoyment” doesn’t mean you can go on a shopping spree and buy clothes on credit. That will only lead to a lot of debt. It might be easier and more enjoyable to steal things rather than produce them, but you’ll get caught. Consider those aspects too.
Humans can’t see three steps ahead, but if you eat udon, you know you have to pay the bill. Those things are apparent and obvious, right? So, ask yourself when in doubt, “Which option will bring me joy?” That’s the key to success.
Decide based on “Which one is more enjoyable.”
If something happens, use “Which one is more enjoyable?” as your criterion to decide.
So, you might think I’m a bit strange, but I don’t want to appear on TV or anything like that. The reason is, when you appear on TV, you might be asked for autographs and stuff like that. The chances of that happening are almost as high as being charged for udon at a restaurant. Some people might like that, but I don’t. That’s why I don’t go on TV.
If you said, “Since Hitori-san mentioned that success comes from doing enjoyable things, I just stayed home and didn’t go to work,” you would undoubtedly get fired. However, if there are people who would rather get fired and keep sleeping, they probably have something going on. There must be something I don’t understand about them. So, please continue sleeping, but don’t say you got fired (laughs). You’ll almost certainly get fired if you keep sleeping. If you went on a shopping spree on credit, you’d definitely receive a bill.
Knowing that, you have to decide for yourself which option is more enjoyable. Recently, we talked about soaplands. I don’t go there just because I don’t want to. It’s not that I’m a noble person. What I want to say is, if my heart changes, and I feel like going there tomorrow, then I will go. So it’s not because I’m a respectable person that I don’t go; I just don’t feel like going. Do you understand? So, if I feel like going, I’ll go. I’ll go right away (laughs).
Humans change in various ways. However, always make sure to stay within the bounds of the law, no matter how much you swing like a pendulum.
Respecting enjoyable things prevents conflicts.
On your days off, using your own hard-earned money to listen to classical music or play tennis is your personal freedom. It’s not appropriate to judge others.
People who play classical music shouldn’t look down on those who perform rock music, but those who pass judgment internally with thoughts like “this is the right way” create a hierarchical mindset.
Try dividing things based on which one brings joy. If someone enjoys listening to rock music, then that’s what brings them joy. And if someone enjoys listening to classical music, that brings them joy. Two joyful people won’t argue with each other.
However, once you start comparing which one is right, superior, or higher, the world becomes a swamp, and conflicts arise endlessly.
For example, suppose a person says, “I want to study because I want to be excellent and learn more.” And another person says, “I want to become a carpenter after graduating from junior high school because I enjoy building houses.” Why should there be a comparison between the person studying and the person becoming a carpenter? If the person says, “I find joy in studying,” then they should study. If they say, “I want to be a carpenter,” then they should pursue carpentry. Both should head towards what brings them joy.
Farmers, too, shouldn’t complain about how tough farming is and instead find joy in it. If there are people who are doing it reluctantly and complaining about how challenging farming is, they should stop. There are people who are doing it and enjoying it to the fullest. If, let’s say, out of 50 people, there is one person who genuinely enjoys it, there are machines that can do the work of those 50 people. As a result, the price of rice goes down.
If someone is doing something reluctantly, it means they have something else they want to do. Humans have enjoyable things to do. It’s not about which one is right.
For instance, even if I hear that rice farming is highly productive, I could never become a farmer. I can understand it intellectually, but I can’t become a farmer. Fishing is not an option either because I get seasick. I find joy in my current job. Therefore, I choose the path that brings joy.
So, when in doubt, ask yourself which option is more enjoyable. This way, your life will be filled with joy.
Prioritize preserving the enjoyable atmosphere.
When someone says something wrong, you need to make an instant judgment about whether to point it out or not.
If someone is heading in the wrong direction and wants to go to Tokyo Station, you have to tell them, “Hey, it’s that way,” and guide them correctly. But when that person is in a joyful mood and says something wrong, pointing it out might ruin the mood.
That’s a matter of right or wrong.
For everyday matters that won’t cause problems, prioritize joy. If you really want to point out a mistake and give advice, do it discreetly after the enjoyable conversation is over. This way, no one gets hurt, and you won’t spoil the enjoyable atmosphere.
You know, joy is a rare thing for ordinary people. By the way, people like me, who are always joyful, go in the direction of joy, always and constantly.
If you head toward joy, you’ll find joy. If you head toward which is right or wrong, you’ll always be right, but you won’t find joy.
For instance, I go to Tokyo Station because I want to reach Tokyo Station. I head toward the direction of joy.
Therefore, when trying to find joy in yourself, avoid destroying the joy of others.
If someone is happily talking about something, and you know they made a mistake
, if you correct them, the mood will instantly be ruined, right? That becomes a matter of right or wrong.
If it’s something that won’t cause problems in your daily life, just prioritize joy. If you really want to point out a mistake, do it secretly after the enjoyable conversation is over, so that no one gets hurt. Prioritize preserving the enjoyable atmosphere.
You see, joy is something that’s rare for ordinary people. By the way, people like me, who are always joyful, are constantly busy praising others. I don’t have the time to think about receiving praise myself. That’s why I’m always busy praising others.
So, if you become a master at finding good things in others, you’ll notice that people will think, “Ah, it feels good to be praised.” I’m not trying to receive praise myself; I’m just too busy praising others.
And because of that, people I praise will start praising others. That’s how the circle expands.
If there’s someone you really want to point out a mistake to and they can’t find a single good thing in others, run away from them. If such a person appears, run away from them (laughs). If you can’t run away, then you have to enjoy dealing with them.
If you have to deal with something you want to avoid, but you can’t escape it because you’re caught, then you have no choice but to enjoy it (laughs). If you can’t run away, you have to enjoy it.
Which one is more enjoyable? That’s not about being a judge; we’re not judges.
People who are always criticizing others cannot say a single good thing about them when asked, “Tell me something good about that person.” They are still immature.
To like people is about how many good things you can find in others. If all you can find are bad things, is your life enjoyable?
Having an enjoyable life means finding the good things in people.
If you become such a master at finding good things in others, and if you encounter someone who can’t find a single good thing, run away from them. If such a person comes, run away from them (laughs).
You run away when you can run away. You enjoy what you can’t escape from (laughs). If you’re caught, there’s no other way but to enjoy it.
Which one is enjoyable? Some people can keep a straight face, while others can do it with a smile.”
コメント