Assumption

Hello. Aoyagi here. Just last week, while reading a book, I came across the phrase, "People restrict themselves by what they believe to be true." The very next day, on my way to work, something happened that reminded me of those words.


I was cycling to work in the morning. A man in his 40s on a roaring motorcycle sped past me. Normally, I would have thought something like: "That's so loud." "He's an adult, he should be more considerate..." I would have made arbitrary "assumptions" about that person. But that day was a little different. "Perhaps the car he usually drives broke down unexpectedly this morning, and he's a father forced to borrow his son's motorcycle?" As I thought about that, I suddenly became curious about his background. In fact, I almost wanted to ask him, "Why did you modify your bike's muffler?" (laughs) ...As I wrote this, I realized that the very feeling of "it's loud" is also an "assumption." Actually, when I was in high school, I rode a modified big scooter. And back then, I didn't think it was "loud," I thought it was "cool." (laughs) Ultimately, people's values are something that can easily change depending on the era, their position, their age, and the environment they are in at the time. That's why what's scary is mistaking "relative values" for "absolute truth." "This is how it's supposed to be." "Common sense dictates." Before saying things like that, I think it's important to be able to pause and reconsider, "Is this thought just an assumption?" When things become so commonplace that we blindly accept them, I feel like we often stop thinking for ourselves without even realizing it. "Why is that?" "Is that really true?" The more we dig and ask these questions, the more it should broaden our perspective, change societal norms, and help us create a better world. Suddenly, I remembered my beloved Yoshida Shoin. Next week, I plan to write about Yoshida Shoin's philosophy and my thoughts on it. Please join me again next week!