When One Is Asked to Settle Accounts with Fortune and Destiny
When I look back upon my life, the first feelings that arise in my chest are these:
“I have been blessed with good fortune,” and “How truly grateful I am.”
Yet at the same time, as I now stand before the final stage of life, I sense that I am quietly being called to settle the accounts of the “good fortune” I have received thus far.
That is to say, being blessed with good fortune never guarantees a life of ease.
And life is, in essence, the continual act of confronting oneself until the final moment.
At the same time, I believe that life is nothing other than a confrontation with the “law of the universe.”
In my own life as well, alongside many fortunate events, I faced difficulties that seemed like misfortune. Each time, I somehow managed to overcome them—and that very fact, I now regard as my true good fortune.
Furthermore, my life has always resembled a tightrope walk. One lapse in vigilance, and I would fall into the abyss. I have continued walking while bearing that fear. In truth, I remain on that tightrope even now.
And yet, one shift in perception has emerged:
I have come to feel that by facing trials, one’s character is refined.
I do not claim to be a person of virtue; rather, the mere desire to become one brings calm to my heart.
In the end, I feel as though I am constantly being admonished:
“Your training as a human being never ends. Maintain your resolve.”
Reflections Entrusted to a Five-Line Poem
At such a moment, a single five-line poem suddenly came to mind.
Five-Line Poem
To face one’s destiny
To make use of chance
And to proceed
—this is what
we call fate
In truth
there is no inevitability
There is only the Way,
the Law,
that renders chance inevitable
Living Each Day in Dialogue with Destiny and Illness
Although I may appear robust, the truth is that my health has been impaired by the effects of aging.
Even so, I choose to face my destiny head-on and to make use of the chance occurrences that arise along the way.
On that path, new discoveries and insights are always bestowed upon me.
The themes of my inquiry are as follows:
- How to integrate one’s mind, technique, and body
- How to remain open to others without closing oneself
- How to receive external information and respond appropriately
- How to nurture those who will inherit my philosophy and sense of beauty
I do not know how long my body and mind will endure.
Yet my wish to face my destiny and continue making use of chance remains unwavering.
Gazing into Complexity and the Handling of the Self
The phenomena of the world are never simple.
All things are intertwined and act upon one another at many layers.
Some people attempt to oversimplify them, but for someone as ordinary as myself, comprehending the whole of such complexity is impossible.
However, to bind together these complex forces and guide them toward a better direction, one must first set aside the ego and strive to “optimize” both the natural and social environments—spatially and temporally.
In other words, it is the work of seeking the optimal balance of benefit between self and others, and of maintaining harmony.
The Transformation of Desire and the Human Point of Arrival
Beyond such optimization lies a certain point of arrival.
It is the act of transforming one’s own desires into something that contributes to another’s life—even if that “other” is only a single person.
I believe that such transformation is, in truth, the very mark of human maturity.
