Word of the Month by Keiko Takahashi
July 2015
Compass of the Times 136
To Live Truthfully
Keiko Takahashi
To Be Yourself
The season of summer has returned again. The rays of the sun shine brightly, bringing into relief the contours of buildings, signs, trees, and other numerous things.
This month, in such a setting with intensified outlines of the things around us, we would like to think about the outline of our own self.
To live while sustaining the clear outline of yourself is equivalent to being yourself.
To be yourself seems, at a glance, like an ordinary thing to do, but in actuality, it is not.
As long as we live in society today, we inevitably interact with others. Our lives carry on under the influence of
diverse human relationships at home, school, work, and even within the community.
As can be seen from the fact that many of our problems are rooted in human relationships, we are always influenced by such relationships. We are forced to pay attention to multiple human relationships, compare ourselves with others, and worry about how others feel so that we can respond to their intentions.
Even when you have your own views or opinions, it is difficult to be yourself if it is natural for you to conform to others. It is not uncommon to lose sight of yourself without even noticing.
On the other hand, stubbornly insisting on your own opinions no matter what does not mean to be yourself, either. This is because to be yourself is not to be self-centered.
To Keep What Is Important and Live the True Heart
What is it like to be yourself in the first place?
To be yourself is to live your own life. Make your own actions, your own choices, your own lifestyle, your own fashion, etc. There are numerous ways in which you can live your own life.
Then, what is the ultimate way to live your own life and to be yourself? It can be expressed as to continue caring for what we already believe in. In other words, it is to live according to your own values; to live defending the world views that you express; to live without losing sight of your aspirations.
The true heart which was featured in last month’s issue is also a part of being yourself. If you grasp your true heart and cherish it, you can be yourself and live your own life.
To be yourself never means to be overbearing or unyielding to others.
However, in order to be yourself, you must know your own heart. This is because you must grasp what you truly aspire and seek in life by digging down deeply inside yourself.
To Live Truthfully
When we keep the way of being yourself and face reality as it is, we can live truthfully.
This means that we are freed from preconceptions and assumptions, and we can face facts and situations squarely and focus all our energies to work on them.
No matter what the reality is, we will not become lost in a delusional world due to anxiety and fear, nor will we belittle or underestimate the situation due to over-confidence; but instead, bearing proper concerns, we will be able to move forward with unwavering hope.
If we live truthfully, a rush of fresh wind blows and always brings us the present anew.
Preliminary translation as of July 15, 2015
GLA member-volunteers translated Takahashi Sensei’s words.
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