Sunny after rain
Cold
I read the complete works of Takaaki Yoshimoto, vol. 6, in a rambling manner.
In one of them, there is a story about how, when he was still a student, Takaaki Yoshimoto went to see Osamu Dazai in person to ask for permission to perform a play called “Haru no Kareha” by Dazai Osamu.
That episode alone made me think, “What? Wow, you got to meet Dazai. I was envious.” But the exchange that took place at that time is also very interesting.
“Is school interesting?”
“Not at all.
I guess so, because even literature is uninteresting. First of all, no one is suffering. You only have to read a few lines of the work to know that. If I were you, I wouldn’t be a black marketeer. I have nothing else to devote myself to.
Gendai Gakusei Ron – Shirin no Yakya no Yakuwari wo Haku wo” (Modern Student Theory – The Privilege of the Spiritual Yakuya), The Complete Works of Takaaki Yoshimoto, Volume 6, Shobunsha
Mr. Takaaki Yoshimoto took this to mean the “spiritual black market” (the black market that existed immediately after the end of the war).
In other words, in a society where values are becoming fixed, sell the spirit (thought) without regard to form. This may be what social networking sites are today.
This may be what we now call social networking. Not in the formal market of major media or publishers, but secretly expressing one’s “truth,” “thoughts,” and “anger.
If it becomes public, it might be inflammatory, maybe even illegal. It might even be illegal. It might be completely ignored. Nevertheless, if you continue to express yourself and gain the support of many readers, you may have the power to break through the stagnation of the mainstream and society, which has become mired in bureaucracy.
I feel that Dazai wanted to convey the significance and potential of this to Mr. Yoshimoto, who was still young.
Is it really possible to become a “spiritual black marketeer” through social networking? I can’t help but wonder if influencers are modern-day black marketeers, if digital democracy is possible at the end of this process, and if a global revolution by citizens based on new ideas will eventually take place.
The two men, Takaaki Yoshimoto, who continued to resist the hardening of society, and Osamu Dazai, who was troubled and distressed by his own conversion and fell into a state of unreliance, had different perspectives on the world, but I believe that they saw the same desirable society.
Their meeting ended with Osamu Dazai’s words: “The essence of a man is mothership. Kindness. You should shave off that stubble.”
The Winter Solstice, the Shi-Season is quickly approaching.
