[trans] Myojo 2007-05 Shige's essay "Bonds"
Shige's essays are always great, but this one really impressed me. So I thought I'd share it. ^_^ Enjoy!
(And please don't repost this translation anywhere without my permission, thank you!)
Myojo 2007-05
Shige's column "Aoi hitorigoto" ("Blue monologue")
Vol. 11 Kizuna - Link
[Myojo translates kizuna as "link", I would have chosen "bond".]
Once there was a boy who didn't want to go to school for just one day when he was in the fourth grade of primary school. He had just transferred to this school and didn't have close connections in class, but it wasn't as if he was being bullied. But he felt disgusted with the bullying that was going on in his class. And more than anything, it was because he couldn't stand the thought of having to see the face of the classmates he disliked, that he simply told his mother, "I don't want to go to school today." Since this boy was more the outgoing type of primary schooler, there weren't any deep thoughts behind his statement, his behaviour had just changed on the spur of a moment.
But the mother of the boy wasn't the kind of person who is shaken by such a statement, so she just said, "Oh I see, then I'm going to call the school and tell them that you're taking a day off today." and continued in her preparations to go to work. Suddenly the boy's father who had been watching their exchange spoke up and muttered, "Well, I might just take a day off at work too." The disturbed boy thought to himself "Can he just do that?", but didn't do anything to contradict his father. Of course, in his heart he was delighted. In the end, it was just his mother who said, "I'll be back later!" and left the house. At that time, the mother must have been really worried about the boy.
Until noon, the father and the boy lounged about while watching TV. They made ramen for lunch, rented out the movie "Titanic" which was popular at that time, and watched it together. With the rays of the sinking sun tinting everything a deep red, the boy got a bit embarrassed when he watched the nude scene of the two main characters on the screen together with his father. By the time the movie ended it was already evening, and the day spent skipping school was over in a blink. While spending time together with the boy, the boy's father hadn't asked even once about the boy's reasons for skipping school.
When it became dark, the mother came home and asked the boy, "How was it?" The boy answered, "It was a lot of fun!" and told her in detail what they had done that day. She listened to him until the end, then she asked, "So, are you taking tomorrow off, too?" The boy replied, "Tomorrow, I'll go to school. It was fun today, but not going to school is boring. And if dad skips work, we'll be in trouble, right." On the next day, the boy went to school as if nothing had happened. The family left the house together and said "See you tonight!" and life went back to its usual pace...
Lately, there are jarring news all over the media. Every time I hear about this specific topic, I can't help but get very sad. There's something weak. Something between the people. Yeah, it's the bond. It's a bond that should be safely connecting the people, but it's becoming loose. The bond between friends, the bond between teachers and students, and the bond between parents and children.
A strong mother. A soft father. Normally it's a strong father and a soft mother, but on that day they each assumed the opposite role. They thought of the best method to make their son who had suddenly announced he wouldn't be going to school go once more, and I think to be able to do this they played it by ear. Just because of this, the boy was able to feel the bond to his parents once more. It was because the bond between parents and child covered for the loosening bond between him and his classmates that the boy could re-connect to his classmates. When I become a father, I wonder if I will be able to act like this. I have to be able to do it. There are more and more people who can't, so the world is changing for the worse. I have to become the kind of father, no, the kind of person who can make others feel this special bond.
It's a bit late, but thank you for that time.
Mom and dad.
(And please don't repost this translation anywhere without my permission, thank you!)
Myojo 2007-05
Shige's column "Aoi hitorigoto" ("Blue monologue")
Vol. 11 Kizuna - Link
[Myojo translates kizuna as "link", I would have chosen "bond".]
Once there was a boy who didn't want to go to school for just one day when he was in the fourth grade of primary school. He had just transferred to this school and didn't have close connections in class, but it wasn't as if he was being bullied. But he felt disgusted with the bullying that was going on in his class. And more than anything, it was because he couldn't stand the thought of having to see the face of the classmates he disliked, that he simply told his mother, "I don't want to go to school today." Since this boy was more the outgoing type of primary schooler, there weren't any deep thoughts behind his statement, his behaviour had just changed on the spur of a moment.
But the mother of the boy wasn't the kind of person who is shaken by such a statement, so she just said, "Oh I see, then I'm going to call the school and tell them that you're taking a day off today." and continued in her preparations to go to work. Suddenly the boy's father who had been watching their exchange spoke up and muttered, "Well, I might just take a day off at work too." The disturbed boy thought to himself "Can he just do that?", but didn't do anything to contradict his father. Of course, in his heart he was delighted. In the end, it was just his mother who said, "I'll be back later!" and left the house. At that time, the mother must have been really worried about the boy.
Until noon, the father and the boy lounged about while watching TV. They made ramen for lunch, rented out the movie "Titanic" which was popular at that time, and watched it together. With the rays of the sinking sun tinting everything a deep red, the boy got a bit embarrassed when he watched the nude scene of the two main characters on the screen together with his father. By the time the movie ended it was already evening, and the day spent skipping school was over in a blink. While spending time together with the boy, the boy's father hadn't asked even once about the boy's reasons for skipping school.
When it became dark, the mother came home and asked the boy, "How was it?" The boy answered, "It was a lot of fun!" and told her in detail what they had done that day. She listened to him until the end, then she asked, "So, are you taking tomorrow off, too?" The boy replied, "Tomorrow, I'll go to school. It was fun today, but not going to school is boring. And if dad skips work, we'll be in trouble, right." On the next day, the boy went to school as if nothing had happened. The family left the house together and said "See you tonight!" and life went back to its usual pace...
Lately, there are jarring news all over the media. Every time I hear about this specific topic, I can't help but get very sad. There's something weak. Something between the people. Yeah, it's the bond. It's a bond that should be safely connecting the people, but it's becoming loose. The bond between friends, the bond between teachers and students, and the bond between parents and children.
A strong mother. A soft father. Normally it's a strong father and a soft mother, but on that day they each assumed the opposite role. They thought of the best method to make their son who had suddenly announced he wouldn't be going to school go once more, and I think to be able to do this they played it by ear. Just because of this, the boy was able to feel the bond to his parents once more. It was because the bond between parents and child covered for the loosening bond between him and his classmates that the boy could re-connect to his classmates. When I become a father, I wonder if I will be able to act like this. I have to be able to do it. There are more and more people who can't, so the world is changing for the worse. I have to become the kind of father, no, the kind of person who can make others feel this special bond.
It's a bit late, but thank you for that time.
Mom and dad.