Original text: Japanese
Translation: ChatGPT
“Every disadvantage is the result of the individual’s lack of ability.”
This is a line from a manga I like, and at the same time, it is a phrase that became a lesson for me personally.
In the story, the line carries a rather harsh meaning.
However, I do not take these words literally, nor do I accept them entirely at face value.
There are disadvantages in this world that cannot be overcome through effort or ability alone.
The circumstances we were born into, accidents, the actions of other people—there are certainly things we never had the power to choose.
And yet, when I break these words down and interpret them in my own way, they became a lesson for me.
In other words,
“When something puts me at a disadvantage, instead of immediately blaming other people or my circumstances, I should first ask myself what I have done to get here.”
That is what I mean.
I am not saying, “Every misfortune is the result of your lack of ability.”
It is something much simpler than that.
How much of what happens in my life am I willing to regard as my own problem?
That is how I choose to understand these words.
Are you dissatisfied with your circumstances?
Does someone standing beside you seem more fortunate than you?
They have talent.
They are lucky.
They grew up in a better environment.
As we dwell on such thoughts, envy, resentment, jealousy, and anger can easily take over.
Negative emotions have a remarkable ability to consume us before we even realize it.
And before long, we begin looking for the cause somewhere outside ourselves.
But this is where I think we should stop for a moment.
Before cursing our own misfortune, let us first look back at the things we have done.
Did we stay true to our convictions, even when others told us otherwise?
Did we make the effort to move closer to the person we wanted to become?
Did we really put in the same kind of effort as the person we envy?
Have we ever run away because we were afraid of what someone might say?
Have we ever given up because studying or practicing became too difficult?
While that person was diligently building something for themselves, were we simply playing around?
…Well, these are only examples.
But every once in a while, I think it is not a bad idea to ask ourselves questions we would rather not answer.
When You Trace the Cause, You May Find Yourself
Suppose something happens that puts you at a disadvantage.
Try tracing the cause back, one step at a time.
Why did this happen?
Because I made that choice back then.
And why did I make that choice?
Because I ran away from something I should have done.
When you dig deeper into the chain of cause and effect, you may eventually find one of your own choices somewhere along the way.
In a sense, it is somewhat like the butterfly effect.
A butterfly flaps its wings.
That tiny disturbance creates another change somewhere far away, which in turn creates yet another change.
A single choice may seem insignificant at the moment we make it.
But life is a series of those small choices.
The day you skipped something you should have done.
The day you ran away.
The day you showed kindness to someone.
The day you took just one small step forward.
Each of those moments may eventually lead to something else.
That is why the place we find ourselves in today contains, at least to some extent, the choices we made in the past.
Of course, there are things in this world that we simply cannot control.
Accidents.
Random acts of violence.
The circumstances we were born into.
The times we live in.
Society.
There are countless things that cannot be changed through our own efforts alone.
So I am not saying that “everything is your fault.”
Rather, within the things we are able to influence, we should ask ourselves:
“What choices did I make along the way that led to this result?”
That is what I mean.
So far, I have talked quite a lot about the negative side of things.
But there is another important side to this way of thinking.
If our losses are our responsibility, then shouldn't our gains be ours as well?
Having good friends.
Living a fulfilling life.
Having the freedom to enjoy the hobbies we love.
Having even one thing we can genuinely be proud of.
These things do not simply appear out of nowhere.
We valued our relationships with others.
We kept doing something.
We became absorbed in something we loved.
We reached out and helped someone.
Or perhaps an opportunity happened to come our way, and we chose to seize it.
Those past choices are connected to the person we are today.
Happiness, too, is something we have built along the way.
That, too, is part of what we call “our life.”
Of course, not everyone begins from the same starting line.
That is why there is little point in simply comparing ourselves to someone else.
Life is not simple enough for everything to be determined by effort alone.
Even so,
“Did I really do everything I could?”
is a question we can continue to ask ourselves until the very end.
When it comes to preventing the things that can put us at a disadvantage, there is no harm in doing everything we reasonably can.
And yet, I also believe that being unable to prevent everything is simply part of being human.
That is why, when something goes wrong, rather than placing all the responsibility on someone else,
“What could I have done?”
is a question worth asking.
Responsibility Does Not Mean Blaming Yourself
“Every disadvantage is the result of the individual’s lack of ability.”
It sounds like a harsh statement.
But it is not a phrase meant to make us blame ourselves endlessly.
Rather,
it is a phrase about taking ownership of our own lives.
Someone else is at fault.
The circumstances are at fault.
I was simply unlucky.
Saying these things may make us feel better in the moment.
But if we place the power to change the problem outside ourselves as well, we also give away our ability to do something about it.
That is why I ask myself these questions.
I take responsibility back into my own hands.
Because, in the end, this is my life.
Afterword
And You Are Here Now
Just one last thing.
I believe that, at the very least, this community is a gathering of people who have something in their lives that brings them a sense of fulfillment.
We have a place where we can express ourselves and have fun.
We can enjoy the things we love.
We can look at someone else's work, or create something of our own.
The time you are able to spend here is something you have, in your own way, helped create.
Maybe it came from meeting someone.
Maybe it is the result of continuing to do something you love.
Maybe it was simply an opportunity that happened to come your way.
Even so, there were choices you made and things you built along the way, and that is part of why you are here, sharing this moment now.
And so,
I am grateful that we have been able to share such meaningful time together, here in the same place.