End of the Year Greetings

After a wonderful Thanksgiving with extended family in the mountains outside Seattle, I’ve been trying to write something to close out the year. Trying to reconcile disparate emotions about how this year ended and how next year is starting up. 

So many unwanted things all over the world right now. And not enough things I/we DO want. What to do, what to do… I’m ready to become a monk and hide in the mountains. :-)

One thing I want to do going forwards is to be online less and in-person more.

I want to spend a day completely disconnected from the internet. Leave my phone, laptop, and watch at home. Perhaps it would be a good day for forest bathing and wandering around town. Once a week, once a month? I dunno. See how it feels.

Retro analog technology is a perfect compliment for disconnecting. That’s one of the things I love about film cameras: they’re offline, there’s no immediate gratification. You’re just in the moment, and after that ka-chunk of the shutter, the image stays in your head and nowhere else, until the film gets developed.

Maybe drop into a Kissa (cafe) for a slow brewed cup of coffee. Better yet, a Jazz Kissa, with heavyweight turntables and gigantic speakers to listen some analog records while we’re having that coffee. 

Write some thoughts into our notebook. A pencil with soft lead, on paper made for writing; the touch feels wonderful.

And pay cash.

Is it a dream? It doesn’t have to be. I want to try it and see how it feels. 

I think interacting with people - in person - is an important step towards what our ultimate goal must be: to rebuild trust among each other. Trust of everyone, by everyone. 

In my opinion, this trust and caring for other people is what makes Japan a magical place. 

By American standards, security in Japan is not very high; and yet crime is even lower. There is a lack of perceived threats, and because of it the general overall level of apprehension is lower. Things are calmer. People are calmer. There are so many cascading societal and economic benefits to living in a society where there is trust among people. 

As a foreigner in Japan, I need to work to earn everyone’s trust. Speaking Japanese somewhat fluently is a big icebreaker towards earning that trust. Understanding and respecting the culture; reading the room and perceiving the atmosphere are big too.

So that's what my goals are this next year. Trust, offline, and in-person. Personal, vaguely Zen principles to stay focused and maintain my equilibrium, in what will surely be a tumultuous year ahead.

Thank you for being with me this past year. I hope I was able to bring some light and happiness into your lives. Let's support each other next year.

Love you all.
Daniel