Hello everyone On Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 4:22 PM, ADRIE KINTZIGER <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi , Dan. > > Mainly because i'm working with Japanese coordinators on the Honda > plant here,and because i'm a bit familiar with their culture,i tought i did > recognise awareness of their still living Bushido code of conduct. > You where aware of this when you wrote this .... > > > "Take the Katrina disaster in New Orleans as an example: Rather than > doing something to help themselves, most New Orleans residents > affected by the hurricane seemed to sit and wait, expecting someone > else (the government) to help them. There were surges in lootings and > crime. Bitchings and moanings were heard throughout the city: "why us, > why us". Still now, years later, many homes there are sitting empty > and a third of the city's residents are gone, relocated at government > expense and probably still living off government aid. > > In Japan, not so. Rather than sitting around waiting for help, the > residents are already busy cleaning and rebuilding their homes... even > elderly people. There are no reports of looting. No one taking > advantage of the situation for their own gain. They're helping one > another out in any way they can. One elderly couple when interviewed > said they were hurrying to clean and restore their own home so that > they could then help others do the same. No one is asking "why us, why > us". They are simply getting on with it." > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > (Adrie) > but i came sure about it after your last post to JA, writing this.. > > "That's interesting. I just read a historical novel called The Thousand > Autumns of Jacob de Zoet which concerns Japan back in the late 1700s > and the interactions of Dutch traders there in search of riches. > Conversations between the Japanese and Dutch were always started by > reciting the ancestry of the Shogun with whom they were dealing... the > social standing, in other words. > > The novel depicted a very harsh moral code. Women were virtual slaves, > most men too. To buck the code meant certain death. I would imagine > the cultural mores today are perhaps a blend of those times with more > modern Western morals. But I do understand that it is one of the most > honest countries in the world. Dishonesty brings misfortune upon the > whole family, from what I understand, so it is virtually unheard of." > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Bushido code,unwritten mostly... > Allow me to make an addition,a very tiny one. > > I did not read the Thousand Autumns, because i know the story's. > The addition is, that the Dutch traders, as 'Gajin' (strangers), had no > rights after some time to > set foot on the mainlands of Japan, they had the obligation to conduct their > business > on an island in front of the mainland. > Their presence was unacceptable, their goods were welcome.
Hi Adrie Right. The Edo period was marked by isolationism. Dejima was an artifical island built outside of Nagasaki from the diggings of canals. The Dutch were required to stay there, except for periodic visits to the Shogun of Edo. The only Japanese allowed on Dejima were prostitutes and translators. The Japanese officials were apparently worried that European social values would infect their own culture. They were especially strict about christianity and banned books like the bible, probably due to an uprising back when the Portuguese did trading there, before the Dutch. >Adrie: > Long time ago "Shogun" with Richard Chaimberlain was broadcasted here(1980), > a series > that was of a stunning historical quality, it was nearly reality. > Nearly all historical details were worked out perfectly,.."Anjin-San" he was > named in the series. > So if you are interested in the Bushido code, its written in by not writing > it in. Dan: Yes I remember watching "Shogun" but like you say, it has been a long time ago, probably about the same time you mention. Probably worth checking out again. Thank you for mentioning it. >Adrie: > If i observe the previous interaction with Dmb,..i think your mind framed > the > questions you made , back into the old times,"were did it go", why are > people here > just sitting around to wait,...if i frame it back in the time of the early > settlers, the pioneers, > Davy Crockett, how the west was won,...they had the same spirited, sparkling > will to succeed, alone, and in group, individuals acting towards the same > goals. > > You are seeking what went wrong since Davy Crocket,the founding fathers,the > Appoloprogram, Chuck Yeager,...you are seeking were the tought, the striven > of Quality > was left behind...because you are aware of the fact that Japan is Quality > driven. Dan: Yes. I recall (somewhere) reading an interview with a Japanese fellow where he is asked about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintance and what it meant in Japan. He said something along the lines of: the book didn't seem like anything special because that is how we already live. > >Adrie: > Thx for the Fema-link. > We have something similar since 5 years, flooding happens all the time here > in the lowlands. > Its a habbit. Dan: I've since moved away from my former home to higher ground. The flooding we experienced back then hasn't reoccurred though. FEMA has its place. But I do think people tend to expect too much. Thanks for writing, Dan Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
