Did you know that the greatest physicist of all time has been to Japan? That’s right. Albert Einstein アルベルト・アインシュタイン (1879-1955), the famous German physicist, creator of the theory of relativity and responsible for the development of various inventions and theories in the field of sciences, visited Japan in 1922. The purpose of his trip was to give lectures.
But beyond his important lectures and classes, the physicist left a little-known legacy for most people: a text written on a piece of paper, whose content discusses a theme related to the field of motivational psychology.
A few years ago, it was discovered that during his stay in the land of the rising sun, Einstein wrote a note, the content of which is now regarded as his “Theory of Happiness,” although this was merely a text written spontaneously, and which probably did not have that intention in its origin.
In addition, Einstein praised the Japanese greatly, while heavily criticizing the Chinese, a fact that generates controversies about his personality to this day.
In this article, we will learn the details behind the visit to the East of one of the greatest names in world science of all time. We will also see a bit of the Japanese vocabulary that is commonly used in the context of sciences.
Table of Contents
The note and the tip
In Japan, it is not common to give tips. Unlike the USA and Brazil, the act of giving a tip is extremely frowned upon by the Japanese, as it tends to be interpreted as an offense, as a way of showing superiority over the other. In a society that values humility and respect for etiquette rules, giving money to someone “on the side” is not acceptable.
Despite this, according to some sources, Einstein offered a tip to a Japanese person (in fact, this information is quite obscure and it is not known for sure whether he actually gave the tip, if it was rejected, or if he did not have money to give the tip and thus had to write a note as a gesture). But one thing caught a lot of attention in this story: Einstein decided to write a small text of only 17 words, with the following words: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant unrest.”
This contribution may have had little financial value for the employee who received it at that moment, but the fact is that today this little letter reaches million-dollar values at auctions.
What did Einstein think of the Japanese?
Beyond his “Theory of Happiness,” expressed through modest 17 words, Albert Einstein made some descriptions about what he thought of the Japanese people. During his stay in the country in 1922, Einstein took the opportunity to observe the culture and behavior of that people. From there, the German scientist developed, through observation and interaction, some insights to describe the Japanese people. Some of his remarks reflect on the fact that the Japanese are diligent in their social duties and are impersonal subjects, proud of their people and their community traditions.
Finally, Einstein noted that the Japanese have a much greater sensitivity to the arts than to the sciences.
The physicist made several praises of the country, while expressing harsh criticisms of China and the Chinese people (many of these considered, by many people, as racist and xenophobic).
As is customary for the Japanese to create manga about all kinds of things, it is not surprising that there is a manga about Albert Einstein.
Vocabulary
- アインシュタイン (ainshutain) = Einstein.
- 物理 (ぶつり, butsuri) = Physics.
- メモ (memo) = Note, Annotations.
- 科学者 (かがくしゃ, kagakusha) = Scientist.
- ドイツ (doitsu) = Germany.
- 理科 (りか, rika) = Sciences.
- ノベル賞 (のべるしょう, noberu shou) = Nobel Prize (won by Albert Einstein in 1921, a year before his trip to Japan).
- 物理学者 (ぶつりがくしゃ, butsuri gakusha) = Physicist.
- 相対性理論 (そうたいせいりろん, soutai seiriron) = Theory of Relativity.
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