Sometimes I come across some indirect comments asking if I lived in Japan, as if it were an obligation to live in the country to write about it. So I decided to write exactly about the following theme: Is it necessary to live in Japan to know it?
We have already written an article about this, but it specifically talks about the steps we can take to gain knowledge about a certain country. You can read that article by clicking here.
Apparently, some people who live or have lived in Japan feel superior to others and want to know more than everyone else. The big truth is that living in Japan does not mean that a person has any knowledge about the country. I myself have written about the superiority complex of some descendants.
When I was on my first trip to Japan, I met several Japanese people and asked various questions related to the topics I have written about over the years. With these questions, I came to the conclusion that even the Japanese do not know their own country. Probably because most live in their comfort zone and only know what suits them.
Table of Contents
Why is it not necessary to live in Japan to know it?
Have history teachers lived through history to teach history? Do you have any idea that one of the most famous books about wealth was written by a poor person? Exactly, Napoleon Hill wrote the best-selling book “Think and Grow Rich“, and until the release of this book, he was poor.
It was after watching the video by Bruno Avila that I kept mulling over these motivational thoughts to tell everyone that you do not need to live in Japan to know more than a Japanese person or someone who has lived there! Shall we look at another example that Bruno provided?
You want to buy an apartment; normally, you wouldn’t ask for help from someone who has never bought an apartment. You turn to a good guide on real estate investments; what would you think if you discovered that the author of this guide has never bought a property in their life? And what if this author has interviewed the 20 most popular real estate investors in the world?
A person may have attended various colleges, worked in different places, and experienced a lot in Japan and the world. This does not mean at any moment that they have more knowledge than you. They may even have more knowledge, but there is a 100% chance that you know many things they do not. Knowledge is infinite!
Is it impossible to know everything?
I think everyone knows that it is not necessary to experience something to have knowledge about it. Unfortunately, some hastily claim that there are certain things that can only be known by experiencing them. I see this a lot in some articles where I try to highlight some cultural or everyday aspect of foreigners in Japan.
The big problem with these people is that they cannot see beyond their own thoughts. Everyone has different experiences wherever they are; some feel things that others have not, while some have different thoughts and ideas about the same subject.
Sometimes I write my opinion on a certain topic, but because it is different from the person’s experience, they start to criticize and say that I do not know anything for not having lived in Japan. These people need to understand that just because I said something, it does not mean that it is my absolute thought on the subject; I fully understand the relativity and different realities of each person.
People want to impose their opinions and realities as the correct and only ones, without accepting diverse opinions. I have written several articles criticizing this attitude and always talk about the relativity and different realities of each person. The life of a factory worker is very different from that of a graduate working in an office (this is just one of the examples).
An example of this is found in various articles that contrast with each other. I have written an article praising Japan, and some people came to disagree and criticize Japan. I wrote another article discussing the negative side of Japan, and again people came to disagree and praise Japan. It is always like this; people never reach a middle ground or neutrality.
No one knows more than anyone else
Someone who works researching and writing about Japanese culture has a much greater and diverse understanding of any subject related to the area they research. Not because they are smarter or have more experience, but simply because they research and result in various different opinions on a certain subject.
A wise person listens to advice, regardless of the age or position of the other person. A smart person does not humiliate, is not selfish, and tolerates many things. The common man speaks, the wise man listens, the fool argues. If you want to correct someone, no problem, but at no moment should you try to know more than the other person or belittle their different knowledge.
No student knows more than the teacher about the history or geography of a country just because they have lived there. Of course, a person may have lived in Japan and truly understand much more about it than I or others do, but the fact is that anyone can have knowledge about a certain subject; you just have to pursue it! And it is not even necessary to graduate or get a doctorate in the subject.
Leave a Reply