INDEX
Uniquely Mine: Preferring Personal Discoveries Over Popular Approval
Celeina： In the beginning of your letter, you mention things like the noise in our environment. From that, I felt like you were telling us that it is important to focus on our own happiness. When did you start to shift your perspective? Have you always felt that way?
Isn’t it true that people constantly declare, ‘The world’s falling apart, the economy’s in ruins, and our country’s a lost cause’? But it’s mostly just noise. They’re fishing for attention with upbeat words. Remember that classmate who always sought attention with gloomy phrases? Well, there are plenty of grown-ups still doing the same. You don’t have to entertain such negativity.
Excerpt from a letter by Masaya Mifune (ROTH BART BARON) (from “Words I want to deliver to the people of those days” presented by FRISK)
Mifune: I think it has always been that way. I was the type of person who liked discovering something small and fun that only I knew about, rather than something that everyone else in the world was saying, “This is good. That’s why I was never interested in what was popular around me. I was always thinking, “Isn’t this more interesting? And then I would find myself going in a different direction than everyone else, like, “Mifune, where did you go? I was like, “Mifune, where did you go? [Laughs]. Because I was such a character, I don’t think my perspective has changed much since I was a child.
Rather than starting to do it with a clear bird’s-eye view, I thought I was out of sync. There is an overvaluation of what is considered good and an undervaluation of what is considered bad in the world’s structure and overall trends. When I felt that it would be difficult to live in accordance with such a situation, I tried to enjoy such discrepancies. I feel that I have come to make music or something as a way to fill in the gaps and make connections.
Takano: Trusting one’s own sensitivity is very important for everyone. I also loved the passage in your letter, “You are special, you are the world itself, and you are the only one who can protect you from this world. People who can accept their past selves are also able to be kind to others. So I think this is a very important concept. I hope many people will read it.
