Japanese TV seems to have a lot of these "experts" - people who are really awesome at doing one particular thing.
In America everyone is pushed towards the same dreams: pop star, basketball player, CEO. If you can't be one of these things, you can't be great. Most people settle for what they have.
In Japan it seems* like people are much more driven to master their craft - even if it's something as insignificant as steel drum rolling:
*WARNING! POSSIBLY MISGUIDED CASUAL CULTURAL OBSERVATION EMINENT!
Friday, January 2, 2009
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3 comments:
Psh! I can do that. It seems like all I do is roll steel drums around these days.
Anyway, Saturday? What say you? Maybe I should pick up a phone...
Sam-
This mentality, that one does their job, and one does it well, comes from taoist philosophy, which is also very prevalent in Japanese/ Eastern Asian culture (along with Buddhism, and a few others).
Simply put, their goals are not our goals (glamorized fame and fortune) because, at least in Japanese culture, work is supposed to be both something "artful", and something to perfect because you enjoy doing it so much, rather than superficial. This also relates to meditation; the more something becomes repetition, the more it becomes graceful, and people should be able to work "without thinking", because when people start to over-analyze they make mistakes.
I think it's really good in relation to trusting yourself, no?
Haniya
We just love weird shit. End!
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