What we can see from the catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear power plant (Part 1)

(From a lecture recording)

The Fukushima power plant accident and the impasse of human society

In 2007, I published the book, “A Country’s Ideal and the Constitution—The Road to a Nation for International Peace and the Environment” (Japanese), and in 2008, the English translation was published under the title, “Beyond National Egoism”. At age 22, I encountered the concept that is presented in this book. This book was a compilation of more than 40 years of contemplation since then.

The present world is at an impasse because of various difficult problems such as war, conflicts, terrorism, environmental problems, food supply shortage, poverty, famine, and energy shortage. Human society is facing an unprecedented crisis.

Further, amidst this, in Japan there are not only environmental problems, but also educational issues such as bullying, school absenteeism, and classroom disruption and chaos. Considering the young people, many of them say that in this society, they cannot find a worthy purpose or motivation in living. Of course, there are many young people who are working hard and doing their best, but overall, we can see a tendency of extremely weak will. I feel this is something that should be very alarming regarding the future of Japan.

In addition, the direction toward strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance and having Japan participate in wars along with the U.S., has gradually gained strength. Through all this, it appears that Japan has reached an impasse because of various factors, such as whether the Constitution, which is the key point of Japan’s future, should be revised or not.

This unprecedented crisis of humankind did not begin recently. The survival of humankind itself was endangered in the Cold War era in which the U.S. and Soviet Union confronted each other over decades in a state of extreme tension with the possibility of an all-out nuclear war because they held several tens of thousands of nuclear arms that were said to have the potential to kill all humankind many tens of times over.

Fortunately, the collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War. However, although the situation is no longer as tense as before, the U.S. and Russia still have a large quantity of nuclear weapons. After the end of the Cold War, besides the U.S. and Russia, there has been an increase in the number of countries including China that possess and are strengthening their nuclear weapons. Certainly, it is thought that there is no longer a threat of an all-out nuclear war for now, but the risk of nuclear war has not necessarily gone away.

In addition, from 30 years ago, the problem of global-scale environmental destruction has emerged in a big way. We have come to understand that if we continue production and economic growth in the present form, the earth environment itself will be destroyed and the survival of humans will be threatened in the future.

In my youth, when I learned that we might end up destroying ourselves, I felt greatly shocked, and thought, “Humans are so foolish.” At the same time, I thought, “Humans absolutely cannot be such foolish beings. Humans will unfailingly realize their mistakes, correct them with their own hands, and should be able to bring to reality a world where everyone is happy and at peace”. Since that time, as my life theme, I have been contemplating a solution for the impasse faced by Japan and the world, and the realization of a happy and peaceful world.

The main theme of those contemplations is as follows. In order to resolve the impasse faced by human society, find the most fundamental cause of the impasse of human society and determine what can be done to remove the cause. The work was complied together as the book, “Beyond National Egoism”.

The nuclear power plant catastrophe that was forewarned frequently

This book explains about the impasse condition of the entire human society, including Japan, from various angles. The risks of a nuclear power plant accident are described in considerable detail.

Already two months have passed since the accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant this year, on March 11. That day, at our house, we also felt tremors with an intensity of a weak 6 on the Japanese seven-level seismic scale. After a while, we heard news of this nuclear plant accident, and my first thought was, “It happened, after all”. If I were to express my feelings of that time, only the word “chagrin” comes to mind.

What I mean is that already 4 to 5 years ago, in this book, I had written that the risk of a nuclear power plant accident is very great, and that if an accident were to occur, undoubtedly, it would happen in the way that occurred this time. Indeed, it happened exactly as described.

Actually, I felt perplexed that my prediction was accurate. What I mean is that I am not an expert regarding nuclear power, nor am I an expert in social science.

So, when I was working on the book, “Beyond National Egoism”, I read books from various related fields of study in order to examine what is actually occurring.

I looked over about 10 to 20 books related to nuclear power. What I learned from reading those books is that already from several decades earlier, although their numbers were not at all large, reliable researchers and concerned experts warned based on scientific knowledge and research, “Nuclear power plants are extremely risky”.

Despite these warnings, finally, a large-scale nuclear power plant accident occurred this time. I was stunned and appalled as I thought anew about what on earth we had been doing until now.

Various people have been fervently warning about the risks of nuclear power. Of course, there are many people who lent an ear to those warnings, and worked hard, raising their voices and taking action to abandon nuclear power. But, despite these efforts and activities, a large-scale nuclear plant accident occurred this time.

This means that overall, still, only a small number of people seriously lent an ear to the warnings of these people and assertively took action based on those warnings. As a result, doesn’t this indicate that they could not become a definitive force to change this country of Japan?

Search for the essence of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

A large-scale nuclear power plant accident already occurred in Fukushima, but to avoid this kind of accident from ever happening again, I feel that now of all times, we must address anew the importance of “thinking seriously and acting seriously”.

As I mentioned before, I am not an expert regarding nuclear power. In this aspect, I am a complete amateur. However, as of four years ago, since I read various books and studied in order to write “Beyond National Egoism”, I was better informed than the general level people regarding nuclear power.

But, after the nuclear plant accident in Fukushima, various people have spoken out about nuclear power on television, in the newspapers, on the Internet, etc. Even people whose voices were small until now have received great coverage. Accordingly, many of you probably already know well about what I will discuss from now.

So, even though this is the case, the main topic of today’s talk is to search for the essence of the problem as we verify anew the information one more time.

The myth of the safety of nuclear power was disproved

First, the biggest thing that has become clear until now is that the electric power companies and the government or Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have been saying that nuclear power is absolutely safe, and that this myth of the safety of nuclear power has been completely disproved.

Concomitantly, it became clear that until now, the electric power companies had been saying lies upon lies. This means that from now, the situation has become such that no matter what the electric power companies such as Tokyo Electric Power Company, Chubu Electric Power Company, and Kansai Electric Power Company try to say, we have reached the point where we will not be able to trust them completely.

To put it simply, we were being deceived by the government and the electric power companies. In other words, it means we were completely taken for fools. It is something I had realized, but anew, I feel deeply chagrined.

Furthermore, in the announcements by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and the government, the word, “unexpected” is used very frequently. Various things have been said about this point, but with just a little studying, even an amateur like myself could “expect” the possibility of this kind of accident occurring.

What on earth does it mean when a person who is said to be a specialist, uses the word “unexpected” regarding something that an amateur like me can understand?

Although I am an amateur regarding nuclear power, in the past, I was a researcher in the sciences. From that perspective, I feel that it is extremely disgraceful for an expert to overuse the word “unexpected”. Their intent to want to evade the issue and continue nuclear power even now is obvious.

Is nuclear power cheap?

There is another point to consider. Until now, as one of the grounds for supporting nuclear power, the government and electric power companies have been saying that nuclear power generation is less expensive than thermal power and other power generation methods.

For example, according to the “Energy White Paper” (2010 edition) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the costs of power generation per kilowatt hour are 7 to 8 yen for thermal generation using liquified natural gas, 8 to 13 yen for hydraulic power, 10 to 14 yen for wind power, and 49 yen for solar power. In comparison, nuclear power is 5 to 6 yen per kWh.

However, until now, many experts have been saying that based on data, nuclear power is certainly not cheap, and is also not less expensive than thermal power.

Recently, in the April 30 issue of the Tokyo Newspaper, Professor Kenichi Oshima of Ritsumeikan University presented data comparing the costs until now of nuclear power generation with other methods such as thermal and hydraulic generation. These can be found through a search on the Internet. Starting from the reports of the electric companies, Professor Oshima calculated the costs more precisely by adding factors such as taxes to promote development of nuclear power and expenses for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel that were not included in the calculations of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

By doing so, the costs of power generation per kilowatt hour are 9.90 yen for thermal power, 7.26 yen for hydraulic power, and 10.68 yen for nuclear power, so nuclear power is the most expensive. Furthermore, this is approximately twice the 5 to 6 yen calculated cost that the government used in the “Energy White Paper” mentioned above.

In addition, for nuclear power generation, a pumping-up hydroelectric power plant is necessary. In other words, the nuclear power plant and pumping-up hydroelectric power plant are a set, and in this case, the cost becomes 12. 23 yen. So, nuclear power is certainly not cheap.

Does nuclear power save on petroleum?

Another grounds for the theory of promoting nuclear power is the assertion, “Nuclear power saves on petroleum”. Is this really true?

To check this, we only need to calculate the electrical power productivity ratio. For a power generation method, the electrical power productivity ratio is the ratio of the amount of energy of all the petroleum input for generating electricity to the electric power generated, converted into the amount of petroleum energy.

This means that if the output energy is greater than the input energy (converted into petroleum), that is, if the electrical power productivity ratio is greater than 1, the energy balance is positive, and it would be meaningful to implement that power generation method. Also, the larger the electrical power productivity ratio, the more efficient the power generation method from the perspective of energy balance. In short, it would mean that method is also profitable economically and saves on petroleum.

In contrast, if the productivity ratio is less than 1, the energy balance would be negative, and it would mean there is no point in implementing that power generation method. Even worse, if the method were implemented, it would be a loss economically and a wasteful use of petroleum.

For example, in the case of coal-fired power generation, the power created from coal that was mined by using 1 unit of petroleum is said to be equivalent to about 100 units of petroleum. That means the electrical power productivity ratio is 100, and coal-fired power generation makes sense.

However, for petroleum-fired power generation, in which petroleum is used to drill for petroleum that is burned to generate electricity, the electrical power productivity ratio is much larger than 100. This means that from the energy balance perspective, petroleum-fired power generation is much more efficient than coal-fired power generation. For this reason, usage of coal-fired power generation declined.

Now, how about nuclear power generation? According to the calculations by the U.S. Bureau of Energy Development in 1976, the electrical productivity ratio was 3.8 for nuclear power in the U.S. The figure was 4.0 according to a report of the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry in Japan in 1991, although the details of the calculations were not made public. It is believed that these figures are nearly the same because the calculations were based on similar presumptions such as the model set-up and processes.

It is clear that when calculating energy balance, if there are oversights of conditions that ought to be assumed in the calculations, that is, if some elements are left out, it will not lead to accurate results.

First, to calculate the energy input, all of the energy input for generation of electricity must be totaled. For example, everything must be incorporated, such as mining and refining of uranium, expenditures for construction of the power generation plant, costs of operating the power plant, and expenditures for construction of the pumping-up hydroelectric power generation plant needed to run the nuclear plant. From the output energy, it is necessary to subtract factors such as expenditures for processing the nuclear waste materials, and losses from factors such as transmission and nighttime electricity usage at the pumping-up hydroelectric power generation plant.

Dr. Atsushi Tsuchida, a physicist, has pointed out that there were considerable oversights in the calculations of the U.S. Bureau of Energy Development, and correcting for these, he calculated the following results.

Regarding the “energy input”, construction of a pumping-up hydroelectric power plant required for operating a nuclear power plant, construction of an electric power plant and electricity used for operation, and construction of a long distance electrical transmission facility were overlooked elements, so these were added. In addition, regarding “energy output”, nighttime power loss in a pumping-up hydroelectric power plant and losses in transmission were subtracted. By doing so, it is said that the energy balance becomes almost 1.

From this alone, it means there is no meaning in implementing nuclear power. Further, by adding the considerable amount of energy consumed over a long period of time for such things as processing radioactive waste, no matter how optimistically you look at it, the energy balance will become less than one. Professor Takeshi Murota, a mathematical economist, also calculated nearly the same results.

From these results, we can say that nuclear power generation makes no sense at all for power generation. Rather, nuclear power generation does not save on petroleum and is a big wasteful use of petroleum.

In short, the truth is that nuclear power is first of all, extremely dangerous, incurs a high cost, and also does not save on petroleum.

Can we get by without nuclear power?

There is another point to consider. It is often questioned, “Can we get by without nuclear power?” Certainly, if there is a shortage of electricity, it would cause hindrances including in daily life, industrial and economic activities, and all activities related to subsistence, so we can say it is a very big issue. Accordingly, now, many people are saying, “Without nuclear power, there will be an electricity shortage”, and they are using this as a major grounds for continuing or promoting nuclear power.

Is this really true? Let us look at the actual figures. Dr. Hiroaki Koide of the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute has pointed out that in Japan overall, thermal power generation is operating at 50% capacity, and hydraulic power generation is at 19% capacity. Thus, if the operating rates of thermal and hydraulic power generation were increased, there would be a sufficient surplus in power generation capacity even without operating nuclear plants.

In fact, the total of thermal and hydraulic power generation capacity is 170 million KW. Except for the few hours in the afternoon in mid-summer, with the sum of thermal power and hydraulic power, the electricity demand can be covered even without nuclear power. The highest electricity consumption on record so far in Japan is 182 million KW, and that exceeds the sum of thermal and hydraulic power generation by 12 million KW.

There would be a slight electricity shortfall only in the period of a few hours when air conditioners are used in summer and electricity consumption peaks. Therefore, by taking effective measures to suppress the overall amount of electricity used in this peak time, it is fully possible to abandon nuclear power.

To suppress the overall amount of electricity used during the peak time, suppress the electricity consumed by air conditioners by setting the air conditioner temperature just a little higher. As an alternative, to suppress the electricity consumption during peak times in places such as factories, production adjustments can be made such as staggering the operating times for the various types of equipment. Furthermore, measures, such as setting the electricity rates for peak times higher, as in France, are fully effective for suppressing the overall amount of electricity used. In short, we can survive sufficiently well without nuclear power.

Let us consider this by referring to a more concrete example.

At present, the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant has been suspended, that is, operations have stopped. According to the “Electrical Power Supply Plan” for the year 2011 in the Chubu Electric Power Company home page, the generation reserve margin was 2.95 million KW for the year 2010. In mid-summer last year, which was a heat wave, only reactors 3 and 4 at Hamaoka were operating, and they had a total supply capacity of 2.237 million kW.

That means if reactors 3 and 4 at Hamaoka had not been operating, 2,950,000 - 2,237,000 = 713,000 kW would have been left in the generation reserve margin.

In addition, the generation reserve margin this year was 4,390,000 kW. Chubu Electric Power Company itself has forecast that even if the Hamaoka nuclear plant were completely stopped, which is a reduction of 3,617,000 kW, more than 773,000 kW would be left. Even without nuclear power, other types of power generation such as thermal and hydraulic power generation will suffice.

In addition, the following article appeared in the June 12, 2011 Asahi Newspaper with the title, “Summer electricity demand, and securing supply capacity. Tokyo Electric Power Company moves toward restarting the Hirono Power Plant”.

“All five of the reactors (total output power 3.8 million kW) at the Hirono Thermal Power Plant (Hirono Town, Fukushima Prefecture) of Tokyo Electric Power Company that had stopped operations after being damaged by the tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake, are expected to be able to restart operations in the middle of July. Therefore, the probability has increased that Tokyo Electric Power Company will be able to secure power supply exceeding the forecasted highest demand this summer of 55 million kW. (omission of middle part)

If the Hirono Thermal Power Plant starts up, it will become possible to add more power with the pumping-up hydroelectric power plant that draws up water with the leftover electricity at night.”

In short, it is an article saying that even in the Tokyo Electric Power Company district, they can likely manage without nuclear power this summer. Therefore, for example, if everyone sets the air conditioner temperature about 1 degree higher, it would easily save on about one nuclear reactor’s worth of electricity. So including businesses, if we make a point to conserve electricity in our work and daily life, it is fully possible to avoid a shortage of electricity without forcing people to endure great hardship.

In other words, from now, we need to change and correct the way we had been squandering electricity like water, and endeavor to conserve electricity as much as possible. By doing so, and by using only thermal power, hydraulic power, or natural energy sources, we can make do even without nuclear power. This can be done without lowering the present level of our daily lives or work efficiency of businesses, and without raising production costs.

These past several decades, the government has promoted nuclear power as a national policy. For this reason, along with thermal power, nuclear power has become one of the two large pillars for generating electricity. In other words, even though we could have sufficiently met the electricity demands from the beginning with methods other than nuclear power, such as thermal power, as the main source for generating electricity, nuclear power has been firmly incorporated into our daily electricity generation system as a national policy, and this structure has left our lives, economic activities and other areas dependent on nuclear power.

As a consequence, if we were to suddenly abolish all nuclear power now, realistically, adjustments could not be made in time, and in some regions, there may be temporary electricity shortages. In this sense, it is certain that how to get by through periods of potential electricity shortages is a major issue, and we must deal with this carefully.

The potential for a catastrophe from factors such as a terrorist attack

The accident this time arose from an earthquake and tsunami, but there is something else we must consider.

It has not been mentioned often, but in fact, there is a very strong possibility that if a nuclear power plant were struck in an airplane crash, missile attack or terrorist attack, a catastrophe would occur.

Based on the principle or structure of a nuclear power plant, it would not be possible to prevent a catastrophe if a nuclear plant were struck in an airplane crash or military attack.

In short, nuclear power plants were not designed and built assuming a military attack or plane crash. The structures were designed and built on the premise that they would be operating during a so-called “era of peace” in which there is no war or terrorism.

In the case of Japan, there are 54 nuclear reactors, and they are located along the coastline almost all across the country. If there were a country that planned to attack Japan, this would be exactly the same as setting nuclear bombs throughout the country.

If a nuclear plant were struck by an airplane, missile, or another form of terrorism, it would be the same as having dropped several nuclear bombs on Japan. If so, Japan would virtually be annihilated, and there would be no longer any place where humans could live in Japan. This would be an extremely terrible situation.

In this sense, as long as Japan has nuclear power plants, no matter how much the military power is strengthened, it would be impossible to prevent attacks from other countries against nuclear plants. This may be black humor, but it means that if Japan continues to maintain nuclear power plants from now also, there is no way for Japan to survive except by completely abolishing all military forces and aspiring toward becoming an absolutely peaceful, friendly country that would never be attacked by other countries.

Incidentally, Western countries have conducted research and implemented training assuming a terrorist attack on a nuclear plant. In 1981, a nuclear reactor in Iraq was actually bombed by Israel.

(Supplementary note: According to the Asahi Newspaper of July 31, 2011, prompted by the bombing incident of the nuclear reactor in Iraq, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started damage prediction research in absolute secrecy for the case of an attack on a domestic nuclear plant. In 1984, findings were submitted stating that an attack on a nuclear plant would cause enormous damage. Nevertheless, it was not made public for fear of expanding the anti-nuclear power movement.)

We have been deceived about everything

Now, I would like to summarize the various things that we have considered up to this point. In a word, perhaps we have been deceived about everything after all.

With the catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear plant this time, not only has it been proven by actual fact that nuclear plants, which the electric power companies and government have been saying are absolutely safe until now, are extremely dangerous, but also, all of the factors that have been considered as advantages and grounds for promoting nuclear power were in fact disadvantages.

What does this mean? To put it simply, from the beginning, there was absolutely no meaning in implementing nuclear power. With nuclear power, we, the general public, only suffer major losses, and nuclear power is extremely dangerous. Perhaps this has become clear to many people through the nuclear plant accident at Fukushima.

As I mentioned earlier, one more very important point here is that from several decades ago, concerned people have been warning repeatedly about these facts.

At the same time, it means there was the influence of electric power companies, government, bureaucrats, politicians, the financial world, scholars who wanted research funds, and media under the government’s thumb, that sealed off the voices of these warnings. In addition, many of us have lived either believing unconditionally the words of people in high positions, such as people in the government and electric companies, or pretending not to see even while doubting, or being completely apathetic to these matters. Perhaps it can be said that a combination of these led to the catastrophe this time.

Ignorance, apathy, leaving matters to others, and giving up are the fundamental causes

In short, what I want to say is that, here and now, we ought to properly reflect on our own attitude in life, and not try to settle this problem only by one-sidedly criticizing the electric power companies or government.

For example, although it is pathetic, until the nuclear accident in Fukushima, many people did not know that there are 54 reactors in Japan. In addition, we can hear the voices of many people who say that because of this accident, for the first time, they realized that nuclear power is dangerous.

Regarding nuclear power, it is clear that the government, electric power companies, and others were to blame, but at the same time, we have been deficient in many ways. Consequently, the outcome is that we have been supporting these kinds of electric power companies, the government, and others.

If we do not properly reflect on this fact, we cannot create a peaceful and happy Japan in the true sense from now. Taking the nuclear power issue as one example, I feel that without proper self-reflection, the decisions may go awry depending on the situation from now. Further, in other serious societal issues besides nuclear power, such as the issue of revising the constitution of Japan, the possibility of choosing the wrong path may result. So in this sense too, it can be said that we are standing at a major crossroad or critical turning point now.

To put it another way, I feel that now of all times, we must make this an opportunity to create a country of Japan that is truly peaceful and where everyone is happy. We must put forth all our effort to recover from this difficult situation as quickly as possible. At the same time, we must investigate the fundamental cause that triggered this difficult situation, so that not only the nuclear power accident, but this kind of tragedy never occurs again, and implement a thorough fundamental treatment in our way of living as individuals, in addition to the government and society’s way of being.

“O-kami-shinko” (blind faith in the government) is no good

Let us consider a little further about these matters. As a general trend, Japanese people tend to have “o-kami-shinko” (blind faith in the government). The Japanese people, for no reason at all, tend to accept without questioning what people “above” say, such as people in high positions in the government, university professors, or a president of a large company.

Of course, regarding politicians, for example, we hear conversations of complaints about the present prime minister. However, overall, although it is odd to say “above” when there is truly no above or below, the nature of Japanese people is that there is a tendency to accept without questioning what is told to them from “a person above”. Regarding the nuclear power problem, perhaps this is one of the fundamental causes on our side.

From another perspective, we do not attempt to know the details, or rather, know accurately. This is apathy, which is saying that the matter is something for people in high positions to consider and is irrelevant to me. It is also leaving matters to others to do, and saying it is not something I can do. Ignorance comes from this apathy. I may sound like I am talking patronizingly, but this time, I myself cannot say that I do not have this tendency.

Another point is “giving up”. Perhaps an extremely large number of people feel somewhere in their heart, “ultimately, that kind of thing can’t be helped”. It is a sense of giving up and saying, “even if each of us raises our voice, ultimately, it can’t be helped”.

Ignorance, apathy, leaving matters to others, and giving up. These are the biggest causes of the Fukushima nuclear accident. Would it be going too far to say that before reproaching the attitude of the electric power companies or government, we ourselves, each one of us, must reflect on ourselves?

After saying this now, I, myself do not think this statement is going too far, but I feel deeply anew that this “ignorance, apathy, leaving matters to others, and giving up” of all things are the fundamental causes of the catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

In other words, in general, each one of us is lacking the proper recognition that “this society, this country and the world are ours”. For this reason, we ourselves were lacking the awareness that “we are to create this society, this country, and this world with our hands”. Regarding the country, does it not mean, “a clear vision of what kind of Japan we are going to create in the future, and a true ideal that anyone can accept, has not been set forth in the country of Japan”?

There are still many who are in favor of nuclear power

From what I have discussed until now, I think you have understood that with a little investigation, anyone can understand matters such as “nuclear power is far from being cheap”.

There are people who think as follows. “Nuclear power and radiation are scary for some reason. An accident actually occurred. Therefore, I am opposed to nuclear power.” Nevertheless, by actually talking with people, I found that there are many people around me who actually support and promote nuclear power.

I feel that there are still only a small number of people who absolutely oppose nuclear power no matter the circumstances; that is, these people feel that we will create a society free of nuclear power from now. In questionnaires by newspapers and other sources, it seems that 70% oppose nuclear power now, but by talking with people in actual daily life, it seems maybe about one quarter of the people would abandon nuclear power no matter the circumstances.

It seems that the remaining three quarters now feel that it would be better not to have nuclear power. However, it appears they think that if there would be an electricity shortage without nuclear power, or if it would unfavorably influence their work, or if economic growth could not be maintained, maybe continuing nuclear power is unavoidable. In other words, I think there are a fair number of people who feel strongly against nuclear power now, but would switch to continuing or promoting nuclear power depending on the circumstances.

This means that assuming one quarter of the people say they absolutely oppose nuclear power no matter the circumstances, if the remaining three quarters support nuclear power depending on the situation, nuclear power will continue nonetheless.

Probably, there are electric power companies, government-related people and bureaucrats who would gain by continuing or promoting nuclear power, and they have united and promoted nuclear power, but I believe the number of these people is about 1% of the total population or less.

The remaining 99% is the general population. So, if we, the general population, just clearly understand that nuclear power truly makes no sense, has no advantages, and of course, does not even save on petroleum, nor reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and on top of that, is tremendously dangerous, it will be possible to abolish nuclear power permanently.

Not even one advantage to nuclear power

This is an important topic, so I will go over it again. Many people think there are advantages and disadvantages to nuclear power. In addition, they try to decide whether to support or oppose nuclear power by weighing the advantages and disadvantages on a balance, and seeing which is heavier.

Of the disadvantages, the biggest factor is the fact that nuclear power is excessively dangerous. Assuming nuclear power has some advantages, even so, the disadvantage of being excessively dangerous far outweighs all of the advantages combined, and I, myself, feel that nuclear power should be abolished immediately.

Yet, here is a problem of a difference in sense of values. For example, some people say as follows. Economic growth is more important than anything else. Electricity is needed for economic growth. Even if nuclear power is dangerous, it is necessary for supplying electricity.

In other words, it is the theory that nuclear power is necessary for the sake of economic growth, even if there is a dangerous aspect of nuclear power. Perhaps the words, “economic growth” could be replaced by, “maintaining the present lifestyle”, “continuing the present work”, or “securing and maintaining the present income”.

It would mean that support or opposition to nuclear power would depend on each person’s sense of values, and further, a person’s way of thinking would change according to the social conditions of the time. Under such circumstances, it is only natural that a clear conclusion could never be reached. Furthermore, even if a conclusion were forcibly drawn, if the conclusion were mistaken, it would mean leaving problems in the future.

However, what I have described so far is, “The fact is that there is absolutely no advantage to nuclear power.” If you investigate the actual situation regarding all of the factors that were said to be advantages, there is nothing that can be called an advantage peculiar to nuclear power, and instead, they are disadvantages.

In this way, if it becomes clear that there are absolutely no advantages to nuclear power, what remains is only the disadvantage that nuclear power is excessively dangerous. That means, no matter what, nuclear power ought to be abolished as soon as possible and permanently.

Just understanding is not enough

I think you have already agreed with what I have discussed so far. However, by that only, nothing will change.

Some people comment as follows. “I read books on nuclear power. I also looked at some websites. I went to listen to some lectures. I see now that nuclear power is dangerous. There are no advantages to nuclear power. I understand very well that there is no meaning in implementing nuclear power. Therefore, I oppose nuclear power.” Perhaps, we can say this is some progress, but I think that with this only, it will not be possible to immediately and permanently abolish all nuclear power.

In other words, nothing will change if a person just says, "I oppose nuclear power", and does nothing more. This has been proven by many examples in history. To put it simply, it means, "Peace will not become reality by only praying".

Toward bringing to reality true peace, I feel that by boldly conveying one’s thoughts to others through certain and concrete methods, we must increase the number of people who agree. In short, perhaps the most important lesson we ought to learn from the nuclear power plant accident is that unless each one of us becomes "a person who truly takes action", nothing will change in this society.

Increase your ability to convey to others

For this purpose, first, each one of us must understand properly as a fact and theoretically, "Why it is necessary to abolish all nuclear power immediately". Next, it is necessary to develop the ability to properly explain this to others with reliable theory and facts. In addition, I feel we must find opportunities and boldly convey this truth to others.

For this, developing your abilities by assertively reading relevant books and websites, and participating in lectures and study groups is very effective. In addition, introducing good books and websites to acquaintances and inviting them to lectures and study groups are effective methods.

For example, how would you reply to opinions such as the following? "Nuclear power is necessary to continue economic growth". "With natural energy, power generation is unstable and the efficiency is not good, so it will not substitute for nuclear power that is stable and is efficient in power generation." "With just one gram of uranium, nuclear power generation can produce the energy of two tons of petroleum. Nuclear power is far more efficient".

Regarding the first opinion, "Nuclear power is necessary to continue economic growth", as I already explained, you can present figures that have been reported and say, "Even without nuclear power, thermal and hydraulic power generation are sufficient".

Regarding the second opinion, ""With natural energy, power generation is unstable, and the efficiency is not good, so it will not substitute for nuclear power that is stable and is efficient in power generation", certainly, at the present stage, it is a fact that power generation with natural energy is unstable, and the efficiency is not high.

For spreading and expanding natural energy power generation, it is hoped that from now, power generation efficiency will be increased by major technological innovations, and at the same time, stability and control technology will improve through computer technology such as "smart grid". By doing so, power generation by natural energy will become increasingly important as a promising power generation method in the future.

In addition, the efficiency of power generation with nuclear power is certainly not high compared to thermal power and hydraulic power. From this aspect also, thermal power, hydraulic power, and natural energy can sufficiently supply the required electrical power.

Regarding the third opinion, "With just one gram of uranium, nuclear power generation can produce the energy of two tons of petroleum. Nuclear power is far more efficient", by thinking about this just a little, people might think, "That's amazing". However, this is a numerical trick.

Indeed, it is amazing that with just one gram of uranium, the energy of two tons of petroleum will be output. However, the refined one-gram of uranium does not exist in that form from the beginning. By digging deep into the earth, soil- or rock-containing uranium is extracted. Of this extracted soil or rock, only a small portion contains uranium, and of that uranium, only 0.07% is uranium-235, which is used in nuclear power.

This means that we are only saying that the final one-gram of uranium, which was produced by repeatedly concentrating the uranium from the first stage where it was contained in soil or rock, is equivalent to the energy of two tons of petroleum. Therefore, from the initial condition of being in the soil or rock deep underground, by no means does crude uranium have so much power compared to petroleum.

There is no doubt that concentrated and refined uranium has tremendous energy. However, to refine and concentrate uranium to that extent requires an enormous amount petroleum or electricity produced from petroleum.

By verifying the facts one by one, as above, it is possible to disprove with certainty the basis upon which various people say that nuclear power is necessary and to persuade them.

Convey to others with certainty

In this way, each person conveys with certainty to others regarding the truth about nuclear power. Convey with certainty to 5, 10 or even 100 people. Those people to whom the information was conveyed also convey to 5, 10 or 100 people. I feel that if this chain reaction does not reach the final goal, it will not be possible to truly abolish nuclear power, of course, nor to bring to reality a society of true peace where everyone is happy.

I feel that the fact that each one of us could not do so until now, is the biggest cause of making Japan a country that would bring about the catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In this sense, perhaps serious consideration of "What is true happiness?" and "becoming a person who takes action in earnest" are the things most needed from each one of us now.

(End of part 1. To be continued in part 2)

Excerpt from Idle Thoughts: Law of Happiness 2

In order to become truly happy

From a practical application perspective

＊ If you truly want to be happy, first, make others happy.

＊ If you want something, first, give to others.

＊ If you want to be truly free, first, let others be free.

＊ If you want to be loved, first, love others.

＊ If you want to feel at ease from the heart, then make others feel at ease.

＊ If you want to be truly good friends, take initiative to become good friends

＊ If you want to be understood, first, listen well to what others say.

From another angle

＊ The truth is, there is nothing to worry about.

＊ The truth is, there is nothing to fear.

＊ The truth is, there is no such thing as happiness for only oneself.

Three keys to open the treasure box of life

(Shigemasa Wada sensei's words)

1. A miserly attitude is not good

2. Do not avoid things you don't like.

3. Do good things

Please always carry these three keys in your chest pocket and be creative in the way you use them.

Excerpt from Idle Thoughts: Law of Happiness

In order to become truly happy, first,
1. See only your good points (strengths).
2. Cultivate your good points (strengths).
3. See only the good points (strengths) in others.
4. Cultivate the good points (strengths) in others.
5. At this stage, never be concerned about what you had thought were your bad points (weaknesses, shortcomings).
You do not need to try to correct what you had thought were your weaknesses or shortcomings. If you focus on 1 to 4 above, everything will be corrected naturally.
6. Never be concerned about what you had thought were others’ bad points (weaknesses, shortcomings).
7. Keep your heart bright.
8. Hold on to optimism to the end, and do not fall into pessimism.
9. Use your head (intellect) to bring things to the positive.
10. Any situation is simply a situation, whether it is related to personal matters or societal matters. A situation is not a problem. Do not make a situation into a problem. In any situation, the only things to do are to always keep your heart bright and deal with the matter in an appropriate way.
11. Live life getting along well with yourself and others.
12. Realize that things are good in moderation. Do not run to extremes.
That’s all.

Living in happiness is simple. You will be able to truly feel this in a surprisingly short time, if you always focus on 1 through 12 above,
After you adopt the above points, in addition, there are some things that need to be done thoroughly. They are as follows.
1. Realize that true happiness is not related to situations or conditions.
2. See the present you 100% positively.
3. Accept your past 100% positively.
4. After you have done this, take time and reflect on your past thoroughly. If you discover a mistake, vow to yourself that you will never make the same mistake again from now on.
5. Accept your future 100% positively.
6. Most importantly, do your utmost to live the present moment joyfully, getting along well with others. Realize that everything starts from here.

Please be happy from this moment. It is something everyone can do easily.
Also, do not think that you cannot do this right away. That is pessimism.
Supposing that you cannot do this, you can still live joyfully, right?

(If you have any comments regarding this blog, please send email to the address below. Comments will not be released to the general public without consent.)
nomura@kuninoriso.jp

Are Humans the “Most Superior in All of Creation”?

Two life-shaping experiences
One day, after a certain occurrence at age 10, I was struck by the thought, “Why are there poor people in this world? There is definitely something wrong with this world.” Then, at age 14, I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Atomic Bomb Memorial) during a school field trip. The entire time while I looked at the many exhibits, I could not stop my body from shuddering. It was not from fear or anger, but simply from the strong feeling, “Humans are so foolish. There is definitely something wrong with this kind of world.”

The memory of these two life-shaping experiences continued to reside deep in my heart. Then, at age 22, I learned of the booklet, “With Everyone, Raise an Ideal for the Country” [“Minna de Kuni no Riso o”] by Shigemasa Wada, who originally made this proposal. After reading this booklet, I had a firm conviction, “This is the certain path where people will become happy and every country and the world will be saved.” I had found the answer to the questions that I had from childhood. I was truly moved from the depths of my heart.

In addition, I felt that my life mission was to convey this idea to the people all over the world. The fruit of 40 years of contemplation and actual practice was the book, “A Country’s Ideal and the Constitution—‘The Road to a Nation for International Peace and the Environment’” (in Japanese) [“Kuni no Riso to Kenpo—‘Kokusai Kankyo Heiwa Kokka e no Michi’”] and the English translation, “Beyond National Egoism— The Road to a Nation for International Peace and the Environment”.

Through an Infinite Relay of Life
In the 14 billion year history of the universe, the first primitive single-celled organisms appeared on the earth 3.5 billion years ago, and the evolution of living organisms began from here. Since then, evolution has continued and the various plants and animals emerged. Three million years ago, apes, or the first humans, appeared and the history of human evolution began. Then, 40,000 years ago, humans in our present form were born, and we arrive at the present-day humans, ourselves, of today.

From the first living organisms that emerged 3.5 billion years ago to each of us of living today, “life” has been passed on like a baton in a relay from one generation to the next. One can say this passing of the baton has occurred virtually an infinite number of times. This means that if even one link in this “chain of life” had been broken, you and I would not exist in this world. From this fact, it can be said that the life of each person and all living beings are irreplaceable.

In addition, in this sense, each one of us, and all living beings on the earth are standing at the forefront of the history of living beings. It is often said, “Humans are the most superior in all of creation.” Does this mean that among animals, humans are the most outstanding existences? Certainly, humans can make full use of a developed brain that other animals do not have, and humans have developed a shining technological civilization and material civilization. As a result, humans have overpowered other animals and are enjoying prosperity on this earth.

Are humans crazy apes?
However, at least since recorded history up until now, we humans have continued to massacre fellow humans on a large scale over and over again. In addition, we humans are discriminating against and abusing fellow humans. Furthermore, now, we put poison in our food and drinking water, pollute the air we breathe, and are destroying the world in which we live. In this kind of world, individually and as a society, many people bear a sense of insecurity and are suffering in life. There is definitely something wrong with this kind of world. With things as they are, it can hardly be said, “Humans are the most superior in all of creation.” Then, are humans “crazy apes”?

We can definitely bring to reality peace
Are humans originally such foolish and powerless existences? I do not think so. We humans have committed many mistakes and caused ourselves and others to suffer. However, with our power, we certainly ought to be able to correct the mistakes we have made. We humans can definitely attain not only our own happiness and peace in our hearts, but also resolve the many problems of society, and bring to reality world peace and the happiness of all humankind.

Perhaps the reasons why these have not been brought to reality until now are lack of interest, ignorance, and most of all, giving up. I am certain that if we firmly believe, “we can definitely bring this to reality,” and make clear the root cause of the mistaken ways, we definitely will be able to find the path to solving the problems. Isn’t that the point when we become existences that are worthy of the expression, “Humans are the most superior in all of creation”?

(If you have any comments regarding this blog, please send email to the address below.
Comments will not be released to the general public without consent.)
nomura@kuninoriso.jp

The Importance of Enlightenment

Transcript from a talk (Translated from Japanese)

Nothing is more important for us than “the importance of enlightenment.” This is because we ourselves are the ones who are living. What am I? What is this world in which I am living? Without truly knowing these, we are living only by our moods or thoughts.

Nothing is more foolish than not knowing truly about yourself, not knowing truly about life, and not living a true way of life, and it is a regrettable life. To grasp anew our true self and the true world, clearly and by experiencing (not with the head or intellect), is more important than all else. This is especially so in the present era in which our human society is rapidly headed toward a dead end.

Buddha became enlightened 2500 years ago. He keenly indicated that the source of all human suffering and chaos in society is ignorance, and that an absolute truth of existence is of being one and indivisible.

So, what is ignorance? Normally, we recognize, judge and think about things with our head (intellect). However, “thoughts” of our head are relative, separate things into “I” and “others,” and we mistakenly understand things as being separate existences.

Therefore, things we understand by our thoughts are only “false” things that we have interpreted in a way for our own convenience, and are not the “truth” as it is. Furthermore, the “self” we understand by “our relationship to others” through our thoughts is consequently merely the self that we have defined on our own, and is not the “true self” itself. By thoughts, we cannot grasp the true self and the absolute truth of existence of being one and indivisible.

In order to grasp the absolute truth of existence directly and not with the head, first, it is necessary to have a strong desire to attain this by experiencing, no matter what it takes. At the same time, it is vital to quiet down our thoughts of the head by proper meditation or “zazen” (sitting in silent meditation).

However, it is a fact that the wall of our thoughts is extremely thick and grasping the truth directly is very difficult. Speaking from experience, after running into a problem that cannot be solved with the head, struggling and struggling, and facing a complete dead end and desperate situation, suddenly, a consciousness beyond the head (thoughts) takes effect and you can grasp directly the absolute truth of existence of everything being one and indivisible.

The “Seminar of Life,” which I supervise, is based on this principle. So far, many participants have awakened to their true self and the true world in the short period of one week.

In any case, we must make this our top priority theme anew—
What am “I who exists” and not merely “I who lives daily life.”

(If you have any comments regarding this blog, please send email to the address below.
Comments will not be released to the general public without consent.)
nomura@kuninoriso.jp

Striving toward creating a nation in an exciting way

Transcript from a talk (Translated from Japanese)

Striving toward creating a nation in an exciting way—
Let us raise an ideal for Japan together

Modern-day Japan is facing a serious dead end in areas such as politics, the economy, education and social welfare. Further, globally, due to factors such as environmental destruction and wars, our human society is facing history’s worst crisis. In order to overcome this crisis from the root level, we need to create a completely different flow from the ones of the past. I feel that the key is in the present Constitution of Japan.

Including Japan, the main cause or culprit of this worst dead end of human society is conflicts of national egoism that says, “As long as it is in my country’s best interests.” These conflicts of national egoism cause wars, promote development of science and technology, promote competition among businesses, and create problems such as with the environment, poverty, and famine.

According to the Preamble of the present Constitution of Japan, Japan will make all out efforts to contribute to solving the many serious problems of the world by peaceful means. It proclaims strongly that this is how the country will secure its survival. This means Japan renounces national egoism by its own will unilaterally. In addition, Article 9 calls for renouncing all types of war including war for self-defense and abolishment of military.

I published the book, “Kuni no Riso to Kenpo” (“A Country’s Ideal and the Constitution”, original in Japanese and published in English as “Beyond National Egoism—The Road to an Nation for International Peace and the Environment” last year. In this book, I presented the following proposal:

In the midst of the dead end situation of the world, let us truly revive Japan. Further, in order to take initiative toward overcoming the critical situation of the world from the root level, let us more assertively bring to life the spirit of peace of the present Constitution of Japan, and let us raise a new ideal in Japan, ‘to aspire for a nation for international peace and the environment.’

In recent years, Japan has seen political turmoil and fallen into its worst ever recession. During this time, people have gotten the impression that the issue of revising the constitution has disappeared. However, considering that on May 18, 2010, the National Referendum law will come into force, it can be anticipated that before long, the movement to revise the constitution will become very active again. Now, especially since we are in this kind of period, we must think about this very seriously.




“Beyond National Egoism—The Road to a Nation for International Peace and the Environment

Shohei Nomura
Mamizu Shuppan Publishing

Contents

I. The Constitutional Debate That Will Determine Japan's Future

Chapter 1 Can We Protect the Peace Without Military Force?
Chapter 2 Arguments for and against Constitutional Revision

II. Know the Present State of the Global Environment and Human Society

Chapter 1 Know the Present State of the Environmental Problems
Chapter 2 Population, Food Supply, Water, Energy, and Nuclear Power Problems
Chapter 3 Considering Conflicts and Wars of the 21st Century

III. How Can We Overcome This Crisis?

Chapter 1 What Is the Fundamental Cause of the Crisis Situation?
Chapter 2 Considering the Future of This Nation
Chapter 3 Overcoming National Egoism

Proposal for the Japanese People
─Everyone, Let Us Raise an Ideal for the Nation
─Now, What Should I Do?
Proposal─For the People All Over the World

(If you have any comments regarding this blog, please send email to the address below.
Comments will not be released to the general public without consent.)
nomura@kuninoriso.jp

Truth of Existence – Part 2

Transcript from a talk (Translated from Japanese)

Instinct is the accumulation of countless experiences of success
All wild animals live in harmony with nature, and move, circulate, and relate to each other following their instinct. This is because, by instinct, they live following the laws of nature. Instinct is the highest ability, which has been gained and built up genetically through the accumulation of better and better successful experiences in survival and flourishing of the individual and species. It has been developed through infinite trials and errors in the history of evolution over many hundreds of thousands, millions, and billions of years.

So, if wild animals live and act following their instinct, all will be harmonious and follow the laws of nature. With the exception of injuries, infection from bacteria or weakening of the body from lack of food, the functioning of the body will not become abnormal. In other words, except for injuries from accidents, wild animals basically do not become ill.

Humans live with the “head”
In contrast, humans have a “head (developed brain)”. Different from other animals, a special feature of humans is that we can think with our head. However, regarding the basic topic of living, the judgment ability of the head is very poor compared to instinct. The ability to make judgments with the head comes from the accumulation of experiences over a few million years at most.

In contrast, as described before, instinct is the accumulation and concentration of a billion years of experiences of success since living beings appeared on the earth. For example, let us consider foods that are absolutely necessary for an animal’s survival. Wild animals eat things they like and as much as they want, following their instincts. Things that are suited to the body taste good, and the animals like these foods. In contrast, foods that do not suit the body taste bad, and the animals do not like the smell of these food. These are the workings of the instinct. In addition, through the workings of the instinct, they naturally feel satisfied after eating the necessary amount, and do not eat more than that.

Wild animals do not become overweight
Wild animals do not eat foods that do not suit their bodies, and they do not overeat. Naturally, there are no overweight wild animals. If you think a hippopotamus is overweight, that is because you are comparing it to other types of animals such as deer. The body structure of the hippopotamus is suited for its survival, and it is not actually overweight for its species. The body structure of the hippopotamus is the standard for a hippopotamus. There is no hippopotamus that is abnormally overweight beyond the standard for its species.

Foods suited to humans
In contrast, in most cases, we humans think about and decide with our “head” the type of food, quantity, and number of times to eat based on our knowledge and experience. The result is that we overeat in most cases.

If we humans also followed our instincts, by nature, we would probably not eat very much meat and dairy products. For example, human teeth are not very suited to biting and tearing tough raw meat. It is supposed that for humans of the time before the development of techniques using fire to soften meat such as grilling or boiling, and over the many millions of years of our ancestors which were a type of ape, even if humans ate the meat of other animals, the main foods were things like nuts, fruits and leaves.

Difference between cats and humans
If we observe cats, which are originally pure and simple meat-eating animals, if a small animal scurries nearby, the cats instinctively get excited, follow the movements of the small animal with their eyes and wait for a chance to pounce on the animal.

In contrast, if we humans walk by a pasture and a kid goat comes near, in general, we might think, “how cute,” but we do not think things such as, “This looks delicious.” Still more, unless we are facing severe starvation, normally, the urge to pounce and capture does not naturally well up from inside.

These are only some examples. Of course, we humans can eat meat and consider it “delicious” by grilling or boiling it to make it soft, and adding seasonings such as salt, and vegetable and fruit juices that have good aroma and flavor to hide the bad taste of raw meat. Setting aside the question of whether meat is truly suited to the human body, it is a fact that these methods of preparing meat have widened the range of foods for humans, enriched our diet and food culture, enabled humans to survive more easily, and greatly broadened the area inhabitable to humans. However, perhaps the fact that we cannot consider meat to be “delicious” unless we season it or mix it with other things that have good aroma and flavor such as vegetables and fruits, means that it cannot be said that meat is originally a food that is very suitable for humans.

Is milk a good food?
How are dairy products? The components of milk differ for each species of animal. A human mother’s milk is suited to a human baby. A mother cow’s milk is suited to a baby cow.

In this sense, wouldn’t you say that there is a problem with giving cow’s milk to a human baby? Still more, mammals wean naturally after a certain period of time. They do not need the mother’s milk any longer.

When mammals mature, they get their own food and eat. However, many humans continue to drink milk even after becoming adults. Furthermore, this is not their mother’s milk, but the milk of a mother cow. Isn’t there something strange about this?

It may be a fact that cow’s milk has components that are also nutritious for humans, but nutrients that are necessary for a baby cow are concentrated in cow’s milk. Is cow’s milk truly good food for an adult human? Adult humans are stealing and drinking the milk meant for a baby cow. Even adult cows do not drink cow’s milk.
　
Food suited to the human body
So, what is the most suitable food for the human body? Basically, it is food that is raw, tasty, and has a good aroma by itself without being mixed with anything else, and without being cooked or boiled.

This may be quite far from the conventional ideas of most people today. However, if you look from the viewpoint of what is the natural way of the human body, you will see that this is definitely not such a strange idea. Our ancestors survived over many millions of years by choosing and eating foods that were tasty and had a good smell in the raw form, based on instinct, which is our highest ability given to us from nature.

As a consequence, the structure of the human body was adapted to these kinds of foods. Later, humans developed various methods of cooking and broadened the range of foods, but this history is only about a few tens of thousands of years old at most. It cannot be said that the human body has sufficiently adapted to these new foods.

Why do we overeat?
In many cases, we humans choose and eat food based on judgments and knowledge of the “head.” If we followed our instincts, we would eat things that suit the body, feel satisfied at the appropriate amount (relatively small amount), and stop eating.

However, since we eat based on judgments and knowledge of the “head,” we often do not eat things that are truly suited to the body (that our body likes). So, no matter how much we eat, we cannot feel truly satisfied. Then, in order to gain a feeling of satisfaction, we cannot stop from eating more and more. In the end, we overeat.

Abnormalities of the body are caused by unnatural lifestyle
In modern life, we do not walk much anymore. By walking, the human body adjusts itself and becomes balanced naturally, but now, we cannot do this natural adjustment well.

In addition, since we lack exercise, many people commute to a gym for exercise after work. Wild animals do not lack exercise even without commuting to a gym.

We can see these kinds of examples in various aspects of our every day lives. In short, since we humans make judgments with the “head,” we go away from the laws of nature, our lifestyles become unnatural, and as a result, our bodies become abnormal. This means that in principle, the abnormalities of our bodies will be cured if we correct and conform our lifestyles to a natural lifestyle, and leave things to the life power of nature (instinct).

Human society is a society that is one body
Our world, that is, human society, is a world that is one body in which originally everything is connected and circulates. This society is formed from relationships in which all people, including adults, children, elderly, infants, men, women, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces, are connected to each other and circulate.

These people are in various types of relationships such as family, friends, and acquaintances. Further, through organic gathering and joining, these people form the many types of systems and organizations such as shops, factories, offices, companies, public offices, courts, and schools.

Then, these collectively become a nation, and further, the world is formed from all of these factors.

The basic unit of the international society is the nation. Similar to all the cells, tissues and organs of a human body, it can be said that all people and other components, are irreplaceable and precious existences that form this society, which is one body.

Our society is not in harmony
Nevertheless, can we say that this society, which is one body, is completely sound and in harmony? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Even if each existence in this society is irreplaceable and precious, and inseparably connected to each other, their workings are not sound workings, and this world has not become one that is happy, in harmony and at peace. Why is this so? It is because abnormalities have been created in society through ideas and judgments that are not in line with the truth.

Similar to the situation of the human body, abnormalities are created in society through activities of individuals and each type of system and organization, when we follow mistaken beliefs, ideas and judgments of our “head” that are not in line with the truth (laws of nature). 　

This is the cause of suffering and agony of the mind and body of individuals. Further, it becomes the cause of hatred and fighting among people, and also becomes the cause of conflicts and wars, poverty, famine and environmental destruction.

In short, our society is also one body. However, it is not in harmony. This means that abnormalities have arisen in our society because of ways of thought and judgments that do not follow in line with the truth that “all existences are not separate, but one indivisible body,” which is the truth of existence.

The workings of the body and the workings of society
The body is one whole, so if there is an illness or injury somewhere in the body, it leads to disharmony of the whole body. In addition, the effects of the illness or injury and reaction of the body affect all reaches of all cells. Also, an illness or injury to one cell connects to illness of the entire body and mind which is one whole.

Similar to the human body, human society is also one body. The many problems of society are like the illnesses of the human body. In other words, just as suffering in one part of the body becomes suffering of the entire body and mind, if there is even one person in the world who is suffering from poverty, famine or war, is in need or is suffering, to feel it as my own suffering and unhappiness is a normal and sound sense that is in humans by nature, and this is the correct way of seeing things.

I feel it is human nature to consider this as suffering and unhappiness of oneself that is one whole, and work to remove the suffering or unhappiness, and restore soundness to the body even one moment sooner.

In this way, if each person becomes aware of this truth of existence, conflicts would not arise, and egoism such as “as long as it is in my interests” or “as long as it is in our interests” would not arise.

Sense of oneness and sense of separateness
Let us consider again the sense of oneness and sense of separateness from the perspective of the individual and the whole, because each of us humans certainly has an awareness of the “self” or awareness of the “individual.” In addition, it is a fact that each person, or each existence, appears to be separate. So, how should we think about this?

We can think of it as the difference between our picture of things based on our sensing and seeing with our five senses, versus the true form of this world. Let me explain this difference with an example.

Sunlight is colorless and is one. However, if colorless sunlight passes through a prism, it separates into seven colors like a rainbow. In fact, it is divided into many more than seven colors.

Just like in this example, we can think that all existences are originally one, but if passed through our five senses, it looks like countless numbers of “individuals.”

All humans are brothers and sisters
I would like to explain about the relationship between “the individual and the whole” using another example.

In 1987, according to research by Dr. Cann and colleagues, comparison of the genes of newborns from locations around the world such as Asia, Europe, Australia and New Guinea, showed that all humans living on the earth have in common the same ancestor, a female who lived in Africa 200,000 years ago.

In other words, all humans are descendants of this woman, and we humans are all brothers and sisters.

Setting aside the question of whether the common ancestor of all humankind has truly been determined, I believe that there is no objection to the idea that all humans have a specific common ancestor and that all humans are descendants of that specific ancestor.

This can be expressed by saying, “We branched off from a common ancestor.” Male and female descendants that “branched off” were united, and descendants of a common ancestor were born. This was repeated nearly an infinitely large number of times, and all of the descendents are related like the mesh points of a three-dimensional net.

It might appear that people branched off and became separate. But, actually, through this process, new bonds can be formed. So, in fact, we have not become separated and lost all relations to each other. We might appear to be separate, but this is also a form of one indivisible body.

All existences are one body
The relationship between “the individual and the whole” becomes clearer if we think about our human body.

Each human life starts from one fertilized egg. This fertilized egg cannot do many detailed biological activities as it is. One fertilized egg divided and became two cells, divided again to become four cells, and after dividing nearly an infinite number of times, formed over 60 trillion cells. From these cells, tissues and organs that have various functions were created. All together, these form one living organism, that is, one human.

So, is it the case that each cell, tissue, and organ is separate? They are unrelated? They are simply “connected”? Can the relationships with each other be explained completely with the expression, “They are very closely related?”

The individual and the whole
All of the above are mistaken. Each relationship is such that we cannot survive without the other, we help each other, and fill in for each other’s weaknesses. These aspects circulate among each other, and by each fulfilling its special qualities and roles, the one life (one living body) as a whole can live.

In summary, each individual is given life by all other individuals. Also, as an individual, the individual lives one large life that is the whole, and the overall one large life lives as an individual.

It is important to become aware of the truth of existence
This relationship between “the individual and the whole” is not limited to the human body, but is the proper form of the world of nature. In addition, it is the way human society ought to be by nature.

Indeed, we have an awareness of our “self,” and an awareness of the “individual.” However, it definitely does not mean that we all exist separately from each other.
Each of us humans, by nature, is an existence that is absolutely necessary for each other. The true form of human society is living in harmony with nature, helping each other, making up for each other’s weaknesses, and cooperating with each other.

Each person has an awareness of the “self,” and the reason we have a sense of the “individual” is that by having this sense, we can better enable others to live, and help the overall life advance. Through the inner demands of “life” itself that works far and wide throughout the macrocosm, and as a result of evolution, humans gained this kind of ability.

You can think of this as the same as the inner demand of “life” itself that caused one-celled organisms to evolve to many-celled organisms, and then to the various types of plants and animals that have complex tissues and organs.

In any case, all of the problems of human society arise from egoism, which is based on the sense of separateness. As human society has come to such a dead-end situation in the present era, now of all times, we must awaken to the truth of existence that “all existences are one (and not separate existences).”

(If you have any comments regarding this blog, please send email to the address below.
Comments will not be released to the general public without consent.)
nomura@kuninoriso.jp