Summer School

Joined a summer school for grad students.  

Living in this era, they are doing their research with each ambivalence or distress.  

So I told them two stories based on my personal experience;

1) Whichever way you are going to take, research experience would help.

If you enjoy your current research, it is good for you.  

But some of you may have not got excited yet, 

wondering if you could really fit, or thinking of taking a different way as a job. 

Even for those who will not become a professional researcher, 

I think the research experience at school should be precious.  

When doing research, you are taking a step into the new world, 

where no one has ever stepped into and even your supervisor has not found the true answer.  

In most cases your challenges would fail. You need to be back from disappointment, 

think of a different way, and through the trials and errors you will get your own view. 

Then your ideas might be denied by your supervisor, and you must think it over again.  

I think these experiences would help in your future when you (have to) try a new thing 

on your work or in your life.  

So I do recommend you to keep doing your research till the time you graduate, 

even if you can not find it interesting or if you decide to take a different job.

2) Failure experiences are indispensable for your fulfilling life and achievements as well.

I think there are two types of learnings in growing up.  

One through a failure and the other through an achievement.  

In doing research, you can not keep off from the former, 

so I would suggest you to try to find a way (other than research) to go through the latter.  

Football, other sports, other interests, whatever.  

The one you make an effort for and you get an achievement.  

It will support you to bounce back from a setback in your life.  

If you can not find it, I would introduce language study and muscle training.  

Through my experience, I am for sure these are the ones where your proper efforts 

lead to an achievement without any fail.  

If you speak Japanese fluently, you will be able to speak English as well.  

It is not a matter of school scores.  

You may not be able to become like a returnee or a simultaneous interpreter, 

but surely can communicate on business in English. 

When I was a high school student, I got failing score in English test.  

Then I studied hard and by the time of university entrance exams 

English became my favorite subject.  Now my TOEIC score is 975.  

I am not bragging- everyone can get it if you make an adequate effort, 

and for myself the most important is not a high score itself 

but getting the score starting from the failing one.  

The other suggestion is doing a muscle training.  

For athletes, "bench pressing you weight" is the evidence of "you fit."  

I used to try this.  Starting from less than 50kg, finally I got my weight of 75kg.  

I believe these sort of experiences should help you in your work or in your life.  

They open you up when you go to fitness club for training or when you look back 

English textbook, which was at first very difficult but now is pretty easy for you.  

Try to find something you can keep doing, get an achievement, 

and be supported when you are depressed.

How did the students think about my message?  

Well, some students actually came to me after my talk.

Invisible Wall

When I had lunch in front of a glass wall, 
a dragonfly had fallen down from the ceiling.  

It seemed to die in the last ditch.  
Did not move at all.  

I thought, “How come you dare to die in front of me?”  
Then suddenly it attacked to the glass wall with its final effort.  
...Stood still but seemed to be alive.  

I caught it with its wings.  
It fought back by flexing its body.  
I was so impressed and took it outside.  

I found a sprinkler and put the dragonfly nearby.  
It could not fly but started eating the lawn.  What a life...  

From time to time, I also come up against the invisible walls.  
I learned from the dragonfly that you should never give up till the end, 
even if you can not find a way by yourself.  

I am sure it was put in front of my remissness.  
Not by chance.

Father's Back

A year since my friend's passing.

From time to time, he has come up to my mind.
He should have been in his families all the time.
Besides, taken care of others.
He is such an attentive person.

Generally sons grow up looking at their father's back.
I am wondering what is his son now looking at.
I would assume sons should learn from their father in some parts and push back in other parts.
As my friend was perfectly a nice person and now is in heaven, it would be hard to push him back.

Though it's personal, I feel sorry for this point, too.

Thoughts to bridge, beliefs to continue

Gave a talk on the Great East Japan Earthquake, at a highschool in Tokyo.
Though having done so little for the reconstruction, I tried to tell the unreported stories.
During my talk I could not get good response from the students, and got few questions.
I was wondering if my talk had been well organized.

But a few days later, I got their review sheets with full of their emotions.
"Be moved.  Near to tears."
"I also got goose bumps all over, almost with tears."
"By any means I do want to talk to the people in the North East."

I found they were not unresponsive, but just concealed their emotions.
What impressed them was actually not my word but a twitter message I referred to;

"A kid was in a check-out line at a grocery store, having some sweets in the hands.
Approaching to the cashier, thinking over and over, kept looking at the cash register...
Finally put all the money to the donation box by the register,
returned the sweets to the shelf, and got out of the store.
The clerk said to its back, 'Thank you so much!' in a trembling voice.
@matsugen"

Next month, as a collaboration with the high school students,
I am going to deliver another science program in Miyagi,
concealing the title of my talk
"Thoughts to bridge, beliefs to continue" in my heart.