... for this unfortunate woman in Japan who, homeless and starving, was too weak to open the food given to her by government officials, and died outside Hamamatsu city hall.
This tore open my heart. I imagine some of those people might defend themselves, claiming that, since they were there watching her, the poor woman didn't die alone.
Glenn, It's really hard to blame anyone, I guess, without having been there. But there's something very Japanese about this story... It's weird that the same traits that make Japan a pretty cool place to live (e.g. people leave you alone and mind their own business) can also make it a pretty damned cold place sometimes...
Kyklops, this story has stayed with me the last few days.
You say there is something so "very Japanese about this story," but it seems deeper than that. It is so human, so now, so much the state of the human condition.
This tore open my heart. I imagine some of those people might defend themselves, claiming that, since they were there watching her, the poor woman didn't die alone.
ReplyDeleteGlenn,
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to blame anyone, I guess, without having been there. But there's something very Japanese about this story...
It's weird that the same traits that make Japan a pretty cool place to live (e.g. people leave you alone and mind their own business) can also make it a pretty damned cold place sometimes...
Kyklops, this story has stayed with me the last few days.
ReplyDeleteYou say there is something so "very Japanese about this story," but it seems deeper than that. It is so human, so now, so much the state of the human condition.