Greetings as Basis of Human Relationships

These days there is a growing thirst among people for closer human contacts. This is especially true of certain young people, who realize that social ties are weakening and who are seeking ways to strengthen and improve them. One reason that we can cite for this development is the fact that in this current era of Information Technology, people put more emphasis on thought processes than on direct action.
　　　　　The essence of our existence as human beings lies in our relationships with others. We define ourselves by our relationships and through them, unattached to ego, we can have the pleasure of improving ourselves almost beyond limit. Harmonious ties with others lead to the joy of mutual trust.
　　　　　The Japanese word for trust is shinrai. It is composed of two kanji characters, and the first one contains the meanings of “person” and “word.” The basis for good personal relationships can thus be seen as being truthful, not false, in one’s words. The character for shin can also be read to mean to stretch out. This indicates to me that a person can relax in the joy of truthfulness. It is a universal wish to participate in life in harmony with others. But when one fails into untruthfulness and being false-hearted, anxiety and doubts will surely arise.
　　　　Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who is also the president of our Brighter Society Movement, says that extending courteous greetings to others is the foundation of good personal relationships. He devotes a great deal of time and energy to the campaign to promote the exchange of polite greetings.
　　　　Such greetings are a key element of cordial relationships, but if we are trapped by our illusions we cannot engage in honestly exchanging them. When our hearts are free of such illusions, however, we can then freely relax and live in harmony with others. Another way of looking at this is to say that greetings can be a practice of the nonself that destroys the tendency to be self-centered.

Maintaining the Family Balance

There has been a growing tendency recently for the ties between Japanese young people and society in general to weaken, extending even to complete withdrawal by many from any contact with other people. In a newspaper column not long ago, Professor Toshiko Marks of Shumei University commented about the situation in this way: “People from other countries find it difficult to understand this social withdrawal by young Japanese even though the young people are living with their family. People from abroad feel that family members having dinner together should increase the warmth of family ties. It is conceivable that people accustomed from infancy to such a family lifestyle would find it difficult to understand such total withdrawal.” She went to say that one cause of this social phenomenon is the emptiness of many Japanese family relationships. She concluded, “Adults must seriously think about what is necessary for creating a family atmosphere in which children can be comfortable.”
　　　　The first steps for maintaining good family balance are exchanging friendly greetings in the morning and responding politely when called. The practice of these examples of not being attached to ego will make home life more pleasant and lead to harmony in human interactions at school, in the workplace, and in society as a whole. This is the way to build joyful personal relationships.