Group Circles

 

As understood by those who have spent any length of time trying to understand Japan knows, it is considered to be a group culture. It is said that this culture was developed out of necessity from living on a dangerous island containing a scarcity of vital resources to support life. Valuing the group over the individual became necessary for continued civilizational survival. Over time from Confucian influenced ideas Japan's unique Bushido culture was developed. In it are a few important tenants described as follows from this video :

1) Keeping harmony is the top priority. It is more important than progress or development or truth.

2) People have an advanced ability to read the air (sense the mood) and sense relationships between people within the group.

3) Each person will try to act good and be polite to not stand out, regardless of what they are truly thinking. (Less honest, more two faced)

4) People will automatically trust the people in their community, because there is hardly any merit in betraying or creating disorder within the group. (strong organizational power)

5) People will be extremely exclusive against outsiders, because the common rules and system of the group won't be applied against strangers. (low communication skills)

These Bushido concepts help to form the invisible set of rules that all Japanese adhere to. They are primarily taught through the education system and are enforced by society as well as the home. In many regards to be Japanese is to adhere to these principles without question. Those who follow these tenants closely are highly valued, whereas those who do not are by others shamed. Those who can control the group through their powers of persuasion yield the greatest authority. Every group has different morality yet still generally adheres to these invisible Bushido principles. The benefits are high social trust, social harmony, and low crime. The downsides being no truth, low compassion, low moral courage, and little progress. Safety and adherence to the rules are more important than freedom. For the sake of social harmony Japanese people can wear multiple “masks” depending on which group they are dealing with. When continuing in this manner it would be easy to get lost and forget what is true and what isn't. It is a reason why it is difficult for Japanese to have free conversations, to think outside the box, or to mature in general. To lose one's identity in a web of confusion would not be hard to do here. Japanese people do just that by escaping the strict societal rules with alcohol, sex, gambling, and entertainment.

Many Japanese people see the flaws in this system and are at odds about how to fix it. Inevitably, many like the man in the video above will double down to try to revive Bushido traditions hoping to seek a utopia. However, the very definition of insanity is to try the same thing over again expecting different results. To continue on that path would also be following pride that leads to destruction. The solution is not more strict adherence to the man-made traditions set forth in Bushido in the hopes of cultural redemption for a broken nation, but for each person to embrace a loving relationship with their Creator through Jesus Christ. Harmony needs truth. Jesus Christ is that truth.