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Constantly observing with your eyes and thinking with your head
Mitsuo Ochi
春烂漫の季节となりました。洋の东西を问わず、厳しい冬を耐えて迎えた春は数々の诗や歌にうたわれてきました。19世纪英国の诗人ロバート?ブラウニングの有名な诗「春の朝」をご存じの方も多いと思います。
时は春、
日は朝、
朝は七时、
片冈に露みちて、
扬云雀なのりいで、
蜗牛枝に这ひ、
神、そらに知ろしめす。
すべて世は事も无し。
（上田敏訳、『海潮音』より）
标高约250メートル、贺茂台地の一角にある东広岛キャンパスでは、まさにこの诗のような光景が広がっています。生きとし生けるものが光り辉く春、本学も多くの新入生を迎えました。洋々と広がる未来に胸を膨らませている若い人たちのさんざめきを耳にすると、私も四十数年前の入学したころを思い出します。
当时の私には、将来なんとなく医师になることは分かっていましたが、人生设计をどのように立てるのか、どのように生きていくべきかの指针もありませんでした。多くの师、先辈に导かれつつ、春の海に独り漕ぎ出した小さなボートのようなものでした。
「春の嵐」という言叶があるように、うららかな阳気から一転して突然、荒れ模様になることがあるかもしれませんが、皆さんの小さなボートが大きなダメージなく目的地に着けるよう心より祈っています。
今日、テロと戦争が日常化する中で、ポピュリズムや反知性主义の嵐が吹き荒れ、民主主义を危机に陥れています。人类が创造した知の最高拠点である大学の役割が、今まさに问われているのではないでしょうか。真理探究の旗を高く掲げて、前に进んでいかなければならないと、あらためて誓っています。
私が学生诸君に期待したいのは、周りにいる友人や后辈たちから「この人についていきたい」「一绪に挑戦してみたい」と信頼してもらえる、そんな未来のリーダーを目指してほしいということです。そのためには、これからの人生で「想定外」の难题にぶつかったときに自らの力で切り开いていく力を养うことが欠かせません。もとより、それは一朝一夕に得られるものではありません。生涯を通じて幅広い教养を身に着けながら、自分の目で见、自分の头で考え続けることによって培われていくものです。その第一歩を大学生活で踏み出してほしいと愿っています。
Now, spring is in full bloom. In all parts of the world, there have been many poems or songs about spring which comes after a long, bitter winter. Many of you probably know the famous poem, ?Pippa’s Song" by Robert Browning, a 19th century British poet.
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill‐side’s dew‐pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his heaven ―
All’s right with the world!
The Higashi Hiroshima campus, located in one corner of the Kamo Plateau at a height of 250m above sea level, commands the kind of scenery written by Browning above. In the season of spring when all living things are bursting with spring color, we have welcomed many newly enrolled students today. Hearing the rumbling of voices of young students whose hearts are filled with excitement with the prospect of a rosy future, I feel quite nostalgic, because the occasion reminds me of my entrance ceremony more than forty years ago.
Although I was vaguely aware of the fact that I would become a doctor in the future, I did not have any guiding principle for issues such as ?how to approach the task of planning my life" or ?how to live my life." It felt like being alone on a small boat, ushered into the spring sea, led by boats with many of my teachers and seniors at the helm.
According to the expression ?spring storm," sometimes the balmy spring weather may suddenly turn very stormy. Be that as it may, I sincerely hope that your ?small boats" reach your destinations with minimal damage; perhaps with just a few character-building dents along the way.
Today, acts of terrorism and war have become relatively common, and populism and anti-intellectualism are sweeping the globe, which in turn are jeopardizing democracy. I think that universities all over the world are now being asked what kinds of roles they should play as the best knowledge hubs that mankind has ever created. Once again, I tell myself that while holding the ?pursuit of truth" flag high, we should be moving forward.
What I truly hope and expect, is that you will become future leaders, so that your friends and peers look up to you as their role model and even mentor, aspiring to follow in your footsteps or to join you in various challenges.
To achieve such a goal, it is essential to acquire the ability to cope when the going gets tough; to acquire the resourcefulness to resolve issues by taking alternative paths, and to be resilient in the face of adversity. Indeed, this builds character, learning from trials, tribulations and ‘mistakes’. As the saying goes ?what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!"
Some skills cannot be acquired overnight; they have to be cultivated by constantly observing with your eyes and thinking with your head, while gaining wide-ranging knowledge and deep insights to last a lifetime. I hope that you will take your first steps towards such a goal during your life here on campus.
