jakeinbalance

It is Golden Week here in Japan, the time of year when people take a break from business as usual. Instead, this week is reserved for leisure, relaxation and vacation. Golden Week is a joyful time. So, I figured that would be the topic for this month. Joy. It is quite evident that I am surrounded by it. Although this society is known for a disciplined work ethic, it does so in a joyful manner. Or so it seems to me. I can recall passing through Tokyo Station, once. It was about 9pm on a Tuesday. I was exhausted after a full day of work. The train was stopped and I was gazing out the window. Sitting next to me were a group of smartly-dressed professionals of some sort. They were chatting and laughing until one man got off the train. Now, in my home society, in the United States, the natural thing to do when leaving a conversation is to exchange goodbyes and walk away. But, not in this instance at Tokyo Station. The man did not walk away after departing his colleagues. Instead, he stood d...

Each month, my goal for writing this blog has been to express a topic on my mind, here in Japan. And this month, the topic chosen has been on my mind for quite a while. The topic is Humility, which for me, started with Humiliation. Perhaps humiliating moments can lead to a sense of humility. First, maybe one feels unworthy to be in the group. Embarrassed to be in the group because something is lacking. And for me, it has been my lack of language, here in Japan. This has often been humiliating. Humiliating when getting a haircut, when I cannot explain my preference and must use a picture as a reference . Humiliated in the classroom, when students assume I am competent in bi-lingual conversation. Humiliated with the inability to understand small talk, or nearly all talk, in Japanese. But, These humiliating moments do not worry me. For they are only temporary. They are not to be taken personally, but instead to be transformative. Transformed, Into a sense of Humility. Into a sense of humi...

This month, Mother Nature showed her teeth by shocking me awake with an earthquake.  Other than that, life has been rather smooth. My work travels have taken me throughout Chiba, Yokohama, and Saitama. Each day has been a world on its own. It has been months since I've spent more than two days in a row in the same town. This has allowed me to encounter the hidden corners of a unique country. And often times, I cannot recognize what is written or spoken around me, which may seem frantic, but has actually made my internal dialogue crystal clear. Like an awakened inner soul that can now be heard. On an opposite note, I stand in front of hundreds of students each week, thus spotlighting my outer self. My chosen words. My body language and expressions. I have learned to take up space with my presence, for this is necessary to hold 30 peoples attention at once. This combination, simultaneously learning about my inner soul and outer self, has been a good learning so far. Perhaps our inner...

I am living in Japan during one of the strangest times in recent history. While spending this time here, I’ve integrated with a society that has dealt with the pandemic for over a year now. Ever since the start of 2020, the government has asked its residence to take precautions. Key word, “asked”, because the Japanese government has yet to demand anything from its residents, but instead only requests that people follow the guidelines in place. Masks Mask-wearing has been practiced by nearly everyone. I have been wearing one every day at work since last April. Usually, people will not take off their masks when speaking to each other and the most common type is the non-reusable paper mask. It is often thrown away after a few uses. Social Distancing Social distancing has been largely ignored. Being that much of the population relies on trains and stations, there have been incredibly crowded spaces during my commutes each day. Restaurants are operating at a smaller capacity with reduced ho...

On Christmas Eve, I was sent to a Buddhist temple. I took the train to Yokohama, walked up stone staircases, through a cemetery, across a pond full of koi fish, and into a temple. Here is where I met a monk, who also doubles as a school principal.  After exchanging greetings, I continued up the stairs and arrived at the school. It was on the top of a hill, overlooking the city.  Then, I organized the classroom, thought about the classes I was about to teach, and observed the skyline. I waited until the monk sent his granddaughter for her weekly English lesson. Three other students also joined, a group of four. I spent the next few hours teaching. I've been doing this sort of work for the last 15 months. Although seemingly peaceful, I would be lying if I said it wasn't a challenge.  A challenge that has taught me about Grit. Developing grit is a slow process. It accumulates through years of punches and scars. The more one has, the more one can persevere, no matter the circ...

I am in Japan as the year nears an end. For some reason, out of all the places on Earth, I have spent the past year here. We all know that 2020 has changed the world forever, and for some reason, I have been privileged to live in Japan during this  year of uncertainty. For whatever reason, I have been blessed with security throughout the wildness that 2020 brought. During 2020 is when the world turned upside down. I have followed the news flowing out of my home country as several plagues existed at once. Whenever I consume it, it feels like I am looking through a small window into a house that is chaotic. A place where everything is turned upside down.  Where grocery store workers are taking on the most responsibility, and government workers are ignoring responsibility.   Where socialization is dangerous and isolation is necessary.  Where school buildings are empty and hospitals are full. My home country has been standing on it's head and I commend all who have ...

The history of human-beings is outlined in Yuval Noah Harari's "Sapiens". I recently read it, which examines the last 70,000 years and guides readers through how our world evolved into what it is. Revolutions have shaped the current world and should not be forgotten. I think we can all feel that a similar sort of enormous change is happening, right now, therefore I thought I'd highlight the revolutions of the past for this month's blog. Cognitive Revolution The moment in history when apes gained a consciousness, eventually developing into the living, walking, breathing people that everyone embodies today. All of us share the same core DNA. The bus driver in Tokyo, teacher in India, grandparent in Italy, and newborn baby in New York. This is unifying to understand. No matter how much we may look, sound, and behave differently from one another, we are all Homo-Sapiens with the same ancestors. Agricultural Revolution This started the moment we began to grow our own f...