I had another encouter with my particularity today. In japan having unique individual traits, desires and requirements can really stymie most anyone. Today, not smoking, not eating meat (and furthermore, considering ham "meat") and not liking coffee conspired to make me a problematic customer.
As time goes on though, it feels a bit hard-headed to resist the simple route of acting Japanese, and just being the same. I can scarcely see a reason anymore to insist on all my little things, and usually go out of my way to be unproblematic. I don't think I'll ever budge on being irritated by smoke while I'm eating, but it seems less and less likely that I'll stay a vegetarian till I die... as for coffee, Ive decided to "learn to like" it, along with beer. They both remain repulsive to me, but I can now drink a beer without gagging, and I recently ate a coffee flavored cake.
To which beliefs and habits I should hold fast, which I should be willing to sacrifice and which I ought to actively discard, well, all seems sort of arbitrary. That is to say, I believe it's entirely arbitrary... and that that arbitrariness is our right as individuals... and that I shouldn't force "being an individual" so much.
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