The worst thing you can do is to imprison a devotedly virtuous man. For then, you are giving him time – a rare commodity, a precious gift… Read more “The Heart of an Activist”
Category: History/Culture/Politics
Historical Thought
As Lord Acton said, historical thought is far more important than historical knowledge. Historical thought is using the lessons of history to understand the present and to… Read more “Historical Thought”
Happy せつぶん (Setsubun)!
Today, one of the Japanese teachers – たずこ – gifted me with a mask and some beans (see photo below). I thanked her for her generosity, but… Read more “Happy せつぶん (Setsubun)!”
しかた が ない
I’ve been hearing this phrase quite often living here in Japan: しかた が ない (shikata ga nai) or しよう が ない (shou ga nai – not even… Read more “しかた が ない”
Food for Thought
“Given all these differences in Germany and Japan’s respective geopolitical environments, it is not really fair to explain Japan’s failure to become “normal” like Germany by pointing… Read more “Food for Thought”
Food for Thought
The German historian Hannes Heer, best known for a 1990s exhibition that confronted the German public with the crimes of the Wehrmacht, says: “For young people in… Read more “Food for Thought”