Dean's Diary: Fascinated by the "Power of Words" | Kaeko Yamashita (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2009.07.30
On a Friday with summer vacation approaching, the usual hustle and bustle of students has died down, and only the sound of the security guard checking the locks passes by my office. Taking that as my cue, I start packing up to avoid missing the last train. I pull a handy book from my bookshelf and slip it into my backpack. Then I hurry to the station.
Today, I started early, running errands at the Shinanomachi Campus before heading to the SFC Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care at 10:00 a.m. I left SFC at 4:00 p.m., finished my business in Mita, and returned to my office in Shinanomachi at 7:00 p.m. In my now-quiet office, I finished grading final exams and organizing my lessons, and finally jumped on the crowded weekend Odakyu Line. Luckily, a seat in front of me opened up at Shimokitazawa Station, so I took it. I feel a bit hesitant to read in the packed train car, but I'm inwardly delighted, thinking, "I can get through the book I slipped into my backpack during the roughly 45-minute ride to Sobudai-mae!"
Today's book is "Kotoba no Chikara" (The Power of Words) (by Makoto Ooka, Kajinsha, 1987). It is an expanded version of a stenographic record of his lecture, originally published in the magazine "Sekai" and later reissued as a book. I read it 20 years ago and was deeply moved, stimulated by the sensitivity and intellect of someone who thinks through words. However, my memory of the details was hazy—or rather, had vanished completely—so I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of discovery and freshness upon rereading it.
I would like to share a "sawari" (an excerpt) from his writing that I find captivating.
"It has been only about a century since we became able to decipher cuneiform, the script that people from an era 5,000 years ago carved into hardened clay tablets with a stiff stylus. The fact that after five millennia, these strange characters have once again become a common possession of humanity, understandable even to us through translation; in other words, the fact that the thoughts and feelings of these ancient people emerge from books in a form that is, in a sense, clearer than those of our neighbors... in short, does this not mean that words can be called a kind of time machine, in the sense that they leap across vast stretches of time in an instant and fly into our hearts?..."
Humans, within a brain weighing only 1,200 to 1,500 grams, possess what is said to be 10 to 18 billion cerebral cortical cells. Over thousands of years of activity, they have created and developed "language," conveyed intentions and information, built civilizations, and made "understanding" possible. When you really think about it, it is an incredible thing.
The long summer vacation will soon begin. I hope to enjoy good books not just on crowded trains, but also occasionally under the cool shade of a tree. I hope that all you young Keio students will encounter a book this summer that is more refreshing than any soft drink...
(Date Published: 2009/07/30)