Things I Secretly Want to Try | Jiro Kokuryo (Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management)

2010.03.01

Ostensibly, my motto is to "reflect on what you've done, but don't regret it," and I even recommend this to others. But in reality, if I could ride a time machine, there are many times I'd want to go back and tell my past self, who was on the verge of making a mistake, to "be careful." This is especially true after living for half a century. While there have been major blunders that took years to fix, asking to redo them seems like cheating. So, what I'd rather correct are the small, embarrassing moments.

For example, there was the time in kindergarten when I misheard the teacher say, "Girls, come to the front," and enthusiastically jumped out. I vividly remember being teased by the teacher, who at the time occupied about half of my world, and bursting into tears. I even remember the troubled look on her face, as if she realized her mistake, so perhaps it wasn't such a small thing at the time, but rather a big deal.

There are bigger ones, too. A long time ago, on an NHK general broadcast, I praised a certain company, only for it to collapse amidst a major scandal about two years later. I couldn't have known about the fraudulent activities, so in a way, it couldn't be helped. But I have to admit that I was not well-studied enough to speak as a professional, and it's embarrassing to think about even now. One must be extremely careful when speaking in public. However, if you are too careful, you end up not speaking when you should, which also becomes a source of reflection later on. Hmm, it's difficult.

I've written about such a self-serving thing as wanting to erase past mistakes, but in the end, I think it's probably for the best that time is irreversible. We learn because what's done cannot be undone. The important thing, I suppose, is to apply that learning to the future.

Similarly, I think it's probably better not to know the future. While writing this, I also considered what I would do if I could take a time machine and see the future, but the only thing that came to mind was maybe I'd go buy a horse racing ticket. I am curious to know what the Miraisozojuku (Institute for Designing the Future), which we are now working so hard on for the future of the campus, will be like in 10 years, but it wouldn't be any fun if I already knew. The future is something you create, not something you know, I suppose.

(Date Published: 2010/03/01)