Something That Recently Moved Me to Tears | Kaeko Yamashita (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2008.01.24
For just a moment on television, I saw a scene of a three- or four-year-old boy in traditional Japanese clothing, walking awkwardly as he carefully cradled a tea bowl with both hands, completely absorbed in the task of serving tea. The bowl in the child's hands was tilted so precariously that its contents seemed about to spill at any moment. As a casual viewer, I was on the edge of my seat, instantly captivated and moved by the scene. What added to the child's earnest effort was a young man of about twenty, also in traditional attire, standing diagonally behind the boy, ready to help. The young man's hands were poised to reach out as he watched over the child's movements, and he too was guiding the child's steps while dragging his own foot. I later learned that this was a scene from a sports day at Nemunoki Gakuen.
Seeing this young man, who had his own disabilities that made even taking care of himself a struggle, show such concern for a small child—walking alongside him with hands ready to help—revealed a natural compassion for others. I was so deeply moved that before I knew it, my eyes had welled up with tears.
As many of you may know, Nemunoki Gakuen is Japan's first private care facility for children with physical disabilities, founded in 1968 by the actress Mariko Miyagi. The founding of this school 40 years ago left a strong impression on those of us who were nursing students at the time.
Recently, I had the opportunity to read about the motivations behind Miyagi's founding of the facility, such as the concept of "shūgaku yūyo" (postponement of school enrollment), her encounters with children with disabilities, and her inability to act the part of a child with a disability: "...Your limbs don't move the way you want them to, and they end up going in unexpected directions... To show that on stage and make the audience laugh... I just couldn't do it. ...I was glad I couldn't. For the sake of that one child, I was glad I didn't have to act out the suffering they endure" (excerpt from Mariko Miyagi, *A Message to Children*, from NHK's *Shiru o Tanoshimu: Jinsei no Arukikata* [Enjoying Knowledge: How to Live Life], NHK Publishing). I couldn't help but be moved by the richness of her insight and sensitivity. Miyagi also described her 40-year journey as follows: "For these children, I cherished and improved their environment. It's not quite Kenji Miyazawa, but if there was a good hospital in the east, I would fly there; if I heard of a good teacher in the west, I would visit; if there was a place to learn in the south, I would make time no matter what; if there was good work in the north, I would fly there... I worried about how best to educate them... I took them to good concerts... During the two or three years when the laws were changing, I was at my most distressed, even having foolish thoughts of wanting to die, yet I kept running around..." It seems that the origin of Miyagi's commitment to this life stems from the love she received from her parents in her childhood, the sensitivity and sense of responsibility nurtured within her, and the rewarding feeling she gets from the educational practices with the children of Nemunoki. Now over 80, Miyagi answered a question about her successor and the future of Nemunoki Gakuen with these words: "Someone who thinks and feels properly, and is full of love, will take over. I believe the children will carry on my 'spirit'." What wonderfully confident words, making one want to cheer her on. They struck me as words full of suggestions, a model for how to live one's life.
(Date of publication: 2008/01/24)