Recently, I watched a TV Tokyo economic program on YouTube. It was a report on the current situation in Los Angeles, USA, and the city shown on screen looked like a ghost town. Behind this lies America’s long-standing immigration issue.
Immigrants from South America have continued to increase, supporting the economy as an inexpensive labor force. However, the expansion of the fentanyl drug trafficking routes and the surge in welfare costs have become serious social problems. There was a growing sense of crisis that “the national finances cannot sustain this.”
In response, the Trump administration intensified immigration measures, including deploying state troops to suppress demonstrations in June of this year. Large-scale crackdowns by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) reportedly transformed the city. The Los Angeles depicted in the program was the result.
Immigrants, fearing arrest, stopped leaving their homes. Local businesses that catered to them one after another went bankrupt. Countless people are now struggling with the question, “How will I eat today?”
The Heaviness and Fragility of Freedom
Facing such realities, I deeply feel the fragility of “freedom.” It’s hard to grasp in Japan, but freedom comes with extremely heavy responsibilities. It is not something you receive just by opening your mouth like a newborn bird waiting for food. True freedom has an incredibly grotesque side, stained with countless struggles and sacrifices.
Perhaps that’s why, when I see characters in stories who naively “long for freedom” like children, my heart grows heavy. My mind gets hazy, and it just won’t clear up.
Freedom is not always as wonderful as one imagines. Even after paying immense sacrifices, it’s merely “somewhat better” than alternatives (such as living under oppressive authoritarian rule).
Please remember. While freedom offers a certain degree of mental and physical ease, it always comes with the obligation to “think and act for oneself.” And if you fail to fulfill that obligation, freedom can easily crumble. The moment you have to add “not to be,” freedom is already unfree.
Freedom is not just an “invocation.” It is something that must be fought for and defended.
The Danger of Ignorance and Silence
Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for his words “I Have a Dream,” but he also said:
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Freedom is a fleeting thing that can be trampled on at any time by others’ convenience. Many autocratic nations still exist in the world, and people under such oppression might try to drag others into their mire, thinking, “Why should we be the only ones unhappy?”
When push comes to shove, the international community doesn’t conveniently help the powerless. Looking at the history of Finland, a Nordic country, from World War I to World War II, when it faced intense pressure from surrounding nations like the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, its isolation and struggle to maintain independence despite being abandoned by the world clearly highlight the coldness of international society.
Therefore, when asked, “What kind of world do you want to live in?” we must always be ready to answer that question.
Finding Hope Amidst Suffering: With Nembutsu
This world, as long as we live, seems filled only with suffering. There might even be times when it feels like hell. But please believe this:
Even if everyone else abandons you, Amida Buddha will always be there, in the voice of Nembutsu, truly by our side. In that, there is an unwavering and certain hope.
Conversely, as long as we have this faith, it is impossible to be “abandoned by everyone.”
Let us keep the lamp of hope lit, together with the chanting of Namu Amida Butsu. Let us protect your lamp of faith together with many others.
— Even so, living life to the fullest right now is still truly tough. I only pray that the voice of Nembutsu will be there, by our side, to support us.
Gassho
For Japanese readers:
This story is also available in Japanese.
↓ 日本語版は（note）へ
たとえ世界が見捨てても──自由とお念仏の話
https://note.com/makijaku7676/n/nf17d86f66db6
まきじゃくのnote
https://note.com/makijaku7676/
Comments
Post a Comment