How does someone become “approachable”? What kind of person grows into that?
I don’t want to be funny. But I do want to be someone others feel okay talking to. So how do I become that kind of person? Honestly, I’m not sure.
At my current workplace, I often find myself swept into conversations. It’s not that I lead the talk—more like I get caught in the flow, and suddenly I’m laughing. Maybe it’s just that everyone else is good at talking. But one person once said:
“Makijaku-san shines brightest when being teased.”
That comment made me feel a little happy—and a little tired. If it helps soften the atmosphere, I don’t mind being teased. But when it goes too far, I start to feel like I’ve become a tool for someone else’s comfort. So I say, “Please keep it moderate,” but the line between “moderate” and “too much” is blurry.
Maybe being approachable isn’t about offering yourself up. Maybe it’s about staying present while protecting your own contours. There’s a difference between being laughed at and laughing together. Between being swept along and being swallowed whole. I’m still swaying somewhere in between.
Even so, I stay. Even if I can’t speak well, even if I can’t laugh perfectly, I stay here—sometimes riding someone’s story, sometimes stepping off. But still, I remain.
And then I think: When I chant Namu Amida Butsu, Amida Buddha is there. The real me is full of flaws, and I can’t be anyone’s source of comfort. Still, I believe Amida resides within me. I can’t explain it well, but I believe.
Perhaps being approachable isn’t the power to welcome others— but the power to believe I am being welcomed. That belief is what allows me to stay here. And maybe, just maybe— it’s something close to being wrapped in the light of Amida Buddha.
Namu Amida Butsu...
日本語版note:
イジられる私、迎えられる私——親しみやすさをめぐって
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