80 Years Since the War: A Season of Overheated Information
This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II.
In Japan, August is often called the “month of surrender,” and both mainstream media and social platforms become saturated with war-related content.
But behind this flood of information—what’s really going on?
What do those who publish it hope to achieve?
Who wrote the article, and for what purpose?
Why are certain parts highlighted more than others?
To avoid being swept away by suspicious narratives and losing our footing, we must keep these questions in mind at all times.
Do We Stop Thinking at “How Tragic”?
International law states that civilians should be protected.
Yet on the ground, this rule is often ignored.
Why does this happen?
Why do we, upon seeing headlines like “Civilians Massacred,” respond only with “How horrible” or “How sad”—and then stop thinking?
Blurred Lines on the Battlefield
In real combat zones, the line between combatants and civilians becomes dangerously blurred.
Soldiers may disguise themselves in civilian clothing and act as spies.
Smartphones—tools of everyday life—can be used to track locations and intercept communications.
In such conditions, genocide can occur.
And if we ask who’s to blame, perhaps it’s those who created the situation in the first place.
Yet somehow, the ability to assess the context behind the news seems to be missing.
Are we letting emotion cloud our judgment?
Can we still think critically?
Are We Blinded by Emotion?
Too often, we react emotionally without examining the deeper context.
We say “How tragic” or “How cruel” and leave it at that.
But when we do, we fail to ask:
What’s the background of this news?
Who benefits from this framing?
Are we blinded by emotion?
Are we thinking clearly?
Buddhism’s View of the “Ordinary Fool”
Buddhism teaches that all humans live in delusion.
We tend to believe stories that suit our own convenience.
The violence of war, the bias in media—at their root lies the belief that “I am right.”
We find comfort in labeling others as wrong or evil.
This is what Buddhism calls the bonbu—the ordinary fool, weak and lost in delusion.
So What Should We Do?
First, we must acknowledge: “I, too, am lost.”
When receiving information, we must ask:
“Is this really true?”
“Am I believing this just because it fits my feelings?”
Otherwise, we become like soldiers in an information war—seeing only what we want to see.
Have you read a news story recently and thought, “This is terrible”?
Whose perspective was that?
And what emotions shaped your response?
In This 80th Summer Since the War
Eighty years after the war, this summer calls not only for remembering the past—
but for reexamining where we stand now, and how we choose to see.
（日本語版note）「正しさ」に酔わないために──戦争と報道を考えるとき
Comments
Post a Comment