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I am embarrassed as I am very often asked
"what are you going to do now?" At a loss, I usually
give them meaningless answers. But I have been pondering often,
"What will happen from now?"
A grounding movement is about to be born. Touched by the current state of affairs in our society and environment, this spontaneous movement that is gaining shape among the young -- I call it grounding. The young people of the 60's dropped out from their society and created a counter-culture such as rock and psychedelic art. The young people of today is in the process of grounding themselves, thus creating a new culture that can be called grounding culture. It is likely to become the matrix for 9aid and Stop 6kasho movements. To ground ourselves -- that was the theme for The Walk/Pilgrimage. What is grounding? The concept became clearer as the Walk progressed. So, back to the beginning, if I am to answer to the question "what are you going to do now?" I tell you that I have a strong desire to write about "grounding". If I may write a very brief preview about that, I would spell it "going back to Nature" and read it "grounding". Grounding is going back to the Mother Nature. It is shifting our identity from a human standpoint into the Mother Nature's point of view. I feel that Earth can then be brought back to life.
Program for June 22 for the Walk 9 events in Rokkashomura Walk 9 left Iwate prefecture and arrived
in Hachinohe today. We are finally in Aomori prefecture. I have
no idea how many people will be there on the summer solstice,
when the Walk will reach its final goal. But I wanted to prepare
the place as best as I could, so I drove to Rokkashomura and
was there in the last 2 days.
1) Walk 9 is expected to arrive in Rokkashomura on June 17th.
The plan following that date is described below: 2) Fukkoshieboshi, the finishing point of Walk 9 is in the northern border of Rokkashomura. There is a panoramic view of Rokkashomura at 500m above sea level. The walk from the foothills takes about 1 hour. 3) Schedule for June 22nd 4) Many surprise artists are expected to perform at the candle
night live stage 6) The road to "Hana to Hahbu no Sato" is not easy.
Please check the HP in advance. 7) We will join Earth Day Rokkashomura at Oishi Undoh Koh-en (Oishi Sports Park) on June 23rd and 24th. It is about 15km from ﾒHana to Hahbu no Satoﾓ. Please help us to transport the participants if you have a car. 8) Walk 9 will end at 12:00N on June 22nd. Hope these information are good enough. Please forgive me for being late in announcing them. You know, when walking in a Walk like this, things don't get the sense of reality until it is in the tip of your nose. I am sorry for being like this to the last. －9 aid－ The world has gone to the extremes since the 9.11. The conservative and the rightist trend have strengthened in Japan and the political reform is now a reality in the governmentﾕs agenda. The focus of the constitutional reform is on the Constitution #9, which establishes the ﾒabandonment of warﾓ. The intention of those who want to reform that constitution is to change this country from a ﾒcountry that will not warﾓ into ﾒa country that can warﾓ. The young generation that has instinctively understood the graveness of its meaning in the historical context has started to form groups and movements spontaneously, for evaluating the governmentﾕs agenda on Constitution #9. The trend is now rapidly spreading among people of all ages, all social classes and all forms of activities. Individuals and groups are forming connection at an impressive rate. It is no longer few isolated occurrences. The connection among people is creating a strong wave and a current of the times, just as if the seeds that spilled in the 60ﾕs have felt the coming of the spring and is starting to sprout all over the place. The case with Constitution #9 is not an isolated issue that only matters in Japan. It has a grave meaning to the entire world. If the Japanese people abandoned the Peace Constitution and choose to re-arm themselves, there may be a war. If such tragedy comes to happen it may trigger the worst kind of environmental destruction imaginable, the likes of one caused by a missile attack on the nuclear power plant. If, however, Japan opted for Peace, it will, no doubt, bring the best of hopes to the world. Not a single important world issue today can be solved by one country alone. What ail the world today, such as war and environmental issues, can only be healed if we free ourselves from our nationalistic causes and focus our mind to become a citizen of the world. 9 aid － let us support the Constitution #9. If we are to call this spontaneous social phenomenon the ﾒ9 aid movementﾓ, then it shall keep gaining momentum towards the ballot. Countless activities will ride the 9 aid wave to become the driving force for the Japanese people to vote for The Peace Constitution. On that day the Japanese people will become the citizen of the world. The impact of such action will become a big wave that can be tracked back to the ﾒone earth movementﾓ from the 60ﾕs and will spread to the world. There is no need to think of the 50% vote to save the Constitution #9 in our aid to the 9th. 5% will be enough, for those people that are for the peace and those that are for the arms race are currently split at 50:50. If the young people in their 20ﾕs and 30ﾕs, who did not attend the election in the past, cast their votes, we will have the needed 5% to win the race. It means that those young people, who otherwise may need to go to war, have the power to decide for the peaceful future of Earth. Takashi Masaki Translated by Lucy Ishibe The forest is almost consumed, as if swept by the fire. The hills are leveled and the landfill spreads everywhere. Scoop the earth and you will see that it is tired; look upward and you will see that the sky is tired; birds and insects that crawl on the earth are tired; the sea is tired; the scales on the fish's body has lost its luster and the people are breathless seeking salvation and healing. The spring that visits upon the children today is none other than the "Silent Spring" that Rachel Carson has foretold. The Gods of nature such as The River, The Land and The Sea ﾐ they are all deeply hurt and ailing. The weeds, trees, insects, birds and the milliard of gods were made homeless because the forest was destroyedﾉ So, I decided to do the pilgrimage from Izumo to Rokkashomura, paying visit to the homeland of the saddened gods－from spring equinox to summer solstice. Alighting the tears in my heart, carrying saplings and musical instruments, planting and singing in the "Pilgrimage of Re-Connection". The nuclear waste recycling plant in Rokkashomura is about to start its full operation. But that is a line that humans should not cross over in the shrine of the Mother Nature. The Mother Earth has been crisscrossed and stomped over by the money and the power; irreversible and meaningless destruction of Nature is being carried for the moneyﾉ I stood in the dune on the beach across from where the U.S. military aircraft target practice and felt as if I heard the agonizing voice of the Father Neptune that was carried over by the tide. It was coming from the sea in the north, where they have already started discharging the radioactive waste. There is another sacrilege that we should not commit on the lap of our Mother Nature. That is called war. Constitutional reform is a dangerous play. If Japan decides for re-arming, there will certainly be a war. If there is a war, the nuclear power plants will be sure missile targets. If the nuclear power plants are attacked, the worst kind of environmental destruction that can be imagined will happen. It will affect not only Japan. The world will become Chernobyl. Serious radioactive contamination will continue for thousands of years. If, however, the Japanese people decide for renouncing the war, it will certainly give birth to Peace. It will be the beginning of the Era of the Earth. The dawn of this planet will begin when we renounce the arms. If the Japanese people voted for The Peace, that grave decision and prayer will reach the minds of people in the Korean Peninsula, then the people of the continent. It will spread from the South Eastern Asia to the entire Asian continent, to South America, Africa, the Middle East and to Europe. A "big wave" such as the one that happened in the ﾔ60's will happen again. There is no need to think of 50% vote for winning the peace race. 5% will suffice, because the people that want to preserve the Constitution 9 and those that are for reforming it are currently split at 50:50. If only the young people in their 20's and 30's, who usually do not attend the election cast their votes, it will give us another 5%. It means that those young people are holding the key of the future. Don't think it can not be done, because it can. How? Such is the plan for WALK 9 that was devised as if guided by the starts and the instinct. By Takashi Masaki The President of Korea suggested to the
Prime Minister of Japan that the Japan Sea might be called "The
Sea of Peace", but the Prime Minister declined. Either way,
this is not a matter for the leaders of these two countries to
decide. Rather, the people of the countries that share this sea
might gather together, slowly consider, and finally decide upon
a name that they can all share.
Apparently, the Japan Sea is called the East Sea by those who live on the other side. But people in Japan can not call a sea that lies to the west, the East Sea. Similarly, it would be difficult for people on the continent to call it the Japan Sea. It is clear that such conflicting small world views are the cause of our wars. And for this reason, perhaps we need now to re-consider the name of this sea. NGOs from the countries bordering this sea could gather ideas for a new name from their citizens. They could then join one another and the people of these (five) countries could decide together upon a name. If this action were to begin, the process itself could bring peace. So that the very sea that separates these countries, can become a rainbow bridge that connects them, how about creating an NGO to consider the new name of this sea? Promoter/
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