Things of Beauty

My friend keeps a collection of accounts he calls "Things of Beauty." I think is is just so appropriately entitled, I couldn't help to steal the name for this post. The beauty of life, things worth remembering, reminders of why we are living and how good we can make it. (Thanks for the inspiration Dylan, and sorry for copying...)

I was riding the train home one night last week and an Indian couple and their young daughter boarded at one stop. They wife was wearing a traditional sari and it was apparent that they were tourists and neither of them spoke Japanese. To my surprise, I have seen a lot of Indian tourists here. I can't help but to think how high up in Indian society they must be to be able to afford the high travel costs of Tokyo. Whenever I see foreigners here, especially from Asia, I am constantly worried for them because there is significant racism here in Japan.

One guy that lives in my dorm is British and has been applying to work various places here. He said when he was interviewing to be a bouncer, one of the questions they asked him was if he had any racism toward any specific groups. Apparently they were specifically looking for people who held some "undesirable" groups. They bluntly told him that they didn't want bouncers to let Indian men into the club, because they had a reputation for getting touchy when they drank. At that point he knew he wouldn't accept a job from them, even if they offered him one. This systematic stereotyping surprised me, but now I see it played out more frequently then you would expect.

I don't mean to say that foreigners are treated terribly. But there is a chance that you will be looked up on differently. Outsiders are easy to spot here.

The couple sat on one side of the train and their young daughter in a seat facing them. She had childhood innocence and looked out the widow with curiosity the whole way with no worries. Her parents looked more cautious though and had a guarded presence (that I totally wouldn't blame them for having).

Two old Japanese ladies sat nearby and were obviously taking notice of the young girl. But instead of being critical and judgemental, they were smiling when they pointed in the direction of the child. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but from their facial expressions it was easy to tell that it was positive and nothing threatening.

The parents seemed a little uneasy, but they relaxed when the older women smiled at them.

A few stops later, when the family exited the train, the older Japanese women told the Indian family "bye bye" in English, all the while smiling and waving to them.

I found it amazing. The two will probably never see each other again, but interaction their chance encounter enriched each of their commutes. Instances like this reaffirms my belief that there is a chance for world peace, as cheesy as it sounds. No matter how much fighting there is, there will always be the peacemakers. Racism is countered by love. Conflict fixed with mutual understanding. Our problems are solved one day at a time by small efforts of everyday people. If everyone just smiled instead of frowning, imagine how much prettier the world would seem.

Perhaps one of my favorite music videos ever. Please watch, it is definitely worth your time. (For some reason, it is cut off in the blog, but if you make it full screen it is ok.)