活動レポート

The challenge to restore democracy and capitalism

On the front page of the morning edition of the Nikkei newspaper on the 22nd, a picture of Pax Americana and the current state of capitalist society appeared under the title of The challenge to restore democracy and capitalism.

In 2035, the combined GDP of China and Hong Kong will exceed that of Japan and the US combined. China is willing to sacrifice freedom and human rights in order to protect the ruling regime of the Communist Party.

Democracy, on the other hand, is fragile if it is not accompanied by economic growth combined with freedom and the rule of law. There is always the danger of falling into the politics of the mob.

In democracies affluence in not as widespread as it used to be. The richest 1 per cent of the US population hold 30 per cent of all the wealth. The middle class has been lost. And then there is Coronavirus. The first thing countries did was to increase fiscal stimulus to support those at the bottom of society. However, if the fiscal stimulus is too large and cannot be recouped through higher taxes, a sharp inflationary bubble will emerge and burst. Potentially Trump will come out again.

In order to compete with China, it is necessary to stop living for the purpose of pursuing money and acquire a way of living in harmony with humankind.

To do this, it is necessary to understand we are vulnerable to money and realize that it is the essence of human beings to coexisting with families and those around them. We will not proceed to the next step unless we realize that we are immature .

The next step has been described in the previous article.

The next step, as mentioned in the previous article, is not to explain God by explaining hell and paradise, or to say that if you believe in Shinshu Buddhism you will go to the Pure Land after death, but to say: ^I l cannot tell you about the happiness of the next life because it is something I have not tested. It is necessary to search for or embody Hegel ^l s reason and truth within oneself for the rest of one ^l s life on the premise of humility.

It is said that the pursuit of Hegel ^l s reason and truth is the way to realize Amida Nyorai, Shinnyo and Dharma nature.

And then we need to light up a corner, not in a big way, as dr Nakamura Tetsu did.

In the wake of Haruma ^l s death, which is difficult to acknowledge, it is quite difficult to find a way to end our attachment to him. Because we can ^tt get rid of our regrets,but I determined the only way to survive is to contemplate the ideal state of human beings that Haruma and Godai hoped for, and to seek a collective wisdom that goes beyond the wisdom of individuals.

By studying history while receibing the teaching of God and Buddha and I believe that we have to live our lives for the sake of the earth, for the sake of those who are close to us, and for our neighbours who are in need.

Minoru Hirota, February 23, 2021