A Tribute to Kokoro
“He is the most famous author in Japan and almost everybody knows him”, said my
friend. Following her advice, I took up a novel by Sōseki Natsume. In my opinion, Kokoro is
captivating, in-depth and presents relevant themes on life. It should be included in any ‘10
books you must read in your lifetime’ list.
The title literally means ‘heart’ but not as a body part but a feeling. The book explores
themes of loneliness and isolation in the transition period between the Meiji and modern era. It
details the friendship of two nameless characters: Sensei1 and the narrator. I will not go into
detail of its plot, but instead express my thoughts on one of the quotes that struck me as
thought-provoking, “To tell you the truth, I used to consider it a disgrace to be found ignorant
by other people. But now, I find that I am not ashamed of knowing less than others, and I'm
less inclined to force myself to read books.” – Sensei
Sensei stopped comparing himself with others, but nowadays many people still stumble
into the dangerous comparison trap. On the one hand, downward comparison requires that we
take pleasure and joy in someone’s misfortune, which can fuel our arrogance and egocentricity.
On the other hand, devaluing ourselves with negative thoughts of being inferior to others will
lead to depression and self-destruction. Do we have time to consider every characteristic of a
human being? Is all information we receive accurate or just an edited story that a person
presents to the world? What is the purpose of a time-consuming battle where nobody wins?
It should also be noted that Sensei was not worried about being regarded as
unknowledgeable; he accepted the way he was. In the modern life, living true to oneself
remains an argument. Perhaps an outstanding student will drop out of school, telling his parents
all he has done were just to make them proud. A top model will probably confess to the media
that she is exhausted and has had enough of diets. Someday, we may learn to stop punishing
ourselves mentally and feel contented with our strengths and weaknesses. To swim against the
current is not always a simple task. In fact, it is a challenging one. It requires not only
braveness, but determination as well.
Things I wrote above were my personal lessons, something that I learnt and felt after
reading Kokoro. If you read it, you will find that it touched upon various subjects such as the
changing roles of women, family and other values in the modernization of Japan. Possibly you
will see yourself and your life reflected in the novel.
1
Mentor, teacher