totto-chan

[230702] "It was the poet Basho who wrote:

Listen! a frog
Jumping into the silence
Of an ancient pond
- Basho

Yet the phenomenon of a frog jumping into a pond must have been seen by many others. Down through the ages & in the whole world, Watt & Newton cannot have been the only ones to notice the steam from a boiling kettle or observe an apple fall. Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved & therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear...."

- excerpt from Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

[160703 update] till this day, Totto-chan still brings tears to e eyes each time it is read. hard to explain, but such is e frustration that remains this fresh - 12 years after leaving primary school, 8 years after leaving secondary school, & 6 years after escaping from JC. perhaps it is a curse to be in possession of a sentient mind, when trapped in such a damning environment. is it any wonder that my favourite periods in e timetable throughout those 12 years were PE & recess?

[ filed under: thewonderingstraycat + 9_lives_2002 + art1 + japanese1 ]