THE DOOR IS HERE

   There is the door to true happiness. Where is it? Well, can't you see it? Don't worry. To tell the truth, I didn't know it either. Let me tell you an episode of mine.

   In my high school days, there was a good-looking boy in my class. He was tall, quite intelligent, very good at sports..., he seemed to have almost everything. Naturally the boy became an object of envy among the classmates including me. One day however, when I ran into him on the street, he said to me, "Oh, you are popular in our class. You make people around you happy. In fact I envy you all the time."

   It's rather funny, isn't it? We were both in envy of each other's good points and got depressed by thinking that we could not get them. We didn't really notice what we did have ourselves. If only.... Anyway, after that, we made friends with each other, and both became happier than before.

   Now I know, all of us have something really valuable. And yet, since it's so close to us, we tend to take it for granted, and don't care anything about it.

   There is a saying, "It is not until we lose our health that we realize its value." I look around me and see that's true. For instance, a friend of mine realized that his girlfriend could not be replaced by anybody after he threw her over; my mother often says, "When I came to want to be good to my parents, they had already passed away." And, as for me, I didn't recognize the importance of education till I have supported myself for several years in Yokohama.

   If we can know the value of what we have before we lose it, then we will be thankful to have it. But how can we be aware of its value?

   Well, I have a good idea. Why don't you put yourselves in a position where something in yourselves is missing intentionally? For example, how about trying not to use your thumbs? While you're taking off your clothes, eating supper, writing down something, why not try to do without making use of them? Surely you would find out how hard it is. Through this experience, you would fully realize the value of your thumbs. And then you would be filled with the happiness of having them.

   So everyone, in this way, please pay more attention to what you have than to what you don't have. That's the door to true happiness. And try to realize its value. That's the door to true happiness. You should try it right away, because: you are the key yourselves.