PHILOSOPHER: Well, can you tell me what is going on?
\nYOUTH: You\u2019re asking why I have come to visit this study again? Well, unfortu-
\nnately, I\u2019m not here just to hang out and renew an old friendship. I\u2019m sure you
\nare busy, and my situation, too, is that I have little time for such things. So,
\nnaturally, there is a pressing issue that has brought me here again.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Yes, of course, it would seem so.
\nYOUTH: I have thought things over. I have worried and obsessed over it all more
\nthan is necessary and thought it all completely through. In doing so, I arrived at
\na very serious resolution and decided to come here to convey it to you. I know
\nyou have much to do, so please give me your time for just this one evening. Be-
\ncause this will probably be my final visit.
\nPHILOSOPHER: What happened?
\nYOUTH: Haven\u2019t you figured it out? It\u2019s the problem I\u2019ve been suffering over for
\nso long: \u2018Do I give up on Adler or not?\u2019
\nPHILOSOPHER: Ah. I see.
\nYOUTH: I\u2019ll get right to the point: Adler\u2019s ideas are quackery. Utter quackery.
\nActually, I have to go further and say that they are dangerous, even harmful
\nideas. While you yourself are certainly free to choose what you wish to adhere
\nto, if possible I\u2019d like to get you to be quiet about it for once and for all. I\u2019ve re-
\nsolved to make this my final visit tonight as I\u2019ve said, in the knowledge that I
\nhad to give up on Adler completely, in your presence and with this feeling in my
\nheart.
\nPHILOSOPHER: So, was there some event that triggered this?
\nYOUTH: I will talk this through calmly and in an orderly fashion. First, do you re-
\ncall that final day three years ago, when I last saw you?
\nPHILOSOPHER: Of course I do. It was a winter\u2019s day, with glistening white snow
\nall around.
\nYOUTH: Yes, it was. The night sky was a beautiful blue, and there was a full
\nmoon. Under the influence of Adler\u2019s ideas, that day I took a great step forward.
\nI quit my job at the university library and found a teaching position at my old
\nmiddle school. I thought I\u2019d like to put into practice a kind of education that
\nwas based on Adler\u2019s ideas and bring it to as many children as possible.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Isn\u2019t that a wonderful decision?<\/p>\n
YOUTH: Sure. I was burning with idealism then. I simply couldn\u2019t keep such
\nwonderful, world-changing ideas all to myself. I had to get more people to
\nunderstand them. But whom? I could arrive at only one conclusion. The adults,
\nwho are no longer pure and unsoiled, aren\u2019t the ones who need to know about
\nAdler. It\u2019s by bringing his thoughts to the children who will build a new gener-
\nation that his ideas will continue to evolve. That was the mission I had been as-
\nsigned. The fire inside me was burning so bright, I might well have burned my-
\nself.
\nPHILOSOPHER: I see. You can speak of this only in the past tense?
\nYOUTH: That\u2019s right; it\u2019s totally history now. But please don\u2019t misunderstand
\nme. I haven\u2019t lost hope in my students. And neither have I lost hope or given up
\nwith regard to education itself. It\u2019s just that I have lost hope in Adler\u2014which is
\nto say, I have lost hope in you.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Why is that?
\nYOUTH: Well, that\u2019s something for you to contemplate and ask yourself! Adler\u2019s
\nideas have no use in actual society and are nothing more than abstract, empty
\ntheories. Especially that education principle that states, \u2018One must not praise,
\nand one must not rebuke.\u2019 And just so you know, I\u2019ve followed it faithfully. I
\ndidn\u2019t praise, and I didn\u2019t rebuke anyone, either. I didn\u2019t give praise for perfect
\nscores on tests or for a thorough job cleaning up. I didn\u2019t rebuke anyone for
\nforgetting to do their homework or for being noisy in class. What do you think
\nhappened as a result of this?
\nPHILOSOPHER: You got an unruly classroom?
\nYOUTH: Completely. But when I think back on it all now, that was only natural. It
\nwas my fault for getting taken in by such cheap quackery.
\nPHILOSOPHER: So, what did you do about it?
\nYOUTH: Needless to say, for the students who were doing bad things, I chose
\nthe path of stern rebuke. I know you\u2019re probably going to make light of that and
\ntell me it was a foolish solution. But look, I\u2019m not a person who busies himself
\nwith philosophy and gets lost in daydreams. I am an educator who lives, and
\nwho handles real, on-the-ground situations, and looks after students\u2019 lives and
\ndestinies. Because the reality right in front of us never waits\u2014it\u2019s moving con-
\nstantly from moment to moment. You can\u2019t just sit back and do nothing!
\nPHILOSOPHER: How effective is it?<\/p>\n
YOUTH: Naturally, if I rebuke them any further, it doesn\u2019t do any good. Because
\nthey disparage me now\u2014I\u2019m just a softy to them. Honestly, there are even
\ntimes when I envy the teachers of ages past, when physical punishment was
\npermitted and even standard.
\nPHILOSOPHER: It\u2019s not an easy situation.
\nYOUTH: True. Just so there isn\u2019t any misunderstanding, I should add that I am
\nnot letting my emotions take over or getting angry. I\u2019m only rebuking, in a ratio-
\nnal manner, as a last resort for the purposes of education. I guess you could
\nsay I\u2019m prescribing an antibiotic medicine called \u2018reprimand\u2019.
\nPHILOSOPHER: And then you felt you wanted to give up on Adler?
\nYOUTH: Well, I mentioned that just to give you a clear example. Adler\u2019s ideas are
\ncertainly wonderful. They shake up your value system and make you feel like the
\ncloudy skies over your head are clearing up; like your life has changed. They
\nwould seem to be beyond reproach, a universal truth even. But the fact of the
\nmatter is that the only place they hold water is right here, in this study. Once
\nyou throw open the door and dive into the actual world, Adler\u2019s ideas are just
\ntoo na\u00efve. The arguments they put forward are quite impractical and nothing but
\nempty idealism. You\u2019ve just been fabricating a world that suits your purposes
\nhere in this room and losing yourself in daydreams. You don\u2019t know a thing
\nabout the real world and the swarming masses of people who live in it!
\nPHILOSOPHER: I see . . . And then?
\nYOUTH: An education in which one neither praises nor rebukes? An education
\nthat espouses autonomy and leaves students to fend for themselves? That\u2019s
\nnothing other than a renunciation of one\u2019s professional duties as an educator.
\nFrom now on, I am going to face the children in a way that is very different from
\nAdler\u2019s. I don\u2019t care if it is \u2018right\u2019 or not. Because I have no other choice. I will
\npraise, and I will rebuke. And naturally, I will have to mete out harsh punish-
\nment as well.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Just to confirm, you\u2019re not going to quit working as an educator,
\nare you?
\nYOUTH: Of course not. I will never give up on the path of being an educator. Be-
\ncause it is the path I have chosen. It is not an occupation, but a way of living.
\nPHILOSOPHER: It is most reassuring to hear that.
\nYOUTH: So, you think this is just somebody else\u2019s problem? If I\u2019m going to
\ncontinue as an educator, I\u2019ve got to give up on Adler right here and now! If I
\ndon\u2019t, I\u2019ll be renouncing my responsibilities as an educator and abandoning my
\nstudents. This is the proverbial blade to your throat. Well, what\u2019s your re-
\nsponse?
\n* * *
\nPHILOSOPHER: First, allow me to make a correction. You used the word \u2018truth\u2019
\nearlier. But I am not presenting Adler as an absolute, immutable truth. One
\nmight say that what I am doing is giving a prescription for eyeglass lenses. I be-
\nlieve there are many people whose fields of vision have been broadened as a re-
\nsult of these lenses. On the other hand, there are probably those who say their
\nvision has become even cloudier than before. I do not consider trying to force
\nthese lenses of Adler on such people.
\nYOUTH: Oh, so you run away from them?
\nPHILOSOPHER: No. Let\u2019s look at it this way. No other form of thought is as easy
\nto get wrong and as hard to get right as Adlerian psychology. The majority of
\nthose who say, \u2018I know Adler\u2019 misunderstand his teachings. They do not pos-
\nsess the courage to approach a true understanding, and they do not try to look
\ndirectly at the landscape that spreads out beyond this way of thought.
\nYOUTH: People misunderstand Adler?
\nPHILOSOPHER: That\u2019s right. If someone comes into contact with Adler\u2019s ideas
\nand is immediately moved very deeply and says, \u2018Life is easier now,\u2019 that person
\nis grossly misunderstanding Adler. Because when one truly understands what
\nAdler is demanding of us, one is likely to be shocked by its severity.
\nYOUTH: So, you are saying that I, too, misunderstand Adler?
\nPHILOSOPHER: Yes, from everything you have been telling me, it would seem
\nso. You are certainly not alone in this, however. There are many Adlerians
\n(practitioners of Adlerian psychology) who misunderstand him at the outset
\nand then climb the stairway of understanding. It would seem that you haven\u2019t
\nactually found the stairway that you should climb yet. I didn\u2019t find it right away
\neither, when I was young.
\nYOUTH: Huh. You had a period when you were lost, too?
\nPHILOSOPHER: Yes, I did.
\nYOUTH: Then, I want you to teach me. Where is this stairway to understanding,
\nor whatever it is? What do you mean by \u2018stairway\u2019 anyway? Where did you find it?
\nPHILOSOPHER: I was fortunate. Because I was a househusband in the midst of
\nraising a young child when I came to know Adler.
\nYOUTH: What do you mean?
\nPHILOSOPHER: Through my child, I learned Adler, and, together with my child, I
\nwas able to practise and thus deepen my understanding and obtain positive
\nproof of Adler.
\nYOUTH: So, that\u2019s what I\u2019m asking you to tell me! What did you learn? And what
\nis this positive proof you obtained?
\nPHILOSOPHER: In a word, it was \u2018love\u2019.
\nYOUTH: What did you say?
\nPHILOSOPHER: You don\u2019t really need me to say it again, do you?
\nYOUTH: Ha-ha, what a laugh! Love, the thing that there\u2019s no need to speak of?
\nYou\u2019re saying that if I want to know the real Adler, I have to know about love?
\nPHILOSOPHER: You who can laugh at this word do not yet understand it. The
\nlove Adler speaks of is the harshest and most courage-testing task of all.
\nYOUTH: Oh, please! You\u2019re just going to recite some preachy talk about
\nneighbourly love. I don\u2019t want to hear it.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Just now you stated that you have reached a dead-end in educa-
\ntion and have a feeling of distrust for Adler. And then you are eager to tell me
\nthat you are denouncing Adler, and that you don\u2019t want me to talk about him
\nanymore, either. Why are you so upset? I suppose you felt that Adler\u2019s ideas
\nwere something like magic. As if you could just wave a wand and, without fur-
\nther ado, all your wishes would be granted. If that is the case, you should give up
\non Adler. You should give up the mistaken images of Adler that you have em-
\nbraced and know the real Adler.
\nYOUTH: No, you\u2019re wrong! In the first place, I have never expected Adler to be
\nmagical or anything like that. And second, as I think you yourself once said,
\n\u2018Any person can be happy from this moment onward.\u2019
\nPHILOSOPHER: Yes, I certainly did say that.
\nYOUTH: But aren\u2019t such words a perfect example of magic? You\u2019re warning peo-
\nple, \u2018Don\u2019t be fooled by that counterfeit money,\u2019 while pushing other counterfeit
\nmoney. It\u2019s a classic swindler\u2019s trick!
\nPHILOSOPHER: Any person can be happy from this moment onward. This is an undeniable fact, not magic or anything of the sort. You, and everyone else, can
\ntake steps towards happiness. But happiness is not something one can enjoy by
\nstaying where one is. One has to keep walking along the path one has embarked
\non. It is necessary to be clear on this point.
\nYou took the first step. You took a big step. Now, however, not only have
\nyou lost courage and let your feet come to a halt, you are trying to turn back. Do
\nyou know why?
\nYOUTH: You\u2019re saying I don\u2019t have patience.
\nPHILOSOPHER: No. You have not yet made the biggest choice in life. That\u2019s all.
\nYOUTH: The biggest choice in life! What do I have to choose?
\nPHILOSOPHER: I said it earlier. It is \u2018love\u2019.
\nYOUTH: Hah! You expect me to get that? Please don\u2019t try to escape into abstrac-
\ntion!
\nPHILOSOPHER: I am serious. The issues you are now experiencing all stem from
\nthe single word \u2018love\u2019. The issues you have with education, and also the issue of
\nwhich life you should lead.
\nYOUTH: All right. This seems like something worth refuting. Now, before we get
\ninto a fully-fledged discussion, there is one thing I\u2019d like to say. There is no
\ndoubt in my mind that you are a modern-day Socrates. However, it is not his
\nthought that I am referring to, but his crime.
\nPHILOSOPHER: His crime?
\nYOUTH: Look, apparently Socrates was sentenced to death on the suspicion of
\nhaving tempted and corrupted the youth of the ancient Greek city-state of
\nAthens, right? He restrained his disciples, who were appealing to him to escape
\nfrom prison, and then drank a poison tea and took leave of this world. It\u2019s inter-
\nesting, isn\u2019t it? If you ask me, you who espouse the ideas of Adler here in this
\nancient capital are guilty of exactly the same crime. In other words, you are
\ntempting and corrupting na\u00efve youth with deceitful words!
\nPHILOSOPHER: You are saying that you were taken in and corrupted by Adler?
\nYOUTH: That is precisely why I resolved to visit once more to part ways with
\nyou. I don\u2019t want to create any more victims. Philosophically speaking, I must
\nsnuff the life out of you.
\nPHILOSOPHER: Well, then, it\u2019s going to be a long night.
\nYOUTH: But let\u2019s settle this tonight, before daybreak. There is no need for me to keep calling on you after this. Will I climb the stairway of understanding? Or will
\nI tear down that stairway of yours and abandon Adler, once and for all? It\u2019ll be
\none or the other; there\u2019s no in-between.
\nPHILOSOPHER: All right. This may be our last dialogue . . . No, it seems we will
\nhave to make it our last, no matter what.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
THE COURAGE TO BE HAPPY<\/strong><\/em> PHILOSOPHER: Well, can you tell me what is going on? YOUTH: You\u2019re asking why I have come to visit this study again? Well, unfortu- nately, I\u2019m not here just to hang out and renew an old friendship. I\u2019m sure you are busy, and my situation,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/post-2199e.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"PHILOSOPHER: Well, can you tell me what is going on? YOUTH: You\u2019re asking why I have come to visit this study again? Well, unfortu- nately, I\u2019m not here just to hang out and renew an old friendship. I\u2019m sure you are busy, and my situation,...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36440"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36441,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36440\/revisions\/36441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIchiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"