Pluto
Meowing to go out
- Dec 27, 2020
- 4,113
With high per-capita rates, suicide is considered a serious issue in Japan and has been the subject of government action in recent years. Yet historically, Japanese culture has been described as tolerant of suicide.
A brief history
Formal seppuku suicides in feudal Japan were considered an honourable response if a samurai was defeated in battle, traditionally entailing slashing one's stomach with a sword. This gives rise to the modern term for honour suicides, hara-kiri; translating as 'belly-cutting'. During the later WWII years, not only were kamikaze suicides expected of pilots, but the largest battleship of all time, Japan's Yamato (pictured), was itself sent on a one-way mission to its watery demise.
In 2007, politician Toshikatsu Matsuoka (pictured) took his own life while under investigation for a financial scandal. In response to his suicide, a former Tokyo governor paid respects to him as a "true samurai".
In recent years, however, the Japanese media has portrayed internet-based group suicide activity as thoughtless and impulsive. Yet academic research by Ozawa de-Silva has sympathised with these suicides as "characterized by severe existential suffering, a loss of the "worth of living" (ikigai) ... and a profound loneliness and lack of connection with others".
Shame and honour in culture
A major component of Japan's suicide tolerance is the concept of having polarities of shame and honour baked into the societal worldview. This creates a cohesive social order by threatening failure or nonconformity with ostracisation and a loss of one's pride. Chinese culture accepts a similar concept of shame, traceable to original teachings of Confucius.
Such cultures could be accused of using fear to control people, demanding strict conformity to social etiquette at the expense of individual autonomy. Of course, other societies which promote individual self-interest at the expense of the wider society will have their own problems.
A global phenomenon?
Many family cultures demand high levels of academic success, while wider society generally places some expectations in terms of career, family and social life. Yet some failure is inevitable, and it seems that most people don't want to hear about it since positive-biased perspectives are more valued than stark reality.
This topic was inspired by a discussion I was reading on another forum. In short, an Australian man in his mid-30s moved to Vietnam. He reported seeking a higher quality of life or, from a more cynical perspective, an easy boost in his relative wealth and social status. A native of Asia replied that the locals often refer to such men as the "loser back home". Harsh, but there's truth to it.
As someone who has been materially unsuccessful despite every effort, it struck me that there is no way humanly possible to escape the 'loser' label. And of course, no one cares to point fingers at the childhood abusers who leave some of us with critically damaged nervous systems that make proper functioning physically impossible. At best one could try and de-program the mental conditioning of failure-shaming via self-help mojo, spending one's life constantly ignoring all of its daily manifestations.
Yet the concept of hara-kiri is starting to strongly resonate with me. To formally accept defeat in the capitalist battle and make a firm decision to leave with some pride intact. To make one's final act that of a samurai; to surrender one's life with honour rather than age in shame.
A brief history
Formal seppuku suicides in feudal Japan were considered an honourable response if a samurai was defeated in battle, traditionally entailing slashing one's stomach with a sword. This gives rise to the modern term for honour suicides, hara-kiri; translating as 'belly-cutting'. During the later WWII years, not only were kamikaze suicides expected of pilots, but the largest battleship of all time, Japan's Yamato (pictured), was itself sent on a one-way mission to its watery demise.
In 2007, politician Toshikatsu Matsuoka (pictured) took his own life while under investigation for a financial scandal. In response to his suicide, a former Tokyo governor paid respects to him as a "true samurai".
In recent years, however, the Japanese media has portrayed internet-based group suicide activity as thoughtless and impulsive. Yet academic research by Ozawa de-Silva has sympathised with these suicides as "characterized by severe existential suffering, a loss of the "worth of living" (ikigai) ... and a profound loneliness and lack of connection with others".
Shame and honour in culture
A major component of Japan's suicide tolerance is the concept of having polarities of shame and honour baked into the societal worldview. This creates a cohesive social order by threatening failure or nonconformity with ostracisation and a loss of one's pride. Chinese culture accepts a similar concept of shame, traceable to original teachings of Confucius.
Such cultures could be accused of using fear to control people, demanding strict conformity to social etiquette at the expense of individual autonomy. Of course, other societies which promote individual self-interest at the expense of the wider society will have their own problems.
A global phenomenon?
Many family cultures demand high levels of academic success, while wider society generally places some expectations in terms of career, family and social life. Yet some failure is inevitable, and it seems that most people don't want to hear about it since positive-biased perspectives are more valued than stark reality.
This topic was inspired by a discussion I was reading on another forum. In short, an Australian man in his mid-30s moved to Vietnam. He reported seeking a higher quality of life or, from a more cynical perspective, an easy boost in his relative wealth and social status. A native of Asia replied that the locals often refer to such men as the "loser back home". Harsh, but there's truth to it.
As someone who has been materially unsuccessful despite every effort, it struck me that there is no way humanly possible to escape the 'loser' label. And of course, no one cares to point fingers at the childhood abusers who leave some of us with critically damaged nervous systems that make proper functioning physically impossible. At best one could try and de-program the mental conditioning of failure-shaming via self-help mojo, spending one's life constantly ignoring all of its daily manifestations.
Yet the concept of hara-kiri is starting to strongly resonate with me. To formally accept defeat in the capitalist battle and make a firm decision to leave with some pride intact. To make one's final act that of a samurai; to surrender one's life with honour rather than age in shame.
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