I had a day off today, so I went to AEON to enjoy my free time this morning. There, at the bookstore, I bought Akira Asada's masterpiece "Structure and Force [浅田彰『構造と力』]". I opened it and found an interesting line. The author Asada asks us why we keep studying as our schools order. In other words, in this book Asada seems trying to say studying something is a kind of trial to liberation, not obeying any order. I decided to read it honestly to answer this attitude.
Why do I keep learning? Every day I try to learn English and also read books even though I don't have any plan to become a so-called specialist or academician. I can't see at all. When I was a student, teachers taught us that we would be able to be free from any learning (one of them even said to me that I would be able to "hang out" during the coming college days). But, after graduating from my university, I actually started learning English and also reading more books than in my school days.
Now, I can find a certain free time, and also a certain freedom in my life... of course, to keep that "limited freedom" I have to do my duties such as working and also paying something to do responsibilities. But if I do them, within my mind I can enjoy freely... To think about Souseki Natsume's imagination with writing novels and poems, or to immerse my soul in Debussy's, Satie's, or Ryuichi Sakamoto's songs, or to imagine how Sei Shonagon's daily life in her "The Pillow Book" could be wonderful. Certainly, the more I learn various things such as brain science, the history of Japan, and the philosophy of communication, the more I can own a freer mind from this world's gravity - But I need to use plain words to communicate with others.
I went to a barber to have my hair cut (even though this current situation in which everything's price is getting higher, that master keeps the 1,000 yen price). After having dinner, I went to the English conversation class. There, we talked about traveling. What kind of restaurants we can enjoy delicious food and a cozy atmosphere in this town? Although I could enjoy the class, I thought that I needed to have a certain "open mind" to express myself. So, after that class, I showed my pic of my current hairstyle to my online friends.
