Born to die
One of the Hyakunin Isshu poems is "I know that dawn comes and dawn goes, but still I hate the coming of the morning dawn" (Fujiwara no Michinobu Ason). Regardless of the intention of the writer, if I interpret it in my own way, this is also the reality of our lives. August 24th is my birthday, but being born into this world is also synonymous with eventually leaving this world. Many people will find this "resentable". This is especially true if you have experienced the early death of a loved one. Ghosts from ancient Japan are also known to utter "I resent you". However, there is a completely different way of thinking about death. In Jewish culture, birth and death are likened to two ships anchored in a harbor. One ship is about to embark on a long journey across rough seas, and the other ship has safely returned to the harbor after a long journey. Of course, the former is birth and the latter is death. Since ancient times, Jews have thought positively about death. Perhaps Francis Xavier, a missionary who came to Japan, used the analogy of a voyage when he spoke to a Buddhist monk in Kagoshima, knowing this tradition. According to Xavier, life is not nothing, but a voyage with a port to return to (the house of God). Nevertheless, there is no doubt that life begins in order to die. Jesus was a Jew, so it is natural that he knew the Jewish view of life and death. However, he added a new interpretation to it. "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). In other words, death is not just about returning to port. The analogy of the grain of wheat can be said to be the fundamental principle of life. The death of one generation bestows blessings on future generations. This is the same in the plant and animal kingdoms. Certainly, there will be feelings of resentment about death. There will be no end to the memories. However, the death of a loved one must have left a "new seed" in the hearts of those bereaved. Many people just don't know this. The New Testament tells us that the new seeds of the gospel left in the hearts of Jesus Christ's disciples sprouted, blossomed beautifully, and bore fruit as a result of his death on the cross. It is no exaggeration to say that this is "resurrection." In Japan, too, there has been a view of life and death since ancient times, as in Hagakure, "The way of the samurai is dear to die." Isn't this also a mindset that does not hesitate to be born in order to die? In traditional Jewish thinking, it is said that happiness in life can only be known when one dies. Being born in order to die is by no means a bad thing.
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