Happiness

The ways of thinking have an effect on our daily life. When people are depressed or people don’t have good communication with others, they tend to think about things negatively, through invisible filters.

Let’s think about the situation of a couple. The husband asks his wife, “when are you coming back?” The wife wonders why he asks her such a stupid question, because she is very much looking forward to seeing her friends for the first time in a while, and she doesn’t want to worry about what time she is coming back. Also, she might think that he doesn’t want her to go out. However, if you listen to this conversation as a third party, you would think that the husband just wants to know what time she is coming home, and there are no meanings behind it at all. However, people tend to think with their feelings when they are depressed, sad or angry, and they might listen to other messages from those thoughts.

Let’s look at the situation from a different point of view. It seems to be very difficult when you are busy and don’t have enough time to stop thinking. At that time, take a deep breath and relax. We cannot live alone. We always need someone’s help, and sometimes, you can help someone. If you cannot accept the situation, just say “Thank you“ in every situation. I think that “Thank you” has a magical power, and it will make both you and someone else happy.

A flexible mind - How to develop a "Resilient" mind

When I watched TV, the program about "Resilience" was on the air. It was the first time I'd heard the word, but the concept of resilience seems to have been attracting attention since the 1970s.

Resilience means a tough mind or a flexible mind to overcome difficulties. Even if people had the same experiences, some people wouldn't have the willpower to stop being tormented by the past trauma and uneasiness, but others could engage in work seriously and build up a happy family. What caused these differences? It seems that the ways of thinking are different between them.

According to the study, people who find it easy to give something up tend to act like this: they fluctuate between hopes and fears easily, and they don't think that they can do it from the beginning. On the other hand, people who are able to confront the difficulties  tend to think that they can do it someday in the future.

When we face difficulties, positive thinking is a key factor of our behavior. At the same time, it is important to think about what is important for ourselves, as we don't need to overcome everything.

While watching TV, I thought that to trust oneself also means to keep a tough mind and it seems to be one step to getting closer to one's goal. I believe that our dreams will certainly come true once we have a dream and trust ourselves.

Sightseeing in Tokyo

I went around Tokyo with a family from the Philippines a few days ago. They came to Japan for sightseeing and they will stay in Japan for 9 days. I spent one day with them during their stay in Japan.

I met them at the hotel they are staying at and we moved to the Imperial Palace first. It was a weekday but many tourists were visited to the place. We walked around from Niju-Bashi, which means a dual structural bridge and is a popular place for taking a picture, to Ote-mon Gate, which is one of the gates to enter the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. After walking around, we moved to Asakusa to have a lunch. 

After enjoying lunch, we moved to Sensoji. It was also full and lively with tourists there and many people were taking a picture of a famous red lantern at the gate. In the precincts of Sensoji, the 2 daughters drew Omikuji, which are written fortunes and they indicate one's overall fortune from extremely good to extremely bad. Unfortunately, both of them drew a bad fortune. It is said that when a person draws a good fortune, he or she should take it home, but when a bad one is drawn, it should be tied to the branch of a tree. Following this custom, they tied it to the branch.

They will stay in Japan for a few more days and I hope that they will have a good time staying in Japan.

What is “Outernet” ?

The time might come when everyone can access the internet everywhere in the future.

The Media Development Investment Fund in New York has been creating a new global Wi-Fi system through satellites for free. The study says that less than 40% people in the world cannot access the internet, such as some people who live in far-flung areas and others who cannot afford access to the internet. Those problems might be solved using this Outernet, and it might bridge the gap between people regardless of where they live. People might be able to study at home by attending online classes through the Outernet, even though the normal Internet services don't reach them. Moreover, if we can use the Outernet, we might be able to help climbers who have lost their way on mountains as people will be able to use their smartphone everywhere.

The system structure seems to be the same as the normal Internet connections, but the difference is that the Outernet uses a satellite as the interface. We will be able to access the Internet everywhere through this satellite service. Moreover, the good thing is that the service will be free of charge. People, who cannot afford the Internet, could gain great opportunities without paying any charges.

The institution is planning to launch this system from June 2015 when every step is successful. I'm very interested in this system, and I hope that all people can have equal access to the Internet.

References:

https://www.outernet.is/

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113072972/free-wifi-around-the-world-from-space-021714/

After the cherry-blossoms are out

Most of the cherry-blossoms around Tokyo have fallen and new green leaves have appeared. After finishing the cherry-blossom season, we realize that many trees have sprouted new leaves.

I went out on the Sunday and was walking around near my house. It was a sunny day and many people were still gathered enjoying a picnic under the cherry trees . While getting a lunch box at the convenience store, I also had a lunch on an embankment looking at the river. I felt that the time passed slowly.

It is getting warmer day by day, but it still has a temperature difference between day and night. The weather is changeable, so we need to be careful because it is easy to become sick.

Many trees start to sprout new leaves everywhere and flowers come out. I feel that the time for having a BBQ party or going on a picnic has come and it is a good season before the hot summer comes.