小さな頃は王貞治さんがヒーローだった。言わずと知れた、世界のホームラン王。当時は、やはり結果を残した人への賛辞は止まなかったし、私も心から凄い人だと思っていた。王さんは特別な人、尊敬される人として別格だった。
　スポーツに限らず、かつての大人たちは何かしらの具体的な結果を出そうと必死だったように思う。有名な大学に入ることよりも、実社会で成功することを目標にした人が多かったのではないだろうか。サラリーマンであれば、「会社に人生を捧げる」がごとく、家族を顧みず、仕事に没頭していた人が多かったように思う。少々身体や心の具合が悪くても構わず、情熱を燃やして働いていたように思う。そんな勤勉の象徴が、来る日も来る日も畳の上で、素足でバットを振り続けた、王貞治その人だったのではないだろうか。

　しかし今考えると、必ずしも結果を残した人だけが偉いわけではないと分かってくる。こういう“ゆるい”時代になったから、そう思うのかもしれないが。昔は、頑張れない人は、評価されなかった。落伍者の烙印を押され、表舞台からいつの間にか消えていったように思う。頑張っていないわけではないが、どうしても大勢とは考え方が違う人も、暗闇へ追いやられていった。
　今では「人と違って、それで良い」と一般には言われている。変われば変わったものだ。日本人が、ようやく近代的な人権の考え方に、追いついてきたということなのだろうか。頑張れない人も、結果を出せない人も、大衆に迎合できない人も、それぞれの生き方で生きて良いと言うこと。しかしそれは、私に言わせれば、上辺だけの「多様性への寛容」なのであって、日本人の心の底にはまだまだ“はぐれ者”への差別感情が渦巻いているように感じる。

　結果を出した人を偉い、凄いと思うことは悪い事だとは思わない。私も何らかの結果を出すべく頑張っている部分があるし、それは私の欲望のためだけにやっているわけでもない。みんなを喜ばせられるような“結果”を出した行いは、称賛される場合も大いにあり得るだろう。
　もう一方で私が思うのは、失敗したからと言って、人生の終わりではないと言うこと。命がある限り、可能性はあるのだと思う。そこで社会が寛容になっていかないと上手くない。落伍者にセカンドチャンスを与える救いの志を、みんながもっと持って良いのではないか。

　社会が寛容さを身につけようとする動きを、確かに私は感じている。若い人を中心にマイノリティの人たちが、意見を主張しながら奮闘している様子が、よくニュースなどで見られるようになった。また心に病を抱える人たちにも、光りが当てられるようになってきた。そこは時間をかけて進めていけば良いとは思うのだが、ただ私は別の問題があると思っている。それは高齢の方たちのマインドだ。頑なで柔軟性を欠いた“古い”考え方から抜け出せない人たち。「頑張れない人はダメな人」と信じて譲らない人たち。チャンスは一度しかなかったと決めつけている。
　そういう人たちが日本を支えてきた。ある意味で自分を捨て、日本のため、社会のために生きてきたことだろう。その過程で妥協などと言う言葉は使えなかったのかもしれない。敗れた人たちは退場していき、それ以降表には出てこなかったと言うことだと思う。「時代が変わった」と言えば、それで何でも片付けられてしまいそうだが、彼らが背負ってきた責任は私が考える以上に重く、失敗した人たちはさぞ悔しかったことだろうと思う。そういう心に寄り添うことはあっても、彼らの考えをこれから変えていこうと思う気持ちは、私にはない。

　13年連続ホームラン王だよ！？

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Old Man’s Musings

　When I was a little boy, Sadaharu Oh was my hero. He was the undisputed home run king of the world. At that time, people never stopped praising him who had achieved results, and I also thought he was a great person from the bottom of my heart. Mr. Oh was exceptional as a special person and someone to be respected.
　Not only in sports, but I think adults in the past were desperate to achieve some tangible result. Many of them probably had the goal of succeeding in the real world rather than getting into a famous university. If they were salarymen, many of them devoted themselves to their work without regard for their families, as if they were “devoting their lives to the company. They worked with passion, regardless of any physical or mental ailments they may have had. The symbol of such diligence was probably Sadaharu Oh, who swung a bat barefoot on a tatami mat day in and day out.

　However, when I think about it now, I realize that it is not necessarily only those who have achieved results who are great. Perhaps it is because we live in such a “loose” era. In the past, people who did not work hard were not valued. They were branded as dropouts and disappeared from the stage before they knew it. Those who worked hard, but whose way of thinking was inevitably different from that of many others, were also relegated to the darkness.
　Now it is generally said, “Be different, and that’s OK. Things have changed. Does this mean that the Japanese people have finally caught up with the modern concept of human rights? That those who cannot work hard, those who cannot produce results, those who cannot pander to the masses, are allowed to live their lives in their own way. However, in my opinion, this is only a superficial “tolerance for diversity,” and I feel that there is still a sense of discrimination against “outliers” swirling deep in the hearts of the Japanese people.

　I don’t think it’s wrong to think that people who have achieved results are great or amazing. I am also trying my best to achieve some kind of result, and I am not doing it only for my own desire. I think there is a lot to be said for doing something that produces a “result” that pleases everyone.
　On the other hand, I believe that failure is not the end of life. As long as there is life, there are possibilities. That is where society needs to become more tolerant or it will not work. I think everyone should have more aspirations of salvation to give second chances to those who have failed.

　I certainly sense a movement in society to develop tolerance. I often see in the news how minorities, especially young people, are struggling to assert their opinions. Also, people with mental illnesses are being brought into the spotlight. I think it would be good if we could take the time to make progress in this area, but I think there is another problem. It is the mindset of the elderly. They are stubborn, inflexible, and stuck in their “old” ways of thinking. People who refuse to give in, believing that “people who can’t work hard are bad people. They assume that they only had one chance.
　These are the people who have sustained Japan. In a sense, they must have abandoned themselves and lived their lives for the sake of Japan and society. In the process, they may not have been able to use words such as compromise. I think it means that those who lost left and have not been visible since then. I suppose one could say, “times have changed,” and that would put everything to rest. However, the responsibility they bore was much heavier than I thought, and I am sure those who failed must have been very frustrated. Although I may be close to those hearts, I have no desire to change their thoughts from now on.

　He is the home run king for 13 straight years!