Another day, I had a debate about Korean and Japanese history with the co-worker who can speak Japanese well.
Her name is Erika, she is a very friendly personality and judges people less. Also, I am interested in Korean history because the country is close to my hometown in Japan. It only takes a couple hours to reach Seoul from my hometown. After the discussion, we recognize that we should understand each other rather than thinking we are different.
I thought the judgment causes a wall between me and people who I don’t like.
She pointed out that when Japanese people see a person who is a little strange, they will ignore or disrespect them. Until she told me this, I didn’t recognise it. At the same time, I felt shocked about it because two days ago, when we got a bus, it was crowded, so Erika sat next to a man who acted a little strange. Because I felt he didn’t have a normal ‘atmosphere’ I thought he might have a personality issue. The man started to chat with Erika and he wanted me to join the conversation. But I could not talk with him at all. At the same time, I was inspired by Erika’s attitude. She enjoyed talking with him a lot. Then, I thought the judgment causes a wall between me and people who I don’t like. So I want to get rid of the judgment. Firstly, I want to think everyone is equal. I had a big determination that day to break my judgment from then on. After the occurrence, I asked Erika why she could talk with him. She said she felt it was fun to talk with him, obviously, Erika respected him!
- Naomi K
