2010-9-18
Think about what television you have watched, and how much of it you have kept watching, over these thirty years, especially these twenty years…
From morning until night, on every television station imaginable: morning talk shows, afternoon talk shows, evening news, nighttime news.
The people appearing on them are men and women with faces that appeal to the majority.
There should not be a single person with a cracked-pot-and-patched-lid face—an unconventional-looking person—among them.
In other words, you have been made to believe, conditioned to believe, that what men and women with broadly appealing faces say is correct… and not only that,
but that only men and women with average faces are right…
In reality, it is a parade of careless commentary that seems to have undergone no verification whatsoever,
commentary that can hardly be called a product of intelligence.
Japanese people should stop doing nothing but watching television… As I have said many times… When you are watching the kinds of talk shows and news programs described above, pause for a moment and come back to yourself.
Go to the washroom, or pick up a hand mirror, and look at your face.
Is your face　a face　like theirs?
It is not, is it?　But　are you　a bad person?
Yet　if you look steadily　at your own face,　you will surely think　what an unconventional face you have.
But　you are neither a liar　nor a corrupt magistrate,　are you?
You are yourself,　and the people on the other side of the screen—
you will realize　that they are people　who have nothing to do with you.
Struggling to make ends meet every day… Fighting an uphill battle throughout these twenty years…
You should immediately realize　that they inhabit　a world entirely different from your own.
It is time　you finally realized
that true democracy can begin　only by turning off the television　if you want to know the truth of things.
Those who want to dig deeper,　to the level of scholarship,　should go to a bookstore.
There is no truth　in your living room.　Nowhere is there truth or happiness　that comes without effort.
The only people　for whom such things exist　are those
inside the television screen　you are watching.
Make no mistake.　You are being robbed　of everything you have—of the time to sharpen your intellect…
Of all the time　you need to succeed,　to earn money,　to overcome life’s challenges…
They are taking it from you,　and you are merely providing them　with immense wealth.
Because they are fools,　they are constantly wrong,
but they never　suffer for it.
They mislead you,　lead things astray,　lead the country astray,　and as a result,
suffering follows,　but they never experience　that suffering.
Only you suffer.　Only we suffer.
The consequences of your having done nothing　but watch television
and their egoism　have mixed and become entangled,
and because it was all　so utterly foolish,
these twenty years　have become　so terrible.