Japan Society of Fairfield County
Culture Watch, Society Watch (18)
by Dr. Ikuko Anjo Jassey
When I stepped into the store, I saw an
abundance of quilts varying in sizes, patterns, and colors, which were
made by Amish and Mennonites, piled up all over the floor and busily
hung on the walls. We heard women's voices upstairs, presumably making
quilts together. On the counter near the entrance door, I noticed a
cash register and then, a computer next to it! It is certain that
modern technology has been invading Amish society about half a mile
from Intercourse in Lancaster County outside Philadelphia. Still, their
lives looked very quiet and peaceful with the sound of horse hoofs, the
smell of manure, and the wintry scenery of vast farmlands in early
March. A sales aide of the store was a twentyish woman wearing a light
blue long skirt reaching her ankles, a white long-sleeved blouse, and a
white cap with straps tied under her chin. Each of those apparels is
simple in style with no ruffles or embroidery. She was not certainly
bombarded with information of outside worlds, including "Japan" because
her response sounded a little bit lost when my husband talked about our
trip to Japan. Perhaps, she had never heard even the names of "Toyota"
or "Honda" since they did not own a car. Still, there was one time that
her face shone up and her voice got excited. It was when she heard that
our friends for whom we were looking for a quilt were
farmers--strawberry farmers. While talking with the young woman, I felt
something similar to what I had experienced in the Japanese countryside
up until the mid 1960s: Simplicity in life style, quietness in the
environment, relaxation in pace, and networks of reciprocal assistance
in a community.
The tragic incident that happened last
October in this Amish community is still fresh in our minds. In
summary, a non-Amish man--a truck driver delivering milk to this
community--shot ten Amish girls in a school house, resulting in five to
death and five to injury, and then he committed suicide. According to
TV and newspapers, what became a trigger to this incident was his
belief that his first child's death was God's punishment for his
violating two of his minor relatives when he was young. It is reported
that since the death of the baby-child, he had hatred of God and
himself. However, this shocking event did not close its curtain,
leaving people residing inside and outside the Amish community simply
with tragic and gruesome feelings.
The families, whose children were
killed, invited the predator's wife to their children's funeral and
offered money they collected to support her and her children who had
now lost their breadwinner. How many people in this world actually can
take an action of forgiveness and love in this mild way? I wonder if
Japanese people would have reacted in a similar way by showing their
sympathy and support if it had occurred in Japan. Furthermore, hearing
of this incident, thousands of people outside the Amish community
contributed their money to support the suffering families. What
generous individuals they are! Through this occurrence, I felt
reaffirming the fact that the spirit of mutual support had strongly
survived in American society just as I witnessed in Japan through daily
life when young.
Today, many Japanese people are left in
confusion and turmoil socially, culturally, and educationally.
Consequently, children are being raised without learning the value of
becoming a caring and respectful individual both in private and public
domains. From our car window, seeing colorful clothes hanging on a long
rope were gently swaying under the blue sky, I was thinking of the
village where I was born and raised: Life was plain and people were
caring; adults worked arduously and children studied diligently;
families, schools, and communities taught young ones to be responsible
and respectful; and there was a simple but engaging life there in
Japan.
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