Even before I started studying Japanese, I had a great love for Kanji. At that time, I didn’t understand the meaning of Kanji, but I was very moved when I saw beautiful Kanji characters.
So, I practiced writing Kanji myself and looked up their meanings. This desire to learn more about Kanji was one of the reasons why I decided to study Japanese. In particular, my favorite Kanji is “情” (affection).
When I was in Vietnam, I often went to temples. There, a monk taught me how to use medicinal herbs. Sometimes, when we had time, we talked over tea. Our conversations were always about life. Sometimes, we talked about Kanji.
One day, while drinking lotus tea with the monk, he wrote the character “情” and asked me its meaning. The monk explained that one meaning of “情” relates to the heart of a lotus seed, which is a medicinal herb. The heart of a lotus seed is blue. The character “情” is made from the Kanji for “heart” and “blue,” representing the heart of a lotus seed. It’s an interesting thought.
Another meaning relates to life. As humans, we must always act with our hearts. But I think that’s not enough. When making decisions, we often prioritize ourselves. However, we should consider others’ feelings and whether we can have passion for something before deciding. We can do anything, but if we don’t have passion for our work, it may not last long.
The same goes for choosing a career path. We should ask ourselves what we really want to do, what we want to become, and then pursue what we are passionate about and love until the end.
We may not know if the outcome will be good, but nothing starts if we don’t try.
Just like plants grow straight towards the sun, I also want to pursue my goals with passion until the end. I encourage everyone to do the same. Let’s warm our hearts with sunlight and nurture the seeds of our hearts.