our current culture.
The culture in Japan is deep rooted, remains unchanged and actually trumps written law in many situations. Society is dictated by a set of codes, practices, principles and philosophies that date back thousands of years that is autocratically taught with very little room for questioning or modifying. If one does not adhere to these societal standards, there are subtle consequences doled out at various levels from being ignored, shamed and/or ostracized. Conformity is key.
出る杭は打たれる。
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
We share this as a point of reference as most will never witness or experience this lifestyle and the few that do, don’t fully understand it. We continue to listen and learn from our Japanese friends regarding challenges they face. For the most part, Japanese do not feel free to express their opinions, thoughts or feelings OR have the freedom to step “out of the box”. Matter of fact there is a word used to endure this hardship – gaman or がまん。A direct translation would equal patience. But how it actually plays out is actually stoicism.
stoicism - the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
Most Japanese claim a mix of Buddhism and Shintoism as their religion even though a majority of Japanese admit they don’t really believe but carry out the rituals associated with Buddhism and Shintoism as a form of duty or obligation and to fit in to avoid bringing dishonor upon the family and being shamed by not conforming. Living life in this way is the idea of “peace and harmony”.
Through conversations with our friends and our personal experiences many Japanese feel stuck never discovering their true identity, self-worth and are void of authentic relationships.
We are humbled and privileged to offer ourselves and our home to where our Japanese friends are welcomed into relationship, have the freedom to share their struggles, to ask questions, and discover their true identity and self-worth.
This is how we church.
