豊富過ぎる食品 Too Much Food

 豊富過ぎる食品　

昭和１８年生まれの私は、昭和２０年代、３０年代は貧しい生活を送った。豆腐やコロッケや、せいぜい煮魚が食卓に出た。麦飯に味噌を付けて食べたり、味噌汁とか醤油をかけて食べたものである。菓子はなく、芋やトウモロコシを食べた。給食に出たハムがびっくりするぐらい美味しくて、こんなものが世の中にあるのかと思った。バナナも滅多に食べることができなかった。

今のスーパー食料品売場には驚かされる。豆腐も納豆も、それぞれ２０種ぐらいある。パン売場では、ありとあらゆる菓子パンが山積みである。菓子の棚に行くと、チョコレートだけでも２０種以上並べられ、あられだけでも二段か三段に並んでいる。冷凍ものは餃子やシュウマイ、チャーハン、ハムバーグなどこれも滅茶滅茶に品が多い。狂ってはいないか。

戦後育ちの私にとっては夢のような豊富な食糧である。こんなに豊富な食糧が手に入るなんて、罰が当たるのではないかと思う。

今の子供たちは不幸だ。これ以上食糧が豊富になることはないだろう。豊かな食物に囲まれて育って来ているから、食糧の供給や種類が減少した時にどう思うだろうか。

Too Much Food

I was born in 1943, two years before the end of World War II. Therefore, I had to live a very poor life during my childhood (during 1940’s and1950’s).

Our family’s main dish was tasteless mugimeshi (rice cooked with barley). Side dish was cheap tofu or croquette (deep fried mashed potatoes covered with bread crumbs). Roasted or boiled fish was rarely served, because fish was expensive. I poured miso soup or dropped shoyu (soy sauce) on mugimeshi and forced it to drop through the throat. I and my siblings ate sweet potatoes and corns for snacks. I still remember the surprisingly delicious ham served at the school lunch. It was a dreamlike food. Bananas were expensive and served only for sick people.

Today, I am surprised to see so many kinds of food at supermarkets. There are more than 20 kinds of tofu or natto (fermented soybeans). Countless kinds of bread and sweet buns are piled up like mountains at bakery corners. There are too many kinds of chocolate to choose from. There are shelves after shelves of arare (cubic rice crackers). Frozen food section is flooded with gyoza (meat dumplings), nikuman (pork buns), shumai (raviolis a la vapeur), chahan (fried rice), hamburgers, etc. Mountains of foods will ruin the Japanese, I am afraid.

For me, who was brought up immediately after the war, today’s foods are too abundant. Heaven will punish us, Japanese, in the near future.

Today’s children are unfortunate. I think the amount of food supply has hit the limit. The time won’t come when food is more abundant than today. What will happen to today’s children who were born and brought up in the abundance of food. How do they live when food supply decreases?

リスボンの意味 What does "Risbon" mean?

名古屋市民大学講座（深草正博講師）で地名に関して面白いことを教わった。

紀元前15世紀ごろに地中海の現在のレバノン辺りにフェニキア人の居留地があり、彼らは地中海沿岸部の町と交易をおこなっていた。現在有名な地名はフェニキア系の植民地である。その名前が面白い。

リスボンは「素晴らしい海」、スペイン「兎の多い土地」、バルセロナ「バルカ家の町」、コルシカ「森林の多い」、カルタゴ「新しい都市」、シチリア「鍬を持つ人」、クレタ「神話の主人公ケルド」、サルディニア「足跡」、マラガ「商館」などである。

都市や地名に意味があるのは日本語でも同じだ。水主は「船乗り」、木場は「木材集積所」、杁中（いりなか）は「池の水を通す樋」などだ。

What does ’Risbon’ mean?

　　Professor Masahiro Fukakusa told about some interesting geographic names in his lecture at Nagoya Citizens’ College.

　　Phoenicians lived near present Lebanon around B. C 15^th century. They bartered goods with the merchants on the coat of Mediterranean Sea. Some of the famous geographical names were made in the Phoenician colonies. They are interesting. Let me introduce some of them:

Lisbon means ‘beautiful sea.’ Spain, ‘a place with a lot of rabbits.’ Barcelona, ‘the Barca Family’s house.’ Corsica, ‘abundant forests.’ Carthage, ‘new city.’ Sicily, ‘farmers with hoes.’ Crete, ‘kurudo? from mythology.’ Sardinia, ‘footmark.” And Malaga, ‘trading house.’

 The same can be applied to Japanese. Kako means ‘sailor.’ Kiba, (timber collection spot.’ And Irinaka means ‘drain pipe for pond water.’

暫定的健常者 Temporarily Abled Person

 暫定的健常者

　私の友人が圧迫骨折で背骨を折ってしまった。家で植木鉢を手に持って尻餅をつき、骨折したらしい。一週間後、コルセットができて、嵌めていると言う。だから、彼は、以前のように歩けないし、運動もできないし、外出も思うようにできない。

　齢８０の私は、いつなんどき脊椎骨折して、身体障害者になるかも知れない。注意せねば。

３０年ほど前、「暫定的健常者」と言う言葉を知った。今日は健常者でも、明日は障碍者であるかも知れない。我々は「今のところは」健常者であるにすぎないのだ。

「一寸先は闇」と言うが、我々は闇に囲まれているのだ。

  　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Temporarily Abled Person　　　　　　　

   A friend of mine is suffering from spinal fractures with vertebral compression fractions. They happened, he said, when he held a plant pot in his either hand and accidentally fell on her ass at home. A week later, his corset was made and since then he has worn it. Thus, he cannot walk, take exercises, or go out as freely as before.

At the age of 80, I would have a spine fracture at any moment and become an unabled person. I have to be careful.

By the way, I came across the word "temporarily abled person (PAV)" about 30 years ago. Even if you are an abled person now, you will be an unabled person the next moment. You are just TEMPORARILY abled person. 

In Japanese, we say, "Issun saki wa yami," which means "An inch ahead is pitch dark." We are surrounded by pitch dark. 

AIが牛耳る50年後 AI Will Control Human Beings in 50 Years

 AI Will Control Human Beings in 50 Years

   I won't be living 50 years later, but my grandchildren, the youngest are now ten years old.  Actually, I have two ten-year-old grandchildren. They will be 60 years old 50 years later. They will see what will be like in such a future. Probably, they cannot distinguish real faces or voices from fake ones. It is likely that the future television will broadcast fake on-the-spot broadcasts. The world will be confused. Future people cannot distinguish reality from AI generated scenes. They won't know who or what to trust. A devastating world is coming soon.

I should say, I am lucky not being able to live till such an AI controlled world.

老人の「志」 Importance of Aspirations for the Aged

 老人の「志」

〇江戸時代の儒学者・佐藤一斎の言葉：

血気には老少ありて志氣には老少無し。老人の学を講ずるにはまさにますます志氣を励して少壮の人に譲るべからず。

人は百歳なる能わず。ただ当に志、不朽に在るべし。

〇室町時代の能役者・世阿弥の言葉

老後の初心を忘るべからずとは、命には終わりあり、能には果てあるべからず。

〇三国時代、魏の政治家・曹操の言葉

老驥伏櫪、志在千里、烈士暮年、壮心未已

老驥(ろうき)、櫪(れき)に伏するも、志は千里にあり、烈士の暮年(ぼねん)、壮心、已(や)まず

Importance of Aspiration for the Aged

〇 Words by Issai Sato, a Confucian, during the Edo era. (born in 1772 and died in 1859):

Vitality depends on age, but aspiration does not. The aged must have higher aspirations as they study. Do not give way to youth.

One cannot live to be 100 years old, yet one must hold unyielding aspirations. 

〇Words by Zeami, a Noh performer during the Muromachi era (1338-1573)

Do not forget one’s original intention. One is mortal but Nho is immortal.

 〇 Words by Cao Cao, a politician and general of Wei, an ancient nation in China (220-265)

   Although an aged thoroughbred is lying in a stable, she is running gallop in the field in her mind. A courageous man, although old, keeps his strong spirit.　

歩出家門行（一部）　曹操

神亀雖寿　　ふしぎなかめは、いのちながしというも

猶有竟時　　いつかはおわる時あらん

騰蛇乗霧　　空にのぼる蛇は霧に乗るも

終為土灰　　やがては土灰となりはてん

老驥伏櫪　　老いたる駿馬はかいばおけに伏すも

志在千里　　千里のかなたに夢を馳す

烈士暮年　　いさましきおのこは年老ゆるとも

壮心不已　　たけき心の已むことなし

盈縮之期　　長く短く定めなき命の期

不但在天　　されどただ天運とあきらむな

養怡之福　　身も心も安らかに養えよ

可得永年　　とわなる命得べからん

竹田晃（東京大学名誉教授）訳

チャットGPT Chat GPT

 チャットGPT

チャットGPTを試しにやってみた。長生きの秘訣を聞いたら適度の運動、睡眠、食事、社会と繋がるなど、なるほどと思わせのる答がでた。しかし、２００７年発売の諏訪哲史著「アサッテの人」（芥川賞受賞）の批評を聞いたら飛んでもない答が返ってきた。

曰く、「アサッテの人」は三島由紀夫の作品で、芥川賞を受賞し、映画化されているという答であった。まったく見当違いの答だ。また、今私が執筆している時代小説の一部を「推敲して、もっと読者の心に響く文にせよ」と指示したら、これまた出鱈目の答が返ってきた。「である」調が「ですます」調に変換され、読むのに耐えられない駄文が返ってきた。

まだまだ、改良の余地があり過ぎる。知らない人が使うと危険だと思った。

Chat GPT

I have recently chatted with Chat GPT. To my question, “How can one live long?” it replied, “Moderate exercise, good sleep and diet, and social activities.” That was persuasive enough. 

However, to my question, “Give me a comment on ‘Asatte no Hito’ (an Akutagawa Novel Prize winning novel in 2007) written by Tetushi Suwa, a staggering answer was given. The AI said, “‘Asatte no Hito’ was a novel written by Yukio Mishima, won an Akutagawa Novel Prize, and was made into a movie. (It was not written by Yukio Mishima, nor made into a movie.) 

To another request of mine, “Rewrite the following passage of a novel so that it will move the reader,” AI’s answer was surprisingly foolish. All the “dearu” style of each sentence was changed into “desu-masu” style. (Generally speaking “dearu” style is for educated adults and “desu-masu” one for children.) The AI answer was intolerably bad and poor. It remains much to be improved. 

It can be dangerous too for those who are blind to Chat GPT’s faults.

AI が作った写真 AI Generated Image

 AI が作った写真

　AI が作成した写真が、Sony World Photography Award を受賞した。恐ろしい世の中になった。AIが合成した本人そっくりの声や画像や動画がスマホやテレビに流れる時代になった。Chat GPTがあらゆる質問に答え、論文を書くようになった。小説もAIが作り、文学賞「星新一賞」がAIと共同で作った入選した。絵画も作詞も作曲もAIが作ることになるだろう。

五年後、１０年後の世の中はAIだらけになり、人間はAIに依存し、AIなしには人間生活ができなくなるのではないか。

AI Generated Image

The photograph generated by AI won the Sony World Photography Award. The world has become a horrible place to live in. AI can generate the voice and image that are exactly the same with the person AI has imitated. Such “real” voices and images can be broadcast on television in a few years. Then you cannot distinguish fake from real. The Chat GPT can generates a persuasive answer to any kind of question and write even a dissertation. AI now writes novels. The other day, a novel written by a writer who utilized AI won the Hoshi Shinichi Novel Prize. AI will paint pictures and compose music, too. In half a dozen years, the world is flooded by AI generated fakes. The more we depend on AI, the more indispensable AI will be for our lives. One scholar warned that AI will ruin human beings.