Our performance at karaku cafe in September

This week my friend Ms. Ukai masako and I performed at Karaku cafe.

She introduced a essay.

 

I translated the story.

Advice column by Satou Aiko

Now she is 98 years old, and is still working as an author.

The famous book of Satou Aiko is "Is it happy to become 90 years old?"

Another famous book is "Useless advice columns". She published this book when she was 93 years old.

She says "as long as you set your mind to it, you can do anything."  This time I'll introduce an episode from this book.

I’m almost in my 30’s. I want to be a lady who is intelligent and well-educated.

I’m self-employed and not married yet.

I work as a writer on the web and magazines.

I have a lot of opportunity to meet older or higher ranking people.

When I meet them, I become embarrassed because of the lack of my education. I feel shallow.

So I can’t talk to them well.  I have attended workshops about communication sometimes, but they don’t seem to be effective to me. I don’t know what I should study. I want to have a wealth of topics, and to become intelligent. What should I do?

The author Satou Aiko answers.

What are you talking about?

You are a 29 year-old-lady, and you work as a writer on web and magazines.

Are you a comedian? Give me a break.

Why do you ask such thing to others? It is like you ask “where should I go” at the ticket counter of a station.

For the first time I want to know what kind of web or magazines you are involved and what contents you write.

You introduce you are a writer, so probably your work is to put together opinions of some people, or introduce information that people are interested in.

So whether you are willing or not, naturally you get more knowledge, and become well-educated, don't you?

Do you think being intelligent means having a big amount of knowledge and information? It’s not true.

There are many stupid people though they have attended lots of workshops.

Why are they stupid? They just put the knowledge or information on the surface and don’t digest them. Experience is necessary to digest them. Real intelligence is supported by experience. Attractive people are supported by such experience and knowledge.

For example when a friend reveals a severe concern to you, does he or she want the advice like “Friedrich Nietzsche says ---“? It doesn’t work.

That friend wants sincere comfort and for you to rack your brains and solve the problem together.

The person who can do it is an intelligent and well-educated person.

You don’t need to have a wealth of topics.

You listen sincerely and ask some questions. Give a big nod when you understand.

You just need to be good at listening.

While you are worried about what you should study to become intelligent, you cannot be