Culture has been applauded to the extent that society considers it a necessity. Unfortunately, people rarely notice that customs can ‘enclose’ one’s perspective from realizing the downsides of his/her culture as well as the positives of the other. As such, it is safe to argue that only those who are liberalized from cultural captivity can offer an unbiased view of another community. This notion is demonstrated in T.R. Reid’s book ‘Confucius lives next door what living in the East teaches us about Living in the West. Reid juxtapositions Japan and the West as he examines the concept of what he calls ‘social miracle.’ The author compares fundamental aspects that define the society that is divorce, crime and out-of-wedlock births in Japan and the West and concludes that the East is characterized by social cohesiveness that can be attributed to a shared set of core values that can be traced back to the Confucian teachings. According to Reid, the East boost a burgeoning middle class upholding an aura of civility and egalitarian wealth distribution that has not been enjoyed by leading economies like the US. Even though Reid seems fascinated by the Japanese culture, he points out that the Confucian model has glaring flaws. At the end of the book, it is clear that Confucian values and the West’s Christianity are not that different after all. This paper analyzes T.R. Reid’s book ‘Confucius lives next door’ by examining the major characters and how the various events influenced them. Additionally, the paper will analyze the effect of religion on one’s way of life by looking at how the characters’ religion shaped their lives. Lastly, the paper reflects how the book can serve to broad an individual’s understanding of religion.
Overview
T.R. Reid is a journalist with a good mastery of the Japanese language and has spent a considerable amount of time studying the Asian culture. As he notes in the book, Reid was excited to move to Japan as the head of Washington post bureau Even though the idea of living among a culture that he had studied and admired for years seemed fascinating, Reid understood that his family would face challenges along the way. Upon settling in Japan, the differences between the Eastern and Western communities are apparent. Reid sends his children to a Japanese public school and with time he learns how to put up with his neighbors. In the text, the author notes that aspects like crime and divorce rates cannot be reduced to the existing socioeconomic situation. Instead, the community’s cohesiveness lies in the upheld moral values. Reid notes that the Japanese love rules and all aspects of the day to day life are entwined to impart the young generations with moral values. In summary, Reid’s book ‘Confucius lives next Door What Living in the East Teaches us about Living in the West’ is an informative and humorous piece that provides insights into the religion that serves as the basis of the East and western cultures.
Discussion
Character development
Reid’s family and his neighbor called, Confucius is the leading character in the book. In chapter one, the author states that his thoroughly American family of five moved from Castle Rock, Colorado to Tokyo. Unlike Castle Rock which was quiet and sparsely populated, the Reids’ new home, Tokyo was crowded and noisy. The American family makes some obvious adjustments like taking the girls to a public school as the father focuses on his job at the Washington post-Bureau in Tokyo. Once they settle in a neighborhood in Tokyo, a neighbor who Reid names Confucian serves as an embodiment of the Asian way of life. Reid and his family traveled in major cities of East Asia and settled in a neighborhood that he refers to as subsection 3. Unlike in their previous neighborhood back at the US which was characterized by individualism, subsection three was based on the idea of belonging to the group. In other words, the author notes that one’s identity is defined by the group that he/she belongs in. An individual begins establishing the sense of group within a family setting which serves as the basic unit and extends outside to include other societal circles like the neighborhood, job and, school among others. For this reason, a courteous introduction must include some aspect of the group. ‘…Hello, I am Matsuda…’ is considered rude because the right introduction would be ‘…Hello, I am Matsuda of Tanigawa Sekiyu, Inc.…’ (Reid, 1999). From the example, it is clear that the Asian culture dictates that an individual is identified as part of a group.
By settling in Japan, Reid and his son learn the important Confucian lesson of Shame ‘meiwaku’ that serves as a moral check (Lebra, 2005). As mentioned before, the Japanese believe that an individual’s identity is tied to that of a group and thus people strive to belong. Any form of mischief results in shame which in turn leads to guilt. In chapter 3, recalls an incident where a next-door neighbor came to warn his son that the loud music that he was playing was a ‘meiwaku.’ The concept of shape is fundamental in the social dynamic of the Japan society meaning that for one to fit in he/she has to abide by it by avoiding choices/actions that are considered-dishonorable. Given the sharp contrast between the notion of meiwaku and the West’s individualism, it can be insinuated that an outsider living among the Japanese might have a hard time adjusting. However, Reid notes that he enjoyed his time in Japan as evidenced by the fact that he made friends that he visited years after relocating to the US. As such it can be argued that Reid and his family internalized the meiwaku ideology and thus they were able to live in harmony with their new-found community.
Additionally, during their stay in Japan Reid and his family learned and internalized Confucian teachings which serve as a guide to everyday life. In chapter 5, Reid states that ‘…My wife and I were intrigued by the idea of admitting our girls to a Japanese elementary school as we thought that it would be an interesting cultural experience…’ (Reid, 1999). From the statement, it is clear that the author understood the variations between Japanese and western education. However, the possibility that the girls would not only sharpen their Japanese but also improve their mathematics and Science rigor seemed irresistible. Reid points out that to this day, his daughter draws on the concepts of science and math lessons at Yodobashi, but the most important lessons that the daughters took with them is Confucian teachings. ‘…like other students back at the Japanese Elementary school, my girls were taught to be little Confucians…’ (Reid, 1999). Note that Confucian teachings which are the basis of Buddhism focus on the cultivation of virtues. Hence the girls understood the concepts of human-heartedness, benevolence, and goodness among others. The Confucian teachings instilled in them the Asian perspective of life, and thus their choices were influenced by the need to avoid shame which will, in turn, isolate them from their crowd. Based on the presented points, it can be argued that the young Westerners, i.e., Reid’s daughters were transformed into the Asian way of living which might have a significant effect in their adult lives.
Religion Lessons learned by Characters
By understanding Confucian teachings, Reid got a grip of the Buddhism religion. Alternatively, mastering Confucian teachings to the point of understanding illusions used in everyday conversations served as a form of enlightenment for Reid as he got the opportunity to place several religions including Christianity side-by-side. ‘…shortly after relocating to the US, Reid received a letter from his former neighbor apologizing that he will not be able to send his annual New year’ s card…’ (Reid, 1999). Having lived among the Japanese, Reid understood the essence of the New Year celebrations which meant that only a significant tragedy in the family could stop members from taking part in the celebration rituals. Therefore, in his next visit, Reid understood that he was visiting a friend who was mourning. The conversation between, Matsuda-san and Reid illustrated that the former had been instilling the Confucian concepts since their first meet. As they sat down together, the teacher noted that his student had mastered the imparted lessons.
The internalization of Confucian teachings enabled Reid to note the striking similarities between Buddhism, Christianity and, Islam.’…Isn’t it a pleasure when you make practical use of the things that you have learned…’ (Reid, 1999). Matsuda-san made this statement after Reid had paid his respect to his wife who had passed away. Other than noting that, Matsuda-san was quoting the opening phrase of the Confucian teachings, Reid points out that the statement is the equivalent of the Christian ‘In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.’ Additionally, Matsuda-san’s statement was the same as the Islamic teachings opening phrase ‘…Call me Ishmael…’ By considering the opening phrases of multiple religions that have served as the basis of the different cultures, Reid gained a unique perspective of religion which in turn highlights the similarities of the various cultures.
Reflection
Reid’s book offers a unique perspective into the East Asian culture which is built on the principles of Confucian teachings. I understood that each culture is based on aspects of religion and thus Buddhism allows its believers to practice the Confucians teachings daily. Unlike Western cultures, the Japanese emphasize raising virtuous citizens by using every aspect of life to teach children the Confucian principles. In other words, religion is considered a serious element to be left to religious teachers. However, in the West aspects of religion are treated as secondary, and thus a good proportion of the young generations are detached from religion paving the way for immorality and lawlessness. I believe that no religion is inferior or superior because they all have some benefits as well as flaws but if a community chooses the right way of instilling it the advantages would surpass the shortcomings creating a harmonious society.