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Author Haruki Murakami says pandemic, war in Ukraine create walls that divide people

23 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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23 Comments
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People have moved on from Ukraine,unless you here at JT, most people have gotten on with their lives while COVID is still killing people

-27 ( +0 / -27 )

Ukraine and Covid ain't the half of what makes people fearful and stressed... my view....

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Dia ,I do not care about the event in Ukraine,as same as the Ukrainlan do not care about my life,so thing balance each other out ,I do wear my mask in public,and when visiting people home

-22 ( +0 / -22 )

This guy has a penchant for coming out with the most banal platitudes every 3 months or so.

"War is bad" "Love is good" "I wish bad things didn't happen" "If there were no war, people would be happier"

Very deep stuff.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

I've been thinking what would happen to humanity when there will be no clear-cut demarcation between actual reality and virtual reality as the result of the ultimate development of AI technology. 

Descarte's axiom, "Cogito, ergo sum", may only work here. In other words, all you can trust is nothing but you yourself; everything else is subject to suspicion.

But what if you began suspecting you yourself, too? The end result would be chaos, self-destruction, and the end of the world, I think.’

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Yes. That what war does. Create walls. Common sense.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

The wall was there before the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is not only war in the world.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

So you are an average guy, --very average.

Go to a baseball game and out of the blue realize "I can write novels about brick walls and people will pay me for it!" And you proceed churning out dozens of volumes of bromide amassing your fortune afforded by a cult following.

Which of course reinforces your belief that you have attained supreme enlightenment not possible by anyone else --not even those who had succeeded decades long desperate struggles way beyond your imagining;

so of course you need to preach this bright wisdom to the universe.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Can our trust in each other once more overcome our suspicions? Can wisdom conquer fear? 

What a powerful and on point message. Can it? Do people even want to be wise? Is that an actual goal of this generation, or do they just want to be entertained?

Japan has taken a huge hit to the psyche that has not yet been fully recognized yet, nor understood. The masks not coming off shows me that many people seem to want to stay distant from others, and don’t trust the world enough to want to put themselves out there again. Pacified by their devices , what’s this gunna look like ten, twenty years down the line?

It’s hard seeing young people especially living in what should be their prime; expressionless, eyes down, no voice or ambition, lonely and lost. They get their three squares a day and shuffle on into the ‘harmony’. The irony is that it doesn’t take much encouragement to pull people back in, but who is stepping forward to do this important work? Too many introverts to bother.

Hoping for beacons of light from within the culture to show the way out. Murakami playing a larger role than he could imagine, because he really, really cares about peoples plight. More Murakamis!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

because he really, really cares about peoples plight.

So true.

Most people only really care about people's plight, but Murakami really. really cares.

So he cares twice as much.

Which makes him very caring.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

My mom said the same thing... Nothing special about what Haruki said.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

It’s, really true, yes. For real!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Duh.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Nothing against this author - but, whatever you are selling - I'm not interested!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

As somebody who has family on both sides of both divides (the war and the pandemic vax), I see his message as on point.

Thank you for your considered thoughts Haruki Murakami.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Hats off to Haruki Murakami. The Japanese author has invited his readers for a re-think on good life.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I sincerely hope that novels and stories can lend their power to such an investigation. It’s something that we novelists dearly hope for

Im very sceptical about whether a book or a story can make a person become a better version of themselves and act accordingly. it can be an additional stimulant of the soul of a person who is not spiritually lost or numb but what about everyone else, let alone heartless people. can reading a book overnight change a person who has never bothered to do inner work and doesnt feel a need to?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Did the protagonist stay inside the walls? “Please try reading the book yourselves,” Murakami said.

That sounds rather rude. I need a picture book.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Soul Sister

The wall was there before the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is not only war in the world

But it's the only one the American govt seems to care about now. Ukraine has oil pipelines and such. So, shrew Sudan, Yemen (Saudi allies invading their sovereignty), etc. And America has its allies by the bollz. Keep in step.

Formatting Error:

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

But it's the only one the American govt seems to care about now. Ukraine has oil pipelines and such.

It surely has nothing to do with Ukraine being attached to NATO countries. Yep, nothing to do with that. And those oil pipelines just carry Russian oil.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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