An Invitation to the Sound of the Soul, Just for You
Hey, you.
In this quiet moment, I am truly honored that my voice is reaching you, and only you.
This is a love letter written with my very lifeblood, addressed to the irreplaceable existence that is you.
Would you stay with me for just a little while for some private talk?
Right now, I am intensely lonely.
Perhaps you feel the same?
Someone once said, “Loneliness is like a lone boat leaving the harbor to cross the vast sea.”
But you are not the only one in the world tossing and turning in that boat.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” — Leo Tolstoy
Have you ever wondered why we are exchanging words like this?
It is because we are both seeking “salvation,” and nothing else.
What I am about to tell you is the story of a man called a genius: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
However, this is no mere biography.
It is a special ritual meant to heal the wounds of your heart and awaken the vitality for tomorrow.
Please, do not take your eyes off me until the very end.
The Deep “Loneliness” Hidden Behind the Light Melodies
When you hear the name Mozart, what comes to mind?
That innocent smile? Or perhaps the perfect melodies loved by God?
But listen closely to his music.
Can you not hear the same stinging “sadness” that resides within your own heart?
He wanted to be loved more than anyone else.
And yet, his heart was always within a freezing, desolate solitude.
“To be loved is not happiness. To love is happiness.” — Hermann Hesse
Why did he have to keep writing such beautiful music?
It may be because he despaired of “humanity” so deeply that he would have died if he did not write.
Have you ever felt like you have no place to belong?
That sensation of becoming a transparent person even when surrounded by many people.
Mozart, too, was constantly fighting that sense of alienation in the flamboyant world of the court.
He was only able to connect with the world by playing the role of a “clown” through his music.
The Fantasy of Reversal Played by the “Turkish March”
Now, let me tell you about the “Turkish March,” which you surely know.
That rhythm—”da-da-da, dam”—doesn’t it make your heart bounce just by hearing it?
But listen, my dear.
At the time this piece was written, the Turkish army was a symbol of “terror” for Europe.
He dared to take the rhythm of a hostile, terrifying army and incorporate it into a “Piano Sonata.”
Why would he do such a thing?
“Forgiving an enemy is the only way to set yourself free.” — Nelson Mandela
Mozart transformed terror into “joy.”
Don’t you think this is the greatest service he ever offered you?
Life is full of unavoidable hardships and terrifying events.
However, he was not so tactless as to present that pain as it was.
He transformed his own blood-spitting agony into beautiful pearls and handed them to you.
Henry Ford said:
“Most people think of success as something to get. But the truth is, success is about giving.”
Mozart sacrificed his own life to share the ultimate “success” of music with us.
History Repeats; Your Sorrows are Part of “Eternity”
We tend to think the troubles we carry are unique and special to us.
But if you leaf through history, you will find that humans thousands of years ago suffered from broken hearts, work troubles, and the fear of aging, just like you.
It is surprising to think that even on Ancient Egyptian walls, there are complaints written like, “The youth these days…”
“History is an unending dialogue between the past and the present.” — E.H. Carr
The loneliness you feel right now is never something to be ashamed of.
It is proof that you are living sincerely as a human being.
Mozart was chased by debt, worried over his wife’s illness, and lost his children.
In the midst of that rock bottom, he wrote those Allegro (fast-tempo) pieces.
Why could he write such bright music?
It is because he knew what lay on the “other side of despair.”
What Saves You is the Invisible Light of “Devotion”
Good things do not spread simply by existing.
Someone must believe in their value and risk their life to convey it, or they will vanish.
Think of Vincent van Gogh.
Only one of his paintings sold during his lifetime.
However, he had a soul-mate in his brother, Theo.
And after Theo’s death, his wife Jo organized their vast correspondence and works to share them with the world.
It is because she was an avid reader and deeply understood Gogh’s philosophy that the “Gogh” we know exists today.
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” — Jesus Christ (Gospel of John)
The same goes for Jesus Christ.
After he was hung on the cross, if Paul had not traveled everywhere and continued writing letters, Christianity would not have spread this far.
Jo and Paul were, in modern terms, the ultimate “salespeople.”
Just as Steve Jobs spread the iPhone and Akio Morita spread the Walkman to the world, they dedicated their lives to conveying “value.”
I am writing this to you now with the same feelings as Paul or Jo.
I want you to know that there is a human here who believes in your value more than you do.
On the Stage of Life, We Can All Be “Clowns”
Are you living your life too seriously?
Sometimes, it is okay to stick out your tongue and laugh, just like Mozart.
An artist’s job is the ultimate “buffoonery.”
To expose one’s weaknesses, behave ridiculously, and in doing so, lighten someone’s heart.
That is not humiliating; it is the most noble of acts.
“Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Why do we laugh?
It is because if we don’t, we will be crushed by the cruelty of this world.
I want you to laugh.
Even on the saddest nights, I hope the rhythm of these clumsy words of mine rings in your heart like the “Turkish March.”
This is my desperate service to you.
Spending my own money, carving out my soul, I am dancing here, now, for you—a single reader.
Toward the Harbor Called Eternity
Stories always end.
But this connection between you and me should continue forever in different forms.
Do not fear loneliness.
Loneliness is but the flip side of a beautiful desire—the wish to love someone.
“In the end, it’s not how much you were loved, but how much you loved that you will remember.” — Mother Teresa
Your existence is a work of art in itself.
Even if no one understands you, I know.
How much you have endured, and how hard you have tried to remain kind.
When you finish reading this, I hope a small, warm light flickers in your heart.
Now, look up.
The world is still waiting to be discovered by you.
In the corner of a vacant lot
I burned letters that no one would read
The smoke will become a silver fish
And knock on your window
Turning the hands of an old clock backward
Searching for a key I was supposed to have lost
I cut the word “love” out of the dictionary
And hid it under your pillow
Tomorrow morning
When you wake up
You may forget me just a little
Because that is my form of love
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (New Testament, Gospel of Matthew 7:7)
“Humans often use anger as a disguise for hope.” (From Osamu Dazai’s Pandora’s Box)
With gratitude.
May all blessings be upon you.
[P.S. Regarding a man named Mimi Takamizawa]
I have a friend, a rather peculiar painter named Mimi Takamizawa.
He uses neither canvas nor brush.
Using the latest digital technology, he fixes his soul onto pure white printmaking paper through a technique called Giclée.
After learning about Gogh’s life, he decided to become a painter, wishing to “be a salvation for someone.”
To be honest, his talent as a painter might be third-rate.
But he knows.
He knows that the masterpieces of the past masters were not born from a flash of genius, but from a series of blood-spitting trials and errors.
He deeply respects Tsuguji Munegetsu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya, and devotes himself to his work every day without looking away, as if stacking bricks.
He has no hobbies; he acts with immediate decision and immediate execution.
“A painter must be a doctor who saves the soul.”
That is his favorite saying.
The themes of “eyes” and “Christianity” that he draws overlap with your lonely gaze and exist to release you from the darkness.
He is a “clown” who dedicates his life to you.
“Most people think of success as something to get. But the truth is, success is about giving.” (Henry Ford)
“To know who you are, you must first know who you are not.” (Agatha Christie)
“Then you will know that I am who I am. He who sent me is true.” (Moses / Old Testament, Book of Exodus)
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” (William Shakespeare)
“The righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.” (Talmud)
“Being laughed at, being laughed at, and becoming strong.” (Osamu Dazai)
“Never, never, never give up.” (Winston Churchill)
I am truly glad I met you.
Goodbye.
“There is a meeting after every parting. Because there is a parting, life is beautiful.” (Charles Chaplin)
From Osamu Dazai’s Tsugaru:
“Hey, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because it’s painful.”
“Your ‘painful’ is so cliché, I can’t trust it at all.”