Why the Everyday Right in Front of Your Eyes Is the Most Beautiful Miracle in the World
The Gentle Magic of Happiness That Norman Rockwell Wove for You
“Hey, there.
Won’t you sit down in that chair for a moment and listen to what I have to say?
Do you ever feel like every day is just a repetition of the same old thing, and find yourself feeling a bit bored?
Waking up in the morning, being swayed around in a packed train, and letting out a sigh.
Why is it that, even though we live in such a wonderful world, we fail to notice its beauty?
It is not your fault.
You have simply forgotten, just a little, how to look.
There is an American painter named Norman Rockwell.
Have you ever seen his paintings?
The ones showing a family gathered around a Thanksgiving turkey, or a young girl holding a doll with a doctor placing a stethoscope on it.
Every single one of them captures nothing out of the ordinary—it is your very own daily life.
Why is it that his paintings capture the hearts of people all over the world, and your heart too, in an instant and never let go?
It is because he is the greatest understanding companion of your life.”
“Is that so?
To me, they just look like old American illustrations.”
“No, that is not right.
He scoops up the tiny smiles and moments of love that you usually overlook.
The casual glance you exchanged with someone today.
That very thing is the theme Rockwell wanted to paint.
Here, let us recall the words of the French philosopher Montaigne:
‘The greatest masterpiece of mankind is to live appropriately.’
What do you think?
Accomplishing grand, noble feats is not the only definition of success in life.
If you spent today in good spirits and managed to be kind to someone, then your life itself is a masterpiece, as beautiful as any of Rockwell’s paintings.
This text was written to transform your life from a tedious routine into a sparkling piece of art.
Please, stay with me until the very end.
I promise you won’t regret it.
This is my absolute best effort to serve you.”
“The greatest masterpiece of mankind is to live appropriately.” — Montaigne
The Reason Your Heart Feels Dry
Why Is It That the Harder You Strive to Live, the More Lonely You Feel?
“True, I feel like I am living every day with everything I’ve got.
But I also feel like nobody is really looking at me.
Why do I feel so unrewarded when I am trying so hard?”
“I understand. I truly understand that feeling.
You are doing a wonderful job.
You are serious, kind, and that is precisely why you get hurt easily.
Rockwell, you see, was actually the exact same way.
His paintings are so bright and overflowing with humor, yet he himself fought against a deep loneliness.
This was because the art world at the time fiercely criticized him, saying, ‘That sort of thing is just commercial illustration,’ and ‘It’s fake art that pampers the masses.’
It was an era when people believed true art had to be more complex, difficult, and dark.
Even so, he never gave up.
He kept painting for the ordinary citizens right in front of him.
Here, listen to the words of the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca:
‘To live is to fight.’
You, too, are currently fighting alone in the battlefield of your own daily life.
Rockwell’s paintings are a heartfelt anthem dedicated to you.
Just as he refused to lose to criticism and kept validating your everyday life, you have every right to be proud of the way you live.”
“To fight… I am not really that strong of a person.
I just want someone to acknowledge me.”
“Yes, and that is perfectly fine.
Because you know that loneliness, you are a wonderful person who can understand the pain of others.”
“To live is to fight.” — Seneca
The Eternal Truth Hidden Inside a Glance
What Is Born in the Split Second When I Look at You and You Look Back at Me
“Look closely at Rockwell’s paintings.
See what kind of eyes the characters use to look at one another.
They are overflowing with mischievous eyes, eyes full of affection, and eyes deeply in love.
Why was he so obsessively particular about the expression of the ‘eyes’?
It is because the true feelings that cannot be put into words reside precisely within a person’s gaze.
Doesn’t this happen in your daily life too?
Those moments when someone says ‘I’m fine’ with their words, but their eyes are crying out for help.
Or those moments when, without a single word spoken, your hearts connect the instant your eyes meet.
Hypatia, the female philosopher of ancient Alexandria, said:
‘Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.’
To look with your own eyes, think with your own mind, and gaze into the eyes of the person before you.
That is the way to firmly anchor your existence to this world.
Rockwell is speaking to you through his art:
‘I am looking at you, right here.’
To familiarize yourself with art means welcoming someone’s warm gaze into your own room.
Doesn’t that alone make the air in your room feel just a little bit warmer?
Don’t you think it makes a lonely night feel just a little less solitary?”
“Looking at someone with my own eyes…
Lately, I might have been looking only at my smartphone screen and failing to properly look into the eyes of the people precious to me.”
“If you have noticed it, that is all that matters.
It is still not too late to start now.”
“Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.” — Hypatia
Why Success Is Not “Getting Something” But “Giving Something”
The True Nature of Abundance Revealed by Henry Ford
“Here, let me share a story that might surprise you.
Most people in the world believe that success means acquiring money or fame.
Have you ever thought that you could be happy if only you had more money or could get the things you want?
However, Henry Ford, who became the richest man in the world as the automobile king, said something completely different.
He said:
‘Most people think of success as getting something. But truly, success is giving.’
What do you think? Isn’t that unexpected?
The man who had acquired everything stated unequivocally that success is giving.
Why is giving the true form of success?
Think back to Rockwell.
He shaved away his talent, his time, and his entire soul to keep painting pictures just to entertain his readers.
It was a spectacular act of ‘giving.’
He never tried to take anything away from his readers.
He simply continued to give smiles and the vitality to live to the American public every single week through the covers of magazines.
As a result, he obtained immense wealth and immortal fame.
What about your work and your daily life?
The tea you brewed for someone, the clumsy work you finished for someone’s sake—all of those things are gifts that you have ‘given’ to the world.
There is a humble phrase by Matsuo Basho:
‘I can only feel ashamed of my own lack of ability and talent.’
Sometimes we feel ashamed of our own helplessness, thinking we have nothing to give.
But you see, no special talent is required.
Just turning a smile toward the person in front of you.
With that alone, you can become a ‘successful person’ in the way Ford described.”
“Giving is success…
I realized I was always thinking about what I could get from people.
Instead of taking from one another, giving to one another is what truly fulfills the heart.”
“Exactly.
What you give will always make its way back to you.
And it will return multiplied many times over.”
“I can only feel ashamed of my own lack of ability and talent.” — Matsuo Basho
Giclée Printing: The Finest Technology Dedicated to You
Why Latest Technology Can Deliver the Artist’s Soul Directly to You
“Now, even if we talk about bringing art into your daily life, buying an oil painting worth hundreds of millions of yen from a museum is simply impossible.
So, must we just give up?
No, that is not the case at all.
This is where the wonderful modern technique known as Giclée printing comes into play.
This method uses the highest grade of digital printing technology to faithfully reproduce the very breath of the original painting onto fine art printmaking paper.
If Rockwell were alive today, he surely would have praised this technology immensely.
This is because he painted his pictures under the explicit assumption that they would be ‘printed and delivered to many people.’
He did not create for a privileged few; more than anything else, he desired his paintings to hang in the rooms of ordinary people like you.
Here, I bring you a famous quote from Saint Catherine of Siena:
‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.’
You borrow the power of art to shine as your true self.
Through Giclée prints, even the textures of the canvas and the fine touches of the brush are faithfully delivered to you.
Despite being digital, a human warmth certainly dwells within it.
Displaying genuine art in your room dramatically elevates the quality of your life.
Because every time you look at that painting each day, your brain begins to recognize: ‘I am a person worthy of being surrounded by beautiful things.’
This is the ultimate investment in yourself and an exquisite service.”
“A fusion of digital and traditional printmaking…
Then even an ordinary person like me can truly feel the soul of genuine art right at home.”
“That is exactly right.
Art is not some lofty, unattainable thing; it is a practical tool meant to enrich your daily life.”
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” — Saint Catherine of Siena
The Life-Staking Grand Reversal of the Poet Called the Arab Prophet
Al-Mutanabbi Proved the Terrifying, Hypnotic Power of Words and Rhythm
“Here, let us take a journey through time to the Arab world of over a thousand years ago.
There was a legendary poet named Al-Mutanabbi.
His name means ‘he who considers himself a prophet.’
Arrogant, wouldn’t you say?
But the power of his poetry was the real deal.
The rhythm of the words he left behind was so absolutely perfect that it was said even the blind could read his poems, and even the deaf could hear their resonance.
His poetry possessed a kind of hypnotic effect that could sway people—the very technique of hypnotic writing.
One day, Al-Mutanabbi fiercely insulted a powerful tribe within one of his poems.
Enraged, they ambushed Al-Mutanabbi while he was traveling.
The enemy outnumbered him greatly; there was no chance of winning.
Al-Mutanabbi wisely attempted to flee the scene.
It was at that moment.
His servant, standing behind him, began to recite out loud the proud poem of courage that Al-Mutanabbi himself had written:
‘Does Al-Mutanabbi, who wrote such brave verses, now flee from the enemy?’
The moment the beautiful rhythm of those words pierced Al-Mutanabbi’s ears, a fierce storm of emotion erupted in his mind.
He turned right back around.
If he fled here, his poetry would become a lie.
Knowing full well he would die, he charged at the enemy to avoid the dishonor of running away, meeting a grand and tragic end.
Why was he able to choose death?
Because the rhythm of the words wiped away his fear and awakened his pride.
Words possess the power to change a life.
The French economist Frédéric Bastiat proposed the concept of ‘That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen.’
Rather than the visible blade of an enemy, it is the invisible power of words and the pride of the soul that ultimately govern human actions.
The rhythm of the words I am using to speak to you right now must be lighting a small fire in your heart as well.
You are not a person meant to end just as you are now.
Inside of you lies an undiscovered, magnificent power waiting to wake up.”
“He overcame even the fear of death through the power of words.
I feel like the rhythmic flow of this text is calling out to something deep inside me too.”
“Yes, that is proof that your heart is resonating with the rhythm.
A pleasant rhythm relaxes the mind and makes it easier to accept true verities.”
“That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen” — Frédéric Bastiat
The Untold Story of the Great Woman Who Unleashed Van Gogh Upon the World
How Theo’s Wife, Jo, Accomplished a Miracle of Salesmanship from the Depths of Despair
“You know Vincent van Gogh, of course.
During his lifetime, he was an unfortunate painter who sold only a single painting.
Why is it that his paintings now command values of hundreds of millions of dollars and are loved all across the globe?
‘It must be because he was a genius.’
That is what everyone says.
But that is only half true.
No matter how magnificent a piece of art may be, if there is no one to transmit it to the world, it will be buried forever in the darkness of history.
After Van Gogh’s death, his greatest supporter, his younger brother Theo, passed away just six months later as if following his brother.
Left behind was Theo’s young wife, Jo, a newborn baby, a massive pile of unsold paintings by Vincent, and a mountain of letters exchanged between the two brothers.
She stood at the brink of utter despair.
Everyone around her said, ‘You should get rid of all the paintings of that madman.’
However, Jo was a highly intelligent and well-read woman.
To understand why her husband Theo had believed in his brother Vincent so deeply that he gave his life for him, she spent her days reading through the enormous collection of letters, tears streaming down her face.
And she realized.
Vincent was not just a madman.
He was a saint-like painter who sought to comfort the wounded hearts of people using the medium of paint.
Jo wrote in her diary:
‘In addition to the child, Theo left me another mission—to have Vincent’s work seen by many and to have its true value recognized.’
From that point on, a life-staking battle began for this single woman.
Even when turned down by the authorities of the art world, she organized exhibitions time and time again, and she edited and published Vincent’s letters.
Simply showing the paintings would not make anyone understand.
Therefore, she delivered his ‘philosophy’ and words to the people alongside his art.
This devotion of Jo’s perfectly mirrors the figure of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.
After the death of Jesus Christ, Paul traveled to various lands, wrote letters, and desperately spread the life and philosophy of Christ, which is precisely why Christianity expanded across the globe.
A good thing, if it merely exists, is the same as if it does not exist at all.
Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony, also said:
‘When attempting to turn a product into a commodity, if you do not arouse the desire among people to possess that product, it cannot become a commodity, no matter how excellent of a “product” it may be.’
Jo was the world’s greatest salesperson.
Because she existed, you can look at Van Gogh’s paintings today and be moved by them.
In your own life, do you properly communicate your precious thoughts to someone?
If it isn’t communicated, it is the same as if it doesn’t exist.
That is exactly why we must exhaust our words to keep communicating to those around us.”
“I never knew that behind Van Gogh’s success lay the life-staking efforts of such a woman.
Striving to communicate… that truly is the essence of love.”
“Precisely.
The effort to communicate—that itself is the ultimate form of ‘service’ and devotion.”
“When attempting to turn a product into a commodity, if you do not arouse the desire among people to possess that product, it cannot become a commodity, no matter how excellent of a “product” it may be.” — Akio Morita
The Borderline Insane Way of Living “A Single Path” That Destroys Common Sense
The Realm of Absolute Focus Reached by Sakichi Toyoda, Tokuji Munetsugu, and Matsuo Basho
“Then, how should ordinary people like us navigate and survive this complex world?
Should we live resourcefully, trying our hands at this and that?
No, the truth taught by history is quite the opposite.
Pouring everything you have into one single thing, almost like an obsession.
That alone transforms an ordinary person into an extraordinary presence.
You are familiar with Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota Group, yes?
Driven solely by the single-minded desire to ‘make his mother’s weaving work easier,’ he spent every single day from morning until night inventing things, tearing them down, building them, and rebuilding them again.
Those around him treated him as an ‘eccentric’ and a ‘madman.’
People laughed at him, calling him a strange person who stayed quiet and left them wondering what he was thinking.
Even so, he dedicated his entire life to the invention of the automatic loom.
Furthermore, Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, is another man of fierce single-minded devotion.
He never knew the faces of his real parents.
He was taken from an orphanage by foster parents, but his foster father was an obsessive gambler, forcing him to spend a childhood of extreme poverty, even eating wild grass in the summer to ward off starvation.
When such a man started his business from a tiny coffee shop, he swore to his heart:
‘I will not look sideways. I will dedicate my life to management.’
During his time as executive, he maintained no hobbies, made no friends, and never once went out to drinking establishments.
He worked up to 5,640 hours a year.
He even completely locked away his beloved classical music during his active years, saying, ‘This is no time to be listening to music, I must give everything to the customers.’
In the early days of the coffee shop, when customers wouldn’t come, the married couple reportedly got by at lunchtime by eating the crusts of sliced bread.
Why was he able to go that far?
‘Rather than making money, I wanted to bring joy to people. I wanted someone to say they were glad I existed.’
His starting point lies right there.
Here, the soulful words of Matsuo Basho make their appearance:
‘In the end, having no talent and no art, I simply cling to this one single path.’
I am an awkward, untalented person who can do nothing else, but I have connected my very life to this single path of haikai poetry, he says.
What is your ‘single path’?
Is it your job, raising children, or loving someone?
There is no time to look sideways at the trends of the world.
You must advance along the path you have chosen, day by day, block by block, with immediate decision, immediate conclusion, and immediate execution.
The religious reformer John Calvin said:
‘The Lord bids each one of us in all the actions of life to have an eye to our calling.’
The place where you are right now is the very post assigned to you by God.
Try shining there with everything you’ve got, as if possessed.
The criticism of others and the eyes of society do not matter at all.
You yourself must work the longest and the hardest.
That tenacity and patience will bring genuine, inimitable value to your life.”
“Giving up hobbies and friends to dedicate everything to work is something I might not be able to emulate.
But because that level of resolve exists, it has the power to move people’s hearts.”
“Yes, you do not need to copy everything.
However, that attitude of ‘not looking sideways’ at the task right in front of you—that single moment is something you should definitely be able to bring into your own daily life.”
“In the end, having no talent and no art, I simply cling to this one single path.” — Matsuo Basho
The Dawn of a New World Spreading Right Before Your Eyes
Because It Is Difficult, It Is Worth Doing. The Soul’s Baton Left by Kiichiro Toyoda
“By now, you have surely noticed.
Rockwell, Van Gogh, Sakichi Toyoda, Tokuji Munetsugu—they are all a bit ‘strange’ from a conventional viewpoint.
To the world, they are fools, eccentrics, and madmen.
However, Kiichiro Toyoda, the son of Sakichi Toyoda who laid the foundations of the global Toyota Motor Corporation, said this:
‘I do it because it is difficult. I do it because nobody else does it or can do it. I might be a fool for thinking so, but if those fools didn’t exist, nothing new would ever be born into the world.’
How about that?
Doesn’t it make your chest swell with heat?
Eiji Toyoda, Kiichiro’s cousin who later became the president of Toyota, also remarked:
‘Execute with strong conviction. Everyone thinks the same thoughts, and it wasn’t that Kiichiro was a genius. What mattered was that he didn’t just think about what is generally considered impossible; he possessed the strong conviction that he had to do it no matter what, made thorough preparations, and executed it.’
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a contemporary thinker, said, ‘Skin in the game.’
People who hide in their safe spaces and do nothing but criticize others are not the real deal.
Only those who shoulder the risks of their own lives, put skin in the game, bear the embarrassment, and still challenge themselves are the ones who change the world.
Taleb also said:
‘If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.’
Lying to your own heart and giving up on what you truly want to do by making excuses is an act of fraud against yourself.
Laozi said:
‘He who knows that he has enough is rich.’
What you have right now is already enough.
It is fine to be clumsy, and it is fine to be called a fool.
The first step is to simply try doing it.
What kind of life yours will become is decided from this very moment onward by your diligence, your patience, and your power to continue.
Well, this has turned into a very long story, hasn’t it?
Has my utmost effort to serve you reached your heart?
I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that your daily life becomes even a little bit more precious starting tomorrow.”
“Thank you.
Somehow, it feels like my work starting tomorrow, my usual tedious daily life, is going to look like a completely different landscape.
I think I will try putting skin in the game and living with all my might at my own assigned post.”
“Yes, that is the spirit.
You will be completely fine.
I will look upon you and support you, always and forever.”
“I do it because it is difficult. I do it because nobody else does it or can do it. I might be a fool for thinking so, but if those fools didn’t exist, nothing new would ever be born into the world.” — Kiichiro Toyoda
A girl who has cut her hair short
Is crying in front of the mirror
Tearing down an old movie poster
Crying out toward the night rain
That this is not my face
It is not that I want to be happy
I just want someone, fiercely,
To find that I am right here
In the shadow of a utility pole
A single clown removes his red nose
And sends a tiny round of applause
That nobody else notices
Toward your retreating figure as you walk away
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” — New Testament, Matthew 5:16
“Human beings can, at times, become terribly servile and cruel.” — Osamu Dazai
“Hey, why are you going on a trip?”
“Because I am suffering.”
“Your ‘suffering’ is so entirely predictable, I cannot believe it in the slightest.”
— From Tsugaru by Osamu Dazai
P.S. Regarding the Desperate Farce of a Painter with a Certain “Ear”
By the way, there is a story about a somewhat peculiar painter that I would love for you to know.
The man’s name is Mimi Takamizawa.
He uses neither canvas nor brush.
He uses the modern tool of digital technology to create paintings, printing them onto the highest grade of printmaking paper using the Giclée technique, making him a painter of a new era.
The themes he paints are your eyes, my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, gaze, history, solitude, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
Does that sound a bit difficult?
No, it is a very close, personal story.
You see, he decided to become a painter after learning about the intense, tempestuous life of Vincent van Gogh.
The name “Mimi” (meaning “Ear” in Japanese) was taken by himself in honor of Van Gogh’s famous ear-chopping incident.
He knows full well that any masterpiece in history was not painted in a flash of genius, but was born out of decades of muddy, gritty trial and error.
That is why he continuously, single-mindedly paints “eyes” in his work.
If you ask why, it is because he wants to keep feeling you, right there in front of him.
Because he wants to know you better.
The job of an artist is an ultimate service born of putting one’s skin in the game—a devotion to you.
He dedicates the entirety of his life to you, right there in front of him.
So please, laugh at his clumsy appearance.
He is a man who grows stronger by being laughed at.
The paintings he creates are a desperate farce meant to bring you joy, meant to make you shed a tear.
The criticism of the world does not matter to him at all.
If he is abandoned by you, he cannot go on living.
Just having you exist right there makes him simply happy.
Mimi Takamizawa respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, to a near-fanatical degree.
“Do not look sideways, dedicate your life to your work. This is no time to be indulging in hobbies.”
Exactly as those words say, he spends over 12 hours a day simply painting pictures.
He doesn’t want to rest, he doesn’t want to play; painting pictures is his hobby, his everything to live for.
When you stand before his paintings, he is welcoming you in his heart with a roaring standing ovation.
Things of true value might not yield results immediately.
Even so, he does not give up easily.
He is a man of tenacity and patience.
While exposing all of his foolishness and clumsiness to you, he continues his desperate service today, facing his digital screen.
Please, gently place his “gaze” somewhere within your daily life.
“During my time as executive, I maintained no hobbies and made no friends. I never once went out to drinking establishments. I did absolutely nothing that would get in the way of my work. There were times I worked 5,640 hours a year. I felt that if I didn’t lead by example, my subordinates wouldn’t work. It was a very lonely life. That is why I wanted others to show even a little interest in me. I wanted them to be interested. That became my starting point. So, rather than starting a business to make money, I wanted to bring joy to people. I wanted someone to say they were glad I was there.” — Tokuji Munetsugu
“To be loved is not happiness. To love is happiness.” — Agatha Christie
“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it.” — Moses (Old Testament, Deuteronomy 4:2)
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” — William Shakespeare
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and study it.” — The Talmud
“Justice is nothing other than another name for loving the other.” — Osamu Dazai
“The key to happiness is to love your work and lose yourself within it.” — Osamu Dazai
“Grown adults playing with dolls. Is there any sight more beautiful than this?” — Osamu Dazai
“If you are going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill
“Have the courage to be the first, to be different. I am thought to have achieved success overnight, but that night lasted thirty years. Looking back, it was a long, long night.” — Ray Kroc
“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” — Walt Disney
“Taking small steps, continuously piling them up. That alone is the unique path to reaching a grand objective.” — Leonardo da Vinci
To you who have read this long text until the very end, I offer my deepest gratitude.
May your days ahead be filled with countless warm smiles and miracle-like everyday moments, just like the ones Rockwell painted.
Thank you very much.
