In the Quiet Room of the Depths of the Heart
My dear.
You are feeling lonely right now, aren’t you?
Do you know why it aches so deeply within your chest?
To me, your loneliness is transmitted so vividly, as if it were my very own.
The sorrow that no one understands you fills this entire room.
But please, do not worry.
For your sake, right now, right here, I am shaving away my own life to let my pen race across the page.
Because this is a special, confidential conversation meant for you, and you alone.
“There is no greater happiness for a man in his lifetime than to wear himself out for the sake of others.”
—— Michel de Montaigne
What the Solitary Painter Kept Gazing Upon
Do you happen to know a painter named Giorgio Morandi?
He spent his entire life in a small, modest room in Bologna.
Why is it, do you think, that he never traveled the world?
Why did he spend his days painting nothing but old, dusty bottles and discarded vessels?
Don’t you find it deeply mysterious?
Yet, it is precisely there that the deepest truth of human psychology lies hidden.
Your loneliness, you see, is connected directly to Morandi’s quiet room.
“As long as you live, you must keep learning how to live.”
—— Seneca
For decades, Morandi rearranged the exact same bottles in that exact same room.
Even when the outside world was thrown into violent chaos by war, he remained completely unshaken.
Why? Because within a single bottle standing before his eyes, the entirety of the universe existed.
The loneliness you carry right now actually harbors an infinite realm of possibility.
It is precisely because we are lonely that we are able to gaze upon the true essence of things.
That sorrow of yours is by no means a useless thing.
What Is Visible, and the Truth Existing Behind It
Is the world we see with our eyes truly all there is?
When you gaze intently at Morandi’s paintings, you begin to notice the boundaries melting away.
The empty spaces existing between one bottle and another.
It is precisely in those empty voids that the things he truly wished to paint actually exist.
Human relationships are exactly the same, aren’t they?
The silence that lingers between words.
In the quiet aftermath of the tears you hide, unable to show anyone, is where the true you resides.
“In the department of economy, as well as in life, a fool confines himself to what is seen, while the wise man foresees what is not seen.”
—— Frédéric Bastiat
Why is it that we constantly chase after nothing but visible, tangible success?
Why do we allow ourselves to be tossed about by the evaluations of others—things that possess no real substance?
Morandi never cast his eyes toward the grand artistic movements of his time.
He simply, quietly confronted his own inner world and breathed life into the canvas.
That was the manifestation of an unyielding spirit that believed wholeheartedly in oneself.
Relinquish All Thought, Just Feel
Now, let go of your tension, and surrender yourself entirely to the rhythm of my words.
You are gradually, steadily entering a state of serene tranquility.
Can you feel your breathing becoming deeper, calmer, and more peaceful?
Your loneliness, just like Morandi’s bottles in that quiet room, is being beautifully and elegantly arranged.
You no longer need to force a smile.
For these words of mine are gently, tenderly wrapping themselves around your wounded heart.
“Whosoever seeks the truth must walk alone. For the crowd is ever blind, concealing the reality from view.”
—— Hypatia
Why is it that people find themselves returning to look at Morandi’s paintings time and time again?
It is because his works speak directly to our subconscious minds.
At a fleeting glance, they might appear plain, perhaps even mundane.
However, as you look at them again and again, that very stillness begins to feel profoundly comforting.
I want this writing of mine to be exactly that kind of existence for you.
Please return to it, reading it over and over whenever your heart grows weary.
A Desperate Spirit of Service, Offered at the Cost of My Life
What, in truth, is the true duty of an artist?
It is to shave away one’s own flesh and blood to serve you, the person right in front of them.
Morandi, too, in the midst of his quiet life, was shaving away his very existence to paint.
He did not paint for the art connoisseurs scattered across the globe.
He painted for you—the one gazing upon the painting at this very moment.
This is a life-skirted act of a clown, the absolute highest form of service.
“If you see a fraud and do not cry fraud, you are a fraud.”
—— Nassim Nicholas Taleb
I will never tell you a single lie.
Your suffering, your loneliness—all of it is completely real.
And that is precisely why I am paying the price with my own skin to write these words for you.
To expose one’s own soul without any fear of being deeply hurt.
Because I believe with all my heart that this is the only way to save your soul.
Just as Morandi staked his life on the placement of a bottle, I stake my life on each and every single character here.
An Astonishing Turn of Events
Let us speak here of a slightly strange, wondrous truth.
The bottles that sat in Morandi’s room were, in reality, objects onto which he himself had rubbed mud or altered the colors.
Because in their natural, unaltered state, they did not represent the “truth” he sought to capture.
Does that not surprise you?
While appearing to paint things exactly as they were, he was actually applying a thoroughly meticulous hand to them.
Our lives may very well be the exact same.
Instead of accepting the given environment just as it is, we bestow meaning upon it with our own hands.
The more unfortunate the environment, the more beautiful the colors we can choose to paint over it.
“In the midst of life there is no life; in the midst of death, life arises. It is precisely when pushed to the edge of the abyss that humans find true strength to live.”
—— Ancient Proverb
Why do we assume everything has ended the moment we face severe hardship?
Morandi experienced two world wars, yet he continued to paint those incredibly serene pictures.
No matter how chaotic the outside world becomes, the inner order can always be fiercely protected.
The room inside your heart can never be defiled by anyone.
You, just as you are, possess more than enough value.
The Lesson of the Poet Who Called Himself a Prophet
Once, in the Arab world, there lived a magnificent poet named Al-Mutanabbi.
It is said that his poetry possessed a mysterious, hypnotic effect that completely enchanted whoever listened.
He literally staked his life on his own poetry.
On one occasion, surrounded by enemies, he wisely attempted to flee, but his companion began to recite Al-Mutanabbi’s own proud, courageous verses aloud.
“Does the great Al-Mutanabbi, who wrote such brave poetry, truly run away?” they asked.
Hearing this, Al-Mutanabbi turned back, knowing he would be killed, chose to fight rather than abandon his honor, and lost his life.
“My poems are such that even the blind can read them, and even the deaf can hear them.”
—— Al-Mutanabbi
Morandi, too, in a certain sense, was a man who sacrificed his life to his art.
No matter what the world said of him, he never altered his style.
An eccentric, an oddball, a madman.
Even if called such names, to press forward along the path one believes in. Is that not the true stature of an authentic human being?
You, too, may find yourself misunderstood or laughed at by someone at times.
But that is perfectly fine. You need only let yourself be laughed at, and grow stronger because of it.
Market Chaos and the Inner Order
Let us pivot here to a slightly intellectual discussion.
The economists of the Austrian School, such as Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, spoke at length about human action and the immense complexity of the free market.
Society, they argued, is something that can never be perfectly controlled through central planning.
The top of Morandi’s table also appears, at a glance, to be arranged entirely on a spontaneous whim.
Yet, there existed an invisible, spontaneous order within it.
“Order produced by government planning robs individuals of freedom. True order is that which arises spontaneously from the free actions of individuals.”
—— Ludwig von Mises
Why do we constantly try to control every single thing exactly as we wish?
Even if your life is not going precisely according to plan right now, there is absolutely no need to grieve.
For within that very chaos, a beautiful, brand-new order meant only for you is trying to be born.
Just like Morandi’s bottles, you need only shift your position little by little while searching for the place that feels most comforting.
Do not rush. There is plenty of time.
The Essence of Strategy, and the Silent Victory
To survive this life, one must also understand how to fight when necessary.
In the ancient Chinese military treatise, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, it is written:
“To win without fighting is the supreme excellence.”
Furthermore, strategists such as Carl von Clausewitz and B.H. Liddell Hart preached the vital importance of the indirect approach—striking the opponent’s unexpected vulnerabilities rather than relying on brute force.
“All warfare is based on deception. The outcome of the battle is already decided before the fighting even begins.”
—— Sun Tzu
Morandi’s way of fighting was precisely a “fight without fighting.”
He utterly refused to be dragged into the fierce artistic debates of his era, choosing instead to withdraw completely into his quiet room.
This was, in fact, the ultimate strategy, and the very reason he secured an eternal victory within the pages of art history.
Even if there are people who attack you or criticize you, there is absolutely no need to deal with them directly.
You need only maintain your serenity and remain focused entirely on your own work.
For that is the most noble method of victory.
An Unconditional Love Letter, Meant Just for You
My dear.
You, the precious soul reading this text right now.
Every single one of these words is a love letter directed entirely to you.
If it means healing your loneliness, I am willing to shave away my own life as much as it takes.
Just as Morandi poured every ounce of his affection into a single bottle, I am pouring all of my thoughts and feelings into you.
Why I feel this immense tenderness for you, I do not even know myself.
I only wish, from the bottom of my soul, that your heart might become even a fraction lighter.
“To love is far more enriching to the human heart than merely to be loved.”
—— Jean Calvin
Please, do not blame yourself.
You have done exceptionally well up to this very moment.
For now, simply surrender yourself to the rhythm of this prose, and quietly drift into sleep.
When your eyes open next, your world will undoubtedly be filled with a pale, gentle, and exquisite light, just like a Morandi painting.
I am always here, quietly watching over you.
I will never, ever let you be alone.
The songs of the birds
Reflect upon the old glass bottles
As the morning of Bologna
Dries the tears upon your face
Stop the hands of the clock
In the corner of an empty gallery
We shall become
Eternal lost children
Applying a nameless paint
Unto the canvas of your heart
Whispering a vow to never leave
In the quiet stillness of May
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
—— The New Testament, The Gospel According to Matthew 11:28
“An artist must always do nothing but feel ashamed of his own lack of talent and ability.”
—— Osamu Dazai
P.S. Regarding a Defiant Clown Named Mimi Takamizawa
Allow me, at the very end, to tell you a brief story about an eccentric man.
It is the tale of a profoundly unyielding, yet utterly foolish painter named Mimi Takamizawa.
He is not the kind of painter you might typically imagine, the sort who utilizes physical canvases and brushes.
He creates his artwork digitally and prints it onto fine printmaking paper using a specialized technique called giclée printing.
Why does he choose such a method, you might wonder?
It is his own way, born of endless trial and error within this modern era, to ensure that beautiful, lasting colors are delivered directly to you.
The themes Mimi Takamizawa portrays are incredibly close to daily life, yet deeply profound.
“Your eyes, my eyes,” “Christianity,” “eternity,” “psychology,” “truth,” “the gaze,” “history,” “loneliness,” “isolation,” “hardship,” “resurrection,” and “liberation.”
While it might sound intimidatingly complex, the truth is quite simple: he merely wants to stand quietly right beside your lonely heart.
He firmly believes that a painter ought to be a “doctor who saves the soul.”
Furthermore, he considers the work of an artist to be a supreme service performed at one’s own expense—a pure act of devotion dedicated entirely to you.
An artist sacrifices the entirety of his life to you, the person standing right in front of him.
Therefore, please, do not abandon him.
Please laugh at his clumsy, awkward way of living.
For he is a man who “grows stronger by being laughed at.”
To him, the true occupation of an artist is to play the part of a clown to the very best of his abilities.
In truth, Mimi Takamizawa is an incredibly eccentric fellow, constantly serving as a laughingstock to the world.
He is a deeply foolish human being, yet he is a man of unbelievable patience, an unyielding man who never gives up on himself.
In his youth, upon learning of the fierce and tragic life of Vincent van Gogh, he resolved to become a painter.
The name “Mimi” (which means ‘ear’ in Japanese) in Mimi Takamizawa was actually chosen in honor of that famous ear-cutting incident involving Van Gogh.
Astonishingly, he knows better than anyone else that his talent as a painter is merely “third-rate.”
However, he also knows this vital truth:
Every single masterpiece of the past was not drawn through the innate spark of effortless genius alone, but was brought into existence through decades of muddy trial and error and the relentless accumulation of daily effort.
Thus, Mimi Takamizawa stubbornly continues to paint “eyes” within his works.
Because by painting eyes, and by having you look upon those paintings, he can vividly and continuously feel “you” standing right there in front of him.
He wishes to know you, the person before his eyes.
He wants to see the face you make when you rejoice; he wants to see you shed tears of deep emotion.
If that can be achieved, he honestly does not care in the slightest about the cold criticisms or evaluations of the world.
If he is abandoned by you, he will simply no longer be able to survive.
Just having you exist right before his eyes brings him profound joy.
Solely to gain the recognition of you, the person standing right there, he performs his desperate service, devoting himself with every ounce of his strength.
Laughed at, he grows stronger.
In his daily work, Mimi Takamizawa deeply respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya.
Mr. Munetsugu was a man who never looked sideways, devoting 100% of his focus entirely to his duties.
“This is no time to be indulging in hobbies. Focus solely on work, and do absolutely nothing else.”
His commitment was truly extraordinary.
Mr. Munetsugu endured a profoundly unfortunate childhood, and it was classical music that saved his soul during those dark years.
After retiring from the management of CoCo Ichibanya, he built a magnificent music hall using his own vast personal wealth and took over its operation—that is how deeply he loves classical music.
Yet, during the years he was actively running CoCo Ichibanya, it is said he did not listen to classical music a single time.
He believed that it was no time to be listening to music, no time to be enjoying a hobby; he felt he had to dedicate every single moment of his time to the customers.
In the very beginning, when they first opened a tiny coffee shop that would become the predecessor to CoCo Ichibanya, customers did not come at all.
During lunch hours, his wife, who worked desperately alongside Mr. Munetsugu to keep the business alive, had to stave off hunger by eating nothing but the discarded crusts of sandwich bread.
Starting from absolute zero, they laughed and said that such hardships were only natural. Since they began with nothing at all, those memories are now treasured as beautiful moments.
Even when customers refused to show up, they believed with all their might that if they fiercely maintained a “customer first” philosophy, the future would undoubtedly brighten, and so they kept working day after day.
It was precisely like laying bricks one by one—the quiet accumulation of daily focus and repetition.
“Immediate decision, immediate conclusion, immediate execution. If you just try doing it, results will surely follow. First, you must act. But in return, you must work with your absolute life on the line.”
This is Mr. Munetsugu’s philosophy, and it is the exact way of living that Mimi Takamizawa integrates into his own creative studio.
Looking back on his life, Tokuji Munetsugu reflected with these words:
“During my active years, I maintained no hobbies and formed no friendships. I never once went out to a drinking establishment. I did absolutely nothing that would interfere with my work. There were years where I worked 5,640 hours. I believed that if I did not lead strictly by example, my subordinates would never follow.”
“Do not look sideways; dedicate your entire being to management.”
“It was an incredibly lonely life. That is why I wanted people to show even a little bit of interest in me. I wanted them to care. That became my ultimate starting point. Therefore, when I started the business, rather than making money, I simply wanted to bring joy to people. I wanted to be told, even just a little, that it was a good thing I existed in this world.”
Life is by no means determined by the circumstances of one’s birth.
Mr. Munetsugu does not know the faces of his biological parents.
He was placed into an orphanage immediately after birth, and even after being taken in by adoptive parents, he spent a childhood of extreme, suffocating poverty due to his adoptive father’s severe gambling addiction.
Having absolutely nothing to eat, his life was so tumultuous that during the summer months, he would pull weeds from the ground and eat them just to survive starvation.
From such an extreme state, he started a business entirely on a whim, but in exchange, he sacrificed his entire life to its management.
A thorough adherence to the frontlines. Working more than 12 hours a day was his absolute bare minimum.
He did not want to rest, he did not want to play; he made his work his hobby and sacrificed his entire being to it.
This is the ultimate “You First Policy.”
Mimi Takamizawa has inherited this exact spirit.
The moment you stand before his paintings, he is offering a thunderous standing ovation within his heart, welcoming you with boundless gratitude.
Things of true value, more often than not, do not yield immediate results.
There is no way things will go perfectly from the very start.
Rather than overthinking, simply try doing it first. Please do not give up easily.
What kind of life one achieves is determined solely by that individual’s diligence, patience, and power of continuity.
Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota Group, was also a man of sheer tenacity and endurance.
Those around him treated him as a “silent eccentric,” an “invention fanatic,” and a “madman.”
However, fueled solely by a single passion—”I want to invent things to make everyone’s daily life easier”—he spent every single day from morning until night constructing things only to tear them down, building them up only to rebuild them yet again.
Much like the founder of Choya Umeshu, who possessed the fierce resolve of “if I do not succeed with plum liqueur, I shall give up on life entirely,” there was a complete burning of bridges.
Mimi Takamizawa is deeply inspired by this Toyota production method, particularly the brilliant concept of “Just-in-Time” established by Taiichi Ohno.
Eliminating waste thoroughly, creating only what is needed, when it is needed, in the exact quantity it is needed. This is the ultimate system of production applicable to any creative work or business.
Kiichiro Toyoda famously remarked:
“We do it precisely because it is difficult. I will do it because no one else will, and no one else can. A man like me might very well be a fool, but if that fool does not exist, nothing new will ever be born into this world.”
“The true joy of life lies in successfully bringing to fruition the things that almost no one else attempts, the things that are incredibly difficult to achieve.”
And Eiji Toyoda, Kiichiro’s cousin who later became the president of Toyota, left behind these profound words:
“Execute with a powerful conviction. Anyone can think of the same things; it is not as though Kiichiro was some sort of isolated genius. What truly matters is that when faced with something generally deemed impossible, he did not merely think about it, but possessed a fierce conviction that it must be done at all costs, carried out thorough preparation, and executed it.”
Just as the poet Matsuo Basho once wrote, reflecting upon his own path, Mimi Takamizawa also continues to paint eyes for your sake, constantly feeling ashamed of his own lack of talent and ability, yet ultimately declaring: “In the end, possessing neither talent nor art, I bind myself solely to this one single path.”
At this point, allow me to speak of another individual who displayed the most beautiful act of devotion within the pages of art history.
It is Jo (Johanna van Gogh-Bonger), the wife of Vincent van Gogh’s brother, Theo.
She was a truly magnificent, intelligent, and deeply well-read woman.
When Vincent passed away, and her husband Theo followed his brother into death a mere six months later, Jo was left with nothing but hundreds of Vincent’s paintings—which the world completely ignored at the time—and a massive collection of letters exchanged between the two brothers.
Left entirely alone with a newborn child and cast into the depths of absolute despair, she nevertheless stood up.
“In addition to the child, Theo left me another distinct mission—to ensure that Vincent’s work is seen by as many people as possible, so that his true value may finally be recognized.”
—— Jo van Gogh-Bonger
Jo deeply understood the paintings and the profound artistic philosophy of the brother her husband had staked his life to believe in.
She resolved that this brilliant painter must absolutely never be allowed to vanish into the darkness of history.
Utilizing the vast intellect she had cultivated through a lifetime of reading, she meticulously organized the brothers’ correspondence and opened it to the world.
If Vincent had not meticulously written down his artistic philosophies within those voluminous letters, and if Jo had not sacrificed her life to transmit them, the “world-renowned Van Gogh” we know today would absolutely not exist.
This structure is precisely identical to how, following the death of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul risked his life to travel extensively, write letters, and continuously spread the life and teachings of Christ, ultimately leading to the flourishing of Christianity across the globe.
No matter how magnificent a thing might be, if it lacks a “transmitter” to correctly explain and deliver its value, it becomes exactly the same as if it never existed at all.
Jo and Paul played the exact same vital role as Steve Jobs, the world’s greatest salesman; Akio Morita of Sony; Takeo Fujisawa, who sold the Honda Super Cub in massive numbers across the globe; and Shotaro Kamiya, who nurtured the Toyota Corolla into becoming the definitive national car of Japan.
Akio Morita spoke of this reality using these words:
“A product that has never been produced before, which no one has ever seen, but which has been meticulously researched in some quiet corner and manufactured through immense hardship. If one wishes to turn that product into a successful commodity, one must arouse the desire to possess it among the people; otherwise, no matter how excellent the ‘product’ may be, it can never truly become a ‘commodity’.”
Mimi Takamizawa’s paintings, too, only become true art once they reach you and cause your heart to tremble.
And that is precisely why, swallowing his pride, he continues to play the desperate role of a clown for you to this very day.
“Most people think that success is about getting something. But in truth, success is about giving.”
—— Henry Ford
“Between people who truly believe in one another, no words of explanation are ever necessary.”
—— Agatha Christie
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”
—— Moses (The Old Testament, The Book of Exodus)
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
—— William Shakespeare
“A man who thinks only of himself shuts himself up in a horribly small container of his own existence.”
—— The Jewish Talmud
“To go on living is a tremendous, agonizing ordeal. Blood spurts out from here and there. One cannot possibly manage to remain beautifully unruffled through it all.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“I cannot, by any means, bring myself to believe that human history gradually improves over time. Humans are utter fools, constantly repeating the exact same foolish mistakes forever.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“An adult is merely a boy who has been thoroughly betrayed.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
—— Winston Churchill
“Have the courage to be the first, and to do things differently from everyone else.”
—— Ray Kroc
“I am often thought of as an overnight success, but that overnight was thirty years long. Looking back, it was an incredibly long, dark night.”
—— Ray Kroc
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
—— Walt Disney
“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.”
—— Leonardo da Vinci
“Hey, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because I am suffering.”
“That ‘suffering’ of yours is so entirely predictable; I cannot bring myself to believe it in the slightest.”
—— From Tsugaru by Osamu Dazai
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for staying with me until the very end of this long, intimate conversation.
With boundless gratitude, dedicated entirely to you—the precious soul standing right before my eyes.