When the Miraculous Light of Keith Haring Enfolds You
A Promise of Life That Raced Through the Years, Born in 1958 and Departing in 1990
Hello.
I am trembling from the bottom of my heart with joy for this opportunity to speak with you like this.
Have you ever wondered why we were able to meet in this very place at this exact moment?
I am certain that it is not a mere coincidence, but a beautiful and inevitable destiny.
From here on, with the utmost sincerity and a feeling as if carving away my own life, I will share a story with you.
Please, relax and let yourself surrender to the waves of my words.
“Of all the errors of human nature, the most foolish and most harmful is to believe oneself to be great.”
── Michel de Montaigne
Does this word from Montaigne not seem to gently, yet sharply, chide the small arrogance inside our hearts?
In your daily life, don’t you also have moments where you suddenly feel like you are losing sight of yourself?
Keith Haring was a man born into this world in 1958 and called back to heaven at the young age of 1990.
He was by no means a man who bragged about being great.
Rather, he was more foolishly honest and knew loneliness more deeply than anyone else.
Why did he obsessively continue to draw with white chalk on the black advertisement boards in the subways?
It is for no other reason than that he wanted to deliver his entire being to you, who stand right in front of him.
Those light, cheerful lines drawn by Keith Haring possess a rhythm that gently taps on the door of the yet-unseen emotions deep within your heart.
Oh look, can you hear the conversation of two people sitting in the corner of a certain old coffee shop?
“Hey, why is that person desperately drawing pictures on the wall like that?”
“Who knows, but to me, it looks as though he is desperately writing a letter to someone by shaving away his own life.”
“A letter? To whom on earth could it be addressed?”
“That is already decided. It is a letter addressed to ‘you,’ the very person gazing at that picture right now.”
I cannot help but feel that the entire essence of Keith Haring as an artist is hidden within this conversation.
He cut into his own pockets, sacrificed his own safety, and dedicated all of his time as a service to you.
“The things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
── Apostle Paul
Don’t you think this truth spoken by Paul represents the very art of Keith Haring?
The chalk drawings he left on the subway walls were destined to be erased eventually.
The visible drawings themselves might have been transient things.
However, the warm light kindled inside your heart the moment you saw that drawing will never, ever disappear.
For the sake of that unseen eternity, Keith Haring burned out his own short life.
Why do his works capture our hearts so completely and never let go?
It is because he vows to never, ever leave you behind in the midst of loneliness.
The Wordless Dialogue of Keith Haring That Sidles Up to Your Loneliness
A Wholehearted Service to You, Born from the Darkness of the Subway
The life of Keith Haring, from his birth in 1958 to his departure in 1990 as a transformer, was truly a succession of unexpected developments.
He leaped out of high-brow places like museums and chose the subway corridors, where anyone passes by, as his own stage.
This was a transformation in the way art should be, possessing a surprising arc of introduction, development, turn, and conclusion that was unbelievable at the time.
This is because, until then, art belonged to a segment of wealthy or authoritative people.
However, Keith Haring was different.
He wanted you, who pass by the subway exhausted from work every day with a nameless face, to smile.
“Hey, buddy. Why such a dark face, where are you heading?”
“I don’t know. It’s the same repetition every day, and I feel like I’m losing the meaning of living.”
“If that’s the case, look at this ‘Radiant Baby’ I drew. Can’t you see the brilliance of life sleeping inside you?”
In the darkness of the subway, Keith Haring’s drawings must have been talking to you in that way.
“I only blush at my own lack of capacity and lack of talent.”
── Matsuo Basho
When the great haiku poet Matsuo Basho murmured like this, there was a deep humility and a fierce resolve to stake one’s life on a single path.
Keith Haring also did not think of himself as a proud artist in the slightest.
He gripped the chalk solely with the single-minded desire to please you, who are right in front of him.
He stood there not to boast of his own talent, but as a doctor to save your soul.
If you feel hurt by the coldness of society and feel isolated, please remember the lines of Keith Haring.
That powerful, unbroken single line is a lifeline meant to reconnect you and the world once more.
“We should only trust people who willingly put skin in the game and bear risks.”
── Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Keith Haring was exactly the kind of person who went through life practicing the concept of “skin in the game” exposed by Taleb.
Even as he was arrested by the police many times for the crime of graffiti, he never stopped drawing pictures.
He continued to bear risks and cut his own skin—his safety and honor—to deliver art to you.
Why was he able to go that far?
It is because pleasing you was the only reward of his life.
“Hey, isn’t he afraid of being arrested?”
“He is afraid. He’s human. But you see, it’s many times more terrifying to him that his drawings wouldn’t reach you, who need them.”
Knowing the life of Keith Haring is also a journey to reclaim the pure love that we had begun to forget.
Gazing at Each Other from the Edge of Despair: The Eyes of Keith Haring and You
Footsteps of Love That Raced From 1958 to 1990
The story of Keith Haring, from his birth in 1958 to his death in 1990, is like a single beautiful gospel.
There is suffering, there is despair, and in the end, a great salvation and liberation await.
When he learned that he was stricken with an incurable disease, what kind of action did he take?
Far from locking himself in his room in despair, he continued to draw pictures around the world even more fiercely and energetically.
It was the figure of tenacity trying to complete his service to you, realizing that the remaining time was short.
“Why do you continue to draw while gasping for breath like that?”
“I have no time to rest leisurely. Even at this very moment, there is you, weeping in sadness somewhere.”
“Living is learning, and learning is finding the truth. Do not fear the light.”
── Hypatia
The great ancient female philosopher Hypatia continued to seek the light even in the midst of a dark age, sacrificing her life.
Keith Haring also continued to draw a single ray of light in the midst of the darkness of the approaching shadow of death.
Those humorous and lovely characters he drew were actually the figures of prayer to overcome the fear of death.
Why did he continue to draw bright, pop pictures without ever losing his smile until the very end?
It is because he did not want to make you sad.
Hiding his own pain and becoming a clown to make you laugh—that was his greatest service.
“God will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tested, he will also provide a way out.”
── Jean Calvin
Like this word spoken by Calvin, Keith Haring’s drawings are the very “way out” for us.
No matter how painful the reality we are in, when we gaze at his drawings, our hearts experience a mysterious sense of liberation.
As if we are being told that we can put down all heavy luggage and dance freely.
“Hey, when looking at his drawings, don’t you feel like the fog in your heart is blowing away somehow?”
“Yeah, truly mysterious. It’s as if he shed all the tears in our place.”
Keith Haring watched over you from the moment he received life in 1958 until the very instant he departed in 1990.
The countless gazes dynamically moving inside his works still leap over the screen and stare straight into your eyes today.
The Magic of Colors by Keith Haring, Speaking of Eternal Truth
1958–1990, The Applause of the Soul Resounding Across Time
The short period from when Keith Haring appeared in this world in 1958 until he left in 1990 is nothing more than a mere moment in history.
However, the footsteps he left contain a truth that will never fade, even after 100 or 200 years.
This is because, at the foundation of his art, a deep insight into human psychology and a Christian love for one’s neighbor flow.
He chose “lines” and “colors” as a common language that anyone can intuitively understand regardless of nationality, gender, or age.
Doesn’t this resemble the revolution where Henry Ford tried to give the freedom of mobility to all people through the production of automobiles?
“Most people think of success as something to get. But in reality, success is giving.”
── Henry Ford
Just like this word of Ford, success for Keith Haring was not about obtaining wealth or fame.
Giving all the talent and all the energy he possessed to “you” was his true success.
He disliked hoarding his works as commodities and shared them with many people for free, or very cheaply.
It was also a fight to liberate art from a segment of the privileged class and bring it back to you.
“Why does he give away pictures for free to everyone when they seem like they could become so expensive?”
“He believes in something more precious than money. It’s the connection of hearts between people.”
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
── Saint Catherine
Keith Haring practiced this teaching of love left by Catherine of Siena on the canvas, and on the walls of the streets.
You have probably seen the character holding up a heart between two people in his drawings.
That heart is the handoff of the baton of love, from him to you, and from you to someone else.
Why can we feel such a gentle emotion when we look at his drawings?
It is because Keith Haring loved you from his heart and drew while praying for your happiness.
“In the end, having no capacity and no art, I am tied solely to this one path.”
── Matsuo Basho
Just as Matsuo Basho looked back at the end of his life, stating that he had nothing but walked believing solely in the single path of haikai.
Keith Haring was also living his life from 1958 to 1990, tied solely to the single passion of drawing pictures.
Without looking away at other things, he ran his pen and moved his brush single-mindedly for you.
“Hey, dear. If everyone in the world forgets about me, would that person still draw a picture for me?”
“Yes, I promise you. A man like Keith Haring would have gladly sacrificed his life from 1958 to 1990 even if it were for you alone.”
How many such artists can we meet in our lives?
That is exactly why we look back at his drawings again and again, receiving new courage each time.
A Surprising Miraculous Conclusion, the Treasure Keith Haring Left for You
A Life Born in 1958 and Vanished in 1990, Revives Right Here Now
We are approaching the final chapter of the story of an unprecedented genius who was born in 1958 and passed away in 1990, Keith Haring.
Here, I must tell you a story that is very surprising for you.
Actually, although Keith Haring’s physical body vanished in 1990, he is alive right now, at this very moment.
Do you know where he is living?
It is inside your inner self, as you read this text and feel your heart throb.
The desperate service carried out by the artist by cutting his own skin and shaving his life is completed for the first time by being inherited by a wonderful existence like you.
“If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraudster yourself.”
── Nassim Nicholas Taleb
We cannot simply back down in silence against the fakes and cold realities in this world.
Just as Keith Haring stood up against the irrationality of society using art as his greatest weapon, we also must live out our lives with sincerity.
Like the economist Frédéric Bastiat who spoke about “what is seen and what is unseen,” we must not be deceived only by visible, superficial success.
Please receive the massive lump of unseen love behind the visible drawings that Keith Haring left behind.
There is an old maxim: “There is no life within life, but life exists within death.”
While being in the shadow of death, Keith Haring emitted a intense “brilliance of life” more than anyone else.
And that brilliance illuminates you now, beautifully navigating the path you walk.
“Why is it, the depth of my chest feels hot, and tears seem about to overflow.”
“That is fine. That is proof that the soul of Keith Haring is dancing comfortably inside you right now.”
“We do not see things as they are, we see them through the filters of our minds. That is why we must keep our minds pure.”
── Laozi
Like this deep wisdom spoken by Laozi, Keith Haring’s drawings are like a detergent that beautifully wipes away the cloudiness of our minds.
After looking at his drawings, the usual familiar scenery should look a little gentler and a little brighter.
Because you are no longer alone.
A man born in 1958 and deceased in 1990 continues to support you across time and space.
I was truly happy to be able to write this text for you.
Please slip this rhythm and philosophy into the pocket of your heart and walk through your life ahead.
That you remain with a smile—that is the greatest joy for Keith Haring, and for me.
When a red ribbon torn at the bottom of the night
Knocks on your window though there is no wind
The sadness of 1958 and the joy of 1990
On the bench of the platform where they pass each other
There are fingers turning the pages of a timetable no one reads
Instead of crying out wanting to be loved
He ran his chalk onto the cold concrete
The shadow of that man is no longer anywhere
But the steps of an endless dance
That echo violently only inside your chest
Look, they bring a new morning again
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
(New Testament: Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 7)
In daily life, the most beautiful thing, the most noble thing, lies within sacrificing oneself for the sake of others.
── Osamu Dazai
“Hey, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because it’s painful.”
“Your ‘painful’ is always the same old thing, I can’t trust it at all.”
(From Osamu Dazai’s “Tsugaru”)
Postscript
Now, let me share a close, peculiar, and fun story with you, right in front of me.
Among my close acquaintances, there is a very eccentric painter named Takamizawa Mimi.
He is a man who creates works in this modern age using a strange style where he uses absolutely no canvas and no brushes.
He draws pictures inside a digital screen as if shaving his soul, and prints the works on the highest quality printmaking paper using a special method called the giclée print technique.
The themes of his works are: your eyes and my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, gaze, history, solitude, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
Takamizawa Mimi is always made a laughingstock by those around him, being called “that guy is an idiot” or “an eccentric man.”
His innate talent as a painter can hardly be called first-rate even as a compliment; at best, he is merely a third-rate, very foolish human being.
However, he is a man of unyielding patience who never gives up.
This is because he knows that the masterpieces of the great masters who left their names in past history were not born from flashes of genius, but from muddy decades of trial and error.
Knowing the intense way of life of that Vincent van Gogh, he resolved to become a painter himself.
The “Mimi” (Ear) in the name “Takamizawa Mimi” was, truth be told, taken in emulation of that famous ear-cutting incident where Gogh cut off his own ear.
He keeps drawing “eyes” inside his works.
Why does he obsessively continue to draw eyes?
It is because he wants to always feel your gaze on the other side of the drawing with his skin.
He wants to know you.
He wants to see your smiling face, or see you shed tears in empathy with his drawings; solely for that single mind, he cuts his own pockets every day and continues his wholehearted service.
Cold criticism from the world is like the sound of the wind to him.
He is genuinely terrified that only you, who are right in front of him, might abandon him, and that he cannot go on living if he is forgotten by you, playing the clown desperately to provide the maximum service.
Please, laugh at his foolishness from the bottom of your stomach.
He is a man who becomes stronger like a weed the more he is laughed at, swearing his loyalty to you.
There is a businessman whom Takamizawa Mimi respects so much that he practically prays to him every day.
It is Mr. Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya.
Mr. Munetsugu was a true madman of management who, during his active years, threw away all hobbies and friends, dedicating his life straight to work without looking sideways.
Even his favorite classical music, which was the only thing that saved his heart during his unfortunate childhood, was never listened to at all during his time as a manager, as he said, “This is no time to be listening to music, I must dedicate everything to the customers.”
In the early days of the business, during the coffee shop era when customers did not come at all, it is said that at lunchtime, Mr. Munetsugu’s wife would stave off hunger by eating the crusts (ears) of leftover sandwich bread.
Since they started from zero, such hardship was natural, rather a beautiful memory to laugh off, and he continued daily efforts like piling up bricks with a spirit of immediate decision, immediate conclusion, and immediate execution.
Takamizawa Mimi also intends to practice this spirit of “customer-first principle” of Mr. Tokuji Munetsugu just as it is in the world of art.
Loving the field, whipping himself with the minimum condition of working more than 12 hours a day, when you appear in front of him, he welcomes you by giving a standing ovation of applause inside his heart at any time.
It is natural for valuable things not to produce immediate results.
Rather than thinking, try doing it first, and do not give up easily.
Just as Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, was ridiculed by those around him as an “invention maniac” or a “madman,” yet built and destroyed weaving machines from morning till night every single day, changing the world solely with the tenacity and patience to make everyone’s life easier.
Just as the founder of Choya Umeshu challenged with a burning-the-bridges stance of “if you don’t succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life.”
Takamizawa Mimi also incorporates into his own production management the wonderful concept of “Just-in-Time” from the Toyota Production System established by Mr. Taiichi Ohno, which eliminates waste thoroughly.
Deeply engraved in his heart are the words left by Mr. Kiichiro Toyoda, “I do it because it is difficult. I do it because no one else does it or can do it. I might be an idiot for doing so, but without that idiot, new things would not be born into the world,” and the teaching spoken by his cousin Mr. Eiji Toyoda, who later became the president of Toyota, “Kiichiro was not a genius. What was important was that he did not merely think about what is generally considered impossible, but carried it out with a strong conviction that it must be done by all means, making sufficient preparations.”
And behind the genius Vincent van Gogh, there was the great devotion of a woman named Jo, the wife of his brother Theo, who risked her life to transmit the vast amount of letters and the true value of the paintings to the world after his death.
Jo made it her own mission “to have Vincent’s work seen by many people and to have its true value recognized,” and using her intelligent reading ability, she circulated that thought to the world.
Like the Apostle Paul who risked his life to sell the teachings of Jesus Christ throughout the world, or like the great communicators such as Steve Jobs, Akio Morita, Takeo Fujisawa, and Shotaro Kamiya, Jo carried out the greatest service of “transmitting.”
Just as Mr. Akio Morita stated, “No matter how excellent a product is, it cannot become a commodity unless you arouse the desire among people to possess it,” Takamizawa Mimi is also playing the clown desperately today to transmit the cry of his soul to you.
An unfortunate upbringing does not matter; life is determined by how diligently and how patiently you can dedicate your life to “you” right in front of you.
Please, continue to watch over the challenge of this foolish and lovable artist, Takamizawa Mimi, with warm eyes.
The highest wealth is not to possess wealth, but to return it to society and use it for the happiness of people.
── Henry Ford
Human beings are creatures capable of enduring surprising amounts of pain if it is for the sake of the person they love.
── Agatha Christie
Believe in the great promised land sleeping inside your own heart. No matter how steep the road leading there may be, do not stop your steps.
── Moses
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances.
── William Shakespeare
If you can save the soul of a single human being, it is of as much value as if you had saved the entire world.
── The Talmud
I have always believed that a human being should always be their own clown.
── Osamu Dazai
Art is not a well-mannered parlor game. It is something more muddy, more blood-bleeding—the very confession of a human being.
── Osamu Dazai
Truly beautiful things are always born quietly from the bottom of silent solitude, without being noticed by anyone.
── Osamu Dazai
Never, never, never give up. No matter how dark the stormy night may be, the dawn will surely come.
── Winston Churchill
Have courage, be the first, and do something different from others. I am thought to have achieved success overnight, but that one night was thirty years. Looking back, it was a long, long night.
── Ray Kroc
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
── Walt Disney
Water, by adapting itself to the shape of the vessel, overcomes all obstacles to flow. We also must possess a flexible mind.
── Leonardo da Vinci
Thank you so much, truly, thank you so much for listening to my clumsy, yet life-shaving long story until the very end.
I am always praying from this place so that countless blessings and warm light will rain down upon your life ahead.