スキップしてメイン コンテンツに移動

Enduring Dependence

This poem explores the fundamental human emotion of amae—the desire to depend upon and be accepted by others—while questioning the nature of the relationship between children and adults. To rely on others is a natural longing for love and can also become a driving force for growth. Yet at the same time, it carries the danger of turning into neglect, overindulgence, control, or dependency. What does it truly mean to raise a child? Where is the boundary between kindness and severity? Through the tensions surrounding amae, the poem portrays parents and children growing together through their mutual struggles and dependence.

 

“Enduring Dependence”

 

To depend—

 

is to innocently plead

for what one desires.

 

If it is a small child,

we accept it unconditionally.

 

Because that is how hearts connect.

Because we want to believe

that such acceptance is love.

 

To depend—

 

is to become absorbed

in what one can do.

 

Because a child’s curiosity

drives them forward.

 

Because that is how the world is discovered.

Because we are taught

that this is the path toward independence.

 

To depend—

 

at what point

did we begin pushing them away?

 

Because being a child

no longer excuses everything.

 

Did that become

the beginning of encouraging independence?

 

Did it become the moment

when kindness was transformed into strength?

 

To depend—

 

may hinder growth.

 

Should a child be allowed

to do whatever they please

simply because they are young?

 

How is that different from neglect?

 

Have we mistaken that

for the power to embrace?

 

To depend—

 

is to discipline harshly.

 

Should obedience in children

be treated as virtue?

 

Have we confused that

with the convenience of adults?

 

Is it merely preparing children

to conform to the demands of the group?

 

To depend.

To let another depend.

To indulge.

 

Children and parents alike

grow through a constant struggle

over dependence itself.

 

Written on April 26, 2026.

I tried to portray the origins and structure of human dependence.

 

 

 


このブログの人気の投稿

Knowing at Sunset　(New Year’s Card, 2026)

his poem reflects on life as it is seen at sunset— not as an ending, but as a moment when past light, lingering warmth, and the promise of a new dawn quietly coexist. Knowing at sunset — the gradations of a life. Passion has not yet cooled; the days bathed in sunlight now lie distant. Life glows in the lingering afterlight. Melting into sunset — the strange encounters a life bestows. Benevolence remains precious still; with the sun at one ’ s back, shadows are cast. Life resounds in the hues of evening. Cherishing the beauty of sunset — the last story of a life. Embers have not yet burned out; in the stillness that reaches culmination, one is suffused by a new sun.
Read more »

To Those Guided by Young Children

This poem listens to life as it is reflected in young children— their gaze, their silence, their small questions. Each moment asks something of us, quietly but unmistakably, calling not for sentiment, but for responsibility, care, and action. To Those Guided by Young Children To meet the gaze of a young child demands a sincerity that faces them head-on. In a young child’s tears, an anger that must not be indulged is questioned. In a young child’s smile, the meaning of selfless joy is questioned. In a young child’s gestures, the warmth of an embracing presence is questioned. In a young child’s fragile voice, our readiness to respond without delay is questioned. In a young child’s silence, the wisdom to sense the heart beyond words is questioned. In a young child’s small questions, our breadth of vision toward the world is questioned In the radiance of a young child’s life, our resolve to protect the present is questioned. The peace a young child seeks without cease mu...
Read more »

A World of Right and Wrong

This poem examines a world where the line between right and wrong is deliberately blurred. By questioning language, justification, and power, it confronts the moral evasions that sustain domination and asks what happens when self-overcoming is refused.   A World of Right and Wrong   When facing a matter, we must examine our way of thinking. We must examine our use of words. We must examine our everyday conduct.   What is the basis that claims alignment with reason? What is the basis for asserting what is “ right ” ? What is the basis for believing one is doing good?   Is a slip of the tongue a lie meant to protect oneself? Is a mocking laugh arrogance that looks down on others? Is failure nothing more than shifting responsibility?   Self-serving values are proclaimed as legitimate. Self-centered ethics are boasted as humanitarian. Ego-driven morality is substituted for education.   One secures absolute c...
Read more »