下のスクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは一部異なる場合があります。

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The Way to Find One's Self

OHTSUKI, Shohei (Akashi National College of Technology)

Have you ever found yourself? Or, have you ever found yourself, again? Some even go through the process of finding themselves more than a few times in their lives. Today, I'd like to talk to you about the process of finding one's self by describing how I had difficulty finding myself at first, but finally acknowledged my limits, and learned from a personal relationship.

Although I have always liked philosophy and deep thinking, in the past, I have had much difficulty in finding myself. Perhaps, I was thinking too deeply. In fact, there were times when I really could not stop thinking things over so much so that I could not even socialize with my friends very well. The thoughts that occupied my mind never matched the flow of conversation with my friends. So, eventually, I shied away from my friends. I went to school and felt that I made mistakes again and again, every day. Then, I realized that I had to break through that situation to make my life bright and not to waste my days of youth. I knew that if I could view life without the distracting thoughts that made me feel and act so negative, then my world would look much brighter. And, as I looked at the world in front of me, I realized: How creative the real world is! By gradually doing, rather than thinking, I finally started to put my hands on the real things in life.

Trying to live in reality immediately showed me that I had previously not been able to pay attention to those around me, especially when talking with my friends. Yet, paying attention is the most important part of any communication. Because I could not pay attention, back then, there were words that I could not understand. These were the words of my father. He said, “When you joke, you must know your own characteristics and limits as perceived by not only you but also those around you. If you can joke with that in consideration, everyone will laugh.” You may have heard the term, “Metacognitive Ability,” or “knowing about knowing,” which is one of the most attractive aspects of neurology today. Metacognition helps you to understand the situation around you, and it should be one of the most important abilities to live by. We can know this ability through books; however, it is necessary to observe our own thinking to have a good sense of this ability. The more we admit to the circumstances around us, the better outcomes we can get, for example, in personal relationships. This process sometimes tastes bitter, but we all know that it is one of the steps for growing up.

In one relationship I have had, I fell in love with a girl who obviously had a sense of knowing herself. I felt she had a certain necessary pride and obvious ambition. She was the kind of person who believed in others, which meant she could believe in herself. While she did so, I did not. However, her way of thinking was very similar to mine. When I realized that, I finally saw who I wanted to be and who I did not want to be. I wanted to live more like her. That's when I finally realized my own ambition.

In the end, I found myself after struggling to admit who I was and after meeting a person who had a similar mindset as mine and had found herself. I learned, through a real experience, not through thought or books, that we must look into ourselves to know who we are and who we can be, while at the same time, learning from others. And, through the process of finding myself, I have become very happy with who I am. My life has purpose, and I'm committed to it. I know my limits and I can try things for my personal growth. I'm sure that it is when we find ourselves that we can set new and obvious goals and establish beliefs. We often lose ourselves, but we must remember the purposes we have set before us. And, when the time comes that you need to set a goal again, remember how you have found yourself before, and that will help you.