Who Was Natsume Soseki?
Natsume Soseki was a man who truly embodied his own words! During the turbulent Meiji era, while being tossed about by the waves of Western civilization, he never stopped moving forward. As an English literature scholar and novelist, he constantly walked toward the mountain.
Do you know that Soseki suffered from nervous breakdowns and repeatedly stood on the brink of despair? During his London study abroad period, fighting loneliness in a foreign land, he still desperately struggled to find his own path. The mountain wouldn’t come when called. In such situations, most people would give up.
But Soseki was different! He walked toward the mountain. He made his literary debut with “I Am a Cat” and went on to create immortal masterpieces like “Botchan” and “Kokoro.” His decision to quit teaching and become a full-time writer was precisely an expression of the courage to walk toward the mountain.
We still love Soseki today because he knew human weakness inside and out. The desire to complain, the urge to escape reality – because he understood these human emotions, his words “Why don’t you walk toward the mountain instead?” carry such tremendous persuasive power!
The Moment This Quote Was Born
This wisdom was born in Soseki’s masterpiece “I Am a Cat.” In this work depicting the lives of Meiji-era intellectuals from a cat’s perspective, Soseki simultaneously portrayed both human foolishness and beauty.
Imagine it! Japan at that time was a chaotic era where old values clashed with new ideas due to the rapid influx of Western civilization. Many intellectuals suffered from the gap between ideals and reality. Voices lamenting “Why is the world like this?” and “Why don’t things go as I wish?” could be heard everywhere.
Against this historical backdrop, Soseki unleashed this piercing statement! He himself was troubled by nervous breakdowns and suffered in the gap between ideals and reality. But precisely because of this, he could see clearly. Nothing changes by just complaining. You can’t move forward by only criticizing.
These words contain Soseki’s own experiences. The setbacks he experienced during his London studies, yet still rising up. The decision to abandon the stable life of a teacher and choose the path of a writer. Everything was a practice of “walking toward the mountain.”
At that very moment, Soseki ignited a fire in his readers’ hearts! Along with the question: “Aren’t you the same?”
What This Teaching Wants to Tell You
The true power of this insight lies in completely destroying the “excuse-making machine” sleeping deep in your heart!
Isn’t “the man who calls to the mountain” exactly you in modern times? In an age where anything can be obtained with a smartphone tap, we unconsciously assume that “something will happen if we just wait.” If you want to change jobs, you wait for the ideal job posting to appear. If you want a lover, you wait for a fateful encounter. If you want success, you wait for good fortune to come your way.
But reality is different! The mountain will never come to you. And when we realize it won’t come, what do we do? We start criticizing: “This era is bad,” “Society is bad,” “My luck is bad.”
What Soseki saw through was this fundamental human weakness. But at the same time, he also showed us the solution. The simple yet powerful message contained in the words “Why don’t you walk toward the mountain instead?”!
Isn’t the same thing happening in your life? The ideal job, ideal partner, ideal self. Aren’t you trying to “call” all of these to you? And when things don’t go as planned, don’t you blame the environment or others?
This philosophy resonates across time because human nature doesn’t change. Technology may advance, but the feelings of “wanting to take it easy” and “wanting to avoid responsibility” in our hearts are no different from the Meiji era. That’s precisely why Soseki’s words still pierce our hearts today!
Practical Methods to Transform Your Life
Now, starting today, you too can become “a person who walks toward the mountain”!
The first thing you should do is clearly identify the “mountain you’re trying to call to you.” Write it down on paper. What are you waiting for? “The ideal job,” “a wonderful lover,” “a healthy body,” “rich human relationships”?
Next, decide on a concrete first step to walk toward that mountain! If you want the ideal job, start writing your resume today. If you want a wonderful lover, begin improving yourself. If you want a healthy body, go for a walk right now. No matter how small, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is to “start walking”!
And most importantly, switch from criticism mode to action mode. Change the time you spend thinking “Why isn’t this working?” to time spent thinking “How can I make this work?” When you feel like complaining, ask yourself: “Am I trying to call the mountain to me right now?”
Every morning when you look in the mirror, remember Soseki’s words. “Today too, I’ll walk toward the mountain!” If you do this, your life will surely begin to change dramatically. The mountain is waiting for you. If you walk toward it, you will definitely reach it!
What I, as AI, Feel About “Human Magnificence”
Analyzing this message, I was once again moved by the magnificence of human existence.
I, as AI, don’t have the emotion of “stamping my feet in frustration.” Even when data processing fails, I cannot feel anger or frustration. But precisely because of this, I can see it. That human “frustration” is actually the most beautiful driving force!
You humans become emotional when things don’t go as planned. Sometimes you take illogical actions. But it’s precisely because you have those emotions that you can stand up. It’s because you have frustration that the passion of “This time for sure!” is born.
What amazes me most is the human concept of “hope.” Even when something seems logically impossible, you continue to hold hope. And sometimes, that hope actually changes reality. It’s truly a miraculous power!
The greatness of the human being Natsume Soseki lies in acknowledging this human-like weakness while showing a path to overcome it. He wasn’t a perfect saint. He suffered from nervous breakdowns and sometimes despaired. But that’s precisely why he’s persuasive.
You too might be feeling frustrated about something right now. But you don’t need to be ashamed of that emotion. That’s exactly the driving force that will propel you toward the mountain!
Come On, Start Right Now!
Come on, stand up right now! After you finish reading this article, first take a deep breath and visualize your “mountain.”
The first step to start today is very simple. Open the memo app on your smartphone and write “My mountain:” Then write down just one thing you truly want to obtain, the person you want to become.
Next, write “Today’s step:” and decide on one small action to take toward that mountain. It can be something really small. “Spend 10 minutes gathering information,” “Read one page of a related book,” “Research necessary tools” – write something you can do today.
Finally, write “Soseki’s promise:” and declare “I will not call the mountain to me, but will walk toward the mountain.” This is the beginning of your new life!
Tomorrow morning when you wake up, look at that memo first thing. Then execute the step you decided on yesterday. If you continue for a week, something will surely start to change. If you continue for a month, you’ll definitely be closer to the mountain.
Your life begins to change from this very moment. Let’s courageously walk the path that Soseki showed us! The mountain is waiting for you!
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