How to Read “Do love and wishes well”
こいとねがいはよくせよ
Meaning of “Do love and wishes well”
“Do love and wishes well” teaches that you should approach both love and wishes with complete seriousness, not with half-hearted feelings.
If you’re going to fall in love, truly care about the other person with all your heart. If you’re going to make a wish, pray sincerely from the bottom of your soul.
This kind of seriousness becomes the power that makes things come true. The proverb also warns that just going through the motions without genuine feeling is meaningless.
Even today, we see many situations where people have vague relationships, “just dating casually,” or make wishes without really meaning them.
But if you truly want to obtain something important, you need to face it seriously with determination.
This proverb warns against half-hearted attitudes in life’s important moments. It teaches the importance of committing yourself completely to what matters.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first written appearance of this proverb is unclear. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
Let’s focus on the expression “yoku seyo.” In modern Japanese, we tend to interpret this as “make it good.”
But in classical Japanese, “yoku” means “sufficiently” or “thoroughly.” This suggests the proverb teaches us to “do both love and wishes thoroughly, not half-heartedly.”
During the Edo period, love and wish-making were deeply rooted in common people’s lives. Love was a major turning point in life, and wishes were sincere prayers to gods and Buddha.
People shared the understanding that neither would come true with half-hearted feelings.
What’s particularly interesting is how the proverb treats love and wishes as parallel concepts. These two seemingly different things share something important.
Both require heartfelt passion and seriousness. Superficial love or empty wishes cannot move another person’s heart or the hearts of the gods.
Our ancestors captured this truth about life in simple words.
Usage Examples
- If you really like her, as they say “Do love and wishes well,” you should properly tell her your feelings
- If you’re going to pray for exam success, follow the spirit of “Do love and wishes well” and study hard before going to the shrine
Universal Wisdom
The universal truth shown by “Do love and wishes well” is the relationship between the state of the human heart and achievement.
Why do people become half-hearted? It’s because of fear. If you try your best and fail, you’ll get hurt.
If you wish sincerely and it doesn’t come true, you’ll feel despair. So unconsciously, you take out insurance on your heart.
You prepare the excuse “I wasn’t really serious anyway” to protect yourself from getting hurt.
But our ancestors saw through this. They understood that such half-hearted attitudes are actually the biggest obstacle to achievement.
Both love and wishes only begin to move when your sincere feelings reach the other person or your goal. Human hearts and destiny respond to seriousness.
This proverb has been passed down for so long because humans are creatures who naturally want to choose the “easy path.”
We fear getting hurt and try to avoid failure. Knowing this weakness, our ancestors encouraged us with “do it well.”
They teach us that there’s a sense of fulfillment and achievement that can only be gained by living seriously.
When AI Hears This
In quantum mechanics, particles exist in multiple states simultaneously until observed. For example, before observation, an electron exists in a superposition state, present at both A and B.
The moment you observe it, it becomes fixed as one or the other. Setting love and wishes high is like expanding the range of this superposition state.
Modest wishes narrow the range of possibilities. You’re already limiting your options before observation.
On the other hand, big wishes keep your options for realization methods wide open. Someone wishing for an annual income of 5 million yen versus 50 million yen will have vastly different numbers of possible approaches.
The latter will consider entrepreneurship, investment, mastering specialized skills, and many other routes.
What’s interesting is the observer effect, which shows that “the act of observation itself influences the result.”
When you hold big wishes, how you see everyday trivial events changes. Chance encounters look like opportunities, and you notice information you’d normally overlook.
This is a state where your wish, acting as an observation device, extracts specific patterns from reality.
Physicists discovered they can change particle behavior by adjusting observation equipment settings. Humans can also change the range of reality they perceive by changing their wish settings.
High wishes function as observation devices that actualize more possibilities.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the value of having determination in life’s important moments.
Modern society offers many choices and the freedom to change direction anytime. But this freedom can sometimes make us half-hearted.
In love, work, or dreams, thinking “there’s another path if this doesn’t work” might prevent us from giving our all to what’s in front of us.
This proverb teaches modern people to have “the courage to be serious in this moment, right now.”
Don’t fear failure or getting hurt. Face things with genuine commitment. That experience enriches your life and gives it depth.
The important thing isn’t to give your all to everything. It’s to identify what you truly consider important and not be half-hearted about those things.
That kind of life leads to living without regrets. Why not face seriously what you truly care about right now?
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