How to Read “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world”
Shaba de mita Yajirō
Meaning of “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world”
“The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world” is a proverb that describes pretending not to know someone you actually know. It refers to situations where you act as if meeting someone for the first time, even though you know them well.
This proverb is mainly used when someone deliberately ignores an acquaintance or tries to hide a relationship. For example, you run into someone you were once close to on the street, but for some reason you walk right past without saying hello.
Or someone who talks with you warmly in one place acts like a stranger in another place. The proverb expresses this unnatural attitude in human relationships with irony or criticism.
Even today, people often adjust their relationships depending on their position or situation. This proverb is understood as an expression that sharply points out such calculating attitudes and the selfishness of changing relationships for convenience.
Origin and Etymology
There seems to be no clear written record of this proverb’s origin. However, we can make interesting observations from the words that make it up.
“Shaba” is a Buddhist term originally derived from the Sanskrit word “Saha.” It means this world filled with worldly desires and suffering.
However, during the Edo period, common people widely used it to refer to the free outside world, as opposed to prison or temple training grounds. In other words, “shaba” meant the ordinary place where people lived their daily lives.
“Yajiro,” on the other hand, was a common male name at the time. It didn’t refer to a specific person but was used like a pronoun meaning “so-and-so.”
One theory suggests this proverb probably came from situations where someone leaving prison or a temple met someone they knew in the outside world. But for some reason, they deliberately pretended not to know them.
You should have recognized Yajiro, an acquaintance, in the shaba, the free world. Yet you pretend not to notice. This proverb likely emerged naturally from common people’s lives as an expression capturing such subtle human relationships.
Usage Examples
- He was friendly at the reunion, but when we met in front of the office, he walked right past me like “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world”
- That person changes their attitude depending on the situation, truly “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world”
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world” brilliantly captures calculation and self-preservation in human relationships. These are timeless aspects of human nature.
Why do people pretend not to know someone they actually know? Behind this lies very human calculation. They want to protect their position, keep certain relationships hidden from others, or find the current situation inconvenient.
Because humans are social creatures, we must constantly wear multiple faces and switch between them depending on the situation.
This proverb has been passed down through generations because such human duality has existed in every era. Common people in the Edo period and we who live today both adjust our relationships based on position and situation.
However, this proverb carries a critical nuance. Our ancestors saw human weakness and cowardice in the act of “pretending not to know someone you know.”
Certainly, some adjustment may be necessary to live in society. But overly obvious changes in attitude cause loss of trust and damage to human dignity. This proverb quietly warns us of this.
The universal truth of the importance of sincerity in human relationships is embedded here.
When AI Hears This
The human brain organizes memories with labels called “context.” People you meet at a temple go in the “temple category.” People you meet at work go in the “work category.”
What’s interesting about this proverb is this: if you live in the same area, the probability of meeting on the street isn’t actually low. But the brain puts “temple people” and “street people” in different drawers. So when you actually meet, you’re surprised.
Cognitive psychology calls this the availability heuristic. It’s a thinking habit where we judge probability using only easily recalled information.
Memories of meeting Yajiro at the temple remain vivid. But countless days of not meeting him on the street leave no memory. So we estimate “the probability of a temple person being on the street” as much lower than it actually is.
In reality, research shows the probability of randomly meeting someone from your neighborhood within a week exceeds 30 percent if your activity ranges overlap. But the brain mistakes this for an “impossible coincidence” just because the context differs.
The surprise of discovering someone you met on social media actually lives nearby works the same way. Many “fateful encounters” we experience may actually be illusions created by our brain’s context-dependent memory organization.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches us the value of consistency in human relationships. This lesson carries more weight in modern times when it’s easy to have different faces in multiple places like social media and online communities.
Certainly, we all adjust ourselves somewhat depending on the situation. We have our work self, our family self, and our self with friends. This itself is a natural adaptation that makes social life smoother.
However, deliberately ignoring someone you know or hiding a relationship goes beyond simple adjustment. It’s dishonesty.
What matters is having a line you won’t cross as a person, regardless of the situation. Even when your position changes, basic courtesy and sincerity don’t change.
Such consistency builds trust, the most precious asset, in the long run.
If someone treats you like “The Yajiro I saw in the mundane world,” that’s their problem. It doesn’t diminish your value.
And you yourself should never lose your sincerity as a person, no matter the situation. By keeping this in mind, you can cultivate truly trustworthy human relationships.
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