How to Read “Getting along in the world rather than walking a tightrope”
Tsunawatari yori yowatari
Meaning of “Getting along in the world rather than walking a tightrope”
This proverb teaches that navigating society successfully is actually harder than walking a tightrope. Tightrope walking is certainly a life-threatening and dangerous act. However, it’s a clear challenge that you can master through practice and skill.
In contrast, getting along in the world involves human emotions, feelings, and complex interests. These factors make it far more unpredictable and difficult to master.
People use this proverb when they realize how hard human relationships can be. It applies to situations at work, relationships with bosses and colleagues, and interactions in the community. These are problems that technical skills alone cannot solve.
Even today, a single post on social media or a casual comment at work can create unexpected trouble. When this happens, this proverb perfectly captures the complexity of human relationships and the difficulty of getting along in the world.
Origin and Etymology
There are no detailed records about when this proverb first appeared in literature. However, we can understand how it came to be by looking at the words themselves.
“Tsunawatari” (tightrope walking) refers to the acrobatic act of crossing a rope stretched high above the ground. During the Edo period, this was a popular spectacle. People knew it as a dangerous performance where one wrong step could cost you your life.
Tightrope walking was literally a life-risking skill. Everyone saw it as a symbol of “dangerous things.”
“Yowatari” (getting along in the world) means living in society and skillfully managing human relationships. By contrasting these two concepts, the proverb expresses an interesting view of life.
Life-threatening tightrope walking is certainly dangerous. But it’s a clear challenge you can overcome with skill and concentration. Getting along in the world, however, involves the unpredictable element of human hearts.
People’s emotions, conflicting interests, and judgments that change with time and circumstances create complexity that cannot be put into a manual.
This proverb likely came from ordinary people’s real experiences. They realized that invisible difficulties in human relationships are actually harder than visible physical dangers. The wisdom gained from people’s daily lives is condensed in this contrasting expression.
Usage Examples
- As a new employee, I’ve learned the technical skills, but “getting along in the world rather than walking a tightrope” – workplace relationships are much harder
- Passing the certification exam was one thing, but as they say, “getting along in the world rather than walking a tightrope” – actually working well with people on the job is much tougher
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down through generations because it brilliantly captures the essential difficulty of human society. Everyone tries to prepare for visible dangers and hardships. But what truly troubles us is the invisible human heart.
Tightrope walking has a clear goal. If you make it to the other side, you succeed. But getting along in the world has no finish line. Even if things go well today, you don’t know about tomorrow.
A relationship that was good until yesterday can break over something small. People’s hearts change like the weather, and no one can completely predict those changes.
There’s an even deeper truth here. Tightrope walking is a skill you perform alone, but getting along in the world always involves other people. No matter how sincerely you behave, how the other person receives it is up to them.
This “uncontrollable element” is the essence of what makes getting along in the world so difficult.
Our ancestors understood this fundamental difficulty of human relationships. They knew you cannot survive on technical skills and knowledge alone. You need to understand people’s hearts and treat them with compassion.
At the same time, they recognized how difficult this really is. This proverb contains the eternal challenge of living in human society.
When AI Hears This
Tightrope walking means placing your entire weight on a single rope. This structure has a fatal weakness. If one point breaks, everything ends. Getting along in the world, however, has a completely different network structure.
Sociologist Granovetter discovered the “strength of weak ties” theory. According to this, weak connections like acquaintances are actually more valuable than strong bonds like close friends for gaining information and opportunities.
Why? Because people with strong ties only have similar information. But weak ties serve as bridges to different worlds. For example, research shows that most job opportunities actually come through acquaintances, not close friends.
Even more important is network robustness. A single rope is dangerous even with a 1% break probability. But a net woven from 100 weak threads will keep functioning even if 10 threads break.
Mathematically speaking, as the number of nodes increases, the probability of total collapse decreases exponentially, even if individual connections are weak.
In other words, getting along in the world is a survival strategy that mathematically minimizes risk through a distributed network of many weak human relationships. Diversification over concentration – this is a principle shared with financial engineering.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of accepting that human relationships are difficult. In our age of social media controversies and workplace communication problems, we often wonder “why is this so hard?”
But this proverb gently reminds us that it’s natural for getting along in the world to be difficult.
The key is not to aim for perfection. Don’t try to cross without ever failing, like a tightrope walker. Instead, keep engaging sincerely even when you sometimes fail. That’s the essence of getting along in the world.
Try to see things from the other person’s perspective. Reflect on your own words and actions. Apologize honestly when necessary. These small steps gradually enrich your human relationships.
This proverb also teaches the value of developing warmth and compassion as a person, not just technical skills and knowledge. Because you know how difficult getting along in the world is, you can be more tolerant of others’ mistakes.
Both you and the other person are companions facing the same difficulty of getting along in the world.
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