There is a strange Japanglish expression, “the Golden Week(GW)” describing for the succeeding bank holidays in May in Japan. Yes, it is officially said that I’m now somehow spending the dazzling Golden weeks as anybody else. Of course, I am a government employee teacher, so basically I have 5 holidays I deserve to take. However, also officially, the teachers in Japan are infamous for a kind of the busiest teachers in Japan, so it’s a bit tricky for us to think about this GW. (The most of the Japanese school teachers are doing roles of not only teacher but also club coach or a jack of all trades…). Anyhow, the most of us are spending a kind of semi-GW right now.
However, the Covid-19 has spread uncontrollably for now, and we are spending boring GW again. You can not take an airplane ticket to visit Tokyo, or see your relatives and drink together much even in your hometown, and I’m feeling extremely frustrated even though I live in the very very countryside of Japan. Therefore, I actually cannot imagine how much stressful life Tokyoites live. And that’s why some of my gloomy friends try to ZOOM call me again and again these days (basically I like such ZOOM calling). Speaking of ZOOM, there are tons of ZOOM lecture meeting thing instead of having a physical meeting these days, but in my opinion, that is too loose. Once you turned off your camera, you suddenly find yourself watching the lecture lying on the bed drinking a beer with UNIQLO pajama.
Anyway, today, I want to say something about the ZOOM call. Since the pandemic begin, the call with my friends really increased. You cannot meet in reality, so you need to call. This situation looks really similar to distanced love situation to me. You cannot go out frequently if your lover lives in a foreign country. So you need to call frequently, write airmails, you cannot fill the gap between you and your lover. Phew. You got tired and that’s how I broke up with my ex girlfriends who studied abroad in US.
The point is, the fact that the ZOOM call is totally not enough to me. Very far from enough to me. We are a kind of musical instruments. We should tune our strings by meeting or talking with actual face to face. There are lots and lots of non-verbal messages which we read and notice unconsciously in an actual talk. However, there is always something missing on ZOOM call or call. And gradually, you and your friends cannot share the same atmosphere or feeling. In the worst case, you can lose your friend because of the difference of understandings. So, I feel really dangerous in today’s social distanced recommended situation. We need to talk face to face. Not over the phone, but physically. That’s the meaning of life and that’s the only way of tuning our musical instruments. We could lose our harmony with our precious friends.
Tomoharu's Blog 