"Mr. Zoonie, what is society??" Considering the "Point of Connection" Between Myself and Society (Part 2)

Introducing part of the special dialogue from "Why Do You All Start Talking About the Same Things When It Comes to Job Hunting? ", a book adaptation of the "Classroom Connecting You and Society" series. This is the second part of the dialogue with Yamada Zoony. In Japan, isn't education about self-expression somewhat lacking? Yet during job hunting, interviewers press you with "What do you want to do?!" and once hired, you can't do what you want... In such a situation, how should one go about finding work?
(Part 1 is here )

 

Try sharing what you think by mustering just a millimeter of courage each day

 

The difficulty of the phrase "what you want to do"

Kojima: In job hunting, I think words can either make things really clear—like the discussion about "getting a job" versus "getting into a company" (see Part 1)—or they can throw you off. Looking at today's job hunting scene and students, do you ever feel like the language just doesn't quite fit?

Yamada: Earlier we mentioned people quitting after a few years because they "can't do what they want to do." The phrase "what you want to do" itself creates a huge amount of confusion, doesn't it?

 

Kojima: Ah, that's something we're struggling with right now too. I think this is precisely where the connection with society should be.

Yamada: It's tricky. During job hunting, you're asked and made to write about "what you want to do," so you join a company expecting to do that, only to be crushed there.

In the NHK morning drama "Hanako and Anne," there was a line like, "To live in society, people must share each other's hardships." It's a drama based on Hanako Muraoka, the translator of "Anne of Green Gables," and that line really clicked for me.

If you think of doctors, teachers, sales reps at manufacturers—each as specialists sharing a particular burden—then society as a whole is incredibly specialized. If you consider Japanese society as one big family, then I, too, am sharing the burden of the job of teaching expression.

Yoshida: It's about aligning your own aspirations with what part of society you can realistically take on.

Yamada: Just endlessly digging within yourself isn't enough, nor is only searching outward. You have to find it within the relationship between yourself, the work that interests you, and society. To do that, expressing yourself is the first step.

Twenty-plus years of experience have shaped who you are today.

Kojima: We also aim for "self-expression," but I get the impression Japan isn't very good at that kind of education. You've been running expression workshops for over ten years, Zooni-san. What are your fundamental thoughts on education?

Yamada: So many people reach adulthood without having expressed themselves. That's why they struggle during job hunting and feel even more lost after joining a company.

But even if they haven't expressed themselves, they still have over twenty years' worth of input. Through their own experiences in society, they've accumulated a wealth of tangible feelings they can't quite put into words.

In my university classes and job-hunting seminars, I help them draw that out and organize it. By carefully building up the "thinking" phase before writing, they can produce writing that conveys their honest feelings without compromise, yet still feels relevant and capable of contributing to society.

 

Yoshida: Compared to when you first started teaching expression, the communication environment for young people is quite different now. Do you notice any differences?

Yamada: When I started teaching expression 14 years ago, people had a strong aversion to self-expression. Compared to that, everyone is much more proactive now.

Yoshida: Really? Why do you think that is?

Yamada: Probably because they grew up in an era when email emerged and template-based writing flooded society. They're fed up with formulaic texts that are well-structured but lack heart. I sense a desire to speak in their own words, even if it means making mistakes, and to hear that kind of language from their friends too.

Kojima: I really hope those students keep growing like that and go on to thrive in society.

Yamada: Exactly. Self-expression doesn't have to be overcomplicated—it's simply about conveying what you think today in your own words. Those who muster just a millimeter of courage each day to keep communicating will overcome the toughest hurdle of job hunting and, once they enter society, will be able to do work that truly resonates with people.

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