A Noticeably Peaceful Place to Be

(photo: Gino Amasia)

It's That Season Again: After a patient day of plowing his rice field, a man in Nagasaki prefecture opts for the slow road home.




I'm blogging on a Saturday night. Shh, don't say it, I know it's geeky. The point being, as I am sitting here plugging away I can hear the bugs chirping outside through the quiet. It's 9 pm and I am winding down in the country.

About an hour ago a salesman -- showcasing new houses that require not a single nut or bolt -- came to my door. I felt bad for the dude, still working, still adorned in his suit, at 8 p.m. at night. I thought he would see I was not Japanese, apologize for the inconvenience and be on his way, happy to be one step closer to the end of his day.

At the same time I would pretend I couldn't speak Japanese, hurrying the process along, with the sole objective of not being bothered and letting as few bugs in the front door as possible. He's better off and so am I, it's a win-win situation.

Well, he knocked, I opened and the shock on his face hinted to me that it was all going as planned. I pretended not to speak any Japanese, allowing only a few words to slip and diverting my eyes only to the one bug I saw fly in my apartment and the other I felt on my arm. My impatient premeditated actions would soon lead me to be comfy and bug biteless and him driving home to start his weekend. Perfect.

But after the surprise eyes and my confused looks he simply slowed down and took the time to make sure I understood his small talk. I tried one more time to change the subject from endearing chitchat to what he was actually selling. Hopefully to segue into my obvious lack of need for a house in Japan, specifically, a wooden house with no bolts.

He wouldn't let me change the subject. He was genuinely interested in talking to me, treating me with the same kindness as he would any of his Japanese customers, notably not interested in making the sale, but rather showcasing what his company offered.

At this point I felt terrible. Here I am trying to rush along this man, and he just wanted to chat. So we talked. I let the Japanese out of the cage and answered him with the same keenness that he showed me. After that I browsed all 15 pages of his pamphlet, listening to his explanations for every possible thing made out of wood that you can imagine. We went through the wood baths, the wood screens and the wood houses. I stood there, right hand propping the door open, listening intently, no longer noticing the buzzzzz passing my ear.

There is something to be said for his genuine concern and good nature. You see this a lot in Japan, and it often stops me in the my tracks and makes me self-aware of my impatience and discourtesy. I know I am not the only American consumer that reacts like this, and that my initial plan of getting rid of him quickly is often the stratagem in my home country.

Last Wednesday the peacefulness of 121 countries was assessed and ranked by the Global Peace Index, which is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Norway placed first, with Japan coming in a close fifth and the United States far behind. It finished ahead of Iran by one at 96. Israel, Sudan and Iraq pulled up the rear.

The data was drawn from the United Nations, World Bank and the study's independent criteria. About 24 indicators were used, including wars fought in the past five years, arms sales, prison populations and incidence of crime. The U.S. suffered in the rankings from its large prison population, its warfare and external conflict.

"This Index stands to broaden our very definition of what peace is, as
well as how to achieve it," said Harriet Fulbright of the Fulbright Centre. "Peace isn't just the absence of war; it's the absence of violence."

I think it extends further than this. It is the absence of impatience and the presence of a peace of mind.

After I closed the door and bade my salesman goodbye, I thought this man is a small reason why Japan is No. 5 in the rankings. He contributes to the quality of my life here; the attention and tolerance to others' feelings and the safety that leads to a peaceful mind and country.

Needless to say, my bug bites are itchy!


(For the complete rankings, visit the Global Peace Index Web site.)