Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – November 13, 1999
Was it the sorrow of a subcontractor’s subcontractor? A small-town factory went bankrupt amid the recession. The middle-aged company president, drowning in alcohol, damaged his liver and began losing consciousness and experiencing convulsions. His work was his life. He found joy in drinking after a hard day’s work, socializing under the guise of business networking, dining with acquaintances, and even engaging in just enough gambling to keep his home life from falling apart. Though he had a wife and daughter, he was a husband who had almost forgotten about his family.
The French film Where Is Happiness? (1995) tells a story that begins with the stress of a small business owner. The protagonist runs a toilet supplies factory but struggles with employee strikes. At home, he is ignored by his flashy, appearance-conscious wife and daughter. While having dinner with an old friend, his accumulated stress suddenly overwhelms him, and he suffers a stroke, landing him in the hospital. From this point on, his outlook on life begins to change little by little.
One day, while watching a TV show that helps people find lost loved ones, he sees a rural woman searching for her husband, who disappeared 26 years ago. The missing husband looks exactly like him. Curious, he travels to the countryside and assumes the role of her long-lost spouse. He settles into a peaceful life on a foie gras farm and feels as though he has been reborn. This condition is known as "fugue" in psychology—a dissociative state of escape.
Meanwhile, his friend takes over his company, looking after his wife, daughter, and business. He himself finds happiness, and as if that weren’t enough, a large sum of "assets" suddenly falls into his lap. The film presents a man’s selfish dream come true, and in France, it became a long-running hit.
Economic downturns first hit small and mid-sized businesses. While small factory owners suffer tragically, even CEOs of major corporations—once thought to have comfortable lives—are now being swept up in waves of restructuring. Is there any way to lighten the mood, even just a little, like in the movies?
Alongside outer space, the human brain remains an infinite frontier. The last decade of the 20th century was designated "The Decade of the Brain" in the United States, with ongoing efforts to explore the relationship between the mind and the brain. Europe and Japan have begun similar initiatives, though a few years behind.
תגובות