The Clover of Happiness—Health Comes First

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – September 19, 1998

Love, money, social status, and health—these four things are said to trigger relapses in schizophrenia. A psychiatrist named Yōichi Eguma once argued this point, and later, the idea came to be likened to a "four-leaf clover."

Few people are completely indifferent to all four. Likewise, few people are completely satisfied in all four areas. Human misfortune often seems to stem from heartbreak, poverty, unemployment or demotion, and illness.

When war, economic depression, famine, or a major disaster strikes, the clover can be blown away in an instant. Simply having a job, a partner or spouse, a modest savings, and enough health to pass a medical checkup—that alone is already an incredible blessing.

In exchange for that, it seems we must live under the pressure of work quotas, household troubles, and constant stress.

There is a film starring the now-rising Leonardo DiCaprio titled Marvin’s Room (1996). DiCaprio plays a 17-year-old delinquent.

His aunt, played by Diane Keaton, is diagnosed with leukemia. She cares for her bedridden father and an elderly woman, presumably his sister, who appears to suffer from dementia. She doesn’t think of her life as her own alone.

DiCaprio’s nagging mother is played by Meryl Streep, who is also Keaton’s sister. There is tension between the sisters over who should care for their aging parents. However, the younger sister brings her son, DiCaprio, to see her sister for the first time in 20 years, as he is a potential bone marrow donor.

DiCaprio interacts with his aunt, revealing that he’s more than just a troubled youth. Streep, too, proves to be more than a mere nag. The film depicts how a single illness prompts the family’s emotional rebirth and helps each person rediscover a sense of happiness.

Leukemia’s suffering is harrowing. Because bone marrow transplants are so physically and emotionally demanding, psychiatrists are sometimes brought in to support the transplant team.

Even if you lose everything, your body remains. The most important leaf of the clover is health. True happiness is not found in an idle paradise.