January 29, 2024: Cover and Mask （覆いと仮面）

I am writing down what comes to mind when I hear the words 'covered by snow.' When I was in my 20s, these words used to excite me and make me rush to the mountains for skiing. I loved skiing so much that in the seasons other than winter, I tried not to do anything and to save money for skiing. It was as if I had been like a bear in hibernation. At that time, skiing was everything to me. I loved snow-covered mountains. The winter wonderland was so beautiful and mysterious that it made me forget all the bad things that I had experienced or seen. But the real world is very different and far from such a wonderland. It is full of lies, deceit and corruption. In particular, 2023 was a terrible year and it was probably one of the worst years in organized crimes and scandals. I saw a lot of big companies involved in wrongdoings. However, it was the wrongdoings of politicians that surprised and amazed me the most. It has been thought that politicians were so pure that they put everything they have into their jobs. But that was completely wrong. They are the same as, or even less than, everyone else. The title of a politician is just like a curtain to hide their wrongdoings. They misunderstood that they were so great that they could do anything as they liked. On top of all that, they neglected the fact that they must be held accountable for their wrongdoings. And they have no intention of showing their accountability.
On the other hand, I, as a voter, have to blame myself for giving them a blank check and letting them do as they please. Politicians have been given too much authorization and power. As society is getting more and more diversified, no politicians can follow the changes as before. So what politicians are authorized to do and what is paid to them should be reduced more and individuals should be given more room to do what they can or want to do.

「雪化粧」と聞いて思い浮かぶことを書き留めます。 20代の頃は、この言葉を聞くとワクワクして、スキーをしに山へ急いだものでした。 スキーが大好きすぎて、冬以外の季節は何もせずにスキー代を貯めるようにしていました。 まるで冬眠中の熊のようでした。 当時は、スキーがすべてでした。雪山が大好きでした。 白銀の世界はとても美しく神秘的で、体験したり見たりした嫌なことをすべて忘れさせてくれました。
でも、現実の世界はまったく違います。白銀の世界とは程遠いものです。嘘、欺瞞や腐敗が満ちています。 特に2023年はひどい年でした。組織的犯罪や不祥事に関しては、最悪の年でした。大企業による組織犯罪や不祥事が多発しました。でも、一番驚き、あきれ返ったのは、政治家の悪事でした。 政治家は純粋で、自分たちの仕事に全身全霊を捧げていると考えられてきました。 しかし、それは完全に間違いでした。 彼らは一般人と同じか、それ以下です。 政治家の肩書は、自らの悪事を隠すカーテンのようなものです。 自分たちが偉すぎて何でも好き勝手にできると勘違いし、まるで怪物のようです。
一方で、有権者であるボクは、彼らにやりたい放題やらせたことを反省しなければなりません。また、政治家に権限や権力を与えすぎていると思います。社会がどんどん多様化していく中で、彼らは、以前のように、その変化についていけていません。だから、政治家の権限や彼らへの対価をもっと減らし、個人ができることや、やりたいことをやれる余地をもっと増やすべきです。