Thoughts of Momo

Today, I would like to share my thoughts on reading Momo.

First of all, the author, Michael Ende, is a German author of children's literature, but he has a close relationship with Japan, having visited Japan and remarried a Japanese woman in his later years.

When I was a student, I chose German as my second language. I had the impression that Chinese would be difficult, and French is also good, but I had never had any exposure to German, so I chose it with a light heart, thinking I would give it a try.

When I tried it, I was usually frustrated because the nouns had gender and the pronunciation was too difficult. time stopped at Ich bin studentin.

In communication, we go back and forth in a language that is not our mother tongue. It is said that this alone is very tiring for the brain. It is a great thing to be able to write a book that is loved all over the world, but I also respect the translators.

Thoughts on reading "Momo"

Personally, I found it a good read. There are also numerous quotes.

It may be similar to the feeling I had when I read Shield by Ryu Murakami, one book that was recommended to me when I was younger. It may also be due to the influence of my recent reading of Ningen Shikkaku (Human Disqualification), which made my heart grow fonder.

I am rather tedious and efficiency-oriented. I am the type of person who wants to freely waste the spare time that is created by eliminating wasted time.

At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction in terms, but I can understand the gray men's point of view. (Although the fact that the time saved is being stolen is not good because it is fraudulent.)

This work shows that striving for a goal without a purpose can lead to the loss of something. If you don't have a goal, it is useful to set a temporary goal, so it is not generally bad, but I feel the fear of taking on someone else's goal, even if it is temporary. The bundle of conventions around us is also frightening.

Excessive rationalization leads to irrationality, but I was reminded that it is very important to think and choose for oneself.

Finally, I picked up some quotes that stayed with me.

Don't think about the whole road at once, do you understand? Think only of the next step, the next breath, the next step. Always think only of the next.

This is because human beings must decide for themselves what to do with their time. That is why we must also protect our time from being stolen.

Just as we have eyes to see light and ears to hear sound, we have a mind to sense time. And if that mind does not perceive time, then there is no time.